Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority, Columbia, Missouri, Papers, 1860s-1962 (C3877)

.4 linear feet

INTRODUCTION

Minutes, resolutions, maps, reports, and legal documents concerning the urban redevelopment project in Columbia, Missouri, for the area known as Flat Branch and/or the Douglass School Urban Renewal Area.

DONOR INFORMATION

The Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority Papers were donated to the State Historical Society of Missouri by John C. Crighton on 1 August 1977 (Accession No. 2110). An addition to the papers was made on 11 June 1979 (Accession No. 2248).

AGENCY HISTORY

The first meeting of the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority was held 15 June 1956, by a Board of Commissioners appointed by Mayor Howard B. Lange, Jr. Authority for the commission derived from the Home Rule Charter of 1949. A clear statement outlining the terms of office, the concepts, authority and intention of the commission was provided by the City Counselor. The authority was empowered to work with the Urban Renewal Administration, the Housing and Home Finance Agency, and the U. S. Post Office Department, and to solicit state and federal funding for projects.

The Douglass School Urban Renewal Area was the primary target of the authority. Work of the authority included the relocation of residents; the acquisition of property through purchase, condemnation, and eminent domain; the approval or rejection of renewal plans provided by individuals; and negotiations with contractors.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

John C. Crighton, the donor of these papers, served on the authority from its inception. These are the papers retained by Crighton and are not the official records of the authority. The first five folders contain historical research notes on the black population of Columbia from the 1860s, the paintings in City Hall, street names and local redevelopment efforts dating from 1865.

The remaining folders contain documentation and legal opinion concerning the establishment of the authority, its powers and purpose; correspondence, reports, and memos concerning property values; the acquisition of property by purchase and condemnation; and specific redevelopment plans proposed by individual property owners. Of special interest is the 1958 "Market Analysis and Reuse Appraisal of the Douglass School Urban Renewal Area," prepared by Roy Wenzlick & Company, St. Louis, Missouri. The "Analysis" dealt with existing conditions, past and future trends, property and site valuations and possible reuse plans. Clippings, located at the end of the collection, concern the authority's plans and community reactions. A large number of the clippings concern the efforts of a citizens group to halt subsequent phases of redevelopment in 1962.

FOLDER LIST

Historical Notes

f. 1Columbia, Missouri: History of the Black population
f. 2Columbia, Missouri: History of City Hall paintings
f. 3Columbia, Missouri Street Name Study
f. 4Columbia, Missouri Urban Redevelopment History
f. 5Historical Notes

Authority Papers

f. 6June 1956
f. 7July - August 1956
f. 8September 1956
f. 9October - November 1956
f. 10December 1956
f. 11Consultant's Report, 1958
f. 12August 1961
f. 13October - November 1961
f. 14December 1961
f. 15January - June 1962
f. 16-17July 1962
f. 18September 1962
f. 19November 1962
f. 20December 1962
f. 21Miscellaneous
f. 22Clippings, 1956, 1957
f. 23Clippings, 1962

INDEX TERMS

These index terms are the subjects, people, places, etc. under which this collection is listed in all available indexes at The State Historical Society of Missouri-Columbia. If you are interested in a specific index term, please contact the reference staff.