Chicago, Illinois: Rosenwald Courts Apartments Preserves History and Provides Affordable Housing in Bronzeville

May 21, 2019  

Chicago, Illinois: Rosenwald Courts Apartments Preserves History and Provides Affordable Housing in Bronzeville

HUD User publishes a series of case studies based on federal, state, and local strategies that increase affordable housing opportunities and support sustainable community development. The projects and community development efforts featured in these reports have demonstrated innovation through a multitude of partnerships and initiatives.

Michigan Boulevard Garden Apartments opened in 1929 during the Great Migration, providing modern housing in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood for African-Americans who had journeyed north in search of social and economic opportunity. Developed by philanthropist and Sears, Roebuck & Company president Julius Rosenwald, the five-story Art Moderne building became a social and cultural landmark for African-Americans on Chicago's South Side. In 2016, the building and two adjacent apartment buildings were renovated as a single project and renamed Rosenwald Courts Apartments. Encompassing an entire city block, Rosenwald Courts provides 239 units of mixed-income housing and more than 40,000 square feet of retail and office space that contribute to Bronzeville's revitalization.

Visit HUD User's Case Studies page to learn more about affordable housing and to view other promising examples of how communities across the nation are raising the bar on sustainable community development.

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