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40-521: Parkway Gardens Apartment Homes , commonly known as O'Block and formerly Wiiic City , is an apartment complex in the Greater Grand Crossing community area on the border of Woodlawn and Washington Park , on the South Side of Chicago , Illinois . The complex was built from 1950 to 1955; architect Henry K. Holsman , who planned several of Chicago's affordable housing developments, designed

80-513: A 2004 Chicago Tribune article it was stated drug dealers in the Robert Taylor Homes were hauling in drug profits as much as $ 300,000 per day. After the demolition of Robert Taylor Homes in 2006, Black Disciples then shifted their operations to Parkway Gardens which was at the time affordable housing for low-income families and had become Gangster Disciples territory. In the early 2010s, gang activity skyrocketed and Parkway Gardens became

120-509: A cash reserve of $ 440 million at a time when more than a quarter million people were on the agency's waiting list for affordable housing, and a large number of units (16%) remained vacant. By March 2017, only 8% of the 17,000 demolished households had been replaced with mixed-income units. Many lots remain vacant decades after demolition, and the CHA has been selling, leasing, or trading land in gentrifying neighborhoods to other government agencies and

160-560: A significant renovation of the property in September 2013, preserving a site with historical significance and providing an affordable place for 2,000 people to live. This renovation of Parkway Gardens received the 2014 Chicago Neighborhood Development Award for Outstanding For-Profit Neighborhood Real Estate Project from the Local Initiatives Support Corporation Chicago. From the late-2000s to early 2010s, Parkway

200-525: A study showed that traditional mother and father families in CHA housing projects were almost non-existent and 93% of the households were headed by single females. In 2010, the head of households demographics were 88% African American and 12% White. The population of children in CHA decreased from 50% in 2000 to 35% by 2010. Today on average, a Chicago public housing development is made up of: 69% African-American , 27% Latino , and 4% White and Other. In 1966, Dorothy Gautreaux and other CHA residents brought

240-511: A suit against the CHA in Gautreaux v. Chicago Housing Authority. The suit charged racial discrimination by the housing authority for concentrating 10,000 public housing units in isolated Black neighborhoods. It claimed that the CHA and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) had violated the U.S. Constitution and the 1964 Civil Rights Act . It was a long-running case that in 1987 resulted in HUD taking over

280-458: Is featured on the album is titled " Took Her To The O " is a reference to the homes with 'O' meaning O'Block. Greater Grand Crossing, Chicago Greater Grand Crossing is one of the 77 community areas of Chicago, Illinois . It is located on the city's South Side . The name "Grand Crossing" comes from an 1853 right-of-way feud between the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway and

320-535: The Illinois Central Railroad that led to a frog war and a crash that killed 18 people . The crash was the result of Roswell B. Mason (later to serve as mayor of Chicago) illegally constructing railroad tracks, on behalf of the Illinois Central, across another railroad company's tracks. Due to the lack of safety at the crossing, trains made complete stops here and therefore industry developed around

360-751: The Modernist buildings. The complex is listed on the National Register of Historic Places , and has become one of Chicago's most violent blocks, being the epicenter for crime and gang activity, and serving as a hub for the Black Disciples and the Gangster Disciples . Parkway Gardens Apartment Homes, built from 1950 to 1955, was the last of Henry K. Holsman's many housing development designs in Chicago. Holsman began designing low-income housing in Chicago in

400-603: The White City Amusement Park , which had operated at the site since 1905. Holsman's firm went bankrupt before the complex opened due to unsound financial decisions, one of which resulted in Holsman's conviction for mail fraud. The complex was the first cooperatively owned African-American housing development in the United States. While Holsman had worked on cooperative housing in the past, its adoption by African Americans

440-629: The 1910s when an urban housing shortage developed after World War I . He worked on several of the Chicago Housing Authority 's major housing projects in the 1930s; later in the decade, he began developing his projects with funding from the Federal Housing Authority . From the 1940s onward, Holsman focused on designing residences for Chicago's African-American citizens, such as his Princeton Park community. While Chicago's African-American population boomed from 1920 to 1970 due to

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480-455: The 1930s, the railroad workers residing in the neighborhood were joined by Swedes and Italians. Throughout the next two decades, African Americans began moving into the neighborhood from the overcrowded Black Belt and that's when Grand Crossing's White residents began to move out of the neighborhood. During the 1950s, the Black population of the neighborhood rose from 6% to 86%. According to data from

520-409: The 1970s and to private ownership in the 1980s. Following the change in ownership, the property deteriorated because of a lack of investment in modernization and maintenance. The Chicago affiliate of national real estate firm Related Companies and a major affordable housing and mixed-use developer known for its expertise in preservation projects purchased Parkway Gardens in 2011. The company completed

560-540: The 2014-2018 American Community Survey compiled by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning , there were 30,805 people and 12,230 households in Greater Grand Crossing. The racial makeup of the area was 1.1% White , 96.2% African American , and 1.5% from other races . Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.2% of the population. In the area, the population was spread out, with 32.4% under

600-422: The CHA began its Plan For Transformation , which called for the demolition of all of its gallery high-rise buildings and proposed a renovated housing portfolio totaling 25,000 units. The Plan for Transformation has also been plagued with problems. While demolition began almost immediately, CHA was slow to develop mixed-income units or provide Section 8 vouchers as planned. In April 2013, CHA created Plan Forward ,

640-525: The CHA board, notably exceeds the federal salary cap for public housing authority executives, which is set at $ 176,300 according to the 2022 Appropriations Act. Lori Lightfoot, who had appointed Scott to the CEO position, was also involved in the decision. The approval of this substantial salary boost attracted considerable scrutiny due to its deviation from federal guidelines designed to regulate executive compensation within public agencies. The controversy surrounding

680-598: The CHA for over 20 years and the formation of the Gautreaux Project in which public housing families were relocated to the suburbs. The lawsuit was noted as the nation's first major public housing desegregation lawsuit. On July 31, 2024 U.S. District Judge Marvin Aspen approved a jointly-proposed Amendment to the 2019 Settlement Agreement between the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) and Impact for Equity (IFE) in

720-647: The Chicago Housing Initiative and the Lugenia Burns Hope Center sued CHA of illegally planning to lease public housing land at the former ABLA Homes to Joe Mansueto, one of then-Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot's campaign donors to build a training complex for his professional soccer team Chicago Fire . In the summer of 2023, the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) board approved a significant salary increase for its CEO, Tracey Scott, raising her annual compensation to $ 300,000. This raise, supported by

760-751: The City of Chicago. In the 2012 presidential election , Greater Grand Crossing cast 15,408 votes for Barack Obama and cast 89 votes for Mitt Romney (99.23% to 0.57%). Despite Obama's 98.66% margin of victory, it was only his 11th best finish in the City of Chicago. The Oak Woods Cemetery , established in 1854, is located in Greater Grand Crossing. Since 2006, Artist Theaster Gates has redeveloped several buildings in Grand Crossing as art and community centers. The community has since been redeveloped in slow progression and will be an historic landmark for future generations. Chicago Housing Authority The CHA

800-652: The Great Migrations, discriminatory housing policies forced African-Americans to live in the "Black Belt" section of the city's South Side, which did not have enough housing to meet demands. After completing the Winchester-Hood and Lunt-Lake Apartments on the North Side, Holsman began work on the similarly designed Parkway Gardens as a return to the South Side African-American community. The complex replaced

840-583: The Parkway Gardens Apartment Homes a Modernist design inspired by European housing projects of the 1920s and 1930s. The complex is low-rise and includes several walk-up buildings, giving it a personal feel at a time when skyscraper housing projects were common. Thirty-five buildings are included in the complex; twenty-four of these are walk-up buildings, while the remaining eleven are eight-story buildings. The development's layout emphasized spaciousness, light, and airflow and pointed entrances toward

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880-511: The age of 19, 17.6% from 20 to 34, 18.6% from 35 to 49, 19.5% from 50 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.2 years compared to 34.3 years. The CTA's Red Line provides 24/7 service to Grand Crossing at the 69th Street and 79th Street stations. Additionally, the Metra Electric line provides commuter rail service at the 75th Street station at the intersection of East 75th Street and South Chicago Avenue;

920-563: The area to cater to the railroad workers. The area was developed by Paul Cornell , the developer of what is now Hyde Park, Chicago , throughout the 1870s. Grade separation did not occur at the rail crossing until 1912. Greater Grand Crossing was historically a railroad suburb made up of five, independently developed, older ethnic neighborhoods. The Grand Crossing and Brookline neighborhoods were predominantly made up of German immigrant craftsmen, farmers and factory workers; Essex had residents of English, Irish and Scottish immigrants who worked for

960-512: The center of one of Chicago's most violent blocks. The 6400 block of South King Drive was known locally as "WIIIC CITY", but began to be referred to as "O'Block" following the 2011 murder of resident and Black Disciples member Odee Perry. Under this new name, it has become nationally notorious due to former Parkway Gardens residents rappers Chief Keef, King Von, Fredo Santana, and Lil Durk , whose music often references Parkway Gardens and its violence. Between June 2011 and June 2014, Parkway Gardens had

1000-497: The initial plan was announced, then-Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot announced in June 2021 that finishing the redevelopment of Cabrini-Green alone will take at least another 12 years and could total upwards of $ 1 billion. From its beginning until the late-1950s, most families that lived in Chicago housing projects were Italian immigrants. By the mid-1970s, 65% of the agency's housing projects were made up of African Americans . In 1975,

1040-400: The inside of the complex rather than the street. Instead of ornamentation, angled bays gave variety to the exteriors, a feature inspired by German "zig-zag houses". The few decorative elements, which include cantilevered balconies and ribbon windows, are typical of Modernist buildings. Former resident and rapper King Von first studio album was titled Welcome to O'Block , a single which

1080-426: The landmark 1966 Gautreaux v. Chicago Housing Authority federal lawsuit. With this joint Amendment, CHA and IFE have agreed and acknowledged that CHA has completed nearly all commitments from the 2019 Settlement Agreement. The amendment outlines the remaining requirements at six CHA developments: Altgeld Gardens, Lakefront Properties, Madden/Wells, Rockwell Gardens, Stateway Gardens, and Robert Taylor Homes. At each of

1120-450: The landmark court decision Gautreaux v. Chicago Housing Authority (see below), the CHA was placed in receivership , which would last for more than 20 years. Things continued to deteriorate for the agency and its residents, and by the 1980s, the high concentrations of poverty and neglected infrastructure were severe. The Chicago Housing Authority Police Department was created in 1989 to provide dedicated policing for what had become one of

1160-513: The most impoverished and crime-ridden housing developments in the country, and was dissolved only ten years later. The situation was so dire that the entire CHA board of commissioners resigned in 1995, effectively handing over control of the agency to Housing and Urban Development . After an extensive overhaul, management of the CHA was returned to a new board of commissioners, including three residents appointed by resident groups, in 1999. The previously ordered receivership ended in 2010. In 2000,

1200-638: The most shootings of any block in Chicago. Many of these shootings occurred in 2011 and 2012, with city police reporting that violence at the complex has since steadily declined. The violence stems mainly from gang rivalries between the Gangster Disciples and Black Disciples, who both control territory near the block. The complex 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. Holsman gave

1240-431: The neighborhood after redevelopment. The suit claimed that the housing authority at the time had only renovated a quarter of the remaining row-houses, making only a small percentage of them public housing. In September 2015, four residents sued the housing authority over utility allowances. Residents claimed the CHA overcharged them for rent and didn't credit them for utility costs. In June 2023, Several groups including

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1280-497: The next phase of redeveloping public housing in Chicago. The plan includes the rehabilitation of other scattered-site, senior, and lower-density properties; construction of mixed-income housing; increasing economic sales around CHA developments; and providing educational and job training to residents with Section 8 vouchers. In 2015, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development criticized the Chicago Housing Authority for accumulating

1320-522: The private sector for less than market value. Land owned by the CHA has been used to build two Target stores, a private tennis complex, and government facilities at a time when over 30,000 people are awaiting housing assistance from the CHA. One notable resident, Chicago alderwoman Jeanette Taylor , revealed that she applied for housing assistance as a single mother in 1993 and received an approval letter almost thirty years later in May 2022. More than 20 years after

1360-478: The railroad crossing that gave the neighborhood its name. The Greater Grand Crossing community area has supported the Democratic Party in the past two presidential elections. In the 2016 presidential election , the Greater Grand Crossing cast 12,647 votes for Hillary Clinton and cast 233 votes for Donald Trump (96.68% to 1.78%). Despite Clinton's 94.60% margin of victory, it was only her 16th best finish in

1400-452: The railroads; Brookdale was settled mostly by Chicago-born residents employed in the building trades and by the railroads; and Park Manor, the last of these smaller neighborhoods to develop, had residents who were predominantly of east-coast Yankee stock. At the start of the twentieth century, portions of Greater Grand Crossing like other neighborhoods in Chicago made the transition from open space and farmland to bungalow neighborhood . By

1440-561: The raise was compounded by a related issue involving the Chicago Fire's lease of 23 acres on the Near West Side. The land, long reserved for housing by federal regulations, was leased to the Fire, which is owned by billionaire business leader and Lightfoot campaign donor Joe Mansueto, for at least 40 years to build a new training facility. Federal law mandates that any such lease or sale must serve

1480-483: The six sites, certain terms of the 2019 Settlement Agreement will remain in place up to three additional years, or less time if the parties agree that CHA has completed the requirements sooner. All other terms expired on July 31, 2024. In May 2013, The Cabrini–Green Local Advisory Council and former residents of the Cabrini–Green Homes sued the housing authority for reneging on promises for the residents to return

1520-709: Was considered a major success for the community. Mary McLeod Bethune gave an address at the development's cornerstone-laying ceremony, which was attended by Governor Adlai Stevenson II , Chicago Mayor Martin H. Kennelly , and both of the state's U.S. Senators. Advocates for affordable housing and civil rights praised the development when it was completed, citing its modern heating and appliances and its expansive units. The complex attracted African-American residents from lower-income backgrounds, early residents included former First Lady Michelle Obama , as well as rappers Chief Keef , King Von , and Fredo Santana . Parkway Gardens shifted from cooperative ownership to HUD management in

1560-430: Was created in 1937 to own and operate housing built by the federal government's Public Works Administration . In addition to providing affordable housing for low-income families and combating blight, it also provided housing for industry workers during World War II and returning veterans after the war. By 1960, it was the largest landlord in Chicago. In 1965, a group of residents sued the CHA for racial discrimination. After

1600-406: Was the center of gang shootings mostly amongst teenagers and young adults. Tenants of Parkway and community leaders contested the crime wave that came after CHA demolished the drug-infested Robert Taylor Homes , nicknamed the "Calumet Buildings" which were once located at 6217 S. Calumet Ave. The 28 16-story red-brick project buildings were the base of operations for the Black Disciples gang. In

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