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South Bend edevelopment Commission Special Meeting June 4, 1979 2. OLD BUS$NESS (Continued) Mr. Green continued with his document....... Sev ral black businesses moved to an area of Chapin Street, north ot Western Avenue. A nimber of black businessmen interested in expanding beyond the Chapin Street area, selected the West Washington Street area to establish small businesses. Among the businesses established were barbecue restaurants, pool rooms, taverns, grocery stores, laundromats., a drug store, doctors offices and a host of other small growing businesses. During the late fifties and early sixties these businesses existed side by side with white businesses such as Sandocks Furniture Store, St. Vincent DePaul, Slutsky Peltz Plumbing, Hurwich Junk Yard, O'Brien Paint, Radecki's Tavern md a number of other industrial and commercial establishments. City se ices were good and adequate police protection was offered area b iness and residents. During this same expansion period, black businesses were developing in the LaSalle Park area. This is evident by the establishment of Hoover's Pool Room and Liquor Store, Nesbitt's Tavern, Perry Booles Grocery Store and a barber shop.. LaSalle Park was contrastly different from the West Washington Street area. The area bounded by Meade, Linden, Illinois and Western Avenue, was almost entirely black. A number of streets were unimproved, city services were poor and police protection left a of to be desired. Sometimes during the late sixties, redevelopment was introdui,ed to the LaSalle Park area. Residents viewed this as an answer to all of their prayers. Streets were improved, a park and recreat onal area was established, thus improving life for area residents, but the black businessmen lost out again. Hoover's Pool Room an Liquor Store was razed in order to make land available for the development of the recreational facility and park. Nesbitt's Tavern was razed to make room for a low cost housing development. Both of these businesses closed as a result of redevelopment and never reopened. Redevelopment was introduced to the West Washington Street area during the Model Cities era. The redevelopment district involved an area boimded by Grant, West Washington Street, Merry Avenue and Olive. The redevelopment project was referred to as "The Merry Avenue Project." Residents of the Merry Avenue Project area were led to believe that the homes and businesses in that area were being demolished to make way for an industrial complex that would employ 115 persons from the area. To date the industrial complex has not materialized. -3-