The razing of Highland’s business district was part of a nationwide trend called urban renewal. Cities with a concentration of black people in one area took federal money to bulldoze those neighborhoods and create government buildings, highways, or business districts. Very few of the cities used to money to replace the housing that was lost.

Gastonia’s urban renewal plan took several decades. It started in earnest in the 70s when the federal government opened up new funding to cities for inner city revitalization. According to the Charlotte Observer, the city started buying lots in Highland that were blighted. The blight was due to the movement of Gastonia’s black citizens to other parts of the city, inflation during the 70s, and the owners’ lack of money to repair and maintain their buildings. Even as a landlord, the city did not invest in renovating the buildings. They were put on the list for demolition. The business owners were encouraged to set up shop in other parts of the city while the land was cleared for private developers.

The developers, probably for the same reasons listed above, did not invest. Perhaps they were waiting for the $10 million transportation and utility project (Interstate 85). Perhaps they bought into the belief that majority black neighborhoods meant crime, lower property values, and blight (which was true, but not because of the black people).

In 1990 and 1991, the county commissioners started talking about new facilities for the courthouse, jail, social services, and mental health services. There were different reasons for each building: The courthouse needed room for a new district court judge. The jail was facing overcrowding. The building that housed mental health services had been partially damaged in a fire. Site selection committees were formed and citizens gave their opinions. In July 1993, a site on Long Avenue was chosen based on cost, accessibility to downtown, and “voter choice.”

Reading the county commissioners meeting minutes, it’s clear that the county was overwhelmed with development potential. During this same time period, the county was proposing to develop property it owned near the hospital, it was taking bids for a new landfill and waste to energy plant, and it was looking into remodeling the old health department building. The property around the hospital is now settled by private, mostly medical industry, and the old health department is now the Highland Health Center. The waste to energy plant was never built.

So how did the commissioners decide? During the search for land, the city proposed a deal: trade the old courthouse property for a piece of land on Long Street. The land was close to downtown, near the highway, and would be cheaper to develop than the other proposed sites. This property? Highland’s economic center, the Square.

This is a 1950 Sanborn map of the area that would become the county jail.

A present day map of the same area.

Stay tuned for Part 2!