Loud As The Rolling Sea is a WYSO series that began with a community oral history project in Yellow Springs over a decade ago. It highlights the stories of Black people in Yellow Springs who were born in the 1920s and 30s.
In honor of Black History Month, we air a new episode of Loud as the Rolling Sea every Friday this month.
On today's episode, we examine the rarity of Black real estate developers in the 20th century—a trend that still persists today. Series producer Kevin McGruder shares the story of Orlando Brown, a developer in Yellow Springs, and how an apartment building he completed in the early 1960s almost never came to be.
Orlando Brown
Kevin McGruder: Orlando Brown and his wife Leanora moved to Yellow Springs in the 1950s. He was a teacher and principal in Springfield and built his own home in the village with advice from local builders. With this experience, in the early 60s, he decided to build an apartment building on land he had purchased.
Orlando Brown: I had a little talk with Jesus and I said to him, I need more money, or I'd like to have more money anyway. And I would do well. And I'll serve you. And if you help me to build something more, I can have income coming in. And so he did.
McGruder: While Brown had land, he didn't have money to finance the construction, so he used his network to identify partners. Patricia Francis was an African-American real estate investor in Dayton. She and her son Charles were interested.
Brown: So I talked with them and told them that I would leverage my land against two-thirds of their part. And that's how we got started.
McGruder: Financing wasn't the only challenge to the development.
At one point, you mentioned that there was some concern from the neighbors about you building. What were they concerned about?
Brown: I think it's just a matter of jealousy. And unfortunately, many of my church members were in that group who signed that petition. I think I might still have the petition somewhere.
About 36 people, and believe it or not my uncle and aunt, signed. They just said they didn't want it there, and they did not want that to become a slum area.
McGruder: And they presented the petition to the city and the village of Yellow Springs.
Brown: That's correct.
McGruder: Howard Kahoe was the village manager at the time.
Brown: Well, Mr. Kahoe and I were friends, just casual friends.
He said, 'you're a bright young man and you want to do something. And I would like to see you do it because you and Leanora invested your lives and yourselves in the project, and I think that you'll be a good landlord and I'd like to see you get it done. But I'm in a very difficult position because you're brand new here. And these people here have been all along. And so they're going to give you a fit.'
McGruder: Howard Kahoe agreed to introduce Mr. Brown to Greene County building officials in Xenia in preparation for meetings with Yellow Springs officials. He also prepared Brown for the meeting with the Yellow Springs Planning Commission.
Brown: And he says, when I have the meeting, 'I'm telling you, don't you let this out of the bag, but I'm going to make them think I'm on their side, but I'm going to pass it for you.'
And that's how it got started.
McGruder: For almost 60 years, Orlando and Leonore Brown kept the rents reasonable in the 16-unit apartment building at 10 Lawson Place. In 2021, The Village of Yellow Springs purchased the building from the Brown's sons, Vernon, Allen, and Martin, to ensure that rents remained affordable for the future.
Support for Loud As The Rolling Sea comes from the Yellow Springs Community Foundation. Loud As The Rolling Sea is produced at the Eichelberger Center for Community Voices at WYSO.
