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Seattle Municipal Archives Guide

Record Group: Urban Renewal Program

Record Series: Community Renewal Program Records

1959 -1971

2.4 cubic feet (4 boxes)

Primarily the records of the Community Renewal Program, although there is some information on other urban renewal pro jects including Northlake/ University, First Hill, Cherry Hill, and the Yesler-Atlantic Project. Correspondents include the Planning Commission, the University of Washington, and members of the Civic Unity Committee. Board minutes for the Civic Unity Co mmittee are also included. There is some information on how the continuation of the grant overlapped with the Seattle Mo del City Program. In addition to correspondence of Frank McChesney, the records include correspondence from 1962 to 1964 of Talbot Wegg, U rban Renewal Coordinator in the Office of Urban Renewal, who was responsible for hiring Frank McChesney. Correspondence concerns CRP program in other cities, the hiring of additional personnel, and consultant research for the CRP. The bulk of the records (2.0 cf) relate to the CRP. A Steering Committee was established with the Planning Commission st aff and staff of the Office of Urban Renewal to assist with survey methodologies. The progress reports, quarterly report s, and minutes, provide an overview of the challenges and issues the project encountered as well as background on decisions mad e in the CRP. Drafts of the CRP application with the Urban Renewal Administration of the Housing and Home Finance Agency is included a long with subsequent revisions in 1965 and the final contract. Correspondence back and forth between the two agencies is included. Seattle requested copies of many other cities' applications for Community Urban Renewal Programs, and these are included in the records. Correspondence with the Regional Director for Urban Renewal in Region VI of the Housing and Home Financ e Agency, as well as staff from Washington, D.C. during the submittal of the CRP application is included. The CRP application was sub mitted with ten working papers outlining procedure of developing the study; twenty-one working papers were written in to tal and they are included in these records. Topics include blight analysis, survey manuals and housing evaluation. Drafts of a final report are included, but there is no final draft. A large portion of the data analysis and survey work was done by contractors. Correspondence and contracts with consulta nts is included. The University of Washington was involved in mapping work and other consultants worked on urban design and census data. Information on other urban renewal projects are included in this records series. Overviews of projects such as the Cherr y Hill Project and the Yesler Atlantic program are included. Background information used in urban renewal projects is at the end of the records. Information on housing, labor, and industry is included. Correspondents include: Talbot Wegg, Urban Renewal Coordinator, John (Jack) P. Willison, Urban Renewal Director, city of ficials in other cities involved in CRP, and Urban Renewal officials at the federal level. Related records include other Urban Renewal Program records as well as Urban Renewal and Planning studies in the Documen ts Catalog.

Location:
Seattle Municipal Archives

Finding Aids:
Folder List
EAD Guide to the Community Renewal Pro gram Records 1959-1971

Personal Name Subjects:
McChesney, Frank

Corporate Name Subjects:
Seattle (Wash.). Dept. of Community Development.

Topical Subjects:
City planning -- Washington (State) -- Seattle
City planning
Community development, Urban -- Washington (State) -- Seattle
Urban renewal -- Washington (State) -- Seattle

Geographical Subjects:
Seattle (Wash.)
Seattle