Political Process
"City of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania vs “Black Bottom” Residents"
(1949-1970)
Edited excerpt from “Black Bottom Project,” by Leona B. Fields, July 6, 1999. At the
time this paper was written, Leona was a student in the Master of Social Work program at
the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work.
Since after the Civil War, the federal government cited that areas considered “blighted”
within the states and cities are under national public mandate (Mark Lloyd, Univ. of Pa.
Archivist, Personal Interview). The national public mandate was that tax dollars can be
used to manage such areas and the land made available for the “common good.” In 1949,
the federal government provided funds to clear the land through the redevelopment
projects (Mark Lloyd, Univ. of Pa. Archivist, Personal Interview). In Philadelphia, the
fund was to be received only after some steps for eligibility were taken. The first step was
that groups of individuals from the local government had to preview and select the
narrowest and most specific areas, then decide which were the most “blighted.” The
Philadelphia group consisted of architects, planners and professional people (later called
the “City Planning Commission”), and the mayor (Mark Lloyd, Univ. of Pa. Archivist,
Personal Interview).
After the formation of the City Planning Commission, there was the certification process.
The certification had to come from another separate government body, the
Redevelopment Authority of Philadelphia. Together with the City Planners and
developers, the Redevelopment Authority needed to give approval on the “most blighted
areas.” However, before receiving the federal fund, the city would need to find major
contributors to match the Federal funds received (Mark Lloyd, Univ. of Pa. Archivist,
Personal Interview). In West Philadelphia, there were several major “players,” i.e., the
University of Pennsylvania (Penn), Drexel University, local businessmen, councilmen,
and ward leaders. Of all the major players, Penn and Drexel University were the ones that
could provide the most money and showed the most interest in the land surrounding the
universities (Mark Lloyd, Univ. of Pa. Archivist, Personal Interview).
Penn had agreed to contribute on the condition that certain areas were cleared to provide
land for development of a science and learning center. The land of interest was
designated Area 3 and 4, known to residents as “the Black Bottom.” Penn and other large
corporations collaborated (Mark Lloyd, Univ. of Pa. Archivist, Personal Interview). The
Redevelopment Authority accepted their conditions and entitled the plan, the “University
City Core plan.” Penn, the City Planning Commission, and the Redevelopment Authority
had the draft, letters, and guarantees to provide the federal government with proof that
Area 3 and 4 were the “most blighted.” The federal funds came with a set of rules and
procedures for how to best acquire the land.
The expenditure of the money was the next issue. How to allocate the funds? Was it in
the best interest of the public? These were some of the questions with which the City of
Philadelphia faced. The University of Pennsylvania and the Redevelopment Authority
were in favor of taking the Black Bottom community. City Council were the people to
convince in the end (Mark Lloyd, Univ. of Pa. Archivist, Personal Interview). During
many of the hearings, the public, City Planning Commission officers, and representatives
from Penn and Drexel University were present. The hearings were always in accordance
with the City and Penn’s request. The people’s voices were literally ignored. From 1965
to 1972, the land was cleared. There were basically three types of people who had to be
compensated: (1) the property owners with businesses; (2) the homeowners; and (3) the
renters. Everyone in Areas 3 and 4 were to be displaced.
The U.S. Constitution had declared “eminent domain.” Realtors were called in to
appraise the properties for a fair market price. Every case was handled individually (Mark
Lloyd, Univ. of Pa. Archivist, Personal Interview). In the case of the property owner with
a business, they received a “fair” amount of cash for the business, relocation, and moving
costs. The homeowners received the fair market value for the houses and relocation costs
from the Rehousing Bureau of the Redevelopment Authority. The renters were relocated
to new apartments and received moving costs plus the first month’s rent (Mark Lloyd,
Univ. of Pa. Archivist, Personal Interview).
Take a deeper look into the Political Process!
Destroying the Black Bottom: urban renewal or Negro removal? 1945-1975
The Federal Government's role. Redlining and Racism in the HOLC
The destruction of the Black Bottom finds its roots much deeper than in the expansionist
policy of the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University. The origins of the urban
renewal legislation are found in the racially discriminatory institutional and real estate
practices of the 1930's. The units seized for destruction and urban renewal were mostly
made out of viable dwellings. However, all those dwellings were branded in red by the
Home Owner's Loan Corporation, meaning that both the government and private real
estate and loan companies should avoid investing in the area altogether. This arises as a
rather surprising fact when one knows that the expansionist desires of Penn were well
known as early as in the 1930's and that the property prices would go up in the Black
Bottom thanks to its proximity to Penn. As Douglas Massey points out in American
Apartheid, those units happened to be largely African American.
Map: Redlining in West Philadelphia
Redlining was designed to evaluate the risks associated with loans made to specific urban
neighborhoods. The HOLC `s rating procedure thus "undervalued in a systematic manner
old racially or ethnically mixed neighborhoods." (Massey, 1993: 51) In some cases the
HOLC spoke in secret reports of "rapidly increasing negro population" as correlated with
"hazardous" investment zones. (1) Multi family units were looked down upon. The area
where the Black Bottom was situated, which has once again one of the highest African
American population in the City, was branded in red on the security map of Philadelphia
(see map 3, p.27), and its rising Black population was one of the determining factors in
its condemnation for destruction.
The Housing Act of 1949: The Federal roots of urban renewal
Even though this study highlights the role of various local agencies and public/private
partnerships at the local level for the purpose of conducting an analysis focused on the
particulars of urban renewal in the case of the Black Bottom, one should not
underestimate the overwhelming role played by the government in all urban renewal
programs. Urban Renewal is the result of a national crisis in housing and deterioration of
the urban environment under the Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration. Since private
enterprise did not fulfill its goal in providing enough housing of good condition, the
Federal Government needed to take action to restore a viable pool of housing units.
Hence the Federal Government posted the Housing Act of 1949 with the goal to provide
"a decent home and a suitable living environment for every American Family," by
clearing slums and developing new housing through private developers.
The urban renewal plan was allowed by Section 110 (a) of the aforementioned Housing
Act and defined in the following terms: "Urban renewal area means a slum area or a
blighted deteriorated or deteriorating area in the locality which the administration
approves as appropriate for an urban renewal project."
The urban renewal Act (title I of the Housing Act of 1949, as amended) was to provide
Federal advances, loans, and grants to local governments through state-authorized "local
public agencies" for the acquisition and clearance of city slums and blighted areas, for the
relocation of displaced occupants, and for the costs of the subsequent disposition of the
land for redevelopment. (Epstein, 1985:46]
In 1959, Section 112 of the Federal Housing Act was created by amendment to add
specific requirements and clauses for urban renewal areas involving Colleges,
Universities and Hospitals. In addition to removing blight, such urban renewal plan had
as a goal to "further promote the public welfare and the proper development of the
community."
(1) Saint Louis Real Estate Prospect Report, HOLC 1941, cited in American Apatheid,
segregation and the making of the American underclass, p.52