The Depression hit the area hard and this historical gem on the lakefront floundered for 50 years. In the 1980's, North Kenwood-Oakland's big-shouldered locals decided that they had to save it. And they have. Determined and organized, this community enlisted help from everywhere to arrive at the exciting place they are today.

The City inventoried the housing stock and 200 buildings gained landmark status, creating the North Kenwood and Oakland historic districts. The Chicago Housing Authority, partnered with non-profit and private developers, began removing public housing projects to be replaced by mixed-income developments for rental and purchase, offering market-rate, affordable, and public housing. They called on Chicago's developers such as Draper and Kramer, Incorporated, who had previously created visionary residential neighborhoods at Lake Meadows and Prairie Shores in the 1950s and 1960s, followed by Dearborn Park in the 1970s and 1980s. These projects still serve as models of successful urban revitalization for the city and country. Draper and Kramer recently completed the first phase of 148 rental units at the Lake Park Crescent development. Two similar developments, the 137-unit "Jazz on the Boulevard" project located at 40th and Drexel, and the massive 3,000+ "Oakwood Shores" development at Oakwood and Cottage Grove are further enlivening the neighborhood with a mix of traditional Chicago-style housing. In addition to these large developments, dozens of smaller 3-20+ unit developments have been constructed in recent years, and more are currently underway.