Empty school building remains eyesore, instead of promised museum

(10/3/05 - HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- It's been almost two years and still there's no museum or cultural center in the historic Freedmen's town. It's in the fourth ward area -- an area in the sights of developers. Residents say the city promised the project would be done so why does the building stand empty today and why are residents concerned?

House by house, Freedman's town is slowly losing its identity. A way to counteract that is the African American heritage museum and community center to be installed in an empty and old school building there. But that's not happening on schedule, and that's an issue for the neighborhood.

The Gregory School on Victor Street is empty, boarded up, fenced off. But it's not completely entrance proof to intruders. Occasionally, Brian Hindmarch sees trespassers and sightseers.

"Some people I've heard say it's haunted," he said. "So I close my doors at night and try to stay safe."

The real problem haunting the school, and the neighborhood according to a group of community leaders, are vagrants and fires in the area. One blaze claimed a historic black church. They say Gregory School isn't entrance proofed by the city.

Tim O'Brien with the New 4th Ward Association said, "If they do secure it, and they've started  it looks like they started late Friday when I spoke with someone  that they keep it secured. Keep it secured and inform the community of the status of this project."

And that's a big part of the outcry. Two years then-mayor Lee Brown was part of the ground-breaking at the school. It was approved as the site for an African American cultural museum and promoted as such.

"This started in the 80's," said activist Lenwood Johnson. "The most recent time was two years ago. The newspaper announced they had $6 million to turn this into a museum. We don't see nothing happening."

A spokesman for Mayor Bill White says that the project is indeed ongoing -- that architectural plans have been completed and that a steering committee will be meeting later this month to decide what features and documents the center will include. A date for construction is pending.
(Copyright © 2005, KTRK-TV)

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