The last five families occupying a South Side public housing complex moved out March 31 paving the way for the site to possibly be redeveloped into condominiums and town homes.
The last five families occupying a South Side public housing complex moved out March 31 paving the way for the site to possibly be redeveloped into condominiums and town homes.
Matthew Aguilar, a spokesman for the Chicago Housing Authority, which owns the Harold Ickes Homes property, said no decision has been made about the future use.
“A working group composed of residents, City of Chicago officials, community leaders and other stakeholders will begin meeting regularly to determine options for the site’s future,” he said.
Since 1955 the Harold Ickes Homes, 2326 S. Dearborn, has been apart of the CHA portfolio and it has been mostly occupied by Black families. The complex is named after the former U.S. Secretary of Interior during President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration and was designed by the Chicago-based architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.
CHA officials said although the complex is now vacate, it does not spell the end but a new beginning for public housing in Chicago.
“Today marks an ending and a beginning not only for the families, but for CHA,” said Lewis Jordan, chief executive officer for the CHA. “After years of living in a declining property, former Ickes residents are now living in homes of their own choosing – their futures in their own hands. As for those of us at CHA, the closing allows us to breathe easier knowing that these residents are in a safer environment for themselves and their families.”
Copyright 2010 Chicago Defender
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