The housing projects were named in honor of Logan Fontenelle, an Omaha chief. Built by the Public Works Administration during the Great Depression, Logan Fontenelle was originally built as no-cost or low-cost housing for working-class families, chiefly of European descent, including Germans, Italians and Czechs, many of them 20th century immigrants. Many young people in Logan Fontenelle during this period regarded the projects as a haven as they were a considerable improvement over previous housing they had. After supporting limited public housing in Omaha in 1936, the city's business community became adamantly opposed to Logan Fontenelle by the time it was completed in 1938.