Mapping Inequality & Reclaiming Place – Demolition of a Neighborhood

Mapping Inequality & Reclaiming Place – Demolition of a Neighborhood

In 1956, congress passed the Federal-Aid Highway Act and created a vast interstate highway network across the country. It encompassed a 41,000 system that connected populations of more than 100,000 residents. Completed in the 1990’s and at a cost of a hundred billion dollars, it profoundly changed the landscape of America and how citizens travel and conduct business.

Interstate 10 was one of the largest interstate highways built with a length of 2,500 miles. It spans from Jacksonville, Florida to Santa Monica, California. Interstate 10 made its way through El Paso in the early 1960’s. Much of the interstate would cut through existing El Paso neighborhoods such as Lincoln Park, Rio Grande, Downtown and Sunset Heights. Large parcels of land were bought out and families left their homes. Much of this demolition happened in El Paso’s then Eastside which included Lincoln Park Neighborhood, the epicenter for El Paso’s African American community. A large amount of homes and businesses were lost despite a nationwide protest to save these communities from erasure and possible health hazards coming from construction and automobiles.

This map from the “Mapping Inequality” project documents redlining in El Paso. Dating back to the 1930s, redlining was a widespread, discriminatory practice that started during the New Deal-era when the United States government began offering government-insured mortgages to prevent mass foreclosures during the Great Depression. As the program grew, the government began adding qualifications to who could qualify for these mortgages based on the value and location of homes. Color-coded maps were used to evaluate the risk associated with the loan and, across the United States, Black and other non-white neighborhoods were consistently deemed high risk and circled with a red line. By labeling these areas high risk, banks and other mortgage agencies were able to deny loans to people of color. Though redlining was ultimately deemed illegal under the Fair Housing Act of 1968, its effects are still felt today. Redlining inhibited families from upward economic mobility during an era of unprecedented economic growth post-WWII and also restricted movement within cities.

As a result, the majority of El Paso’s historic Black homes and businesses are located within these redlined areas. A current list of identified locations is available here on Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/4DW2ao2WTipU58G27

This object is currently on view in the El Paso Museum of History's newest exhibition Still We Rise: El Paso's Black Experience on view until January 2024.

Área: Central / Downtown

Fuente: Robert K. Nelson, LaDale Winling, Richard Marciano, Nathan Connolly, et al., “Mapping Inequality,” American Panorama, ed. Robert K. Nelson and Edward L. Ayers, accessed September 29, 2023, https://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/redlining/[YOUR VIEW].

Cargado por: El Paso Museum of History

Comentarios

Hacer un comentario
Gracias por su comentario

Reportar esta entrada

Elige la razón más importante para este reporte

Tu nombre

Tu correo electrónico

Detalle opcional

Gracias por su reporte

Más sobre la misma comunidad-colección

Hotel Pacific

In 1889, the Pacific Hotel (and saloon) was located at the ...

Vista de San Jacinto Plaza - El Paso, Tejas

The bandstand at one time was closer to the Main Street side of ...

Centro de El Paso - 1881 y 1887

Two images in one of downtown El Paso, Texas. Bottom image has ...

Jake Erlich - Tallest Man In The World

Many of us know of Erlich as the “world’s tallest man,” as ...

Two views of downtown El Paso

This print shows two views of downtown El Paso, one in 1881 (the ...

El Paso County Historical Society

Horse driven trolley in El Paso, Texas.

Vista de la Calle San Antonio

View of San Antonio Street from El Paso Street - 1882.

Calle El Paso - 1882

El Paso Street - 1882

San Jacinto Plaza

San Jacinto Plaza in the 1800's.

Preaching Tent - 1893

"Preaching Tent" - now the location of the Toltec ...

Downtown and Parade - 1893

Parade going east on San Antonio Street in 1893.

Downtown Store on El Paso Street - 1897

Unknown store on El Paso Street in Downtown El Paso. Date ...

Calle El Paso - 1882

El Paso Street and San Francisco--1881.

Escuela Central

In late 1882, the newspaper headline read: "$700 has been ...

Escuela Central en la ciudad El Paso

In 1884, it was built on the corner of Myrtle and Campbell ...

Primer Fabrica de Tejedor Scope - El Paso, Tejas

The W. R. Weaver Company made rifle scopes in El Paso from. ...

Alligator Pool on San Jacinto Plaza

This postcard shows the alligator pool on San Jacinto Plaza, ...

Phelps-Dodge Building - El Paso, Texas

The Phelps-Dodge building in El Paso housed the business office ...

Puente Internacional entre Estados Unidos y Mexico

This postcard shows the International Bridge which connects ...

Carnegie Free Library

The picture shows the Carnegie Library, which was the precursor ...

Hotel Orndorff y San Jacinto Plaza

This postcard shows the Hotel Orndorff, which was located at San ...

Larry Francis, Mayor, El Paso, TX circa 1995

El Paso Mayor - 1993-1995, 1995 - 1997.

William S. Tilney, El Paso, TX, Mayor 1991-'93

William S. Tilney was the mayor of El Paso from 1991-1993.

home.search_collection