King-Lincoln (Bronzeville) District

King-Lincoln Bronzeville (or King-Lincoln for short) is a historically African American neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio, and the site of considerable revitalisation and renovation projects on behalf of the city. Originally known as Bronzeville by the residents of the community, it has been rebranded as the King-Lincoln District by Mayor Michael B. Coleman's administration in hopes of revitalizing and highlighting the historical significance of the district. The district aims to embrace its namesakes of the historic Lincoln Theatre and King Arts Complex.

The King-Lincoln neighborhood is bound by Broad Street to the South, 20th Street to the East, Atcheson Street to the North, and I-71 to the West. Originally a much larger area, the district has continually been redefined with new boundaries in response to the development of the city of Columbus. It is considered to be a neighborhood within the Near East side and is surrounded by downtown Columbus, Old Towne East, and the Mount Vernon neighborhood.

The origins of the neighborhood date back to the 19th century where freed and escaped slaves from across the Confederate South began to settle in Columbus. Originally settled more southward by the Scioto River, many Black families moved eastward in search of jobs in White homes and industrial factories. Over the course of the next century, the community grew and expanded to the boundaries of the current day district. With the Great Migration after World War I, restrictive housing covenants, and White flight the Black population of the city continued to grow and Bronzeville quickly became the most populated African American neighborhood of the city.

By the 1930s, the neighborhood had become a self-sustaining community centered on Black businesses, services, and life. Bronzeville developed into a buzzing entertainment district with four theaters (Lincoln, Empress, Cameo, and Pythian), and countless jazz establishments. As the community developed, it grew to provide its own hospitals, schools, churches, and commercial establishments. The district would later serve as a congregational site for many Civil Rights activists in the 1950s and 1960s including Martin Luther King Jr.

Having remained a self-sustained community for nearly half a century, the successes of the Bronzeville community quickly came to an end starting in 1962 with the construction of I-71. The highway segmented the district and now serves as the westernmost boundary of the district. Additionally, the lifting of many housing covenants and restrictions encouraged many middle and upper class Black families to leave the district and move to the suburbs of Columbus. Many business owners left the district and it quickly developed into a neighborhood ridden by unemployment, poverty, and crime.

...
Wikipedia