PreservationNation

Written by LaTanya E. Johnson

The Henderson family in the formal dining room, c. 1969.

At a recent meeting at work to discuss the ways the National Trust for Historic Preservation can provide more help to homeowners, each attendee was asked to bring a photo to “show and tell” about a house that mattered to them – whether it was the house they once or still lived in – or any house of personal significance.

Each participant’s story in this diverse group was unique, yet there were common themes among us: stories of childhood memories, great physical or financial investment, and pioneering neighborhoods in transition. All conveyed definite emotional ties to homes that, to paraphrase a participant, have been the “backdrop to our lives.” Apparently, my story seemed interesting enough because the next thing I knew I was asked to share it on our website.

The Henderson house, Houston, TX.

Three homes make up my own life’s backdrop. First is my grandparents’ home in the historic Sunnyside community of Houston, Texas, which has remained the bedrock of stability – withstanding Jim Crow housing policies, several terrible hurricanes, and economic fluctuations. I was young when my grandmother burned the mortgage paper over the kitchen stove once the house payments were complete. Many bustling holidays were spent there with family, but my most profound memory is that of my grandfather, who long before Lowe’s, Home Depot and the D.I.Y. (Do-It-Yourself) age came along, added a large family room, master bedroom and full bath to the rear of their humble abode. (I’m told he’d converted the garage into the dining room before I was born.) As a teen I watched him work around us. His completion of this expansion on his own is, perhaps, my most clear example of self-determination. For the love of family he built a bigger house, and in turn, my grandmother made it a greater home.

The home of Lois and LaTanya Johnson, Houston, TX.

Then there is the house my mother bought and built. When I note the sense of continual struggle that often permeates the lifestyle of single black mothers today, I marvel at the synthesis of wise choices, good fortune, and timing that allowed my young, widowed mother the ability to secure a home for herself and her child. This modest house was also expanded, to later include the popular island kitchen, for us chefs-in-training. Here, we entertained friends all year round. And any given morning, before the Houston heat rises, you can find my mother enjoying a cup of coffee on her built-on back yard patio, swathed in potted greenery.

The home where I’ve lived the past decade, gracefully among a mixed culture of residents and far from the suburban-style life in which I grew up, is a small unit in a DC condo building. Does this place meet our National Trust criteria for homeowner engagement? Time will tell. I do know the apartment, and all the joys and burdens tied to it, are absolutely mine.

LaTanya’s home in Southwest Washington, DC.

A tenet of the ‘American Dream’ is homeownership. Whether your home predates the Civil War or was just finished recently; whether it’s a condo unit, or somewhere between a shotgun house and a “McMansion” matters less than whether you love the place, and your name is on the deed. Of importance to me as I think about family homes is the research explaining specific factors that were critical to creating a post WWII “black middle class.” One of these factors is economic empowerment through homeownership, and the generational positioning within safe communities of neighbors that support shared values of stability, pride, and good stewardship.

Perhaps the National Trust cannot be all things to all homeowners; however, I am excited that the organization is exploring ways to reach out to the people who are on the front lines of historic preservation, a group with whom it has not previously connected enough. I am glad we have begun by reflecting on homeownership instilled as a family value and all the ways that this connects to the world of historic preservation.

Learn more about our resources for owners of older and historic homes »

LaTanya E. Johnson, a native of Houston, Texas, is executive assistant and special projects coordinator for membership development at the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 at 10:59 am and is filed under african-american heritage. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.