The success of Norfolk’s first planned streetcar suburban development during the late 19th century led to the sale of numerous small farmsteads surrounding the downtown area including the land for Old Dominion Place in 1890. That original purchase was followed by additional land acquisitions and developments in the area in 1896 (Park Place), 1898 (Kensington), and 1899 (Virginia Place). The extension of a streetcar line in 1898 and the creation of Lafayette Park, Norfolk’s first park, further enhanced the attraction and convenience for families to settle in the four subdivisions. With easy access to downtown and proximity to industry along the railroad line started in 1884, the district thrived from 1910 to 1920; thereafter, homes and buildings continued to be added and improved into the 1950s.

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In 1960, Park Place was a segregated white, working-class populated neighborhood. Due to housing and neighborhood redevelopment throughout the City of Norfolk in the 1960s, residents and businesses were forced to move into other neighborhoods like Park Place. By 1970, Park Place was a segregated, predominately African American populated neighborhood. On November 15, 1965, Mrs. Alma Walker and Mrs. M. Frances Shelton, "community workers and residents of Park Place, called in other residents with similar feelings and they kicked around a few ideas and suggestions and thus, was born The Park Place Civic League" concept. Mrs. Walker and others were pioneers who established a foundation for a healthy, diverse neighborhood.

Constitution of Park Place Civic League 1968/Our History:1965-1971, page 11.

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Park Place is registered as a Historic District under the Department of Interior National Park Service and listed as a Historic District By the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. At the time of listing in the registers (2005), there were 1,532 contributing historic resources within the district; collectively they encapsulate the development of Norfolk from 1884 to 1955. 

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In March 2020 the deadly Covid-19 pandemic disrupted normal ways of life and brought society to a standstill. The Park Place Civic League adapted by transitioning its membership registration systems, and record keeping, and offering an online way to pay dues. The residents of the neighborhood continued to meet monthly virtually and remained resilient in their efforts to meet the objectives of the league. Not a single meeting was missed during the pandemic, and the membership even grew.

 

In March 2021, the Park Place Civic League received Virginia Nonstock Corporation status with the Commonwealth of Virginia, enabling the organization to apply for grants.

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April of 2022, the Park Place Civic League resumed in-person meetings for the first time at the Park Place Community Center through both hybrid virtual and in-person, as well as full in-person meetings. While the Covid-19 pandemic continued to pose a public health threat in the United States and globally, the community in Park Place remained dedicated to community organizing, staying resilient, and meeting its objectives.