Housing to be torn down to create "Howard City," 1932/33

The intention behind the slum clearance project near Howard University was to provide adequate housing for the African American population, stabilize the local economy, and eradicate the “social plague” located there. Hilyard Robinson envisioned 600 units of housing with a combination of two and three story rowhouses and apartment blocks of eight stories. In the end, the proposal for Howard City failed because a local banker absconded with the funds for the parcels of land.