The Ludlow Community Association was organized in order to "create a community open to all races and religions with common goals of maintaining quality and stability, preserving high standards and protecting the general welfare of the entire community." The Ludlow neighborhood extends southeast from Shaker Square, partly in Cleveland, Ohio, and partly in Shaker Heights. Formed in 1957, the association developed from a series of small meetings, held in the homes of African American and white residents, to consider the problem of the changing neighborhood and what steps might be taken to prevent its deterioration into an all-black ghetto. After the first period of white flight when African Americans began moving into the area, the association concentrated on persuading white families to move into Ludlow and purchase homes.
By 1960, no white family had purchased a house there for three years. Steps were taken to attract them: a select committee was formed to stop the block-busting tactics of real estate brokers; The Cleveland Foundation awarded the association a grant of $7,500 to pay the salary of a part-time housing worker; and the Ludlow Company was formed to provide financing for white home buyers.
In 1961, there were nine property purchases made by white home buyers. by 1966, suspicion, anxiety, and panic selling had vanished. Community personnel estimated, in 1969, that the racial makeup of the Ludlow neighborhood was 57% African American and 43% white. At the same time that the association achieved its success in maintaining integration, there was decreased involvement and participation by the majority of the residents in the neighborhood. There were exceptions to this, however. Among those who remained quite active were Dr. and Mrs. John Diekhoff and Louis Salvator. In the field of open housing, the Ludlow Community Association is nationally known and respected. One of the oldest organizations of its kind, it has served as a model for other cities as they cope with the challenge of integration and seek interracial harmony.
The Ludlow Community Association Records, Series II, 1957-1981 and undated, consist of minutes, correspondence, newsletters, reports, financial materials, publicity files, and newspaper clippings.
These records pertain to the quality of housing and integration in the suburban community of Shaker Heights, Ohio, including both apartments and single-family units. They also highlight the organizational structure of the organization.
The collection is arranged in two series.
All photographs have been removed to the photograph and print collection.
The researcher should also consult MS 3662 Ludlow Community Association Records; MS 4981 Ludlow Community Association Records, Series III; and MS 3743 Albert M. Pennybacker Papers.
Processed by Bari Oyler Stith in 1988.
None.
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 4167 Ludlow Community Association Records, Series II, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
Ludlow Community Association and David Coleman, 1972-1986.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.