Ohio subdivision marketed to returning WWII black veterans obtains National Register listing
1/9/2014COLUMBUS — A central Ohio subdivision built for and marketed exclusively to returning black veterans of World War II has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The application for the Hanford Village Carver Addition noted its role in the history of segregation, federal housing policy and urban development.
The creation of the neighborhood in the 1940s was seen as a way to ease housing shortages for returning black veterans. Some whites opposed to any expansion of black housing were against the development, while some civil rights groups also opposed it, fearing it would lead to further segregation.
Developers built 146 of the five-room bungalows available for a $500 down payment. About half of them remain today.
The National Park Service announced the register listing last week.