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“P” is for Pigtown

Turning right off of Martin Luther King Boulevard onto Washington Boulevard, you are greeted by a green sign with gold lettering on the corner. “Welcome to Historic Pigtown,” it reads, with a simple, yet genuine sincerity, inviting the passersby to explore the neighborhood.

The Washington Boulevard scene is one filled with remarkable history.

William “Bus” Chambers, a life-long resident, recalls, “You had everything you needed on Washington Boulevard. All the stores were open, you know. You had the movies, you had the ice cream parlors, you had the shoe stores, you had the bicycle store, you had the shirt stores, you had the suit stores, you know, and it was just a thriving area.”

It is this nostalgic image that serves as chief motivation for advocates of a revitalized neighborhood. Campaigns like the Main Street Project focus on renovating dilapidated and unfit buildings, transforming them into habitable, usable fixtures along the main line.

Pigtown, in the eyes of the community, is not a lost cause.

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