Oaklawn Park is one of Charlotte's best-preserved post-World War II suburbs. The neighborhood was created by Charles Ervin, Charlotte's biggest developer, and used FHNVA lending to provide homeownership opportunities specifically for African Americans in the latter days of racial segregation. Today, Oaklawn Park is a time-capsule of late 1950s suburban architecture and planning. Built during the years 1955 - 1961, no two Oaklawn Park houses look exactly alike, but all are quite similar in the ranch and split-level style with red brick exteriors accented with yellow brick or stonework.