Brand new board wanted to promote the building and you can possessions, however they was indeed unsure of their court expert to take action

The brand new department create still jobs for most so much more decades, however, by the later 1950s it got outlived its usefulness, and not simply because it are a beneficial relic out-of Jim crow. The part sooner or later failed to die since it is an unpleasant bodily indication regarding segregation days, nor try its dying for the reason that shortage of have fun with. About country’s sixteenth premier area, this new department simply sat regarding highway regarding a primary street extension. It had been Houston’s guests condition one added the new panel to sell this building while the customer to-tear it down. Gran Lewis Cutrer’s work environment informed librarian Reynolds in the summertime off 1959 your Clay Path Expansion venture carry out come from December. The expansion of just one out-of the downtown area Houston’s head arteries perform ticket from the website of one’s library. This building would have to be went otherwise dissolved regarding the slide. An attorney about city’s legal department believed that if for example the strengthening was basically no more utilized because a library, it can need certainly to revert to your ownership of one’s trustees of Colored Carnegie Library Association. Reynolds checked the metropolis list and found you to merely a couple of the first trustees, W. L. D. Johnson and L. H. Spivey davie mature escort, was in fact detailed. She and additionally featured brand new action and found no reversion condition however, simply the stipulation that property was “towards play with and advantageous asset of colored individuals of Houston.” Reynolds questioned brand new panel to take on the issue out of how-to suffice black colored subscribers given that department closed. Rats Stewart, manager out of expansion services, stated that the used bookmobile, known as the Traveling Department to possess Negroes, would have to be replaced. (17)

The 3 participants expose introduced a motion to make usage of Easterling’s guidance, plus the five users not establish concurred because of the phone

A short time following the fulfilling, Reynolds implemented up with a page in order to Charles Easterling regarding the city’s court department. She relayed certain a couple dozen issues from the board’s dialogue from the fresh new destiny of your own Coloured Carnegie Part. Among all of their secret issues was basically the way the library could well be paid towards the loss of the property, and just how that compensation might possibly be placed on almost every other collection qualities. The new trustees wondered exactly how generally they might understand the definition of “to the use and advantageous asset of coloured some body.” It wondered, for example, whether or not they you may build yet another branch someplace else to be used because of the whites and you can blacks and still adhere to the soul from a stipulation created when the prevent out of home-based segregation is no place for the sight. They also questioned the way they would provide comparable service so you can blacks while the department designated due to their have fun with is gone. It expressed a need to generate several other branch within the a mostly black colored neighborhood in exchange for the loss of the new Coloured Carnegie Branch, but as the resource having eg a project was not on the library’s finances, they questioned towards probability of getting additional bookmobile services or away from leasing area towards the collections. Eventually, they requested, “Commonly death of significant branch getting Negroes apply to de–segregation out-of library?” (18) Half dozen age immediately following token integration of one’s main library, the new board understood brand new implication out of closing the fresh new black branch. It might no further serve as an easy way to siphon from black colored collection profiles in order to keep them out of the fresh new human body’s other property.

A month after about three board people satisfied and you will heard the city attorney’s confirmation there are zero reversionary condition regarding the action but that the collection was required to comply with new “for the explore and you can advantage of brand new coloured some body” covenant. Easterling advised them to ask the new gran and you can city council to own full settlement toward loss of this building and you will possessions and you will full power to use that payment because they noticed complement, from inside the bounds of your own covenant. They were computed to learn a full value of the actual estate lower than their power and maintain control of spending it. (19) Because of the August board professionals had begun discussing where predominately black people they have to situate an alternate department. They included new recommended branch together with other branches, focus on existing buildings, and you may construction regarding a memory space facility within the an effective five-season financing improve package. (20) A bond election to have collection extension introduced into the Sep. Within the Oct Reynolds advertised into panel the available choices of $312,100 in the library ties and one prospective $550,100000 when the library bonds had ended up selling. She together with reported that the town carry out offer this new collection $52,335 to compensate on the Colored Part. (21)