By Anne Zahner

As a long-time resident of New Rochelle with a professional background in commercial real estate development and finance, I have been paying close attention to the rampant re-zoning and high-rise development taking place downtown and the community planning of the LINC project for the Lincoln Avenue Corridor. As a senior fellow at Harvard University during the COVID years, with access to scholars, libraries and students, I decided to study.the history of urban renewal in New Rochelle.

This slide show is about the oldest named African-American community in New Rochelle— Pugsley Hollow—and its history up to the present. The Who, Where, What, Why and When of the Pugsleys and the How of the Hollow.

Several aspects of this history still capture my respect and attention: the unsung foundational role of a large population of enslaved Africans; the story of the two Hannah Pugsleys and their respective legacies as independent women; and the homeownership and civic work of the Black community in the 1840’s (so soon after Manumission and before the Civil War). After this, Pugsley Hollow goes through several “urban renewal” waves, culminating in today’s rezoning as the River Street Commercial District.

Why do urban renewal projects repeat themselves? I hope this slide show provides food for thought.