Oral History of Bonton and Ideal Neighborhoods in Dallas, Texas

ORAL HISTORY OF BONTON AND IDEAL NEIGHBORHOODS IN DALLAS, TEXAS Briana Payne Thesis Prepared for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS December 2015 APPROVED: Andrew Nelson, Committee Chair Beverly Ann Davenport, Committee Member Matthew Durington, Committee Member Lisa Henry, Chair of the Department of Anthropology Costas Tsatsoulis, Dean of the Toulouse Graduate School Payne, Briana. Oral History of Bonton and Ideal Neighborhoods in Dallas, Texas. Master of Arts (Applied Anthropology), December 2015, 145 pp., 3 tables, 67 figures, references, 223 titles. The Bonton and Ideal neighborhoods in Dallas Texas, developed in the early 1900s, experienced physical and social decay throughout the 1980s. Neighborhood organizations and resident activism were vital to the rebirth of the community in the 1990s. Current revitalization efforts taking place there have been a source of contention as the neighborhood continues to overcome inequalities created by decades of racialized city planning initiatives. This thesis focuses on how the structuring structure of whiteness has historically affected, and continues to affect, the neighborhoods of Ideal and Bonton, as well as acts to identify how black residents have navigated their landscape and increased their collective capital through neighborhood activism. Copyright 2015 By Briana Payne ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I would like to thank the Neighborhood Investment Program for providing me with the opportunity to work with them as they continue to improve the Bonton and Ideal neighborhoods in South Dallas. Without their acknowledgement of the importance of conserving the history of this community, I would not have been able to share the important life stories of the residents. Secondly, I would like to thank bcWORKSHOP for allowing me to work with Craig Weflen and Jamie Vahala on this project. Their support throughout interviews and analysis, as well as their expertise on history collection and visual storytelling, allowed this thesis to evolve from paper to film. Thirdly, I would like to thank my advisors Andrew Nelson and Beverly Ann Davenport who have helped me navigate urban anthropology through various avenues and allowed me to see the true potential of my academic field work. Finally, I would like to thank the residents of Ideal and Bonton who opened their homes to me, shared their stories, and made me feel like a part of the family. I hope their lives and actions are as much of an inspiration to others as they have been to me. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Pages LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................. vii CHAPTER 1:INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 2:PROJECT DESIGN ............................................................................................................... 3 Research Goals .............................................................................................................................................. 3 Research site: Ideal and Bonton ............................................................................................................... 3 Project Stages ................................................................................................................................................. 4 Data Collection ................................................................................................................... 4 Data Analysis ...................................................................................................................... 6 Deliverables ........................................................................................................................ 7 CHAPTER 3:LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................... 8 Whiteness as Habitus ................................................................................................................................. 10 Urban Planning ............................................................................................................................................ 14 Underclass Neighborhoods ...................................................................................................................... 18 Neighborhood Life Cycle ......................................................................................................................... 21 Neighborhood Activism ............................................................................................................................ 25 Neighborhood History ............................................................................................................................... 27 CHAPTER 4:SOUTH DALLAS NEIGHBORHOOD LIFE CYCLE: FROM DEVELOPMENT TO DECAY................................................................................... 30 Suburbanization and In-Filling ............................................................................................................... 31 Racialized Planning .......................................................................................................... 42 City Planning Projects ...................................................................................................... 58 Downgrading and Thinning Out ............................................................................................................. 76 Bexar Street ....................................................................................................................... 76 Public Housing .................................................................................................................. 89 iv CHAPTER 5:SOUTH DALLAS NEIGHBORHOOD LIFE CYCLE: REVITALIZATION 92 Rehabilitation and Renewal ..................................................................................................................... 92 Ideal ................................................................................................................................... 92 City of Dallas .................................................................................................................. 103 Bonton ............................................................................................................................. 114 Future ............................................................................................................................................................ 124 CHAPTER 6:DISCUSSION .................................................................................................. 127 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................................ 127 Recommendations ..................................................................................................................................... 128 Further Investigation ................................................................................................................................ 130 CHAPTER 7:REFLECTIONS ............................................................................................... 131 APPENDIX ............................................................................................................................ 133 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................................. 134 v LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1: Biographical Summary of Black Leaders for Whom Streets Were Named .............. 40 Table 2: South Dallas Additions .............................................................................................. 56 Table 3: Bexar Street Corridor Phases ................................................................................... 106 vi LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1: South Dallas Ideal/ Rochester Park NIP/CRP Location Map (Dallas, South Dallas Ideal/ Rochester Park Community Revitalization Plan 2012). .................................................. 4 Figure 2: Mapbox Map of Research Site ................................................................................. 31 Figure 3: 1913-1915 Additions (Kunz 2014)........................................................................... 32 Figure 4: 1919-1927 Additions (Kunz 2014)........................................................................... 33 Figure 5: October 9, 1920 Dallas Express Ad ......................................................................... 34 Figure 6: October 23, 1920 Dallas Express Ad ....................................................................... 35 Figure 7: 1932 Additions (Kunz 2014). ................................................................................... 36 Figure 8: December 21, 1926 Dallas Express Ad ................................................................... 37 Figure 9: December 21, 1924 Dallas Express Ad ................................................................... 38 Figure 10: Ingram Family. From left to right, as related to Henrietta and Eather: James Robert (brother), Kenneth (nephew), Goldie (mother), Larry (nephew), Norma (sister) ........ 42 Figure 11: 1945 Dallas Map designating Negro sections (red) and Mexican sections (blue) . 43 Figure 12: May 10,

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