The Cambria City neighborhood was one of the original boroughs incorporated into the City of Johnstown in 1889. This historic neighborhood has been called the Ellis Island of Johnstown. It served as the local entry for thousands of Europeans who migrated here to work in the steel mills… Germans, Irish, Poles, Slovenians, Croatians, Hungarians, etc. These immigrants built a rich ethnic heritage that is still visible today.
In the 1940’s, many of the old homes, company houses, of the early immigration period were near ruin. Twenty-five percent of the homes had outhouses and no running water. More than 2,500 people lived on 24 acres of ground.
The City Planning Commission certified Cambria City for renewal in August of 1953 and a few months later the Johnstown Redevelopment Authority submitted its first application to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. The renewal project covered a little less than one-half of the area of Cambria City. The renewal area covered the south side of Broad Street from Ninth Avenue to Branch Street on Roosevelt Boulevard. It was divided into two phases: B-1, the east end, and B-2 the west end.
The Authority received a small cash advance from the Federal Government and began final studies in 1954. The final study included property appraisals. The project disturbed many residents, past and present, and landlords in the area. In response to complaints the Johnstown City Council claimed that it had no knowledge of the project. In the opinion of Washington, the scope of the project was too limited and, ” Johnstown was not facing up to the whole process of urban decay and undertaking long range programs directed at its prevention.” The project came to a screeching halt and the Redevelopment Authority plan was abandoned.
In 1958 Johnstown tried again. A new board and new director, Rexford Glaspey, was appointed to the Redevelopment Authority. A more in depth application was submitted to and approved by HUD. Contracts to implement the project were let in 1959. The State and Federal Governments approved a total of 3 million dollars for Cambria City Projects in 1959.
In 1960, the new city mayor, Dr. George Walter, a Professor of Sociology at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, appointed a new Executive Director, Michael Flynn, and Board for the Redevelopment Authority. Mr. Flynn and the Board Chairman, Warren Reitz, proceeded with the project. Forty properties were acquired by June of 1960. The City and Authority were again faced by dissension on the part of residents but this time, a popular young mayor and solid planning allowed the project to proceed.
By 1963 the area was cleared and the process of finding new businesses to locate in the project area began. Over the next several years, the following businesses developed in Cambria City:
- Pennsylvania Electric Company Headquarters
- General Telephone Company
- Bestform Manufacturing (Now Senior Life)
- Westinghouse Electric Supply
- Hayduk Thiele Car Dealership (Now a U-Haul Rental)
- Minute Car Wash
- Better Tires (Now Laurel Management Company)
- Thackray Supply Inc.
When the Cambria City Project was closed out in 1967, new construction totaled $10 million dollars, 600 new jobs were created and taxes from the area to the City were increased by $20,000.00.
