James Rouse interview
Description
James Rouse (1914-1996) was a pioneering real estate developer, urban planner, and social activist. He co-founded and owned The Rouse Company and focused his career on creating planned communities and helping underdeveloped communities. In this oral history interview, Rouse discusses his early experience with racial prejudice and how it led him to his work on improving underdeveloped slums in Baltimore with Yates Cook (1909-1996), director of the housing bureau of the Baltimore health department. Rouse relates how he and Cook attempted to get the city to comply with their own housing regulations and create legislation that would require them to follow housing codes. He then discusses his relationships with Governor Theodore R. McKeldin and Lillie May Jackson and how he saw their impact on the civil rights movement. He speaks of his respect for Vernon Dobson and how his influence has impacted the movement, as well as his thoughts on different aspects of the civil rights movement.
Creator
Date
1976-08-19