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Welcome to your Honors American Studies blog. We will use this tool throughout the course to discuss current events and reflect upon class discussion.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Current Event: 150 million dollar superblock plan denied

A 150 million dollar plan to make a new shopping center, hotel, apartments and garage building has been denied because African American scholars stepped forward and said that one of the buildings on the block is a historical landmark. Read's drugstore was the site of the a sit in protest done by black college students back during the civil rights movement. This sit in convinced the drugstore chain to open its counters at all 37 stores around Baltimore to all black people. It was one of the first places to not be segregated in Baltimore.

The building is not currently being used for anything. It is abandoned and the contractors decided it wouldn't be worth it to remodel the building. They have also tried suggesting donating 100,00 dollars and creating a plaque.

This project would have been an "economic engine" not only creating new homes and stores in the area for people, but also supplying jobs for people in the area. This block would also right new value of other homes in the area overall helping everyone.

Probing Question: How important are landmarks like this and when do we forget the past and focus on the present day issues?


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4 comments:

  1. AmberJanuary 11, 2011 at 2:41 PM

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  2. Janelle CurtisJanuary 16, 2011 at 11:15 PM

    I think that in some cases it would be more important to keep an important historical landmark in tact, perhaps if it was in better shape. In this case though, they should just allow the business center to be built and put a plaque on the sidewalk. Who is going to acknowledge an abandoned building? If anything, having a plaque at a business center may increase knowledge of the historic Read's Diner to more people. Overall, in any situation like this, I believe it is important to do the best to make both parties happy while still weighing the importance of past vs present.

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  3. AmberJanuary 18, 2011 at 1:41 PM

    I think such landmarks are very important. The abandoned drug store was a symbol of unity and the end of segregation, and though it is no longer up and running, it still holds the same amount of meaning to those people. Racism is still an issue today and though people are still looking forward to what comes next and how to further fix the problem, they could possibly feel comfort in knowing where segregation ended for them so close to home. History is a tool we use to look back to remember where we came from and what it took for us to get where we are. But, more importantly it serves as a tool to help us fix the mistakes previously made get on the right track to a better future.

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  4. kaylaJanuary 22, 2011 at 12:05 AM

    These types of landmarks are important because it looks back on the past and how much it has changed. The drug store represented the end of segregation and moved on. We still have racism today, but less of it because segregation had a closure. History is so important because we can look back on what needed to be changed and what has changed. The people who have helped changed this deserves to credited it. The drug store is an important landmark and should always be remembered.

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