The Maxwell Street Historic Preservation Coalition has appealed the negative ruling of Carol Shull, Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places, to Katherine Stevenson, Associate Director of Cultural Resource Stewardship and Partnerships at the National Park Service.

In the next section is the main text of that appeal. Says Roosevelt University Professor Steve Balkin, Vice President of the Maxwell Street Historic Preservation Coalition, "Shull's National Register decision about Maxwell Street has effects beyond Maxwell Street. It sets a bad precedent that will impede the preservation of other historic areas of poor minorities. If it stands, it will kiss goodbye what remains of other Blues historic areas across our nation. Remember that Blues is America's only indigenous art form. First generation Blues musicians lacked mainstream literacy skills. They did not write books. Only a small percent of Blues music got recorded. It is imperative that their physical environments get preserved to help speak for them. There is so little of it remaining that we can't afford it lose it."

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This letter is an appeal to you to overturn the decision of Ms. Carol Shull, Keeper of the National Register, contained in her letter of August 25, 2000, reference number H32(2280), ruling that the proposed Maxwell Street Historic District is not eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

Ms. Shull determined that Maxwell Street is too far gone to save. We say Maxwell Street is too important not to save. Its significance is unique due to its role in the Jewish-American experience and African-American experience, and for its importance to the development of American popular music.

Ms. Shull's letter catalogs everything that is wrong with the proposed Maxwell Street Historic District and though we disagree with some of her specific observations and conclusions, her letter describes the very real problems inherent in any attempt to preserve this important historic neighborhood, especially over the objections of powerful interests.

Unintentionally, Ms. Shull may also have written a handbook for the enemies of historic preservation on how to render an area, especially in a dense urban setting like Chicago, unsuitable for National Register listing and Historic Preservation Act protection. Step one, even if you do not own all or even most of the property, discourage other property owners from improving theirs by letting yours deteriorate. If you can afford to let your property sit idle for years, let time do your dirty work. Step two, if you can't buy and demolish every building, attack the corners first, then create gaps along the streetscape between the buildings that remain. Isolate them in clusters of three or fewer. Step

three, if historic facades are covered by cheap plastic or metal siding, don't remove it or let anyone see what is underneath. No one will guess there is an intact historic building there. Most of all, keep chipping away because, ultimately, your depredations will be rewarded.

The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), which wants to redevelop the area for private and University purposes, was demolishing historic buildings while the Coalition's National Register nomination was still pending, even though it can not begin construction yet and, in some cases, does not even intend to begin construction for several years. Just a few months ago (before Ms. Shull's site visit), the south side of Maxwell Street was an unbroken block of historic structures. Today, it features the gaps Ms. Shull noted in her letter, courtesy of UIC's demolition teams. I am sure Ms. Shull did not intend to reward that behavior by her decision, but it has that effect.

In emphasizing what has been lost in the Maxwell Street area, Ms. Shull fails to mention what remains: thirty-eight contributing buildings within an area of a few blocks, most concentrated near an intersection that is the neighborhood's historical hub. These buildings appear to be in poor condition, but they are structurally sound. We believe they exhibit the necessary integrity of design, setting, materials, and workmanship. Yes, it takes vision to look at the Maxwell Street neighborhood today and see a viable historic district, but a strong core of the historic neighborhood it is still there, albeit in the gravest possible danger.

Our concern that the Maxwell Street experience might serve as a model for others who want to clear away troublesome history for their own enrichment is not merely theoretical. As society becomes more sensitive to preserving historic sites of significance to ethnic minorities, the economically disadvantaged, and other communities that have traditionally been ignored by the intellectual elite, and as we move further into the 21st century and the great urbanization of the late 19th and early 20th centuries recedes further into history, we will increasingly find our most precious historic assets located in dense urban areas, where there always will be fierce competition for their control. There are many more Maxwell Street-type battles to come.

Carol Shull is a professional who knows her field. Even if she, arguably, applied the National Register criteria correctly, perhaps the criteria themselves or the traditional ways of applying them need to be questioned in light of the special problems inherent in preserving and protecting areas like the Maxwell Street neighborhood.

What makes Maxwell Street important is what also makes it so difficult to save. From its beginnings 150 years ago, the Maxwell Street neighborhood was always a ghetto "The Ghetto", according to a 1910 picture postcard. The neighborhood was always poor and, like many poor urban neighborhoods, it was constantly in flux. A procession of different groups moved in, up, and out. Buildings were enlarged, converted from residential to mixed use, or cosmetically altered to appear more modern and inviting to shoppers. Almost all major alterations to buildings we consider contributing were done during the period of significance and reflect the dynamism of the community during the historic period. Rather than detracting from an understanding of the area's history and significance, they contribute to it by reflecting the type of community Maxwell Street has always been.

Even gaps between buildings have been part of the streetscape for decades. During the blues era, they were an important performance space for blues and gospel musicians. ...

In addition to always being poor, the Maxwell Street neighborhood was always home to immigrant minorities, frequently oppressed minorities, most significantly Eastern European Jews and African-Americans from the South. The contributions of these and other peoples for whom Maxwell Street is important have been too seldom acknowledged and celebrated by our culture. The African-American blues music for which Maxwell Street is internationally famous was typically performed in ephemeral venues, especially during its early development. Maxwell Street is one of the few sites in America that can serve as a monument to this vitally important art form. We should not allow this opportunity to slip away.

Although the need to be more inclusive in our selection of historic sites is increasingly being recognized, many institutions have been slow to respond in meaningful ways. As Yale History Professor Max Page wrote to Carol Shull earlier this summer, "The National Register remains dominated by the physical buildings and landscapes of the wealthy and the white. One of the primary reasons that the National Register remains predominantly a list of buildings and landscapes of the elite is because of the requirement of 'integrity' and the way it is abused by those who care little for the past." The City of Chicago and, now, the National Register of Historic Places are squandering a golden opportunity to create a new and more inclusive paradigm. Instead of working to protect important minority cultural monuments, they are rewarding a powerful institution responsible for disrespecting and destroying those monuments.

The current state of the Maxwell Street neighborhood should be compared to the condition of the Beale Street Historic District in Memphis, or the Vieux Carre Historic District in New Orleans, when they were first listed. The fact that Beale Street, listed in 1966 and generally considered a great success, was classified in 1998 as facing a Priority 2 (high) Threat Level shows that even the most successful urban preservation sites will always be at risk. A new paradigm that considers the unique needs and pressures of urban, minority-oriented sites is needed.

As Ms. Shull acknowledged in her letter, the Maxwell Street Historic District nomination was disputed at the state level. It was supported unanimously by the Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council but opposed by the State Historic Preservation Officer. The architects, historians, archeologists and other professionals on the advisory panel made their recommendation fully aware of, and in spite of, the neighborhood's current condition. As they observed, the tremendous historical importance of the area manifestly outweighs its flaws.

Other than the parties who will profit from Maxwell Street's destruction, our proposal is widely supported by community leaders, musicians, music fans, preservationists and ordinary citizens. It is supported by the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois and other non-governmental historic preservation groups. The student newspaper at the University of Illinois at Chicago has editorialized in favor of our position, as has one of the nation's most prominent and venerable African-American newspapers, the Chicago Defender, which was itself in part responsible for stimulating the migration of African-Americans from the South to Maxwell Street so many decades ago.

The Maxwell Street Historic Coalition's intention in nominating the proposed historic district was to inspire a larger vision of the neighborhood's potential. We will continue to advocate that vision so long as any of the historic Maxwell Street neighborhood remains, in the hope that men and women of generous spirit finally will embrace it and commemorate the area's history in an appropriate fashion.

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For more information visit these websites <http://cowdery.home.netcom.com/maxnews.html> and <http://www.openair.org/maxwell/preserve.html>.

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