There But For The Grace of God

As the Tenth Street freedmen's town crumbles, its would-be saviors bicker among the ruins

A A A Comments By Kaylois Henry Thursday, Jan 16 1997

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The Tenth Street Historic Community Development Corporation has finally published an economic development plan for the neighborhood.

Chris Hunter says it provides for housing rehabilitation, economic development incentives, and social programs. The group has already done some rehab work on a couple of houses in the historic district and sponsored a neighborhood cleanup day. This year, Tenth Street CDC plans to build some new homes.

"In five years, you'll see rehabbed houses; a stronger, cleaner community; and a much better quality of life," Hunter says.

But even the best-laid plans go astray when there's no one left to believe in them. These days, some two-thirds of Tenth Street's homes are leased to renters or have been abandoned by their owners. The remaining homeowners have a diminished impact on the community; for each home that's fixed up, there are two that remain terminally decayed.

If there is any future for Tenth Street, it lies in people like Bernard Williams.

Williams was raised in Tenth Street, but like most of the area's young people, he moved away as soon as he was old enough. He and his wife have lived in several Dallas suburbs over the years, but decided, five years ago, that it was time to come home.

Williams' wife found a house at 1113 Ninth St. She fell in love with the 87-year-old, two-story Queen Anne-style house. It was red-tagged, slated for demolition. Still, she could see its potential.

It took a few more days to convince her husband.
"The place just lay heavy on my mind," Williams says. "The place was in bad shape, but eventually I could see it."

Williams and his wife bought the former boarding house and have lovingly refurbished it, room by room. Their house is adorned with refinished wood floors, tall windows, and flourishes usually seen only in houses in more upscale Dallas neighborhoods.

"When I close my door, I can just as well be in Las Colinas or Irving or anywhere else," Williams says. "The key thing about living here is that I know my neighbors, and we look out for each other.