New effort aimed at revitalizing historically Black neighborhood in Lake Wales

A historically Black neighborhood in Lake Wales is undergoing a renaissance.

The Northwest Neighborhood was once known as "The Quarters," because it is where African Americans with service jobs went home after working for their upscale employers.

Back in the 1940s, 50s and 60s, it was a vibrant community where some of the biggest name Black entertainers, like Etta James and Ray Charles, performed.

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As time passed, though, it began to decline.

People stopped supporting mom-and-pop businesses, and started patronizing big box stores.

"They no longer shopped in this particular neighborhood, and so people left here to take their money elsewhere," Robin Gibson, a chairman of the Lake Wales Redevelopment Agency, told FOX 13.

Property values dropped and buildings were boarded up, but the City of Lake Wales recently launched an effort to rehabilitate, revitalize and repaint the homes of senior citizens in the area for free. It is also installing new sidewalks, planting trees and connecting the community to downtown.

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The new effort will also lead to building affordably priced homes. 

"It means everything to the city," said Darrell Starling, a CRA project manager. "They poured their blood sweat and tears into this community, and that’s why we want to revitalize it."