Visiting the "Projects"

As part of another project, we are now exploring the Oakland area of South Chicago, an area not so safe and originally filled by the IDA B. Wells Housing project. The Ida B. Wells Homes Housing Project was built in 1941 as a PWA (Public Works Administration) project. It included a city park and was a segregated development for African Americans. In 1961 the Clarence Darrow Home Project was built adjacent to the site, and it was demolished in 2000. In 1970 the Madden Park Homes Project, the last of the large CHA public housing projects, was built on another side of the Ida B. Wells Homes. Today, Ida B. Wells is mostly vacant, half torn down, and in some cases, still occupied by squatters. On the new site, they are currently building mixed income housing called Oakwood shores. We are in the process of investigating this area for school and trying to figure out how neighborhood development can take place in a place that's been pretty scarred historically. Some of the past inhabitants now live there and there are several strict rules involved with moving in.

Ida B. Wells Homes consists of 2 and 3-story brick apartment buildings which are not necessarily bad in and of themselves. However, they were arranged in a configuration that created numerous hidden spaces and pockets between buildings where drug dealing and violence could occur. The site features vast internal spaces which are hidden from view and isolated from the city streets.

A photo of the buildings in the summer time (photos and information from here)




By the clueless insistence and pressure from our advisers, we went downtown to visit the area and get an understanding of what the neighborhood was like. We hopped off the train, only to realize that EVERYBODY was looking at us strangely. One Japanese girl, one Korean man and one Indian girl, obviously not poor, was walking around their neighborhood, walking into stores, taking photos and looking for Oakwood shores. At 30 degrees it was a downright balmy day for Chicago, but the area was oddly spread out, deserted and gray. There were lots of buildings, houses, boarded up, broken windows, cages and old signs. Although it was during the day, walking around was intimidating and we moved briskly towards the development. The streets were pretty much abandoned but at some points passerbys looked at us warily and occasionally asked questions. "WHAT You Doin here? " a woman asked us with her stroller. We pointed to Oakwood shores told her our story. She responded, looking at Ida B. Wells. "I live in another project down south, YOU EITHER STAY OR YOU GO, its up to you"
We realize that Ida B might be considered bad even by other projects standards as she keeps ranting about the residents of the area.

On the way to the projects.

The former community center for IDA B. Wells. At first we walked to the door, trying to get information. After trudging through we realized the place had long been abandoned, stripped and somebody was living there, banging on the pipes.

The entrance to the only supermarket in the southern area of the development. The entrance is beyond unfriendly but inside the store was utilitarian, clean and had a good supply of products. Never the less, the environment of the area is utterly different from the vibrant style of Little Village area. Surprisingly although alot of the houses on the streets are boarded up and pretty decrepit, you can see that the neighborhood was once beautiful, with once beautiful townhouses interspersed. On the streets you see regular cars parked with occasional foreign luxury cars mixd in.

When we returned on the weekend to the area, we soon realized there were alot more cars parked in the supermarket lot and it was a place where everybody was walking around and talking to each other. Apparantly this lot is a hangout spot. Even during the week, some people were parked in the lot, simply hanging out and lounging in their cars.

This was as close as I wanted to venture towards IDA B. Wells. They are planning on tearing this area down within the next year and replacing it with the Mixed Income Oakwood Shores. As we approached Oakwood Shores, we noticed a massive bulletin board of shiny happy people and colors sticking out just like we did in the bleak gray environment.


Walking through the new development, we couldn't believe the markedly different environment that had been created in the area. A Disney-fied neighborhood of beautiful single homes, mixed homes, apartments buildings had sprung up .
Despite the friendly presence of the signs and billboards, when we walked up to the real estate office we soon learned that the doors to a beautiful showroom were locked and would only be opened by phone call. We called and explained our project and got inside to an extremely enthusiastic real estate developer who told us about the entire project and showed us a luxury showroom.

The entire development plan of the area. Currently 1/5th has been built and the rest needs to be torn down.


We walked around the model room and said to ourselves. HERE? You're building THIS, HERE?

This project in the former "PROJECTS" is rather interesting. We'll see how well they do with the mixed income part.