2020 MN Statewide

Preservation Conference

St. Paul African

American Historic and

Cultural Context Study

Nieeta Presley

Aurora Saint Anthony Neighborhood

Development Corporation’s (ASANDC),

Former Director

nieeta@gmail.com

651-283-2380

Anne Ketz

106 Group, CEO & Services Director

106group.com

AnneKetz@106group.com

651-290-0977

OVERVIEW

• Why

• The vision

• The need

• How

• Project team

• What is a context?

• National perspective

• Next Steps

William Godette, St. Paul's first African-

American firefighter, in 1885

The Why

THE VISION

• Protect our resources

• Tell our stories

• Leverage economic

opportunities

St. Paul Central High School track relay team, St.

Paul, approx. 1955

• African American

presence in Saint Paul for

more than 150 years

• Construction of I-94 in

the 1960s demolished

Rondo Avenue

• Many significant people,

properties, & stories exist

but lack of awareness

PROJECT BACKGROUND

Women gather at St. James AME Church, St. Paul,

approx. 1955

THE NEED

• Significant losses

• City’s Preservation Plan

• Without a historic context, Saint Paul’s African

American history is at risk

The How

PROJECT TEAM

CommunityAdvisory

Group

106 Group

ASANDC

Culture Brokers

Historic Saint Paul

Ramsey County

And others!

Consultant Team

A historic context is a

broad pattern of historical

development in a

community, that may be

represented by historic

resources.

WHAT IS A HISTORIC

CONTEXT?

What are priorities?

What is their meaning & significance?

What types of historic resources do we have?

Historic contexts attempt to answer:

WHAT IS A CULTURAL CONTEXT?

• Contexts by themes and communities

• Underrepresented communities

• Invisible histories

• Culture – not just historic written record

• Equity in preservation policy

NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

• A survey

• An inventory

• A complete history of

African Americans in

Saint Paul

… yet!

WHAT A CONTEXT IS NOT

1912-1949-Engine 22 African American Fire House

• Project Area: City of St. Paul

• Dates: 1837-1975

• Focus: history, architecture, archeology, engineering, & culture

• Potential topics: migration, religious institutions, businesses and industry, arts & culture, education, politics, journalism, & significant leaders or events

ST. PAUL HISTORIC CONTEXT

St. Paul Depot Red Caps, 1952

Next Steps

The context will support efforts to:

• Preserve & Protect

• Collaborate & Build Community

• Educate, Interpret & Create

• Influence Policy

• Remedy Losses

• Build Local Economies

• Cultivate Leadership & Accountability

COMMUNITY RECOMMENDATIONS

The context will support efforts to:

• Increase HPC designation

• Conduct survey inventory

• Increase federal & state designation

• Seek funding sources & incentives

• Develop partnerships

• Address policy

• Increase awareness

NEXT STEPS

LANDMARKS SINCE

CONTEXT FINALIZED

• May 2016 - Final Historic & Cultural Context

• February 2018 - Context adopted by the City of

Saint Paul’s Historic Preservation Commission

• June 2019 - won AASLH Award of Excellence

Frank M. White

Author

Author of “They Played for

the Love of the Game:

Untold Stories of Black

in Minnesota.” 2016

Dr. Corey

Former Director

Saint Paul PED

Cultural Designation Areas (CDA)

USED FOR ONGOING WORK &

RESEARCH

ST PAUL HPC PRIORITIES

• Implementation Plan (in progress)

• Survey & HPC inventory forms

• Designation of properties

• ReConnect Rondo – Rondo Land Bridge Project

• Rondo Arts Cultural Business Historic District (RACBHD) -CDA

• Center for Diverse Expression

IMAGINING RONDO

Google “st paul african american

context st paul”

https://106group.com/st-paul-african-american-context/

https://www.stpaul.gov/sites/default/files/Media%20Root/Planning%20%26%20Economic%20Development/DRAFT_Saint_Paul_African_American_Cultural_Context_Study.pdf

TO LEARN MORE

Change will not come if we wait for some

other person or … some other time.

We are the one we’ve been waiting for.

We are the change that we seek

- Barack Obama

QUESTIONS

AND

DISCUSSION