Delaware, Southside & Church
2 Delaware, Southside & Church
Through the decades this area (known often as C District due to it being served by the C Line of the Metro) has been famous for it's cultural and artistic heart. In the 1960s as the tenements were cleared to be replaced by residential areas north of the river squatters moved in and claimed many of the empty buildings. From a hippy heartland during the 70s and 80s it was home to a burgoning population of artists and musicians and today it is often described as the Mission of Oakwood as the hipster takes over.
2.1 Southside
Located just south of Midtown the Southside area used to be under the control of poverty and gang violence but during the 1980s it recieved a large grant from the federal government and it was hugely gentrified. Now most of the homes belong to city workers who live within walking distance of their Midtown offices and just a short bus ride away from Downtown. The Safeway here is one of the classic designs from the 1960s and was the 3rd built in the city and one of the first 10 built on the West Coast. The Southside Branch Library backs onto the railway tracks that split the Southside in half and lead into Union Station.
2.2 Delaware Park
Delaware Park is often seen as the more affluent area of Delaware. The park itself is home to the major tourist attraction in the area; the Delaware Tower which is a scaled down version of the Coit Tower in San Francisco built in 1964 by Harry Kings, it is reported he wanted to feel more like he was back at home in San Francisco and had the tower built so he could see it from his home 2 blocks away. Also shown is the Fat Buddah one of the best delis in the whole city and very popular with hipsters. On the corner of Delaware & 4th is the area's only Starbucks coffee shop which opened, to much controversey earlier this year.
2.3 Central Delaware
This is the central stretch of Delaware Street just to the east of the Amtrak Station. It is all shops and cafés between 5th & 8th Streets. In this section there is the famous 3 Alarm bookshop which is housed inside the old fire station (since relocated Downtown). Inside there are two levels of second-hand books and the pole between the first and second floors is still very much in use. Also in this area are The Co-Op grocery store and Green Leaf vegan café both run by the Delaware CoOperative Society. The Society also organises events in Smith Park and operates the small coffee shop located inside Delaware's Amtrak station.
2.4 West Church
West Church has recieved less gentrification than other areas of the C District and as such is still home to quite a large and poor black population. In 2008 legislation was passed to improve the living conditions and the effects have started to be seen with more money being pumped into the rennovation of the tenemant buildings and the cleaning up of the communal gardens which back on to the railway tracks. The houses around this area are quite popular still with artists due to them being incredibly cheap.
2.5 East Church
East Church is located on the other side of the railway tracks from West Church and is a higher density neighbourhood with buildings of 10 and more floors. Some of these have been redecorated and refurbished and provided by the local resident's union as cheap and affordable housing and some are still in a poor state awaiting this treatment. Similarly to West Church the area has a large black population but it tends to be more affluent and this shown by the few shops that are down 9th Street including a Peet's Coffee and Radio Shack.
2.6 Connecticut Street
Connecticut Street backs onto the commerical area of Delaware Street and this particular section in Delaware is the perfect example of gentrification. The communal gardens that used to be shared by the tenemant blocks have been replaced by parking areas and parks and the street has been cleaned and lined with newly planted trees. As opposed to rents of about $400 a month found in West Church apartments here can often get upwards of $900 a month due to it's proximity to the trendy Delaware Street and the C Line on the Metro. In 1991 a fire ripped through the tenemant blocks of Trent Gardens killing 14 people. The affected buildings were demolished and replaced by a modern apartment building. In Trent Gardens a small memorial remains to those killed, mostly Thai immigrants.
2.7 Delaware Station
Despite being superceeded by the faster Metro as a way to commute into Downtown Amtrak still runs a profitable commuter service from 2nd Street Amtrak to Union Station in Midtown as it is less crowded and cheaper than the Metro. The station itself is a 1960s replacement of a large, Victorian building that was buldozed to make way for I-80 which runs just to the south of the railway line. Inside the station is a coffee shop run by the Delaware CoOperative Society, a ticket office and a small waiting room. The building on the corner of Station Approach and Delaware is the animation department of the Oakwood Academy of the Arts University.
2.8 East Delaware
In this area the Delaware neighbourhood bleeds into the more prosperous and 'proper' Outer Stockton neighbourhood. It is also the end of the Delaware Street shop with a Goodwill Thrift Store and a number of second hand bookshops as well as the Buena Vista Taqueria which does the best burritos in Oakwood. This area is home to a higher density of housing than the rest of Delaware resulting in more commuters living here and a more gentrified range of shops.
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