State Approves Uptown Tenderloin Historic DistrictRandy Shawbyline‚ Jul. 28‚ 2008The State Historical Resources Commission voted unanimously on July 25 to create the Uptown Tenderloin Historic District. The nomination for federal historic district status now proceeds to the Keeper of the National Register in Washington, D.C., which could add the 18 whole and 15 partial city blocks in the neighborhood to the National Register of Historic Places within 45 days. The Commission’s action culminates a process that began in 1983, was halted for over two decades, and then restarted in 2006. The District’s 470 buildings include the world’s largest collection of historic single-room occupancy hotels (SRO’s), such historic structures as the Central YMCA, the Hibernia Bank, and the former Empire Hotel (now Hastings Tower), and the astonishing Alcazar Theater. After decades of being primarily described by the media as “seedy,” the Uptown Tenderloin Historic District finally gives the community defined boundaries and a positive identity. The District’s creation also means that the dream of maintaining the Tenderloin as a rare urban neighborhood combining affordable housing, primarily low-income residents and a high quality of life is a large step closer to reality. |