Arthur and Edith Lee House

Last updated
Arthur and Edith Lee House
Arthur and Edith Lee House, July 2014.jpg
Arthur and Edith Lee House, 2014
USA Minnesota location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location4600 Columbus Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Coordinates 44°55′11″N93°15′50″W / 44.91972°N 93.26389°W / 44.91972; -93.26389
Arealess than one acre
Built1923 (1923)
NRHP reference No. 14000391 [1]
Added to NRHPJuly 11, 2014

The Arthur and Edith Lee House is a historic place located in the Field neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It was originally constructed in 1923. In the early 1930s, Arthur Lee and Edith Lee, an African-American couple, acquired ownership of the home, which came during a period of racial discrimination in housing deeds, and the house was located in a predominately White neighborhood. The Lee family endured violent threats from White neighbors and eventually moved out of the house in 1934 after several years of unrest. The home had renewed interest in the 2000s from scholars of racial discrimination in housing and it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2014.

Contents

History

The home was built in 1923 and has similarities to kit houses common to the era. [1] :4–5

In 1927 hundreds of property owners in the area had created the Eugene Field Neighborhood Association and signed a "gentleman's agreement" with the neighborhood association pledging to not sell or rent their property to non-Whites. This group had success purging much of the blocks around 46th and Columbus of non-whites. It was only by one neighbor with an unsettled grudge that the Lees were allowed any chance to buy into the neighborhood. [2]

In June 1931 Arthur and Edith Lee, an African-American couple, purchased the home with a down payment and a mortgage. The Lees moved in July and shortly the neighborhood association formed a committee to offer them $5000 for the house they had just paid $4700 for. Lee asked for $7500 and negotiations ended. [3]

Around July 8 neighbors began to harass them with shouted insults and violent threats. By Saturday July 11 the crowd numbered about 150. The Lees kept their house darkened, stones pelted the siding as the porch and garage were splashed with a black paint or similar substance. [3]

Arthur and Edith Lee home splattered in black paint, July 1931 Arthur and Edith Lee House 1931.png
Arthur and Edith Lee home splattered in black paint, July 1931

The unrest escalated over the next several days as crowds growing into the hundreds and later thousands [4] continued their campaign of harassment. The yard was littered with signs bearing racial slurs as garbage and excrement joined the hurled objects. [2] At its peak refreshment wagons flocked nearby streets doing bustling business into the early morning. [5]

Local police, including captain A. C. Jensen were sent to maintain the peace but offered little additional support to the Lees. It was only on Sunday the 12th that arrests were even threatened, citing this to be an unlawful gathering. This night was only quelled by the captain suggesting the neighborhood association meet with the mayor and a committee of colored leaders to seek a solution. [3]

Mayor Anderson claimed he could not interfere and implied the situation did not beg his responsibility to uphold law and order. [3]

On July 15 the Minneapolis Tribune broke a media blackout [5] on the situation with a front-page story entitled "Home Stoned in Race Row." [1] :13 Arthur Lee, a World War I veteran, was quoted in the article as saying "Nobody asked me to move out when I was in France fighting in mud and water for this country. I came out here to make this house my home. I have a right to establish a home." [6] The publicity from the article generated even larger crowds as well as onlookers. All available police in the city were called to form a cordon around the house and ensure nearby streets were not blocked by the mob. [1] :14–15

Discussions with the neighborhood and community leaders during this unrest had been unproductive with the Lees' attorney advising them to say they were planning to leave to quell the unrest. The Lees were members of the local NAACP chapter and reached out to them for assistance. Lena O. Smith, the chapter's president, offered legal assistance and argued the Lees should remain as a statement that they would not be intimidated. The Lees accepted Smith's counsel and she drafted a statement published in all of the local newspapers noting that "[Mr. Lee] has no intention of moving now or later, even after we are assured the feeling in the district has subsided."

The police presence remained at the Lees' house for more than a year thereafter; the Lees' daughter was escorted to and from school by police. [1] :24 In 1934 the Lee family moved from the home to the historically black Central neighborhood in Minneapolis. [7]

Legacy

Interest in the home's history was renewed in 2001 when a law professor published an article on the Lees' second attorney, Lena O. Smith, including her role in the event. [7] The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014 on the basis of its significance to the social history of African Americans and housing discrimination in Minneapolis. [1] :11 There is now a plaque and effigy prominently displayed on the corner of the lot. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prospect Park, Minneapolis</span> Neighborhood in Hennepin, Minnesota, United States

Prospect Park is a historic neighborhood within the University community of the U.S. city of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The area is bounded by the Mississippi River to the south, the City of Saint Paul, Minnesota to the east, the Burlington Northern railroad yard to the north, and the Stadium Village commercial district of the University of Minnesota to the west. The neighborhood is composed of several districts which include the East River Road area. The 1913 Prospect Park Water Tower is a landmark and neighborhood icon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whittier, Minneapolis</span> Neighborhood in Hennepin, Minnesota, United States

Whittier is a neighborhood within the Powderhorn community in the U.S. city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, bounded by Franklin Avenue on the north, Interstate 35W on the east, Lake Street on the south, and Lyndale Avenue on the west. It is known for its many diverse restaurants, coffee shops and Asian markets, especially along Nicollet Avenue. The neighborhood is home to the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and the Children's Theatre Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uptown, Minneapolis</span> Commercial District in Minnesota, United States

Uptown is a commercial district in southwestern Minneapolis in the U.S. state of Minnesota, that is centered at the intersection of Hennepin Avenue and West Lake Street. It has traditionally spanned the corners of four neighborhoods, Lowry Hill East, East Bde Maka Ska, South Uptown and East Isles neighborhoods, which are all within the Calhoun Isles community. Historically, the boundaries of Uptown are Bde Maka Ska to the west, Dupont Avenue to the east, 31st Street to the south, and 28th Street to the north; though these borders often vary. Uptown is a popular destination for retail, nightlife, and cultural events, and the district was famously written about by recording artist Prince.

William A. Anderson was a politician and judge who served as the 30th mayor of Minneapolis.

Lena Olive Smith was a lawyer and civil rights advocate in Minneapolis during the early to mid-20th century. She was the first female African American lawyer in Minnesota, helped establish a local chapter of the National Urban League in Minneapolis, and was an active member and the first female president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's Minneapolis chapter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fue Lee</span> American politician

Fue Lee is an Hmong-American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2016. A member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), Lee represents District 59A, which includes parts of northern Minneapolis in Hennepin County, Minnesota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul</span> Over murder of unarmed black man

Local protests over the murder of George Floyd, sometimes called the Minneapolis riots or the Minneapolis uprising, began on May 26, 2020, and within a few days had inspired a global protest movement against police brutality and racial inequality. The initial events were a reaction to a video filmed the day before and circulated widely in the media of police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds while Floyd struggled to breathe, begged for help, lost consciousness, and died. Public outrage over the content of the video gave way to widespread civil disorder in Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and other cities in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area over the five-day period of May 26 to 30 after Floyd's murder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killing of Deona Marie Knajdek</span> Vehicle-ramming attack in Minneapolis in June 2021

Deona Marie Knajdek, a 31-year old American woman, was killed on June 13, 2021, when a man drove a car into a crowd of demonstrators who had gathered as a part of the Uptown Minneapolis unrest. That evening, demonstrators protesting the law enforcement killing of Winston Boogie Smith had blocked the intersection of West Lake Street and Girard Avenue. At approximately 11:39 p.m. CDT, a man in a late-model Jeep Cherokee drove into the crowd at a high speed, striking a parked vehicle that had been used to block off the intersection to traffic, which then collided with protesters, killing Knajdek and injuring three others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States racial unrest (2020–present)</span> Ongoing state of unrest in the United States

A wave of civil unrest in the United States, initially triggered by the murder of George Floyd during his arrest by Minneapolis police officers on May 25, 2020, led to protests and riots against systemic racism in the United States, including police brutality and other forms of violence. Since the initial national wave and peak ended towards the end of 2020, numerous other incidents of police violence have drawn continued attention and lower intensity unrest in various parts of the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Minneapolis false rumors riot</span> Unrest after a suicide incident

False rumors of a police shooting resulted in rioting, arson, and looting in the U.S. city of Minneapolis from August 26–28, 2020. The events began as a reaction to the suicide of Eddie Sole Jr., a 38-year old black man who was being pursued by Minneapolis police officers for his alleged involvement in a homicide. At approximately 2 p.m. on August 26, Sole died after he shot himself in the head as officers approached to arrest him. False rumors quickly spread on social media that Minneapolis police officers had fatally shot Sole. To quell unrest, Minneapolis police released closed-circuit television surveillance footage that captured Sole's suicide, which was later confirmed by a Hennepin County Medical Examiner's autopsy report.

The 1967 Minneapolis disturbance was one of the 159 disturbances that swept across cities in the United States during the "long, hot summer of 1967".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daunte Wright protests</span> Series of demonstrations and riots in response to a police shooting in April 2021

Protests and civil disorder occurred in reaction to the killing of Daunte Wright on April 11, 2021. Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, was fatally shot by police officer Kimberly Potter during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, United States. Protests that first began in Brooklyn Center spread to other locations in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area and then to other cities in the United States. Several nights of civil disorder in Brooklyn Center and adjacent cities resulted in sporadic looting and damage to a few hundred properties, including four businesses that were set on fire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aftermath of the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul</span> Aftermath of local civil unrest following murder of an unarmed black man

The aftermath of the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul describes the result of civil disorder between May 26 and June 7, 2020, in the Twin Cities metropolitan area of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Protests began as a response to the murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man on May 25, after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds as three other officers assisted during an arrest. The incident was captured on a bystander's video and it drew public outrage as video quickly circulated in the news media by the following day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Minneapolis park encampments</span> Homeless encampments in city parks

The U.S. city of Minneapolis featured officially and unofficially designated camp sites in city parks for people experiencing homelessness that operated from June 10, 2020, to January 7, 2021. The emergence of encampments on public property in Minneapolis was the result of pervasive homelessness, mitigations measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Minnesota, local unrest after the murder of George Floyd, and local policies that permitted encampments. At its peak in the summer of 2020, there were thousands of people camping at dozens of park sites across the city. Many of the encampment residents came from outside of Minneapolis to live in the parks. By the end of the permit experiment, four people had died in the city's park encampments, including the city's first homicide victim of 2021, who was stabbed to death inside a tent at Minnehaha Park on January 3, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Uptown Minneapolis unrest</span> Protests after the police killing of Winston Boogie Smith, beginning June 2021

Civil unrest began in the Uptown district of the U.S. city of Minneapolis on June 3, 2021, as a reaction to news reports that law enforcement officers had killed a wanted suspect during an arrest. The law enforcement killing occurred atop a parking ramp near West Lake Street and Girard Avenue. Police fired several rounds, killing the person at the scene. In an initial statement about the encounter, the U.S. Marshals Service alleged that a person failed to comply with arresting officers and produced a gun. Crowds gathered on West Lake Street near the parking ramp soon afterwards as few details were known about the incident or the deceased person, who was later identified as Winston Boogie Smith, a 32-year-old black American man.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arson damage during the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul</span>

The FBI and ATF tracked 164 structure fires from arson that occurred May 27–30, 2020, during the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul. Rioters started fires by igniting flammable materials within or next to buildings and in some cases by deploying Molotov cocktails. Property locations were damaged by spreading flames, heat, and smoke, and by suppressant waters from fire hoses and fire sprinkler systems. Many of the impacted structures suffered heavy damage or were destroyed, with some being reduced to piles of rubble after collapsing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Floyd Square</span> Street in Minneapolis

George Floyd Square, officially George Perry Floyd Square, is a memorialized streetway in Minneapolis for the section of Chicago Avenue that intersects East 38th Street. It is named after George Floyd, a black man who was murdered there by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020. The commemorative street name is signed along Chicago Avenue between East 37th Street to East 39th Street and includes the 38th and Chicago intersection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020–2023 Minneapolis–Saint Paul racial unrest</span> Series of protests and riots in the U.S. state of Minnesota

In the early 2020s, the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area in U.S. state of Minnesota experienced a wave of civil unrest, comprising peaceful demonstrations and riots, against systemic racism toward black Americans, notably in the form of police violence. A number of events occurred, beginning soon after the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, by a white Minneapolis police officer on May 25, 2020. National Public Radio characterized the events as cultural reckoning on topics of racial injustice.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Arthur and Edith Lee House". National Register of Historic Places. National Park System.
  2. 1 2 "July: Month of Rage". The Historyapolis Project. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Home Stoned in Race Row". Star Tribune. July 15, 1931.(subscription required)
  4. "Crowd of 3,000 Renews Attack on N****es' Home". Star Tribune. July 16, 1931.(subscription required)
  5. 1 2 "A Roman Holiday in Minneapolis". The Crisis (magazine). No. October 1931. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  6. Welter, Ben (July 16, 1931). "Angry white mob surrounds Minneapolis home". Star Tribune . Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  7. 1 2 Brandt, Steven (27 July 2014). "Site of racial showdown in Minneapolis heading to National Register". Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
  8. "South Minneapolis History: The Arthur and Edith Lee Family". Google Maps. Retrieved 19 March 2023.

Further reading