During this, our 50th anniversary year, we’ll be sharing 50 reason to celebrate Center for Neighborhoods — one reason each week. The posts will come from different stakeholders in the organization, representing our past, present, and future.
This week’s post is written by CFN Staff past and present.
Community building takes many forms, whether it’s organizing coalitions of advocates, shaping policy that will impact daily lives, or design interventions to the built environment. In 2019, the Parkland neighborhood undertook an often overlooked aspect of community building: the collective study of history, because a great way to strengthen the future growth of a community is to better understand its roots and preserve that story for future generations.
The neighborhood of Parkland is rich in stories, places, and people. Layers of history create a neighborhood so significant, the city of Louisville now officially recognizes Parkland’s core block – 28th Street just north of Virginia Avenue to just south of Dumesnil Street – as a preservation district. There is so much more than a boundary on a map though, and questions emerge when the neighborhood is explored. What did 28th Street look like 200 years ago? Who built the tall, impressive buildings? Where did all the street names come from? What did people do in Parkland when Louisville – the city – was still a mule-and-cart ride away?
Center for Neighborhoods worked alongside Parkland neighbors for months to research the collective neighborhood history and answer these questions. They engaged CFN’s P.A.I.N.T. (Producing Art In Neighborhoods Together) program working alongside local digital artist Brianna Harlan to produce the “Parkland Love Booklet”, which was printed and shared throughout the community.
Each building at the Town Center was given a sign to hang in its window that depicted its historical significance and displayed the message “Parkland Love”. Additionally, local historian Tom Owens, who grew up in the neighborhood, offered history tours of the Town Center, free and open to the public, on two different occasions.
This effort is just one piece of our continual work alongside our Parkland neighbors which most recently spans over a decade and demonstrates our long-term commitment to their vision. You can download and read the full Parkland Love Booklet.
If you’re interested in similar work in your community please reach out!