Parkway Garden Homes
Low-income housing complex in Chicago, Illinois, USA / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Parkway Gardens Apartment Homes, known as O-Block is a group of apartments with 694 units located in the Greater Grand Crossing area. It is also on the border of Woodlawn and Washington Park. Chicago's Greater Grand Crossing, Woodlawn, and Washington Park community areas are in the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. The apartments were built from 1950 to 1955 by Henry K. Holsman, who planned many of Chicago's affordable housing developments, and designed the Modern buildings.
Parkway Gardens Apartment Homes | |
U.S. Historic district | |
Location | 6330-6546 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Drive, Chicago, Illinois |
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Coordinates | 41°46′36″N 87°36′59″W |
Area | less than one acre |
Built | 1950 (1950)-1955 |
Architect | Henry K. Holsman |
Architectural style | Modern |
NRHP reference No. | 11000848[1] |
Added to NRHP | November 22, 2011 |
The apartments were the first to be cooperatively owned by Chicago's African-American residents, who had a housing shortage during the Second Great Migration due to segregation. Early residents included former First Lady Michelle Obama, and more people such as Chief Keef, King Von, and Fredo Santana have lived here. Many other artists and music producers have come from Parkway Gardens as well.
In recent years, however, the apartments have became the center of one of Chicago's most violent blocks. The complex is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.