History
In 1921, Black Wall Street had:
600 businesses
21 churches
21 restaurants
30 grocery stores
2 hotels
2 movie theaters
1 hospital
1 bank
1 school system
1921 Tulsa Race Massacre
The Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 began in downtown Tulsa, moved through the city’s main commercial area where skirmishes and other confrontations broke out on the streets and sidewalks, and ultimately spilled across the Frisco Tracks into the Greenwood neighborhood where the most intense fighting and arson took place. In less than a 24 hour period over 300 African American residents and business owners were killed and over 1200 homes along with nearly every other building including churches, schools, businesses, a hospital and a library located in the district were destroyed in what has been called the single worst incident of racial violence in American history.
The buildings, structures and sites within the boundaries of the historic Greenwood district represent the growth since its founding in the early 1900’s through its rebirth. Due to most of the district’s original edifice’s being destroyed during the 1921 race massacre, most of the buildings associated with the district post-date that occurrence. During the 1922 rebuilding efforts the existing commercial and residential zones were rebuilt on their pre-massacre footprints. Key neighborhood features, such as railroad tracks and thoroughfares are still present. Ten historic commercial buildings from the reconstruction era also outstandingly convey the sense of Greenwood’s historic and economic impact from its early 20th century beginnings.
