| Building Name: | Avalon Gardens |
| Status: | 164 units |
| Constructed: | 1941 |
| Governing Body: | Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles |
The Avalon Gardens is a public housing project located in the Green Meadows neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It is one of the oldest housing projects owned by the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles.[1]
Avalon Gardens was constructed in 1941 during World War II for military families and veterans at a cost of $638,000. In 1947, the housing projects were open to low income residents. Since there was a significant waiting list to get into the newly built homes, it was not until the 1950s that the residents went from military families to low-income families.[2] In the early 1970s it became the turf of the Avalon Garden Crips gang led by Jimel Barnes, who lived in the project.[3] [4] In the late 1970s the buildings began to deteriorate and they experienced an increase in crime. By the early 1990s it was labeled as a "war zone" and was dominated by drug activity and violence.[5] [6] In 1996 the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles implemented a $1.7-million project in which a decorative wrought-iron fence and 11-foot-high wall were built around the complex to decrease crime and gang activity. After its completion, Avalon Gardens became a gated community, and crime and gang violence decreased.[7]
Residents are zoned to the following Los Angeles Unified School District schools: