IMPACT KICKS OFF PROJECT IN AMERICAN ADDITION
July 8, 2022
Contact: Jennifer Wood, IMPACT Director of Community Engagement, (614) 306-0241 jwood@impactca.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
IMPACT COMMUNITY ACTION RECEIVES FUNDING FROM DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY TO CREATE OHIO'S FIRST NET-ZERO NEIGHBORHOOD
The American Addition project will be the creation of the first net zero energy neighborhood in Ohio – and the first BIPOC net zero energy neighborhood in the country.
Columbus, OH -This morning, IMPACT Community Action in Columbus, Ohio was announced as one of only five organizations in the country who were awarded Enhancement and Innovation Projects for place-based initiatives by U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm and incoming White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy.
This 2 million dollar award for IMPACT Community Action’s American Addition+ Project has set a bold, environmental justice-focused vision for the historic African American neighborhood of American Addition right here in Columbus. IMPACT will partner with the City of Columbus, Homeport, AEP Ohio and Columbus residents to create the first net zero energy neighborhood in Ohio – and the first BIPOC net zero energy neighborhood in the country. This goal will be achieved through a five-stage process of equitable community engagement; deep energy efficiency retrofits for existing historic homes; net zero energy building design and construction; and workforce development – all in the American Addition neighborhood.
IMPACT’s Clean Energy project lead and IMPACT’s COO, Beth Urban, said during this morning’s call that also included Representative Marcy Kaptur, “We are so grateful to the Department of Energy for selecting our proposal to work with the American Addition neighborhood. This funding will allow the community to drive our shared goals of improving infrastructure, building infill housing, preparing older homes for weatherization and electrification and installing renewable energy sources.”
https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2022-07/impact-community-action-project-summary.pdf
About American Addition:
American Addition is among the oldest African American communities in Ohio, dating to May 7, 1898 when the area’s 237 lots were carefully platted. Located only 3.5 miles from the Columbus Central Business District, it quickly became home to many African-American migrants from the South who longed for a rural, open setting and a good place to raise their children.
By 1934, there were 120 households in the community. The original houses in the neighborhood were built from a variety of materials, including boxcar material, paper, and logs. In its early years, residents of the neighborhood raised hogs, chickens, and cows, as well as cultivated gardens. Due to a lack of modern conveniences and public services, ‘Additioners’ often faced difficult conditions, particularly during winter months, throughout the Great Depression and the following years.
The churches located in American Addition date to the early 1900s. Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church was organized in a small storefront on Lee Avenue in 1910. It experienced steady growth until 1955, when a fire burned the building to the ground. The building was replaced two years and four months later; it was dedicated to Robert Bennett and Deacon King E. Naff, who worked diligently on the building’s construction. Lee Avenue Methodist Church was founded a year after Mt. Zion and the Church of God on Sigsbee Ave. was founded in 1936. Ministers of the various churches promoted an improvement in community life as a means to improve Additioners’ individual and family lives.
The Tray-Lee Center was established in December of 1956. It provided facilities as well as educational and recreation programs for the youth and families of the neighborhood. Leaders of the Center hoped that the Addition youth would enjoy a meaningful experience and grow to be caring citizens who would work for community improvement.
In 1959, American Addition was annexed to the City of Columbus after much debate. After annexation, the City initiated various neighborhood clean-ups throughout the 60s—trash, immobile cars, and blighted homes were removed. The City granted the neighborhood’s petition for sanitary sewers in 1969. This, along with the area clean-ups, ensured American Addition would remain a desirable residential community for years to come.
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