Gordon Baxter <gdb@psyc.nott.ac.uk> Date: Fri, 21 Feb 1997
Sir
I was alarmed to discover that the University of Illinois is intending to level Maxwell Street so that it can be redeveloped for commercial purposes. It greatly saddens me that such an historical site could be lost forever. Maxwell Street plays a vital part in the history of Blues music, and more widely in American culture.
There's an expression that says "To know who you are, you have to know where you've come from". I forget who said it, but it seems plain that you are blissfully unaware of its meaning. Much of the Blues and Rock and Roll music sprang from Maxwell Street. It appears that you are ready to wipe away these roots in one fell swoop, just for commercial gain. It's not just the musical roots either, you are also wiping away part of the multi-cultural history of the United States.
As one of many millions of world-wide lovers of Blues music, it greatly saddens me that intelligent people at a seat of learning are prepared to take decisions without full consideration of the impact of those decisions. I urge you to visit Memphis, and see what they did to Beale Street, and how successful that is: it shows what a little thought can achieve.
I urge you to consider restoring what's left of Maxwell Street as an Historic Preservation District, before it's too late, and you destroy a vital part of American and musical culture forever.
Yours faithfully,
Gordon Baxter.
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Gordon Baxter phone: + 44 (0) 115 951 5151 ext 8348
Dept. of Psychology fax: + 44 (0) 115 951 5324
University of Nottingham
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