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James Bland Homes (Historical Marker)

GPS Coordinates: 38.8143133, -77.0474605

James Bland Homes (Historical Marker)

Here follows the inscription written on this roadside historical marker:

James Bland Homes
Funded by the U.S. Public Housing Administration and built by the Alexandria Housing and Redevelopment Authority (ARHA) between 1954 and 1959, the James Bland Homes was Alexandria's fourth public housing project, and it more than doubled the city's stock of racially segregated public housing units intended for its African American citizens. Alexandria's public housing emerged from an effort to improve substandard or "slum" housing associated with President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal of the 1930s. Many felt that the slums contributed to high crime rates and posed serious public health problems. The James Bland Homes project was preceded on the site by a World War II era federal Public Housing Authority trailer camp established in 1943 for African American residents of properties condemned during a 1941 program of slum clearance in downtown Alexandria. The establishment of the James Bland Homes required the condemnation of 57 parcels in a n area known as "the Hump." Many residents of this historically integrated working class neighborhood fought to preserve or receive fair compensation for their homes.

The design of the James Bland Homes, typical of public housing projects of the period, was influenced by the Modern Movement and included minimal decorative elements and the use of mass-produced construction materials. Joseph Henry Saunders Jr., as student of Walter Gropius and a prolific architect in Alexandria in the 1950s, was the designer. The orderly and open layout of the complex featured courtyards, circulation networks, and recreation areas inspired by the Garden City and Garden Suburb movements of the early 20th century and was designed to contrast to the perceived chaos of the slums that he public housing replaced. The Samuel Madden Uptown public housing, similar to the James Bland Homes, was built in 1945 to the west of N. Patrick Street.

"...when I lived in Bland the people that I knew were very happy to be there. The was a lot o camaraderie. We thought the accommodations were great. People watched out for people's houses. There were times when we didn't lock the door. It was a very folksy neighborhood." —James E. Henson Sr., form oral history recordings owned by the Office of Historic Alexandria.

Erected by Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc and Bowman Consulting with support from the Alexandria Archaeology Museum, Office of Historic Alexandria.


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Here follows the photo captions from the marker:

James Bland:
The public housing was named for James Alan Bland (October 12, 1854 - May 5, 1911), an African American musician and songwriter born to a free family in Flushing, New York. Bland graduated from Howard University in Washington D.C. in 1873. He composed over 700 songs, including "In the Evening by Moonlight," "O Dem Golden Slippers," and "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny," the official State Song of Virginia from 1940 until 1997.
Close-up of photo on marker, Illustration from"James Bland's 3 Great Songs, 1879

James Bland Homes Building Type D (1959)
901-91 North Patrick Street
Close-up of photo on Marker

James E. Henson Sr.
Mr. Henson at the age of 17, moved into James Bland Homes with his family in February 1954, soon after it opened.
Close-up of photo on marker
Nina Tisara/Living Legends of Alexandria

Aerial Photo, 1964
The James Bland Homes encompassed 194 public housing units located within Parker-gray Historic District on five city blocks bounded by First Street, North Columbus Street, Wythe Street, and North Patrick Street.
Close-up of photo on marker
USGS March 1964

Arlington Virginia,
FSA Trailer Camp Project for Negroes,
Single Type Trailer; April 1942
The James Bland Homes project was preceded on the site by a WWII era Public Housing Authority trailer camp established in 1943 for African Americans displaced by urban renewal in downtown Alexandria.
Close-up of photo on marker
Library of Congress, Virginia FSA

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