Henry Horner Homes

Henry Horner Homes
Location Bordered by Damen Avenue and Lake Street
Chicago, Illinois
 United States
Status Demolished
Constructed 1957–59
Demolished 2001–08
Governing
Body		 Chicago Housing Authority

Henry Horner Homes was a Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) public housing project located in the Near West Side neighborhood of the West Side of Chicago, Illinois, USA. Henry Horner is bordered between Damen Avenue and Lake Street near the United Center. The homes are named after former Illinois governor Henry Horner. It is the setting for the documentary film Legacy as well as the non-fiction book There Are No Children Here: The Story of Two Boys Growing Up in the Other America by Alex Kotlowitz.

History

Henry Horner Homes originally consisted of 16 high-rise buildings along with low-rise buildings (920 units) and was completed in 1957. The Henry Horner Homes extension was added in 1961, which included 737 multi-story units. The original buildings consisted of two 15-story buildings and eight 7-story buildings, while the extension consisted of four 14-story buildings and two 8-story buildings all together totaling 1,656 units.

Crime and gang violence

Gang activity has plagued the housing development for decades. The gangs, such as the Blackstone Rangers (which became known later as El Rukn), assert authority over the area and residents are often in the middle of gang warfare and criminal activity.[1]

Redevelopment

A redevelopment project, referred to as the Plan for Transformation, is currently in progress to rehabilitate the buildings and create mixed-income housing.[2] The new neighborhood will be called "West Haven".[3] Phase I of the project, which involved the building of 461 replacement housing units, was completed in 2001. Phase II will be worked on in three stages: public housing, affordable housing and market rate housing.[4] The last high-rise building was demolished in June 2005. The last building in the original projects, a mid-rise, was demolished in 2008.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Walinsky, Adam (1987-12-04). "What It's Like To Be In Hell". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-18.
  2. ↑ New Communities Program
  3. ↑ Maidenberg, Micah (2008-02-06). "Remaining Horner building vacated". Retrieved 2008-09-18.
  4. ↑ Chicago Housing Authority Web site

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