Healing Charlottesville

Council Agenda March 4 Shows Urban Renewal Not Complete; Renaming of Ware St. to Minimize History of Dr. Ware; Calls for Restorative Justice.

CITY COUNCIL AGENDA - Monday March 4 at 7:30 pm Council Chambers

4. RESOLUTIONS* Designating Area between Water, Avon, Elliott and Ridge Street as Revitalization Area; Approving City Support for Tax Credit Application for Garrett Square; Authorizing Letter of Support for Piedmont Housing Alliance re: Garrett Square
*ACTION NEEDED ...

9. CONSENT AGENDA*
b. RESOLUTION: Renaming a Portion of Ware Street

Fourth Street SE was renamed Ware Street to honor the memory and contribution of Dr. Ware.   His house was on that street and appears on an 1877 map in Agnes Cross-White's book.  

The Charlottesville Housing Authority purchased the estate from a poor woman in 1970 who had owned it for 10 years.   The woman sued the city unsuccessfully to keep the house.

Because the house was not substandard, the Authority rented it to a low-income family for five years until it was torn down.   The family who rented the house was the poor woman's daughter and five grandchildren.   The elderly woman's son ran for city council three times in the 1970s on a platform to stop urban renewal.

The photos in Time Machine Trip #1 were contributed by the family of Mrs. Laura Dowell.   Proposal to name Ninth-Tenth Connector "Property Street" for Sally Hemings and Laura Dowell June 5, 2000.

Calls for restorative justice have been heard over the last couple days as a way to minimize the controversy of apparent black-on-white violent crimes of Charlottesville High students against University students.   The argument is that pre-court resititution might reduce the sentences of the accused if they are found guilty.   City councilor Maurice Cox has expressed interest in the idea of restorative justice.

Restorative justice in connection with urban renewal might achieve the same goals.   The voters of Charlottesville urgently need to know what happened from 1967 to 1976.   The history before and after urban renewal is also important.

• Alexander Garrett, the first rector of the University of Virginia, built a large house with a pillared portico south of downtown in the early 1820s.   Used as a residence and warehouse over the years, it was torn down in the '50s by its private owner.   (Daily Progress with photo)
• Dr. Ware built his house around the time of the Civil War.   This property is currently a parking lot owned by Cavalier Management, Inc. on the south side of Garrett Square.
• Allen's produce market at Garrett and Sixth St. SE was a black-owned family business for thirty years until 1977 or 1978*.   Mr. and Mrs. Allen lived a block away on Sixth St.   The city charged the Allens rent between the city's purchase of the property and its demolition.   The Allens moved to Carrsbrook in Albemarle county.   (Daily Progress)

HealingCharlottesville hopes that the city historian will publish a study of this neighborhood's history in the interest of historic preservation.

Blair Hawkins, Thu 28 Feb 2002

*Corrected 28 July 2002.   Originally I mistakenly said 1970 but then found the Daily Progress article from 1977 where the Allens were waiting for 30 days' notice to vacate.

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