Parkway Gardens Apartment Homes, commonly known as O Block, is a gated private apartment complex in the Greater Grand Crossing community area on Chicago’s South Side, near the borders of Woodlawn and Washington Park.[2] The complex was constructed between 1950 and 1955 and was designed by architect Henry K. Holsman, who worked on several affordable housing developments in Chicago. Its buildings were designed in a Modernist style influenced by European housing projects of the 1920s and 1930s. Parkway Gardens was Holsman’s final major housing development project in Chicago. During the early and mid-20th century, Chicago experienced a severe housing shortage as its Black population grew substantially during the Great Migration. Discriminatory housing practices restricted many Black residents to neighborhoods on the South Side, creating a demand for additional housing. Holsman subsequently designed several developments intended to provide housing for Chicago’s Black population, including Parkway Gardens.[3][4] The complex was constructed on the former site of White City Amusement Park, which had operated at the location since 1905. Parkway Gardens became the first cooperatively owned Black housing development in the United States. Its modern heating systems, appliances, spacious apartments, and overall design were praised by housing and civil-rights advocates when the development was completed. Mary McLeod Bethune spoke at the cornerstone-laying ceremony, which was attended by Illinois governor Adlai Stevenson II, Chicago mayor Martin H. Kennelly, and the state’s two U.S. senators.[5] The development’s original cooperative ownership structure changed during the 1970s, when Parkway Gardens came under management associated with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It subsequently returned to private ownership during the 1980s.[6] Over the following decades, the property experienced deterioration associated with limited investment in modernization and maintenance. During the late 2000s and early 2010s, Parkway Gardens became associated with increased gang activity and shootings. Local residents and community leaders attributed some of the changes to the demolition of the Randolph Tower, also known as the Calumet Building, in 2006. The building had previously been associated with the Black Disciples. Following its demolition, residents and authorities described changes in gang activity and territorial conflicts in surrounding neighborhoods.[7][8] The name “O Block” became associated with Parkway Gardens following the 2011 killing of Odee Perry, a resident and member of the Black Disciples.[9][10][11][12] The area subsequently gained national attention through Chicago’s drill music scene. Rappers associated with Parkway Gardens have included Chief Keef, King Von, Fredo Santana, and Lil Durk, whose music has frequently referenced the neighborhood and experiences associated with life on Chicago’s South Side.[13] Between June 2011 and June 2014, Parkway Gardens was reported as having the most shootings of any neighborhood in Chicago. Much of the reported violence was connected to conflicts involving rival street gangs operating in and around the area.[14] Chicago police subsequently reported that violence at the complex had declined. Parkway Gardens was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 22, 2011, for its architectural significance and its role in African-American community development.[1][5] #edit #fyp #xyzbca #makemefamous #criminology - @tndwarriorr4th