Ledroit Park, A Portrait In Black And White: A Study Of Historic Districts, Social Change, And The Process Of Neighborhood Placemaking

This research examines the process of placemaking in LeDroit Park, a residential Washington, DC, neighborhood with a historic district at its core. Unpacking the entwined physical and social evolution of the small community within the context of the Nation’s Capital, this analysis provides insight into the role of urban design and development as well as historic designation on shaping collective identity. Initially planned and designed in 1873 as a gated suburb just beyond the formal L’Enfant-designed city boundary, LeDroit Park was intended as a retreat for middle and upper-class European Americans from the growing density and social diversity of the city. With a mixture of large romantic revival mansions and smaller frame cottages set on grassy plots evocative of an idealized rural village, the physical design was intentionally inwardly-focused. This feeling of refuge was underscored with a physical fence that surrounded the development, intended to prevent African Americans from nearby Howard University and the surrounding neighborhood, from using the community’s private streets to access the City of Washington. Within two decades of its founding, LeDroit Park was incorporated into the District of Columbia, the surrounding fence was demolished, and the neighborhood was racially integrated. Due to increasingly stringent segregation laws and customs in the city, this period of integration lasted less than twenty years, and LeDroit Park developed into an elite African American enclave, using the urban design as a bulwark against the indignities of a segregated city. Throughout the 20th century housing infill and construction increased density, yet the neighborhood never lost the feeling of security derived from the neighborhood plan. Highlighting the architecture and street design, neighbors successfully received historic district designation in 1974 in order to halt campus expansion. After a stalemate that lasted two decades, the neighborhood began another period of transformation, both racial and socio-economic, catalyzed by a multi-pronged investment program led by Howard University. Through interviews with long-term and new community members, this investigation asserts that the 140-year development history, including recent physical interventions, is integral to placemaking, shaping the material character as well as the social identity of residents.

Denver, Colorado, 1904 (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the historic paper map entitled: Map of the city of Denver : showing the lines of the Denver City Tramway Co. It was published by Smith-Brooks Co., engravers and printers in 1904. Scale [ca. 1:21,000]. The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the HARN State Plane Colorado Central Zone NAD 1983 coordinate system (in Feet) (Fipszone 0502) coordinate system. All map collar and inset information is also available as part of the raster image, including any inset maps, profiles, statistical tables, directories, text, illustrations, index maps, legends, or other information associated with the principal map. This is a partial cadastral map showing features such as roads, railroads, existing and proposed tramway lines, property lots with numbers and names of selected property owners, drainage, selected buildings, parks, and more.This layer is part of a selection of digitally scanned and georeferenced historic maps from the Harvard Map Collection. These maps typically portray both natural and manmade features. The selection represents a range of originators, ground condition dates, scales, and map purposes.

Denver, Colorado, 1890 (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the historic paper map entitled: Rollandet's map of the city of Denver, compiled, drawn and published by Edward Rollandet. It was published by Edward Rollandet in 1890. Scale [ca. 1:21,250]. The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the HARN State Plane Colorado Central Zone NAD 1983 coordinate system (in Feet) (Fipszone 0502). All map collar and inset information is also available as part of the raster image, including any inset maps, profiles, statistical tables, directories, text, illustrations, index maps, legends, or other information associated with the principal map. This map shows features such as roads, railroads and stations, drainage, selected buildings, selected names of landowners, additions, subdivisions, township and range, parks, and more. Includes index and views of buildings.This layer is part of a selection of digitally scanned and georeferenced historic maps from the Harvard Map Collection. These maps typically portray both natural and manmade features. The selection represents a range of originators, ground condition dates, scales, and map purposes.

Denver, Colorado, ca. 1918 (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the historic paper map entitled: Denver the Gateway to 12 National Parks and 32 National Monuments. It was published by Clason Map Co. ca. 1918. Scale [ca. 1:32,680].The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the HARN State Plane Colorado Central Zone NAD 1983 coordinate system (in Feet) (Fipszone 0502) coordinate system. All map collar and inset information is also available as part of the raster image, including any inset maps, profiles, statistical tables, directories, text, illustrations, index maps, legends, or other information associated with the principal map. This map shows features such as roads, railroads, railroads stations, street car lines and stations, drainage, selected public buildings (churches, schools, hospitals, fire departments, etc.), parks, and more. Includes also index and inset: Denver Business District.This layer is part of a selection of digitally scanned and georeferenced historic maps from the Harvard Map Collection. These maps typically portray both natural and manmade features. The selection represents a range of originators, ground condition dates, scales, and map purposes.

Denver and Vicinity, Colorado, 1957 (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the historic, topographic paper map entitled: Denver and vicinity, Colorado, 1957. It was published in 1959 by the Geological Survey. Compiled from 1:24,000 scale maps of Sable, Derby, Arvada, Fort Logan, Englewood, Fitzsimons, Parker, Highlands Ranch, and Littleton 1957 7.5 minute quadrangles. The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the State Plane Colorado Central NAD 1927 coordinate system (in Feet) (Fipszone 0502). All map collar and inset information is also available as part of the raster image, including any inset maps, profiles, statistical tables, directories, text, illustrations, index maps, legends, or other information associated with the principal map. This is a typical topographic map portraying both natural and manmade features. It shows and names works of nature, such as mountains, valleys, lakes, rivers, vegetation, etc. It also identify the principal works of humans, such as roads, railroads, boundaries, transmission lines, major buildings, etc. Relief is shown with standard contour intervals of 10 feet. This layer is part of a selection of digitally scanned and georeferenced historic maps from The Harvard Map Collection as part of the Imaging the Urban Environment project. Maps selected for this project represent major urban areas and cities of the world, at various time periods. These maps typically portray both natural and manmade features at a large scale. The selection represents a range of regions, originators, ground condition dates, scales, and purposes.

Denver Water, Policy and Economics

An analysis of the Denver Water Department finds that it is charged with supplying water to over 1.1 million residents in the Denver Metropolitan area. With assets of over $1.2 billion dollars and a governing board of five appointed members who must make policy and financial decisions under unusual circumstances for most water districts. Those circumstances include; Colorado is the only State that has a single source of water, precipitation, State and Federal mandated water compacts that limits water resources further, and Colorado Constitutional mandated appropriation water laws. Combined together these circumstances create a difficult atmosphere for policy making and financial planning. When comparing the Denver Water Board with other water departments around the Country, the Denver Water Department seems to be competent in all areas.

Business Signage Control in Seattle's Chinatown International District, Pursuing Healthy Balance of Preservation and Commercial Vitalization in a Historic Commercial Districts

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-06

Issues of patronage : the Denver Civic Center sculptures

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