Not So Wild About Harry

Jackson County Historical Society Forum on Preservation Feb. 10, 1994- William Chrisman High School NOTES FOR COMMENTS BY BRENT SCHONDELMEYER

Neighbors and church leaders met to discuss our neighborhood amid among anxiousness and, frankly concern.

These often have not been hospitable discussions to which, over time, I have added more than one personal thought, word or concern.

We met in hopes of finding a common ground beyond sharing the postal carrier. Our hope was to find a common ground on which we could meet, talk, organize, compromise and move forward- not by disregarding the past, nor overlooking the future.

Our sessions were productive, honest and quite open. That, in itself, makes the discussions worthy of some historical footnote. We are looking for a common ground that is substantially wider than a razor's edge and more stable than the latest local election results.

Perhaps we found it. It is our neighborhood and a willingness to think about it in its diversity and complexity. Our neighborhoods consist of young and old, well-to-do and the down and out, owners and renters, churches and businesses.

Some structures spiral to the sky, others appear ready to collapse under the weight of years of neglect. Some people have lived in the neighborhood for three and four generations. Some of our neighbors have live here less than three or four months.

We face challenges. Preservation - combined with other efforts offers us a way to rebuild the center city, preserve its rich history, stabilize property values and improve the quality of life.

It is an opportunity before us. It is one- if we don't act now- we

may not realize.

Independence regrettably has been disinterested in the past, irresponsible to the present and indifferent to the future. It might be

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reflected in how we talk about it. It is clearly reflected in how we act on it.

Our town has one historic district; smaller communities have substantially more. We have no demolition ordinance; most communities have had one for years. Our fights over historic preservation have hardly done us honor.

Given our historic treasure trove - George Caleb Bingham, the Civil War, Jesse James, Harry Truman, the Three Trails, Mormon history -my question is this: "Given that we have so much history, why have we done so little?"

We are not like the little towns of western Kansas strung along I-70 whose billboards beckon the traveler to pull off the next exit to see the world's largest ball of twine, the world's deepest water well and the world famous barbed wire museum.

Independence is historic and was at the center of this nation's history, regardless of whether we chose to recognize it, honor it, or preserve it. It would be a shame if we didn't.

David McCullough, a man whom many of us respect, made the point in a speech at the First Baptist Church last year.

"You have as much as responsibility to maintain the best of your city as the people in Concord, Mass. have because Emerson lived there. As much as the people of Emporia, Kan. do because William Allen White lived there. As much as Salem, Ill. because Abraham Lincoln lived there. Isn't just for you to decide willy-nilly that it just doesn't matter anymore. Because you have national duty and a great opportunity, not just to serve your town but to serve your country. " I frankly - some might find this surprising - think we gotten just too caught up with Harry Truman. We're just too Wild About Harry. It clearly has affected the preservation debate. Because Harry's shadow crossed this porch, should the structure be saved? If he filled his car at this gas station, what should we do? Good intentioned people will differ about these things.

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But in the differing, we are overlooking larger important issues. We fail to see the larger common ground. Perhaps we can not see the dilapidation (the forest), for the gingerbread trim (the trees).

We engage in the "What if Harry were Alive" kinds of discussions.

Harry Truman is dead. I was there the day he was buried. This may sound harsh, but I want to make what I consider an important point.

We should be interested in historic preservation- and with that our neighborhoods -not because Harry Truman lived there, but because we live here. I live in the present, though my life has been enriched by an appreciation of things past.

We need to - like Truman did - walk around our neighborhood. Can we greet our neighbors by name? What do we see? What do we notice?

It's time to open our eyes. The central city is not Delaware Street.

This is not the neighborhood in which Truman lived. It is not the Independence in David McCullough's book.

The question is: "Is this the Independence where we want to live." If the neighborhood shaped Truman - McCullough's point - he asked, who else did it shape? I ask them same question, who is being shaped in our neighborhoods.

Less than 40% of the structures in census tract which includes the Truman home and neighborhood are owner occupied. This neighborhood, which includes my own home, has rather dramatic demographics. The neighborhood, Census Tract 116, has the lowest median income, the largest number of elderly, the lowest percentage of married couples (35.1 percent) and the lowest percentage of persons 45-64 years old (14.2 percent) of any of the 22 census tracts which comprise Independence.

The numbered of married couples dropped 38.9 percent between 1970 and 1990. Almost one-third of the housing units have 5+ units.

Heritage House and Pleasant Heights [high-rise elderly housing apartments] are only one housing unit.

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Harry Truman might need a guide around his old neighborhood, at least some street-wise advice. His old neighborhood is not the quiet, residential place it use to be. Consider this: In the 800-900 block of Truman Road - just over the hill from the Truman home - police responded to 32 calls during the first six months of 1993-12 calls involved violent crimes. And where are those Secret Service agents now that we really need them?

Housing stock has deteriorated. A recent housing survey found that over 67.5 percent of the housing units within Census Tract 116 were substandard and 72.1 percent in Census Tract 117, just to the west.

The two census tracts included 3,478 housing units that needed rehabilitation.

Poorly maintained housing units affects everyone. Carl Mesle, in one of our meetings, made this point: "If you live in a rat hole, it's hard to feel anything other than like a rat." This is the neighborhood which shaped Harry Truman. It is also shaping others today, for better or worse.

Some of those structures are church owned- clearly only a fractional amount. Churches are not responsible for the blight in our neighborhood, but clearly they have contributed. We are looking forwrad to that changing.

Another common concern dealt with quality of life issues. Many asked, in some fashion or other, this question. Can our neighborhoods be safe places to live, that offer affordable housing for all ages, incomes, sex and races?

It is essential for all involved, particularly hard-core

preservationists, to adopt a broader view of historic preservation which goes beyond "artifact worship." We should be open to changes in the built environment. I agree with a recent writer who contended: "Let's be selective about what we choose to keep from the past and what we can simple record and then demolish."

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However, let me state this unequivocally. In the Truman neighborhood, we have demolished some of the finest homes and left standing some of the cruddiest. What is wrong with this picture?

Rebuilding the center city - whatever plan is agreed to - will require significant interventions. Historic preservation can be a vital part of this.

Let me share with you some of the ideas discussed during two lengthy meetings of the Churches & Neighbors group.

• Paint projects that could involve extensive church involvement • Encouraging Habitat for Humanity to undertake a housing project in the center city.

• Promoting consideration of a city ordinance that would license rental properties with the licensing fee to support an inspection program.

• Encouraging code enforcement of existing city ordinances.

• Greater targeting of city housing funds into neighborhoods where other investment or redevelopment activity is underway or expected.

• Creation of additional historic districts.

• Promoting the neighborhood as an attractive place for first-time home buyers • Formation of non-profit organization. Examples would be a revolving fund for historic properties or a neighborhood development corporation to undertaken more general housing concerns.

• Ecumenically supported or sponsored ministries programs to serve "new neighbors" in the center city.

• Development of programs to work to improve efforts by both landlords and renters to be good neighbors and good tenants.

If we're not prepared to rebuild the center city, preserve our neighborhood character, housing stock, important commercial, civic and religious institutions, who will?

Harry won't. But that fighting spirit which characterized that uncommon man can.

We who live here would do well to make common cause and reclaim and rebuild the neighborhood for ourselves and a grateful nation.

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