Skinnerville
In the early 1910s, an enterprising investor named Harry Skinner developed a suburb West of downtown that came to be known as Skinnerville. Soon middle to upper middle class citizens began to build homes here and skinnerville continued to be a desirable address for this population unto the 30s and 40s.
In the late 1950s there was a shift across the country to spread out from the centers of towns and Greenville was no exception. As automobiles continued to become more affordable and common, the affluent white population began to spread out from the the city center of Greenville and working class black families began moving into Skinnerville. By the 1950s and 60s, Skinnerville was transformed from a whites-only suburb into a predominantly African American neighborhood. The black families who moved into the neighborhood after many of the white families had left carried on the southern traditions of hospitality that Skinnerville's large residences were suited for. Skinnerville and adjacent neighborhoods in West Greenville comprised a vibrant, close-knit community. Neighborhood residents could easily walk to shops, theater, restaurants, and offices on Albemarle Avenue, the historic black commercial district.
By the 1980s, however, Skinnerville and other sections of West Greenville were suffering from disinvestment. Many of the historic Colonial Revival, Craftsman, Queen Anne, and Tudor Revival houses in Skinnerville were allowed to deteriorate. Many of the larger homes (including the Albion Dunn House around 1985) were converted into apartments for rental purposes. A neighborhood like Skinnerville, which was designed to foster community and geniality, cannot remain inhibited for long, however. In recent years in concert with the city's efforts to revitalize much of West Greenville, private citizens have begun investing in Skinnerville again. Many homes that had fallen into a cycle of "slum lord" ownership are becoming owner occupied again and many remaining landlords are following the example and becoming better stewards of their properties. Recently a faith-based coalition acquired the historic former Third Street School and has brought it to life as the Third Street Community Center. Conveniently situated between East Carolina University and the reviving Downtown to the East and Pitt County Memorial Hospital, the ECU Brody School of Medicine and School of Dental Medicine to the West, the neighborhood continues to attract new interest and the future is once again looking bright for Skinnerville.
In the late 1950s there was a shift across the country to spread out from the centers of towns and Greenville was no exception. As automobiles continued to become more affordable and common, the affluent white population began to spread out from the the city center of Greenville and working class black families began moving into Skinnerville. By the 1950s and 60s, Skinnerville was transformed from a whites-only suburb into a predominantly African American neighborhood. The black families who moved into the neighborhood after many of the white families had left carried on the southern traditions of hospitality that Skinnerville's large residences were suited for. Skinnerville and adjacent neighborhoods in West Greenville comprised a vibrant, close-knit community. Neighborhood residents could easily walk to shops, theater, restaurants, and offices on Albemarle Avenue, the historic black commercial district.
By the 1980s, however, Skinnerville and other sections of West Greenville were suffering from disinvestment. Many of the historic Colonial Revival, Craftsman, Queen Anne, and Tudor Revival houses in Skinnerville were allowed to deteriorate. Many of the larger homes (including the Albion Dunn House around 1985) were converted into apartments for rental purposes. A neighborhood like Skinnerville, which was designed to foster community and geniality, cannot remain inhibited for long, however. In recent years in concert with the city's efforts to revitalize much of West Greenville, private citizens have begun investing in Skinnerville again. Many homes that had fallen into a cycle of "slum lord" ownership are becoming owner occupied again and many remaining landlords are following the example and becoming better stewards of their properties. Recently a faith-based coalition acquired the historic former Third Street School and has brought it to life as the Third Street Community Center. Conveniently situated between East Carolina University and the reviving Downtown to the East and Pitt County Memorial Hospital, the ECU Brody School of Medicine and School of Dental Medicine to the West, the neighborhood continues to attract new interest and the future is once again looking bright for Skinnerville.
