Sending copies of correspondence about zoning application filed by Weygandts in 1968. Includes a copy of Zoning Map Amendment Petition A7417 Recommended Approval by Prince George's County Planning Board Page 1 of 2. Southeast corner of 54th Avenue and Osage Street in Berwyn Heights, and the Adopted Zoning Proposal 54th Avenue and Osage St property.
Sherman and Saxoline Campbell East 1/2 Lot 13 West of Lot 14 Urban Renewal Parcel 19 Block 24
comparison of appraisals with signature of Jack Callahan
Urban Renewal Parcel 18 Block 20
The community of Lakeland and its members want to preserve its history by and through LHP. The project members plan to display artifacts from collections every year and preserve the past.
Navahoe Street
On the left is the Urban Renewal office
This is the summary sheet of a property appraisal for the land and home owned by William and Beatrice Thomas at 4806 Lakeland Road. The appraisal was generated during the urban renewal process to establish the amount the government offered the property owner as compensation for the "taking" of their home. William and Beatrice Thomas 4806 Lakeland Rd Project Parcel 24-16 Block 12 Lot 11
Letter from City Attorney Morris Topf to Edwin Finder transmitting proposed contract between Mr. and Mrs. Weygandt and the City.
Exhibit Panel
Cover memo from Jack Callahan to Regional Counsel HUD, Contract as attachment
Dignitaries at groundbreaking for Spellman House Apartments, first redevelopment project of urban renewal
8103 48th Ave Block 12 Lot 9 Joseph & Catherine Adams
Exhibit "B" Property Rehabilitation Requirements, cont'd. Capacities.
Given the opportunity to speak informally with Mary Day Hollomand at her home in the company of her two children, Lisa and Larry, the interviewers hoped to explore the changing perspectives of Lakelanders over two generations. During this same period Prince George's public schools transitioned from segregation to de-segregation. The discussion brought out differing attitudes towards several issues. Mary Day received her entire education in Lakeland “ from the age of six, when she left Sadie Plummer's private schoolhouse in Brentwood to start at Lakeland elementary, until she graduated from Lakeland High School in 1947. Mary Day had a deep and ongoing desire to involve herself in the life of the school and, in turn, the community. Her activities ranged from Glee Club to Safety Patrol to Homemakers of America. But she was most passionate about basketball, which she shared with her neighbor, her teammate and best friend, Patty Adams. Like many Lakelanders of her generation, Mary Day singled out Mrs. McClellan from among her high school teachers. She was really brilliant and she helped everybody. Mary Day noted that she did all this while her husband was serving overseas during World War II. She also singled out Bessie Mack, her first-grade teacher, and Mr. Arnold, who then had to serve in the army. Both lived in the neighborhood. Mary Day and her daughter acknowledged that the commitment of teachers to help students progress in their education changed after de-segregation. Lisa and Larry pointed to the lack of personal connections with their teachers, in part, because few of them lived in Lakeland or were familiar with the community. This is not to imply that Lisa and Larry, who attended integrated schools throughout, felt categorically that white teachers were less dedicated to African-American students. Lisa recalled her English teacher at Parkdale High School, a white woman, who was very intelligent and very strict she took an interest she was passionate about her craft, and she wanted to make sure that everyone got it. It was true, however, that integration did not really create more choices for Lakelanders. Larry wanted to go to Highpoint for high school, but because of the district where they lived, both he and Lisa had to attend Parkdale. Lisa was not involved with activities in high school, which her mother had a hard time understanding. I didn't go to any of the dances, I didn't do prom. I had friends who were cheerleaders and the pom-pom squad. Instead her focus, from the age of ten, was figure-skating. A few weeks after graduating from Parkdale, she joined Disney on Ice, moving from Lakeland, Maryland to Lakeland, Florida, to train with an international troupe. Mary Day supported her daughter and the family would travel to her performances. Most importantly, Lisa felt that this experience was invaluable and shaped me more than my formal education. Although Lisa did not follow in her mother’s footsteps as far as taking part in the community, when it came time to leave Disney on Ice and enter college, she did feel strongly about the fact that her mother had been denied the opportunity to attend University of Maryland during segregation. Mary Day had attended Bowie State for just a week, then continued at Howard University in DC. Because of the curfew and the lack of much social life on campus, she spent a lot of time with her parents commuting back and forth from Lakeland. Lisa had also wanted to go to Howard. It was a tradition within the family, through her father's side, and it was a matter of pride for her. Instead, she started at Prince George's Community College, then transferred to UMD for her junior year. She recalled that the classes were much larger at the university and I was just a number. Her most memorable professor was Kazuo Yaginuma, who taught Japanese. She had toured for four months in Japan with Disney on Ice and this allowed her to reconnect with her past. Lisa spoke at length about her studies in Japanese, and nothing at all of her major, which was psychology. Long after finishing her degree, Lisa reconnected with the University of Maryland when she came to host foreign-exchange students from Japan on a summer program in College Park. They accommodated one student in their home, and Lisa's knowledge of the language helped to forge bonds. Lisa commented that Asians and African-Americans at the university did not interact very much. And Asians who had not grown up here would have seen African-Americans in the stereotypes portrayed on TV either [as] a movie star or a criminal. Mary Day recalled how they took one Japanese student to see a slave ship in Baltimore and the emotional impact it had on both mother and daughter to share this history with their guest. Mary Day also spoke about her experiences after college, as she had at Embry Church in February. At Howard, she studied health and physical education. She was the first woman in her family to attend college. She then went on to a career with the Census Bureau and then twenty years at the National Security Agency. She described how typically white employees would be given a test to advance in the agency. African-Americans were passed over, but one day Mary Day complained to her supervisor, who agreed to let her take the test on the spot and she passed with no time to prepare. Mary Day commented that people just did not speak up. Mary Day has lived for much of her adult life in the same house now forty-one years. At present her children live with her in this house. So we asked what they thought the future might hold for younger generations of Lakelanders trying to make a home for themselves. Could Lakeland return to the kind of close-knit community that once existed? Lisa and Mary Day had their doubts. Mary Day looked back to the time when she knew just about everyone in between Rhode Island Avenue and the railroad tracks. Today, by contrast, many of these older neighbors have died or families just sold or rented their houses when they moved elsewhere. It's not the same community that it used to be. For Mary Day, the community has continued to shrink physically, making it that much harder for younger families to stay. She blames urban renewal for that. First, the separation from east of the tracks, where many Lakelanders were forced from their homes. We tried to get (the city) to build single-family houses here, because there were a lot of people who wanted to stay and who had to move because of the floods. In the end, all the available area to build was taken up with the new elementary school. As Mary Day sees it, the city was just playing lip service, they never really intended to put up single-family houses, but rather high-rises which would change the density and character of the neighborhood.
Personal Background Attended Lakeland Elementary School, Greenbelt Junior High School, and Parkdale High School in Riverdale, Maryland. Mother worked as a housekeeper for the Maryland University Father was in the Government Bureau of Mines located at the Maryland University Campus • Parents also raised in Lakeland Lakeland Community Participation Attended Sunday school with Ms. Dessie Thomas Sunday school was an important part of education Parents were greatly involved in PTA and education of children Lakelanders were also involved with the Lakeland Civic Association There were summer activities for children such as the Girls Club, Boys Club in College Park, as well as the Girl Scouts Understood Lakeland as separate from College Park Desegregation in PG County Ms. Weaver was the first white teacher at Lakeland Elementary Lakeland students were bused to Greenbelt Junior High, where they were the only African American children there There were both African American and white teachers at Greenbelt. Was apprehensive about going to an integrated school: about making friends, fitting in, etc. There were some small incidents of racist name calling in middle school, but generally people were inclusive Some of the best athletes at Greenbelt were African Americans like Georgie Rounder, Jeff Briscoe, who went on to Parkdale High. Race became a more conscious issue in high school as more incidents of racism arose and students segregated themselves There were two violent walkouts (refusal to attend class) at Parkdale when the principal, Dr. ,made a racist remark about one of the students Through negotiations and conversations between parents, the community was able to work the whole thing out. There were also walkouts at the University of Maryland until they made the school more comfortable for African American students What Made Lakeland Different â young man whose last name was Webster was the first Lakelander to attend the University of Maryland. African American students whom the Lakelanders met at school were from different communities with different upbringings and culture. For example, the students from East Pines were disrespectful and lacked a strong religious upbringing. Neighbors were very active in parenting other people's as children in Lakeland All of the homes were single-family homes, not apartments or the town houses that are on Lakeland Road today Many of the younger Lakelanders have moved away and now there are many students who rent houses in the neighborhood There used to be two general stores here and one was called Mr. Black's Store and the Mack's Store where Lakelanders purchased food and congregated. The Black's Store also had a dance hall attended by local youth. Success in Lakeland Ms. Middleton did not attend university because her favorite teacher at Parkdale High, a white woman named Dr. Lake, arranged an interview for her with the FBI and she worked there for 37 years. Personal and collective Lakeland success attributed to the strength of the community and support of parents and religious leaders Lakeland teachers made do with materials, even though they were substandard, and educated students well as Gregory Lomax and other Lakeland families with some influence used their power or class status to send their children to all white schools, Integrated schools might have better materials, but they did not have the same community feel as Lakeland schools Memories of a Community in Decline Used to live on Lakeland Road before urban renewal, when she moved with her parents to Pierce Avenue After urban renewal, the neighborhood changed drastically as the community fabric weakened Ms. Briscoe-Middleton believes that the community will continue to dissipate until eventually the University of Maryland will acquire all of Lakeland. Playing sports in the community allowed Lakeland children to interact with non-African Americans and become more comfortable in an integrated environment Mayday was the biggest celebration in Lakeland The regular flooding of the community was a perennial source of anxiety for residents However, they also had fun with roller skating, movies, a big parade every summer etc. High school prom was an important event for Lakeland youth There were instances of integrated couples, especially young women who wanted to take African American athletes as dates; you just didn't take anybody home. Janet Winnatin • Patricia was very good friends with a white girl named Janet. She asked her mother if she could visit Janet's house and after some reluctance, her mother let her. When she arrived, Janet's mother would not let her enter the house. At first Patricia did not understand, but Janet explained that it was because she was African American. Janet was very upset because she worried that Patricia would not like her anymore and because she was disappointed in her mother. Patricia assured her that she understood and they continued to be friends Thoughts on the Future Patricia has a granddaughter who is 13 who doesn't understand what segregation and discrimination were like, especially because Black History is not taught well enough in public schools. Because of the disintegration of community in Lakeland, the area is becoming less safe and children do not have a good understanding of their heritage. Whereas before, the area was safe and nurturing, now there is danger of muggings and an emergency light box has been installed similar to those on the University of Maryland campus. The only anchors that may tie the community together are the Embry AME and First Baptist churches; as long as they stand and the history of Lakeland continues to be spoken, the memory of this community will survive.
4908 Navahoe Block 16 w45', Lot7 ,East 10',Lot 6 Grace & Vardell Nesbitt
request for authorization to procure appraisal services for Weygandt property Request to Implement Informal Procedures For Purchase of Appraisal Services
An oral history interview conducted with Fannie Douglass during Lakeland Heritage Weekend 2007. Mrs. Fannie Douglas was born on April 15, 1919 in Garner, North Carolina. Her parents were Freeland Winters and Bettie Winters. In 1939, Mrs. Douglas was living in Raleigh, North Carolina with her mother. Her father had passed away by this point. It was here that she met her future husband, James Douglas of Hamlet, North Carolina. After they were married, they moved up to Lakeland and lived with James's aunt. While in Lakeland, Mrs. Douglas did"house work." She referred to this as "day work" and stated that this is really all that women in Lakeland could do at the time. James Douglas was a truck driver. In 1921, Mr. and Mrs. Douglas moved into their own home in Hyattsville, Maryland. They lived there for twelve to eighteen months, before moving back to Lakeland. During World War II, James Douglas went into the army and served there for two and a half years. Mrs. Douglas's most notable community involvement was in the church. She was first a visiting member of First Baptist Church. Currently, she is a member of Embry AME. In her years at Embry, she has served on the Usher Board, has been president of the senior choir, a missionary, and church treasurer. According to Mrs. Douglas, the most disappointing time in Lakeland was the Urban Renewal Project. She stated that she warned community members to not allow them to come in as they would just destroy the community. As a result, many people needed to move out because their homes were destroyed. She also mentions waking up one morning and seeing her yard flooded. While Mrs. Douglas was not specific as to what Lakeland did to make sure this never happened again, she did say that this was the first and last time that Lakeland experienced a flood of this magnitude. Mrs. Douglas currently has one daughter by the name of Betty Wright and one grandson by the name of Robert Clifton Peters, who currently resides with Mrs. Douglas.
4910 Navahoe St Leonard J. Smith and Mamie E. McCorkle Block 16 E 55" of Lot 7 Urban Renewal Parcel 20-4 Value Sheet
71-G-20 Hearing, Mr. W. Earl Weygandt lots 1,14and 15 of block 44
Neighbors helping neighbors to build and maintain their homes is a tradition in the community of Lakeland. Above, James Clemmons is shown in the central section of Lakeland, on Pierce Avenue, preparing the foundation for the new home of friends Julia and Harold Pitts. The Pitts had lived on the western section of Lakeland Road but were displaced by the urban renewal project.
Hand written note at bottom of page. Shows statement to Morris Topf gives information on fees of attorney, Miazga in the Weygandt case. Page also includes hand written note with statements about property cost and other parts of agreement
Hand marked map showing location and ownership of subject lots within Lakeland
In eastern Lakeland are Gertrude Brooks, Morris Crump, and Viola Brooks.
55th Avenue Block 44 Lots 7,8,9,10 & 11 Leon E. & Marionette T. Kelley
Lot 5
In 1961, College Park officials recognized the need to improve and renovate some of Lakeland’s homes, many of which had been damaged by the frequent flooding. To carry out the improvements, city officials adopted an urban renewal plan in 1970. It mandated redevelopment of Lakeland’s eastern and western sections, about two-thirds of the community. Residents of the affected areas vacated their homes in the mid-1970s. They were compensated for the value of their homes and promised an opportunity to return to new housing units when construction was completed. The project was expected to take a few years. However, it took much longer because problems plagued the project, due to changes in regulations and policies within the federal government. Over time, economic forces and other issues produced vast changes in the redevelopment plan, with consequent delay after delay. The ruins of homes, such as those along a section of Lakeland Road, pictured below, blighted the community for more than five years.
From Urban Renewal Director to Project Area Committee advising council work session would take up an item about retaining appraisals for Weygandt properties
Section D: Project Proposals. Statement of Special Conditions. Property Rehabilitation and Conservation Standards.
Edwards home
Leon & Marionette Kelley 55th Ave no house # Block 44 Lot 11
4802 Lakeland Rd & 4812 Lakeland Rd - Contract CPURR-11