Loraine Street Park, Central Northside: 1450 Loraine Street
Loraine Street Park is how it’s referred to in the city records, but the REAL name for this space is “The Ethel Hagler Dream Site Parklet.” Official status was conferred in June 1999 by then-Mayor Tom Murphy. The park’s sign is substantial for such a small lot, so I was very curious to learn about Ethel’s dream and its manifestations.
This incredible story begins in 1968 when, at age 60, Ethel joined a small group of women to launch Neighborhood Housing Services in a trailer on nearby Jacksonia Street. Together, they lobbied banks to create homeownership opportunities for lower-income residents who had never established credit or were unfamiliar with institutional borrowing. Word spread of the group’s tenacity and success, and within a decade, their resident-led community development model was adopted by 250 US cities, subsequently helping thousands of working-class people become homeowners.
The little park is across the street from the modest home Ethel and her husband once owned. In her 2006 obituary, those who knew her said she liked looking out the window and seeing the flowers planted in the park. Thank you for dreaming big and living boldly, Ethel. May your memory inspire us to do the same.
