The vision for Black Avenue Cultural District is all about centering and celebrating Black art and life - past, present and future. This vision was birthed by community members living in the Hough neighborhood and has been championed by these leaders ever since. In recent years, recalling this history has included vision trips to the Soulsville neighborhood in Memphis, backyard concerts memorializing the legacy of Leo’s Casino on Euclid Avenue, and community dialogues that have kept this vision alive for the better part of a decade. The hope of Black Avenue has always been to create a creative, honest, and soul-filled space where stories can be told, art can be made, and our east side neighborhoods are impacted equitably. The neighborhood is ready for a master plan to take this vision to the next step.

This vision began with one street and has grown into a vision of a district. E 55th, E 66th, and E 75th streets have all had their own individual momentum, but Black Avenue is all about developing a comprehensive cultural vision for each of these nodes, which will express Black life, art, and entrepreneurship in their own unique ways given the role they already play in our neighborhood. These three nodes are threads from the same fabric. A master plan that approaches each node uniquely while also maintaining a cohesive approach will be paramount as we engage the neighbors, stories, and histories that have shaped our neighborhoods.

If you are consultant interested in this work, please see our RFP here. Proposals due back October 11th, 2024.