Greenhills was a bold experiment in community planning intended to relieve an acute housing shortage and provide jobs during the Great Depression. In 1935, the administration of President Franklin Roosevelt authorized the construction of three greenbelt communities: Greendale, Wisconsin; Greenbelt, Maryland; and Greenhills, Ohio. Construction of Greenhills began on December 16, 1935. The project generated thousands of jobs and ultimately 676 units of housing for working people. On April 1, 1938, the first Greenhills “Pioneers” moved into homes on Avenell Lane. Greenhills reflected the town planning principles of the English “garden city” movement, with homes clustered around a common green space and a community shopping area within easy walking distance. Like the original greenbelt of forests and farms, today Winton Woods Park serves as a buffer for the village. The original federally built center of Greenhills was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.