My Family Homes Tour
And the Infrastructure that could Save Them
During the past six decades I have lived in many different places across the South, and in recent years I have been able to travel back to all my former neighborhoods when growing up to see what they look like and how they fared over the years. As an architect it has been interesting to look at the architectural styles, construction, and neighborhood planning to see what worked or did not work and the things that changed the communities for better or worse. I think the problems I found on my family homes tour are actually common in many places across our country, and include urban planning, economic investment, and social change issues. This story explores my family homes while growing up in the southeast and includes a list of Findings at the end with Infrastructure Development Projects that need to be considered nationwide to preserve and revitalize our older neighborhoods for future generations.
In January 2020, I visited all of the places I had lived in New Orleans Louisiana and Jackson Mississippi, and in March 2021, I visited my former homes in Norfolk and Chesapeake Virginia, and Monrovia Alabama. These visits included the places where I lived, went to school, and the schools and churches where my parents worked.
1957 in New Orleans Louisiana
I was born in New Orleans Louisiana where my parents lived in an apartment on Seminary Place near the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. The apartment complex has since been demolished, but the image of the apartment with my mother and a friend appears to show a brick building with concrete balconies in what I would call a Mid-Century Modern architectural style, figure 1. The internal structural construction was likely concrete block, which can lead to pest infestations in the hollow core walls, and mold if there is flooding or severe humidity issues. Good maintenance can usually control most of these issues, but the complex was probably torn down because of ongoing sick-building problems. The complex was within walking distance of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary where my father attended classes. I suspect the vacant land will be redeveloped with new apartments or perhaps an expansion of the Seminary campus sometime in the near future.
By age 3 we moved to North Galvez Street, to a house that was designed as a duplex with our apartment on the right side including a driveway that doubled as a play yard for me and a neighbor friend, figure 1. The house has been restored and appears to be in excellent condition, but the original shutters have been removed. The design would probably be called Eastlake architectural style, popular in the early 1900s, and credited to the architect Charles Eastlake, 1806–1936, for his use of Victorian and Queen Anne architectural styles to create beautifully embellished homes.
On the next block in the same neighborhood was the Little Nursery on North Miro Street where I attended school through age 4. This house is being restored and converted back into a residence that also appears to be consistent with the early 1900s Eastlake architectural style that was popular in this area, figure 2. The parking area on the right side was an enclosed playground where I remember a gate like the front gate that caught my finger one day, ouch! The neighborhood for both homes looks good, but does need some sidewalk repairs and underground utilities.
Like these two houses, the neighborhood has many restored properties in part because they are on higher ground. In 2005, during hurricane Katrina the streets were flooded but the flood waters did not reach floor level. New Orleans is near the coast and built on land that is subject to flooding. Unfortunately, there are still many surrounding neighborhoods with abandoned properties from prior floods. Restrictions need to be put in place to limit suburban sprawl around the city and focus on inner city growth with infrastructure improvements to protect it from flooding.
My mother taught special-needs students at the Jefferson Elementary School, on Jefferson Highway in nearby Jefferson Louisiana. In 1957, she was part of a new generation of post-World War II women that raised a family while continuing to work. That arrangement certainly worked for me as I think I excelled in an environment that included many teachers. The original school building appears to be a simple Spanish Colonial architectural style that has since been integrated with several additions to form a Mid-Century Modern and International architectural style complex, figure 3. The school is still in use today with work in progress on improvements, and the neighborhood looks good but needs to have the utilities moved underground to help update the area.
1961 in Norfolk and Chesapeake Virginia
In 1961, we moved to Virginia where my father obtained work as a minister of music and education at Southside Baptist Church on Perry Street in Chesapeake. The church building appears as it did in the 1960s and is reminiscent of a simple New England architectural style with its columned portico and steeple that was a common design for many churches at that time. The neighborhood appears somewhat depressed and in need of new developments to update the buildings, streets and utilities in the area. The problems are likely due to the construction of Interstate 464 and the interchange onto Poindexter Street, which border and cut into the neighborhood, figure 4. In addition to improvements to the streetscape, new zoning is needed to better define the commercial and residential areas and adapt the community to the changes that have happened since the 1960s.
My father also had an affiliation with the South Norfolk Baptist Church on Chesapeake Avenue where he was a pianist for a quartet that provided recordings for Pat Robinson and his new Christian Broadcasting Network, the same CBN broadcasting around the world today. I don’t recall that he ever had a significant relationship with Pat or CBN but I have heard his music or similar musicians on their old gospel hour radio broadcasts. My father had a distinctive piano playing style that included these long runs up and down the keyboard as he transitioned between verses and from song to song. The South Norfolk Baptist Church appears to be more elaborate and a mix of the Georgian and New England architectural styles that you might find in middle and upper-class neighborhoods in the 1950s and 1960s, figure 5. The church building and surrounding area are old and could use the utilities placed underground, but overall the area appears to be in good condition.
From 1961 to 1962 I attended Butterfly Blue School on Eustis Avenue in Chesapeake. It was a kindergarten and pre-school that is no longer in operation, and the location is now a vacant lot in a residential area that is depressed. This appears to be due to the expansion of an adjacent industrial complex that has cut off the end of Eustis Avenue and other streets in the neighborhood, and the widening of Indian River Road to form a four lane that borders the neighborhood, figure 6. Redevelopment in the neighborhood with new sidewalks, curb and gutter bordering the streets, cul-de-sacs at the dead-end streets, and underground utilities would go a long way toward updating and revitalizing the neighborhood. This appears to be a case where larger adjacent developments contributed to the decline of the local neighborhood.
In 1962, at age 5, I was enrolled in the 1st grade at Southside Academy on Willow Avenue in Chesapeake. It was a private elementary school where I attended through 3rd grade. The local public schools where my mother was employed as a teacher would not accept me because I was not yet 6 years old, but I had been in school since birth and my parents and teachers felt I was ready for the 1st grade. The building is still in use today as a school by another name and its appearance is reminiscent of a simple Mid-Century Modern architectural style in use at that time, figure 6. The building and grounds along with the local streets and utilities in the area are not what I would call depressed, but do need updating with curb and gutter, sidewalks, and underground utilities.
We lived at four different locations while in Virginia from 1961 to 1965, meaning we moved nearly every year. Our first home was on Wingfield Avenue where we lived in the right half of a duplex. It is a simple Ranch architectural style that was common in this area. The duplex has had a nice front porch added and window shutters but has changed little otherwise, figure 7. The surrounding community is mixed with some depressed properties and others in good condition, in particularly those with water access to the surrounding inlets leading out to the Indian River and Chesapeake Bay. Like many older neighborhoods, the public areas need updating with new streets providing curb and gutter, sidewalks, and underground utilities.
A few months later we moved to D Street in South Norfolk. Our apartment was the entire first floor, where on the second floor lived a young couple that provided sitter services for me from time to time. The original construction was an English Colonial architectural style with beautiful cedar shingle siding. Unfortunately, it has since been covered with vinyl siding and window shutters added, figure 8. It is interesting that this house, the previous house, and other later homes had shutters added to the original construction making me wonder if that wasn’t a popular modification starting in the 1970s when the siding was probably done. The house and neighborhood appear to be in good condition with a few of the large older homes like this one being restored. The streets and sidewalks are in good condition but the neighborhood needs the utilities moved underground.
Our third Virginia home was our first single family residence, which was located on a cul-de-sac at the end of Ida Street in West Chesapeake. It had an extra bedroom, which my parents loaned out to sailors on tour at the Chesapeake Bay Naval Station. Charles, Nick, and John rotated through providing an extra hand around the house and entertainment from time to time with Dad on the piano and Nick on the guitar. The original house construction looks like a Retro-Mid-Century Modern architectural style with its two-toned siding and door and window awnings, figure 9. The house is still in good condition with nice updates that give it more of a Ranch architectural style appearance, and the neighborhood looks good too but needs sidewalks completed on some streets and underground utilities.
In 1965, before moving to Jackson Mississippi we lived for a few months with one of mother’s teacher friends on Lindberg Avenue in East Chesapeake. The house appears to have had little or no changes and is in good condition. It is a Ranch architectural style, and like the previous houses, it probably had the shutters added in the 1970s, figure10. The street in front has become a four-lane highway and the address has changed to Providence Road. The surrounding area and neighborhoods look very nice, but need upgrades to include sidewalks and underground utilities.
1965 in Jackson Mississippi
In 1965, my father accepted a job as minster of music and education at Crestwood Baptist Church on Bailey Avenue in Jackson Mississippi. The church congregation relocated to another facility after we left in 1970, and today the property is used as a mission and food pantry for the homeless and low-income families. The church building is a New England architectural style with elaborate stained-glass windows reminiscent of Gothic architectural styles. It is in poor condition with bars over the windows, and the surrounding area is in decline, figure 11. The streetscape could be improved with underground utilities, but there are more complicated social issues at play for the neighborhood.
In contrast, my mother obtained employment as a special-needs teacher with the Jackson Public Schools at the Jefferson Davis Junior High School on North Congress Street in Jackson. The school building appears to have been restored to its original Art Deco architectural style and has recently been renamed the Barack H. Obama Magnet School, figure 11. The neighborhood could use the utilities moved underground but otherwise the area is in good condition.
As a child growing up in Jackson I had my first introduction to racism. Beginning with the church, a new pastor came in and started working toward moving the congregation from its inner-city location that was becoming surrounded by black neighbors, to a white suburban neighborhood. He preached from the Old Testament citing verses that he said separated the races. My father disagreed because it was wrong and a move for this reason would threatened to split the church. Disagreements with both the pastor and deacons led to our move later in 1970 to Alabama.
In Jackson we moved into a small two-bedroom house next door to the church on Huron Street. The house has had no changes made but it and the neighborhood are in severe decline with many abandoned properties. The design would probably be considered a variation on the Ranch architectural style common in the 1950s and 1960s, figure 12.
A couple years later we moved into a larger house next door on Huron Street. It was a duplex that had been converted into a single-family home for our use. That house burned down sometime after we moved to Alabama and the property is overgrown and appears to be abandoned. My memory is that it was an older house than the one next door and had a Shotgun architectural style layout reminiscent of houses from the early 1900s, figure 12. The streetscape could be improved with sidewalks and underground utilities and a cul-de-sac at the end of the street where there was a creek. The end of Huron Street could have led to a park with a pedestrian bridge over the creek, but instead the creek was the dividing line between the black and white neighborhoods in the 1960s.
From 1965 to 1968 I attended Galloway Elementary School for the 4th through 6th grades. The school was brick construction in a Bauhaus architectural style with some Art Deco elements. It was later torn down and replaced with a simple two toned-brick building that would probably be considered a Post-Modern architectural style. My memory is that the original school was attractive and well-built and it seems unfortunate that it has been lost, figure 13. Like Huron Street, the surrounding neighborhood could use underground utilities and sidewalks, but there are larger problems where the community has many vacant lots and abandoned properties mixed in with the remaining houses that are occupied.
In the 1960s, the Jackson Public Schools were still segregated with only a few black students in our school. Galloway was the local white school even though most of the houses around it were occupied by black residents. It was a safe neighborhood because my parents let me walk to school with friends for all three years; I walked or road my bike to the local grocery, to friends’ houses, the 5 & 10 store, and a local ice cream shop. But at school racism was embedded in the curriculum, specifically in the science text book where they taught evolution showing a white man at the top of the evolutionary ladder, an ape-like man at the bottom, and a transition through what clearly looked like a black man in the middle. They were teaching racism with pictures to show white supremacy over blacks. I asked a white teacher one day if blacks were not as intelligent as whites and she replied I don’t know, could be. So now, at church and school the community was divided by people that ought to know better.
From 1968 to 1970 I attended Enochs Junior High School for the 7th and part of the 8th grade until the schools were closed in the middle of the school year and forced to integrate under court order. Today the school building is used for school system administration and appears as it did when I attended. It is a simple brick building in a Mid-Century Modern architectural style with some Art Deco features, figure 14. The building, grounds, and surrounding area are in fair to poor condition, and the neighborhood needs underground utilities and development of the many vacant lots in the community.
Like Galloway, Enochs was for white students even though many of the houses around the school were occupied by black residents. It was a safe area, and for that year and a half I road my bike to school with friends every day. I think 1969 and 1970 were scary years for my parents. I don’t remember being scared, but when I think about what they were discussing in front of me I think they were scared. Dad’s church was about to split, Mother’s school was closed by the courts to force integration in the middle of the school year, my school was closed and I did not know when they would open back up or where I would be going. I missed an entire quarter of school until finally in March of 1970 we moved to Alabama. It is truly sad, because fear destroyed our neighborhood, including the homes we lived in and the church we attended. And now, after a lifetime it appears that nothing has changed in the community, but has only continued to decline. This is a major social issue that is still rooted in the local church, schools, and community at large.
1970 in Monrovia Alabama
In 1970, my father accepted a position at Harvest Baptist Church in Harvest Alabama. The original facility was a New England architectural style church that appears to have been completely rebuilt to a Post-Modern architectural style facility, figure 15. The area is in transition from rural to more suburban as the cities of Huntsville and Madison continue to expand.
My mother obtained employment at Lakewood Elementary School in the Huntsville Public School System. The school is still in operation and appears to be in good condition, but its original International architectural style has been impacted by updates, figure 15. The original window design was changed from a window wall in each classroom to individual windows. This was done in Huntsville to all the schools with similar designs to reduce energy consumption in the 1980s. A better approach would have been to replace the window wall with a high efficiency system so the exterior glass appearance could be preserved.
When we moved from Jackson to Harvest we moved into a house on Nance Road in the Monrovia community. The Ranch architectural style house had a nice red brick that has since been painted gray, with shutters added, a common updating problem still occurring in many areas. A better approach would have been the installation of a new driveway and better landscaping. The streetscape needs updating with curb and gutter, sidewalks, and underground utilities, but the house and the surrounding properties are in good condition as the area transitions from rural to suburban growth from the cities of Huntsville and Madison.
In 1972, my father accepted a position at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in the same community. The original sanctuary is a New England architectural style with nice stained-glass windows reminiscent of Gothic designs. The original steeple was properly proportioned but never looked right because of its dark copper patina finish. It has since been removed and replaced with a smaller domed pedestal that is also problematic. A new sanctuary has been constructed on the site that appears to be in a Post-Modern architectural style, figure 16. The area from Harvest to Monrovia is all in transition from rural to suburban where over time it needs to have the streets upgraded with curb and gutter, sidewalks, and underground utilities.
From 1970 to 1971 I finished the 8th grade and completed the 9th grade at Monrovia Junior High School in the Madison County School System. The school system had already been integrated and did not have the problems we encountered in Jackson Mississippi. The churches on the other hand are still the most segregated places in the community. The original school building was interesting and reminiscent of both the Georgian and Chicago School architectural styles. It was demolished and replaced with a prefabricated open classroom building concept, and later replaced again with a Post-Modern architectural style facility, figure 18. The surrounding area is in transition from rural to suburban communities and will eventually need the streetscapes updated with curb and gutter, sidewalks, and underground utilities.
From 1971 to 1974 I attended the 10th through 12th grades at Sparkman High School in Toney Alabama. The original school is in place as a Middle School but the red brick has been painted, window area reduced, and new canopies installed that detract from the original International architectural style building, figure 19. Overall the facility and community are in good condition with rural farming in the area still in operation.
From 1974 to 1975 I attended the University of Alabama in Huntsville majoring in art and sculpture. The art department occupied the first two floors of the building to the left of the stair and elevator tower. The design is a Monumental architectural style and the facility is still in excellent condition and blends well with the overall campus, figure 20.
From 1975 to 1976 I worked for Jones and Herrin Architects on Randolph Avenue in downtown Huntsville Alabama. The building design is a Federal architectural style common in the early 1900s when this building was likely built, figure 20. The paint colors have changed but the building appears to be in excellent condition. Downtown Huntsville has changed significantly for the better since the 1970s with major improvements to the streetscape, refurbishment of buildings, and introduction of more residential and supporting commercial establishments.
From here in 1976 I was off to college and on my own completing my education in architecture at Auburn University and then late in my career, graduate studies in space architecture at the University of Houston. Through both personal and business travels I have visited most of the United States from Maine to California and Puerto Rico to Alaska, and outside the States to Canada, Mexico, Europe and Japan. I have seen many of the same problems and some beautiful solutions to preserving our neighborhoods and communities for future generations. So this concludes my family homes tour for now, but here are some important findings and recommendations for making our neighborhoods a better place for future generations.
Findings
A lifetime of observations across this country and around the world have yielded some important findings applicable not just to my former family homes and communities, but many communities across our country. Here is a listing of infrastructure projects discussed in this paper that relate to my observations.
Infrastructure Development Projects
Urban Sprawl: Urban and suburban sprawl is a major problem in my former cities and across the United States. Developed lands in the city center are left to decline with focus on new developments around the perimeter that suck the life and infrastructure funding from the older neighborhoods. This needs to change, especially in cities with major flooding issues like the low-lying areas found in New Orleans. Growth restrictions should be put in place with new construction focused on refurbishment and rebuilding of existing inner-city properties and infrastructures. In Europe I observed some of the most beautiful cities contained and wrapped with a beautiful countryside because there were land restrictions in place that limited urban growth. The cities were denser and more pedestrian oriented and the countryside was more rural for farming, forestry, and wildlife preservation. Controlling urban sprawl can create beautiful places to live and preserve our environment.
Transportation and Industrial Expansion: New developments to expand roads, highways, and industrial areas should always consider the impact on the surrounding communities. Where they impact existing neighborhoods as found in Chesapeake Virginia, sufficient funding and zoning controls should be put in place to rebuild and revitalize the area. Leaving neighborhood streets cut off and bordering areas overgrown should not be acceptable.
Upgrade Neighborhood Streetscapes: Older neighborhoods need to have the streetscape upgraded to include paved streets with curb and gutter providing underground storm drainage, sidewalks with curb-cuts for handicap access, and underground utilities to match the features built into new urban and suburban neighborhoods today. This is a major problem for older neighborhoods everywhere that if corrected would help them recover and be restored and preserved for future generations.
Urban Residential Development: Older downtown developments that have died need to have new residential options for apartments and condominiums that will bring people and supporting businesses back to the center of the city. Emphasis should be on pedestrian access with underground utilities, sidewalks, landscaping, parking garages, and bike paths leading out to the suburban areas. Protected bike paths should be included with interstate, railroad, and utility right-of-ways through the inner city to provide alternative transportation options.
And after traveling many thousands of interstate miles across the eastern United States to visit my family homes and other destinations of interest, I’ll add three more items to the list and explain further in my concluding remarks.
Interstate and Passenger Railway Development: Interstate highways across the country need to be three lanes in each direction as a minimum with the left lane reserved for automobile traffic only. The amount of large truck traffic on the interstates today has increased dramatically in recent decades and is a serious transportation safety issue that needs attention. Rest areas along the interstates need to be expanded for trucks and automobiles to include food courts, fuel, and charging stations. In addition, the expansion of railway corridors for passenger rail and freight are needed to reduce traffic on the interstates.
Electric Vehicle Infrastructure: Charging stations are needed nationwide like gas stations to provide more places to recharge along every route. Rest Stops along the interstate routes need to be upgraded to include charging stations, and home charging stations need to be made available in all neighborhoods, apartment complexes, and public parking garages.
Social Issues: The lack of good race relations are in part economic issues that can have a serious negative impact on our communities. Places like the experience I had in Jackson Mississippi could be addressed in part with minimum wages that meet the real cost of living for a family of four, good union jobs, and educating the community about these issues through our churches, government agencies, and schools. In fact, this is likely the issue in most of the neighborhoods I toured where middle- and low-income families simply do not have the expendable resources available to keep their properties in good repair. These infrastructure development projects can address some of the social problems identified here but not all. Somehow, we need to find it within our hearts to work together to make our country and the world a better place for everyone.
Concluding Remarks
My family homes tour looking at architectural design and urban development across the south was done driving an electric car, a 2018 Tesla Model 3. So, when I discussed the Interstate and Electric Vehicle infrastructure needs above I can say I have personal experience with both. I have learned that every trip has to be planned because there is not a charging station on every major intersection like the gas stations available for everyone else. Fortunately, the vehicle has an excellent navigation system that provides the best route, and so far, I have not found a destination that I could not reach.
The first tour in January 2020 was part of a multi-day trip that included Houston Texas, New Orleans Louisiana, and Jackson Mississippi. On the homes tours in New Orleans I found them to be in good condition and culminated with one of my favorite places that I enjoyed as a child, the Cafe du Monde in the French Quarter, figure 21. Their coffee and beignets are the best! In contrast, my visit to Jackson Mississippi was sad as it was obvious that fear and racial divisions in the city that were destroying the neighborhood in the 1960s has lingered on now for a lifetime.
My return trip from Houston to Huntsville was uneventful, but on the way out I did run into a problem between Meridianville Mississippi and New Orleans Louisiana. One of the charging stations was out, no power. So, I called in to the vehicle’s roadside service and found that they were sending out a technician, but in this case, I had enough charge to get to the next station so I did not have to wait. On a positive note, in Houston I was able to charge my vehicle for free overnight at the hotel. Charging has been running about half the cost of gasoline, but free is nice. The interstates along this route were good but many areas were only two lanes each way with heavy truck traffic.
My second tour to Chesapeake Virginia in March 2021 was taken as part of a multiple day journey from Huntsville to Boston, figure 22. What I found was a mix of both good and depressed properties where the depressed areas were negatively impacted by a large industrial development and an interstate highway that did not adequately take into consideration their impact on the surrounding neighborhoods.
This trip had an unexpected adventure, too. The trip was supposed to include a stop and tour at the South Carolina State House in Columbia South Carolina. Instead, I got a flat, a slow leak, and had to divert my route to a vehicle service center in Charlotte South Carolina for a replacement tire. I carry an electric air pump for this kind of emergency and the vehicle gives a tire pressure reading on the control panel so I could see it going down along the route. When I arrived, it was late because I eventually had to stop every 30 to 45 minutes to pump up the tire. But fortunately, there was a hotel next door and the service center was expecting me, so they made the repairs first thing the next morning.
The interstate route was pretty good but always heavy with truck traffic. I have family in Boston and so I have made many trips along many different routes without any issues. But the routes I’ve taken like this one that goes through New York City are the worst. I love New York City for the art, architecture, and unique urban lifestyle, but New York like Boston, has some of the worst traffic problems in the country due primarily to a lack of adequate infrastructure development for decades. We need to change that, we need to improve our transportation systems and do what it takes to make our homes and communities livable and beautiful so they will last for many generations to come.
About the author:
David Smitherman is an architect and writer on science, technology and social issues. He worked as an architect in Huntsville for about 10 years and retired from NASA after 34 years of service as an architect, planner, and space architect.
Notes and References
Story, photographs, and slides by David Smitherman, with additional data pulled from Wikipedia and Google Maps.
Vintage photographs are by [1] the Smitherman family, a few recent images are by [2] David Smitherman, and the most current images are from [3] Google Maps, [4] Google Maps Street View, [5] Wikipedia [6] Redstone Arsenal (https://history.redstone.army.mil/photos-buildings.html), and [7] NASA.