HAMPTON, Va. — The Grant Street restoration project is almost complete — ten years in the making, this three phase project is a part of a key redevelopment for this historically black neighborhood.
“There’s so much proud history there, during a period of redevelopment during the 1960’s, Grant street, which was one of the primary roads, kind of got broken up,” said Hampton’s Communications Manager, Mike Holtzclaw.
Located right behind the Mary Jackson Neighborhood Center, Grant Street is a part of the Olde Hampton Community. Back in the 1880’s, this area was dubbed “Slabtown,” founded by escaped slaves who wanted to build new lives after the civil war.
In the early 1900’s, Olde Hampton gained the named “Black Wall Street” as black people couldn’t shop at white owned stores, so they had to meet their own needs.
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“There was so much commerce, there were so many business owners that were collaborating and thriving here in Hampton,” said Gabe Diaz, Hampton’s Executive Director of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
However, the thriving area started to crumble in the 1960s as homes and businesses were torn down to make way for apartment complexes and new roads. As a result, Grant Street was broken up.
“It is the gateway to downtown Hampton here. So when that was cut off during the 1960s, a lot of families suffered tremendously,” Diaz told News 3.
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60 years later though, and it’s finally getting put back together, with the help of this three phase project.
The first phase? Erecting the Mary Jackson Neighborhood Center. Done.
The second? Build the park and outdoor area outside the center. Also done.
Now phase three, re-connecting and rebuilding Grant Street itself.
Once complete, mixed used households will be built to allow families and businesses to move back into the area — helping Olde Hampton thrive once more.
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“We currently have 25 parcels plotted out in various configurations, some lot sizes are a little bit more deeper than the others. But it really gives the opportunity for a developer to come in and bring a unique project back to life in this area,” Diaz said.
A new street, more housing, and on top of that, better protections from flooding. With these improvements, Diaz says they also installed flood prevention technology.
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“We had a great opportunity to incorporate some storm water retention ponds and some mitigation efforts even into the community center. So if you happen to take a look out there we’ve got quite a few downspouts that come off the roof of the buildings that feed right into a bioswale,” he said.
The initial due date for this phase three completion was March, but these last few months have brought them some challenges when it comes to the weather. As a result, the project is set to be complete by May.
News 3 plans to go back when the project is complete, to speak with residents about what it means to the community.
