The Historic Randall Park Neighborhood (HRPN) is one of the oldest inner-city residential areas in Eau Claire. Many of the homes were built when the City was first settled between 1870 and the early 1900s. At about the same time period, the Water Street Commercial District was getting its start with the aid of commerce from the steamboats traveling up the Chippewa River from the south and the construction of the first Water Street Bridge in 1885.
Up through the 1950's HRPN was a stable neighborhood with predominately single-family homes conveniently located across the river from what is now the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire campus to the south and the Downtown to the east. Beginning in the 1960s, the neighborhood began to experience a gradual transition with the conversion of many single-family homes to rental units for University students.
As a result of the neighborhood's eventual decline in appearance and upkeep, along with an increase in a variety of undesirable environmental factors, the Association was created in 1978. The intent was to create stability for the neighborhood. - notes from the 2014 Neighborhood Plan, viewable on the Documents page
Today, we are revisiting what it means to be a neighborhood association and who we are here to represent. Our neighborhood consists of a wide variety of residents, the vast majority renting versus owning their home. College students, young adults &professionals, families, businesses, developers, and property owners. Historical Randall Park contains a great deal of variety in its demographic and we invite everyone to invest in this place they call "home".
Soul Shine Creative Studio. (2020, December 2). Welcome in the Historic Randall Park Neighborhood [Video]. YouTube. All rights reserved. Reused with permission. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3cjuon26aE