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Summary
Fairbanks Flats
205, 215 Birch Avenue & 206, 216 Carpenter Avenue, Beloit, Rock County
Architect: unknown
Date of Construction: 1917
Fairbanks Flats are a rare example of segregated company housing, the only known community housing built exclusively for black workers in Wisconsin. During an era of rapid industrial growth, private corporations played an important role in community planning. Fairbanks Morse, an engine manufacturer, was Beloit's largest employer. Increased production during World War I attracted hundreds of African American workers from the southern US. Morse proposed to house these workers in bunker-like flats north of the existing working class community.
This plan raised issues of racial conflict and segregation. Eclipse Home Makers, Inc., a specially organized subsidiary, purchased land on the west side of the Rock River in hopes to "contain" the large number of blacks in one place on the outskirts of town. Despite official concern and private pleas, Fairbanks Morse continued plans for development of the flats.
The Fairbanks Flats consist of four identical buildings with six two-story units in each. The buildings are a severe utilitarian concrete block construction, excluding all ornamentation. The concentration of these black workers in the flats created the nucleus of Beloit's black community. The Fairbanks Morse company housing plan helped shape future housing and settlement patterns in the city.
The flats are private residences; please respect the privacy rights of the owners.
Property Details
Resources Within The Property
Designations
State & National Registers of Historic Places
The State Register and National Register recognize buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects that are significant in national, state, or local history. The State Historic Preservation Office in conjunction with the National Park Service maintains the list for Wisconsin and makes the data available to the public for research and education.
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205, 215 BIRCH AVE AND 206, 216 CARPENTER AVE
16574
Located in Beloit, Rock County
Interview with Ben Gordon, May 6, 1976
May 6, 1976
Clem Imhoff interviewed Ben Gordon in Beloit, Wisconsin on 29 April 1976. In this second in a series of three interviews with Imhoff, Gordon discusses his father's job at Fairbanks-Morse, segregati...
Foundry Workers at Fairbanks, Morse & Company
1925
Five foundry workers at Fairbanks, Morse & Company, taking a break just outside the door of the building. Workers names: Solomon Deberry, Curtis Barber, two unidentified co-workers, and Deberry's s...
Interview with Walter Ingram, September 13, 1976
September 13, 1976
Clem Imhoff interviewed Walter Ingram in Racine, Wisconsin on 13 September 1976. In this first of two interviews with Imhoff, Ingram discusses his family background near Pontotoc, Mississippi, his ...
