The collection largely consists of economic and community development programs of the
Northwest Side Community Development Corporation (NWSCDC). Other materials in the collection
include subject files, news clippings, government grant proposals, and photographs.
The Board of Directors files primarily contain meeting minutes, development plans, and
correspondence, detailing projects and the direction of the Executive Director and the
NWSCDC.
The Executive Director files primarily consist of correspondence regarding the overall
administration of NWSCDC's programs. Howard Snyder, a founder of the NWSCDC, held the
Executive Director position since the organization's inception. The Executive Director's
records include reports, summaries, and miscellaneous materials. Some of Howard Snyder's
published articles can be found under "Snyder."
The Fire Station served as the NWSCDC offices and a community center. The Fire Station Art
Gallery opened in 1988 and many of the files describe the various art exhibitions held at
the gallery. Other records mainly deal with the development and renovation of the Fire
Station, as well as community building events held at the Fire Station.
The MetroWorks files document NWSCDC's business incubator project that began in 1986. The
MetroWorks records describe the program's planning and strategies to recruit and assist the
establishment of small businesses on the Northwest side. Also of interest are the records
that document the program's revolving loan fund and micro-lending in support of business
financing. The files also describe the development and establishment of MetroWorks II and
III.
A group of area businesses established the Northwest Industrial Council (NIC) in 1985 with
the goal of attracting and retaining new businesses on Milwaukee's Northwest side. The files
document the Council's meeting minutes, correspondence, annual conferences, business
retention surveys, news clippings, and newsletters. The newsletters are especially rich in
documenting the first ten years of the Industrial Council's goals, objectives, and
accomplishments. The Council records also document their block watch project and other crime
reduction activities.
The Northwest Opportunities Center (NOC) served as the "corner stone" of the Neighborhood
Preservation Initiative and Neighborhood Strategic Planning projects. The files describe
NOC's objective of developing a family support center. The records also provide some insight
into NOC's community building and public safety initiatives, and document the NOC's work
with the NIC and Villard Avenue Merchants in business development and support. The NOC was
also a partial funder of NOVA and some files regarding the development of NOVA can be found
in the NOC records. The Community Advisory Group records provide insight into NOC's
community relations projects.
The Northwest Opportunities Vocational Academy (NOVA) documents describe the development
and building of the Northwest side alternative high school, which was established and funded
by the NWSCDC. Included are correspondence, funding/grant proposals, news clippings, and
reports which give the most in-depth insight into the goals, objectives, and reasoning
behind the school's creation.
Quality Hire was established in 1984 as the NWSCDC's primary job placement program. The
files describe the program's strategies in developing and training a productive workforce
within the Northwest side community and include information on job fairs, placement
statistics, funding, and services. Project assessments and summaries speak to the
effectiveness of the program.
The Villard Avenue Redevelopment Project records describe attempts to revitalize the
Villard Avenue Village area. The Villard Avenue Merchant's Association and Villard
Advancement Association meeting minutes describe the project's goals. Files give insight
into program's redevelopment and revitalization strategies. The program included many
community events: Villard Village Days, a Halloween Parade, and a Street Festival, which are
well documented.
Youth as Resources began in 1988 and established the NWSCDC as the first community
development corporation to have a youth program in Milwaukee. The files primarily consist of
summaries and reports. Youth As Resources undertook many projects. The most extensively
documented are the summer youth program and YouthBuild.
The YouthBuild files describe NWSCDC's most visible youth program. The files provide
information on the program's history and development. Among the files are news clippings
documenting the program's achievements. The correspondence files provide information on the
program's goals and objectives, as well as correspondence with YouthBuild USA, the national
program.
Wisconsin Against Drug Environments (WADE), Drug Abatement Program (DAP), and Mobile Watch
files document NWSCDC's work to reduce crime on the Northwest side.
