{"nrhp_refnum":"07001090","name":"Cole Avenue Housing Project Historic District","other_names":["Park Lane Manor"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"744 Colette Dr.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Akron","county":"Summit County","state":"OH","lat":41.049752051500064,"lon":-81.5014039242559,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2007-10-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History","Architecture","Community Planning and Development"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 24.3-acre World War II-era defense worker housing complex at 744 Colette Drive in Akron, Summit County, Ohio, with 61 buildings holding 300 apartments. The federal government designed and built it in 1941, and it later became known as Park Lane Manor.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the project is significant under Criteria A and C for social history, architecture, and community planning and development. It housed defense workers and then returning veterans, and in 1952 it became one of the first tenant-owned cooperative housing communities in the country. Its layout follows Federal Housing Administration garden-city principles, with superblocks, shared green space, and pedestrian and auto separation, and it remains largely unaltered.","narrative":"Cole Avenue Housing Project is a 24-acre apartment community in Akron, Ohio, built by the federal government in 1941 to house defense workers. It holds 61 hipped-roof buildings with 300 one-, two-, and three-bedroom units, arranged around shared green courtyards, pedestrian paths, and a central administration building with a playground. The design follows Federal Housing Administration guidelines drawn from the Garden City Movement, including large superblocks and separation of cars from foot traffic. After the war it housed returning veterans. In 1952 the government sold it to its tenants, who formed a cooperative known as Park Lane Manor, among the first of its kind in the country. The sale brought the main alterations, including asbestos siding and aluminum storm windows and doors. Mature trees, open lawns, original floor plans, and the Colonial Revival administration building largely survive, which supports its listing for social history, architecture, and community planning.","period_of_significance":"1941-52","architect_builder":"Suppes, John F., Architect; Paolano, J.L., Landscape Architect","architectural_style":"Late 20th Century Revival; Colonial Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Original configuration largely unaltered since the 1952 renovations. Many units are described as in disrepair and ready for comprehensive renovation, while the property is still used as multiple dwellings.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:07.01986-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/07001090.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71991649","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":null},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/summit-county/cole-avenue-housing-project-historic-district-07001090/"}