Clarksdale Housing Complex

The Clarksdale Housing Complex was a housing project located in Louisville, Ky directly east of downtown in the Phoenix Hill neighborhood.

History

The Clarksdale housing complex was built in 1939 and was the largest public housing project and first housing project built in the state of Kentucky. It consisted of 58, two and three-story buildings. Clarksdale was one of many developments ran by the Housing Authority of Louisville. Clarksdale's location was bounded by Jefferson Street on the north, Jackson Street on the west, Muhammad Ali Blvd. on the south, and Shelby Street on the east. It was located adjacent to its sister complex, occupied by the majority of elderly tenants and being Louisville's only high-rise public housing complex, Dosker Manor. Clarksdale and Dosker Manor's location also starts the boundary just east of downtown into what is known as the Phoenix Hill neighborhood of Louisville. As most housing projects throughout the country, Clarksdale began wearing down and became a complex designed for single-family house holds and low income families. Clarksdale in its prime, was one of the most notorious and crime-ridden housing projects in the city leading up to its demolition. Drugs, murders, gang activity, violence, and police activity ran rampid off and on mainly throughout the 1990s into the turn of the 21st century. Clarksdale along with the nearby yet smaller Sheppard Square housing project also on the east-side but just south of Clarksdale, were highly noted as not only blood territory, but the largest blood territory in the city, due to the amount of blood gang members present within the area, another factor leading to the high-crime in the area. In February 2001, Louisville Metro Police Officer, Daran Hodges, was shot while issuing a drug warrant in the complex, yet survived his injuries.Also home to recording artist "Cdp Joka"

Redevelopment

The 65-year-old complex was completely demolished in 2004, as part of the city's plan to redevelop housing in the downtown area with the area's rapid economic growth from prior times of the early and mid '90s. The Clarksdale complex was the second public housing site to undergo revitalization in the city of Louisville, after the Cotter/Lang Homes revitalization into what is now known as the, Park Duvalle area. This redevelopment plan is part of the Hope VI program responsible for the same revitalization of Chicago's Plan for Transformation with the demolition of housing projects and other major cities throughout the United States. East Louisville Park and two local liquor stores were also demolished in the redevelopment of the area. Tenants from Clarksdale were forced to relocate to other areas and housing complexes throughout the city, which often brought tension issues with initial residents from those particular areas. The now newly redeveloped area which is the prior site of Clarksdale is now known as Liberty Green, named after Liberty Street, which ran directly through the middle of the complex West to East. The name Liberty Green also stems from the area in the late 19th century, being rich with green fields. Liberty Green is currently under construction and near completion. It is already available for tenants which now consist of mixed-income housing. As part of the redevelopment plans, a certain amount of units are available for some of the prior Clarksdale tenants. Prior to the demolition, many tenants argued, that Clarksdale's prime location within Louisville, being just east of downtown played the major part of the revitalization more so than the crime. Many tenants who opposed the demolition, have argued that with the growth and development of newly downtown attractions such as businesses and luxury apartments into the area, that having Clarksdale in the area would cause problems with property and retail value, therefore raising questions on the revitalization plan as a whole. Today, local TV-repair shop and family owned business, Clarksdale TV, located on nearby Shelby Street and Broadway is the only remnants bearing the Clarksdale name within the city of Louisville.