“I really watched the whole Black business community fall,” Graveley said. People were paid for their homes, but news articles from 1979 detail that what they were offered often was below market value and not enough to cover relocating.įor business owners, the buyouts proved even more catastrophic, eliminating the customer base that people like Graveley and his grandfather had worked for generations to build. Gaslight Antiques 198 of 200 things to do in Tampa Antique Shops Closed now Visit website Call Email Write a review Be the first to upload a photo Upload a photo Top ways to experience nearby attractions Guided Tampa Tour in a Deluxe Street Legal Golf Cart 309 Recommended Historical Tours from 50. Through eminent domain, the city began acquiring residents’ properties. Most notably: “There was no mention of a baseball stadium,” Graveley said. It made note of five historic sites that should be preserved, including the first Black elementary school, Davis Elementary, and the Harlem Theatre. The plan acknowledged the need to help residents relocate and preserve their connections. Your guide to trusted BBB Ratings, customer reviews and BBB Accredited. The Coalition for Social Justice held a protest outside Tropicana Field on March 31, 1998, before the first Tampa Bay Devil Rays game in history, to demand social justice and economic development for African Americans. BBB Directory of Antique Dealers near Saint Petersburg, FL. The following year a plan was drafted that would displace more than 800 Black residents so the land could be revitalized, according to accounts in the Times.

In fall 1978, the City Council passed a resolution that deemed the neighborhood a redevelopment area. Still, the narrative of a poor, Black district holding back the city’s downtown was the story on which redevelopment plans were pegged. Petersburg Real Estate News Gas Light Antiques Summer House Marketplace. This independent coffee shop is located at Gaslight Square near Tyrone Mall. We had grocery stores, we had an active nightlife. Gaslight Antiques, Oldsmar Flea Market, Vintage Modern St. But it wasn’t a blighted neighborhood,” Graveley said.

William Graveley, who worked his first job at his grandfather’s dry cleaning business - which he later took over - said those depictions weren’t true. One article quoted city officials referring to the neighborhood as “one of the worst areas in St. Petersburg Times and city documents that labeled the Gas Plant neighborhood “blighted” and a “slum.” Gaslight Antiques, Minocqua: See 15 reviews, articles, and photos of Gaslight Antiques, ranked No.8 on Tripadvisor among 8 attractions in Minocqua. Whispers of neighborhood buyouts began in the early 1970s, with descriptions in the St. Petersburg's Gas Plant area as it looked in the 1970s.

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