Newspaper Article

March 2, 1978

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Big Bites

Fulton Group's Efforts to Save Row Houses Fail

By Bill Wasson

A huge yellow front-end loader today began taking bites out of Spencer Armstead's dream.

"I guess the score is Housing Authority 6, Together 0," Armstead said as the machine chewed away at one of the nine row houses he and a group of young Fulton Bottom men wanted to save.

Armstead and his mother live at 702 Denny St. in one of the nine houses that the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority plans to raze as part of the 10-year-old Fulton slum clearance program.

Demolition Begins

Demolition of six of the houses began today. Although the housing authority holds title to all the houses except the Armstead home, the authority plans to demolish only six of the two-story, turn-of-the-century-houses.

Armstead's house and the houses on either side of it will be left standing until the authority receives final title to the home.

Condemnation proceedings are under way, and the Armsteads have been awarded $6,500 for their home.

Once Armstead receives notice that the authority has the final title to his home, he will have 90 days to vacate the house.

Armstead, 26, and a group of young men who grew up in Fulton had hoped to preserve the nine houses in the 700 block Denny St.

Formed Corporation

The group formed a corporation called Together Inc. in an effort to attract support for the preservation effort.

But Armstead's group was unable to persuade the Fulton project area committee to change the redevelopment plan, which calls for the nine row houses to be replaced with new houses.

Also, Armstead and his supporters could not line up the kind of financial backing needed to preserve the nine houses and make them livable.

All the houses but the one occupied by Armstead and his mother have been vacant about a year.

The dwellings have been damaged heavily by weather and by vandals.

"He had a good idea," said housing authority official Barry Jones, who was at Denny St. today, "but he was 10 years too late."

Armstead appeared before City Council on Monday night and asked that the demolition of the six houses that began today be delayed until he had moved from his home.

Fire Hazard

Armstead said today he felt the decision to proceed with the demolition was aimed at him because of his struggle with the authority.

Jones said the six houses had to come down because they constitute a fire and safety hazard. He said the houses are in such bad condition that restoration isn't feasible, even if the money could be found.

But Armstead, who was born in the house at 702 Denny St., said he's not going to give up.

"I'm not going anywhere for awhile," he said. "I expected this but I'll try and save what's left."

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