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Little Italy in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
 

Benedict Kabakow

It gave him an aura of importance and busyness
⎯⎯⎯
Le daba un aura de importancia y ocupación

Sunny Fischer

 
 
Benedict Kabakow Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, December 6, 2025
1. Benedict Kabakow Marker
Inscription. My father's desk, smelling of lemon oil, stood under a window in my parents' small room-an improvement on the dining room turned bedroom in our former apartment. My father seemed most happy there; it gave him an aura of importance and busyness, a respite from his job as a mailman. Drawers held index cards with notes and to-do lists for his volunteer commitments, and negatives of photos he wanted to develop-his other life. It's the only piece of furniture he kept always, and the only thing I asked for when he died.


El escritorio de mi padre, con su fragancia a esencia de limón, se encontraba bajo una ventana en la pequeña habitación matrimonial que antes había sido el comedor del apartamento. Allí era donde parecía más dichoso; le daba un aura de importancia y ocupación, y un respiro de su trabajo de cartero. En los cajones guardaba fichas con notas y listas de pendientes para sus actividades voluntarias, además de negativos de fotos que algún día revelaría: su otra vida. Fue el único mueble que siempre conservó, y lo único que pedí tras su muerte.

Benedict Kabakow, Eastchester Projects, Bronx, New York City, NY, 1949-1959
Sunny Fischer, Eastchester Projects, Bronx, New York City, NY, 1949-1959
Benedict died in 1959.
 
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Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1959.
 
Location. 41° 52.177′ N, 87° 39.603′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Little Italy. It is on Ada Street north of Taylor Street, on the left when traveling south. The marker is affixed to the window near the front entrance of the National Public Housing Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 919 South Ada Street, Chicago IL 60607, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Deverra Beverly (a few steps from this marker); Jane Addams Homes Garden (a few steps from this marker); The Demolition of the Jane Addams Homes (within shouting distance of this marker); Deverra Beverly's Quilt (within shouting distance of this marker); Jane Addams Homes (within shouting distance of this marker); Still Here: Zhegagoynak, A Monument and Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Joseph Lovings (within shouting distance of this marker); War Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.
 
Also see . . .
1. Chicagoans of the Year for Museums: National Public Housing Museum staff keeps residents at heart. A December 2025 article in the Chicago Tribune.
Excerpt: "Fischer
Benedict Kabakow Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, December 6, 2025
2. Benedict Kabakow Marker
said visitors have the same reaction to the museum that she did as a child to the Eastchester Projects: astonishment that it could be so nice. A gleaming LED display in the lobby recaps decades of public housing history. Nearby, the museum’s gift shop promotes small businesses and merch by public housing residents. Upstairs are an oral history studio and an interactive listening room, allowing visitors to spin LPs by musicians who once lived in public housing."
(Submitted on December 26, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.) 

2. Eastchester Gardens. From the New York City Housing Authority website
Excerpt: "Established in 1950, Eastchester Gardens is one of the oldest public housing developments in New York City and the second oldest public housing development in the Bronx. Eastchester Gardens is home to over 1,850 residents with 10 residential buildings along with a Senior Center and Community Center. Recognizing its historical significance, Eastchester Gardens will be listed on the National Register of Historic Places and will receive historic tax credits to support its revitalization through NYCHA’s PACT Program."
(Submitted on December 8, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.) 

3. Sunny Fischer bio. (Submitted on December 8, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
 
National Public Housing Museum image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, December 6, 2025
3. National Public Housing Museum
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on December 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 8, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 132 times since then and 89 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on December 8, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.   3. submitted on December 6, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
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Jun. 28, 2026