This past Saturday Tom and I did the first of these walks, the King-Lincoln Culture Walk.
King-Lincoln, also known as (though I didn't know this before the walk) Bronzeville, is a historically African-American neighborhood just east of downtown that was once the heart of black culture and community in Columbus.
The walk began on Long Street at the Lincoln Theater, once the only theater in Columbus that allowed blacks entrance,
...who shared with us, among other things, that "Bronzeville" was originally an economic concept of bringing together African Americans of all shades to build a strong residential and commercial community. He also shared that there are Bronzeville neighborhoods in Chicago (which I knew about) and Milwaukee (which I didn't know about), among other cities. |
This landmark building was purchased last year by a local entrepreneur who has renovated it into apartments.
We then walked back to Mt. Vernon Avenue and continued our walk,
Built in 1940, Poindexter Village was the nation's first public housing complex and was for decades a thriving African-American community nicknamed "The Blackberry Patch."
Our tour was then over so we continued down Long Street until we arrived at the Lincoln Theater,
http://columbuslandmarks.org/columbus-culture-walks/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King-Lincoln_Bronzeville