Cole Avenue Housing Project Historic District

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.