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
651-283-2380
Anne Ketz
106 Group, CEO & Services Director
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