VALDOSTA, Ga. (WALB) – The southside of Valdosta used to be a lively mixed-race neighborhood apart of downtown Valdosta until the 1980s. Historians say that for nearly a century, the southside was one of the most economically viable neighborhoods in the city.
“I can remember as a child, often coming down with my parents to patronize various businesses in this neighborhood,” Alfred Willis, an architectural historian, said. “That loss is still very much felt by people in Valdosta, predominately African American people.”
Valdosta’s Southside is home to the Liberty Theatre, the focus of a lawsuit because of plans to tear it down. The Liberty Theatre was a product of the Jim Crow era. It was one of the first theatres of its kind in the southside neighborhood which catered primarily to African-American residents.
In 2007, nearly 423 private and public buildings were registered on the National Historic Register as the Southside Historic District, including the Liberty Theater Building, which still stands after a structure fire in the 1990′s.
“This is not a throwaway block. There’s a lot of potential for this block if the right investments are made.”
While the city has begun to make improvements for the southside, some residents are still hoping to see the once lively neighborhood filled with businesses, residents, and entertainment.
“It’s kind of sad because there are a lot of abandoned buildings that need to be built back up, but most of all our people leave here to take their business on the other side of the track,” Harvey Jones, a lifetime southside Valdosta resident, said. “This is not a throwaway block. There’s a lot of potential for this block if the right investments are made. “
The Valdosta City Council plans to discuss a proposal and consulting contract for services to perform a Historic Resource Survey of the southside area of the city of Valdosta at its meeting on Thursday, Oct. 19.
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