Visions, Plans, and Schemes: Reconstructing African American St. Louis after the 1927 Tornado

Abstract

This article explores the conflicting claims on urban redevelopment in the aftermath of the 1927 St. Louis tornado. In the Finney Avenue District, a nascent middle-class African American neighborhood, residents saw the post-tornado rebuilding program as an opportunity for civic improvement through the construction of new schools and housing. This grass-roots vision, however, ran up against the objectives and machinations of efficiency-minded city planners and profit-seeking developers. A micro-analysis of the rebuilding process sheds light on the racial politics of early 20th century urban redevelopment as well as the role of natural disasters in reshaping the urban landscape.