Historic Preservation in Legacy Cities: Preservation and Revitalization in Camden, New Jersey
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University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Theses (Historic Preservation) Graduate Program in Historic Preservation 2014 Historic Preservation in Legacy Cities: Preservation and Revitalization in Camden, New Jersey Di Gao University of Pennsylvania Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/hp_theses Part of the Historic Preservation and Conservation Commons, and the Urban Studies and Planning Commons Gao, Di, "Historic Preservation in Legacy Cities: Preservation and Revitalization in Camden, New Jersey" (2014). Theses (Historic Preservation). 563. https://repository.upenn.edu/hp_theses/563 Suggested Citation: Gao, Di (2014). Historic Preservation in Legacy Cities: Preservation and Revitalization in Camden, New Jersey. (Masters Thesis). University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/hp_theses/563 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Historic Preservation in Legacy Cities: Preservation and Revitalization in Camden, New Jersey Abstract The post-industrial cities of America are rife with significant cultural heritage that contribute to the national historic narrative. Many of these cities have experienced issues associated with disinvestment and population loss stemming from changing globalizing economic forces beginning in the latter half of the 20th century, jeopardizing their urban cultural heritage as these cities face decisions concerning vital redevelopment and revitalization plans in their efforts to regain relevancy in the contemporary global economic climate. Increasingly, cities facing these issues have turned towards local values and preservation based approaches to revitalization. This research examines the potential impact of historic preservation as a revitalization approach in the city of Camden, New Jersey through an investigation of best practices in other comparable legacy cities that have successfully utilized preservation as a form of strategic revitalization. These comparable cities were selected based off of their similarity to Camden in terms of several key indicators with regard to the challenges they face, their political structure, and their economic conditions. This study of the potential beneficial impact of preservation on the long-term sustainable revitalization of economically disinvested communities contributes knowledge of preservation best practices to the discourse on urban regeneration, and identifies the factors that have led to the successful preservation-based rebirth of vibrant urban communities. This research may serve as a means to advocate for the protection of legacy assets in post-industrial cities. Keywords CDC, Camden, economic development, revitalization, redevelopment Disciplines Historic Preservation and Conservation | Urban Studies and Planning Comments Suggested Citation: Gao, Di (2014). Historic Preservation in Legacy Cities: Preservation and Revitalization in Camden, New Jersey. (Masters Thesis). University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. This thesis or dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/hp_theses/563 HISTORIC PRESERVATION IN LEGACY CITIES: PRESERVATION AND REVITALIZATION IN CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY Di Gao A THESIS in Historic Preservation Presented to the Faculties of the University of Pennsylvania in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN HISTORIC PRESERVATION 2014 _____________________________ Advisor Randall F. Mason Program Chair Associate Professor Acknowledgments This thesis was made possible through the help of many individuals whom I would like to thank. A special thanks to my advisors, Randy Mason and Donovan Rypkema, who provided invaluable guidance, encouragement and support throughout this process, and helped keep me on track. It was a humbling experience seeing both of their names cited frequently in the literature that I came across in my research, and I have learned a great deal from their knowledge of the field and working under their tutelage. I would also like to thank the many professionals in Camden who were willing to answer questions and take the time out of their busy work schedules to discuss my research topic with me, allowing me to learn from their expertise and gain deeper insight into the field than would have otherwise been possible. Thank you to all of my colleagues and superiors at Cooper’s Ferry Partnership, who have all been excellent mentors and repositories of information on all things Camden. Thank you Sue Brennan, Dave Foster, Howard Gillette, and Paul Schopp for having extended conversations with me and sharing your insights— this would not have been possible without you! Lastly, I thank my friends, family and classmates who provided much needed comic relief and emotional support over the past two years, I am certain I would not have made it this far without you, and I am all the richer for having you all in this experience with me. Cheers, to many more challenges and adventures in future! ii Table of Contents Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................... ii List of Illustrations .................................................................................................................. iv Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 1 Research Problem and Objectives ............................................................................................... 1 Methodology ................................................................................................................................ 2 Historical Context ......................................................................................................................... 3 Significance and Hypothesis ........................................................................................................ 6 Key Definitions ............................................................................................................................. 7 Literature Review .................................................................................................................... 9 Historic Preservation Context ...................................................................................................... 9 Urban Revitalization Context in Camden, New Jersey ............................................................... 11 Economics of Historic Preservation ........................................................................................... 12 Historic Preservation and Community and Economic Development ........................................ 14 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 17 Camden Overview ................................................................................................................ 18 History of Revitalization in Camden ........................................................................................... 21 History of Preservation Efforts in Camden ................................................................................ 28 Comparable City Case Studies ................................................................................................ 35 Cleveland, Ohio .......................................................................................................................... 42 Flint, Michigan ............................................................................................................................ 50 Cincinnati, Ohio .......................................................................................................................... 54 Pittsburg, Pennsylvania .............................................................................................................. 56 Newark, New Jersey ................................................................................................................... 60 Best Practices ............................................................................................................................. 63 Applying Preservation Best Practices in Camden .................................................................... 64 Best Practices ............................................................................................................................. 65 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 85 BIBLIOGRAPHY ...................................................................................................................... 87 APPENDIX .............................................................................................................................. 92 Index ................................................................................................................................... 101 iii List of Illustrations Figure 1 Camden Municipal Boundaries ........................................................................................ 92 Figure 2 Camden Aerial Historic and Conservation Overlay .......................................................... 93 Figure 3 Camden Census Tracts ................................................................................................ 94 Figure 4 Comparable City Selection Process