The City Council’s Red Light Dilemma
Walla Walla officials discuss zoning 'houses of ill fame' away from residential districts after a formal complaint.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
If Walla Walla is to tolerate houses of ill fame, they must be kept west of Third street and out of the residence district of the city. That was the opinion several members of the council expressed last night when John J. Rohn, through his attorney John H. Pedigo, complained of two bawdy houses on Rose street between Second and Third streets which are situated in close proximity to his residence. Chief Brown was instructed to investigate the situation between now and the next regular council meeting and report to the council. The chief did not look particularly pleased at the prospect of delving into affairs of the half-world, but Mr. Rohn's complaint will be given careful consideration.
“If Walla Walla is to tolerate houses of ill fame, they must be kept west of Third street and out of the residence district of the city.”
This 1903 dispute highlights the early 20th-century approach to 'moral zoning' and red-light districts, themes that still echo in contemporary debates over homelessness, housing location, and the regulation of perceived nuisances in urban neighborhoods. It captures the tension between property owners and the city's approach to the 'half-world'—a euphemism for the demimonde and sex work that existed alongside respectable society.
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