YPSILANTI, MI - A dark side of Ypsilanti's history is being acknowledged Friday afternoon with the unveiling of historical markers at the site of Parkridge Homes.

Officials from the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office planned to unveil three markers during a ceremony from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, May 5 at the Parkridge Community Center, 591 Armstrong Drive, in Ypsilanti.

The Parkridge Community Center was built the same year as Parkridge Homes, which served as segregated housing in the 1940s for African Americans in Ypsilanti who worked at the Willow Run Bomber Plant, contributing to the war effort.

The homes were constructed in 1943 by African-American architect Hilyard Robinson, designed to create a community and address a growing shortage of housing for workers in the area. Parkridge Homes was the last of three housing developments built during the time period in Ypsilanti.

It was later converted to public housing in the early 1950s. The barracks-style housing site had 80 units and as many as 189 people living there in 2013. Of those 189 individuals, 112 were under the age of 18.

The housing complex was demolished in July 2016.

Ypsilanti to begin demolition of aging Parkridge Homes public housing Demolition of the aging Parkridge Homes public housing complex will begin this week.

The buildings are an important part of local history, said Andrea Plevek, director of the Washtenaw County Office of Community & Economic Development.

"This dedication highlights both the history of housing segregation in Washtenaw County as well as the incredible contributions of African-Americans to our community," Plevek said in a statement. "It is important to acknowledge and learn from our past in order to improve our future, and projects like this allow us to do just that."

The historical marker event was proceeded by months of research that resulted in photo albums and images of the residents and daily life at Parkridge Homes.

The markers will display information on the history of the building developments and the architect, to be installed at the management building of the New Parkridge Homes under construction between First Avenue and Armstrong Drive in Ypsilanti.

New Parkridge Homes include 86 units of both two-family and duplex housing, developed by community organizations such as the Washtenaw County OCED, Ypsilanti Housing Commission, the City of Ypsilanti and general contractor for the site, ASTI Environmental.

The history of Parkridge Homes was funded by a grant from the Michigan Humanities Council and part of a larger program to record African-American history in Ypsilanti.