Ludlow Community Association

Community organization founded in 1957 to maintain neighborhood stability as the Ludlow area of Shaker Heights, Ohio became integrated. The group sponsored block clubs, established a real-estate clearing house to encourage white ownership of Ludlow homes, and worked to improve sanitation, traffic flow, building codes and recreation facilities for the area. By 1968 the group had achieved national recognition for its progress in neighborhood stabalization and integration. The group was also active in promoting integration in other suburbs.

Formed in 1957 to deal with the problems of integration in the Ludlow community of Shaker Heights and Cleveland, Ohio. Its main goals were to maintain a racial balance and prevent white flight from the community.

The Ludlow Community Association was organized in order to "create a community open to all races and religions with common goals of maintaining quality and stability, preserving high standards and protecting the general welfare of the entire community." The Ludlow neighborhood extends southeast from Shaker Square, partly in Cleveland, Ohio, and partly in Shaker Heights. Formed in 1957, the association developed from a series of small meetings, held in the homes of African American and white residents, to consider the problem of the changing neighborhood and what steps might be taken to prevent its deterioration into an all-black ghetto. After the first period of white flight when African Americans began moving into the area, the association concentrated on persuading white families to move into Ludlow and purchase homes.

By 1960, no white family had purchased a house there for three years. Steps were taken to attract them: a select committee was formed to stop the block-busting tactics of real estate brokers; The Cleveland Foundation awarded the association a grant of $7,500 to pay the salary of a part-time housing worker; and the Ludlow Company was formed to provide financing for white home buyers.

In 1961, there were nine property purchases made by white home buyers. by 1966, suspicion, anxiety, and panic selling had vanished. Community personnel estimated, in 1969, that the racial makeup of the Ludlow neighborhood was 57% African American and 43% white. At the same time that the association achieved its success in maintaining integration, there was decreased involvement and participation by the majority of the residents in the neighborhood. There were exceptions to this, however. Among those who remained quite active were Dr. and Mrs. John Diekhoff and Louis Salvator. In the field of open housing, the Ludlow Community Association is nationally known and respected. One of the oldest organizations of its kind, it has served as a model for other cities as they cope with the challenge of integration and seek interracial harmony.

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for the Ludlow Community Association

The Ludlow Community Association (f. 1957) is "the voice of Ludlow, articulating to the city governments and other agencies Ludlow's concerns and desires." The Ludlow Community Association (LCA) formed from a series of block meetings to discuss the stabilization of the demographically shifting community of Ludlow, a neighborhood in Cleveland and Shaker Heights, Ohio. The main task of the LCA during its' conception was to persuade white people to buy homes in Ludlow in order to maintain a racially integrated community.

The LCA's original goal focused on "maintaining the quality and stability, preserving the high physical standards, and promoting the common welfare of the entire Ludlow community." The Articles of Incorporation of 1959 outlined the purposes of the LCA. Their main purpose was to "promote the general welfare of the residents . . . within the Ludlow School District" through public improvement and maintenance. The LCA encouraged social interaction between its' members to promote "a community where all persons regardless of their race, nationality, color, or creed can live in peace and harmony." The LCA raised, earned, and received money to accomplish their goals as well as purchasing, selling, renting, maintaining, and demolishing real property.

"Harmonious streetscapes" and high education standards appealed to many house hunters in the late 1950s through the 1970s. The LCA helped ensure that Ludlow residents complied with building restrictions on "lot size, plan, style, materials, height, and cost" to maintain an aesthetically pleasing community. In 1959, Ludlow was rated among the top three public school systems in America adding to its' appeal to prospective residents with children. Further, in 1966, the LCA's housing division expanded its' outreach by joining with the neighboring communities of Lomond, Moreland, and Sussex in the Shaker Housing Office "to promote and maintain stable, integrated neighborhoods."

The Ludlow Community Association was organized in order to "create a community open to all races and religions with common goals of maintaining quality and stability, preserving high standards and protecting the general welfare of the entire community." The Ludlow area extends southeast from Shaker Square, partly in Cleveland and partly in Shaker Heights. Formed in 1957, the Association developed from a series of small meetings, held in the homes of black and white residents, to consider the problem of the changing neighborhood and what steps might be taken to prevent its deterioration into an all-black ghetto. After the first period of white flight when blacks began moving into the area, the Association concentrated on persuading white families to move into Ludlow and purchase homes.

By 1960, no white family had bought a house thee for three years. Steps were taken to attract them: a select committee was formed to stop the block-busting tactics of real estate brokers; The Cleveland Foundation awarded the Association a grant of $7500 to pay the salary of a part-time housing worker; and the Ludlow Company was formed to provide financing for whites.

In 1961, there were nine white purchases. By 1966, suspicion, anxiety, and panic selling had vanished. Community personnel estimated, in 1969, that the racial make-up of the Ludlow Community was 57% black and 43% white. At the same time that the Association achieved its success in maintaining integration, there was decreased involvement and participation by the majority of the residents of the community. There were exceptions to this, however. Among those who remained quite active were Dr. and Mrs. John Diekhoff and Louis Salvator. In the field of open housing, Ludlow Community Association is nationally known and respected. One of the oldest organizations of its type, it has served as a model for other cities as they cope with the challenge of integration and seek interracial harmony.

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for the Ludlow Community Association