Town of Greenhills – Greenhills OH

Description

“Greenhills, Ohio is one of only three ‘Greenbelt Towns’ built in the United States. The other two are Greenbelt, Maryland and Greendale, Wisconsin. The three towns had their start during the Depression Era. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt created a program to build new suburban communities as part of his New Deal plans for the country. The overseeing department was the Resettlement Administration which later became a part of the Farms Security Administration. The building of these towns provided much needed jobs for those in the trades (brick layers, plumbers, carpenters, electricians, etc.), as well as people not in the trades who worked at clearing land, digging trenches, etc….

These men and women were a part of the WPA (Works Progress Administration), the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) , and the NYA (National Youth Administration). The use of local building materials and supplies also helped stimulate the local economy.

Nearly 4,000 residents inhabit 1,660 homes, with many families including third and fourth generation descendants from original “pioneers.”

The town included a school that also functioned as a community center, a grocery store, and credit union. For more details, see Swartsel (2017).

Several unique housing units are available in the village. The original government-built area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Much of the local retail activity is centered in historic Greenhills Shopping Center.” (www.greenhillsohio.us)

Many of the buildings that were built and commissioned by the WPA are now being threatened with destruction. Residents that occupy the town currently think that these old buildings give off a “negative vibe.” A 2009 New York Times story describes how the buildings have been altered, demolished, or revitalized.