Sunday, June 5, 11am-5pm, Center of Science and Industry [COSI], 333 W. Broad St.

Experience the rich history of one of Ohio’s first public housing developments, located in the heart of the African-American neighborhood of Columbus’ Near East Side. Today, the community is finding new sources of neighborhood pride through major revitalization.

During the 40-year period of the Great Migration (1900 to 1940), African-Americans moved from the South to the North to escape Jim Crow era infringements and pursue greater political, economic, and social opportunities. In Columbus, each decade witnessed growth in the size of the city’s black population, resulting in changing demographics throughout the city.

In 1940, the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA), with the United States Housing Authority (USHA), developed 426 dwelling units in 33 buildings to provide decent housing for Blacks in Columbus, replacing an area known as the “Blackberry Patch” on the East Side. The development was named for pastor and activist, Rev. James P. Poindexter. Its residents would be proud, aspiring, and secure in bright and modern abodes. Many who forged paths north to Columbus during the Great Migration would find their dreams realized at Poindexter Village.

Many changes occurred over the next 70 years that altered Poindexter Village and the surrounding neighborhood. As they became more affluent, resident families moved to other urban communities. Interstate highways severed the neighborhood from downtown, isolating less well-off families. Employment and cultural opportunities diminished. Conditions within Poindexter Village deteriorated and federal funds for building improvements shrank, leading to Poindexter Village’s final decline and eventual demolition.

Today, CMHA has constructed more than 100 units of new affordable housing on site, with more underway for the next generations of Near East Side families to call home.

Join us to learn about Poindexter Village: its history, the contribution of its residents, the life and future of this community.

Sponsored by Columbus Historical Society.

Contact: 614-224-0822