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Munsyana Homes Redevelopment Proposal records and photographs

 Collection
Identifier: MSS-212

Scope and Contents

The collection was compiled by the Historic Preservation Officer, City of Muncie, and contains 36 CFR 800.11 (e) documentation including a project description, photographs, maps, housing designs, and determination of eligibility, among other information. This collection also contains a Section 106 review that shows historical information about the site including historic photographs. Photographs include the interior and exterior views of the housing project as of 2001. Scrapbook clippings and minute books of the Muncie Housing Authority are included and also related newspaper clippings from 1938 to 2001. Governmental literature about Investment Assistance Programs are also included, as well as literature to attract businesses to work on the construction of the project.

Dates

  • Creation: 1938-2001

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries, Muncie, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Archives and Special Collections.

Historical Note

The plans for Munsyana Homes began in 1938 when the Federal Housing Authority issued money for a low income housing area. The area was originally developed as a city project with the responsibility of the area resting with city agencies. The buildings were designed locally by two affiliates of Ball State University, Carl Wave Gerrard and James T. Kelly. Landscape was also done locally by James H. Lowry and the contractor on the project was Henke Construction. The project originally cost over a million dollars and was widely protested, as members of the community saw the housing development as a threat. In the beginning, the housing project held a total of 278 families that were racially segregated on opposite sides of the street. In 2001, when the plan to redevelop the housing was initiated, only 109 of the 279 units were occupied. The buildings have become more distressed over the years making efficient revision of the current buildings difficult. It was decided by the Muncie Housing Authority that it would be more beneficial to demolish the original structures and build entirely new structures. The reconstruction plan called for community recreation centers and marketplaces, among other amenities for the inhabitants. Like the original plan for the housing development this project came under criticism from the community and city agencies. Problems arose from the need to relocate the current residents during construction of new buildings, making costs of the new housing affordable to the residents, and preserving the current buildings for historic reasons. Proposals to alleviate the concerns of historians included the conversion of one current building into a museum that will contain articles from local interest groups centered in the community such as the NAACP and the Social Status of Black Males group. Funding for the community to be called Millennium Place came from low income housing tax credits, as well as grants from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Extent

0.8 Cubic Feet (2 boxes, 1 folder)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in the following series:

Series 1: Munsyana Homes Redevelopment Proposal subject files, 1938-2001

Series 2: Munsyana Homes Redevelopment Proposal photographs, 2001

Series 3: Munsyana Homes Redevelopment Proposal photograph negatives, 2001

Custodial History

This collection was received by Archives and Special Collections as a donation from Gretchen Chesman on 2001/07/19. Additional materials were donated by Gretchen Chesman on 2002/10/02.

Accruals

No further additions are expected.

Processing Information

Collection processing completed 2008/04 by M. Read. EAD finding aid created 2012/10/16 by Julie Hausknecht. EAD finding aid revised 2013/10/30 by Rebecca Marangelli.

Title
Munsyana Homes Redevelopment Proposal records and photographs
Status
Completed
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Repository Details

Part of the Stoeckel Archives of Local History Repository

Contact:
Alexander M. Bracken Library
2000 W. University Avenue
Muncie Indiana 47306 USA