Little Italy in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Jane Addams Homes
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, March 21, 2026
1. Jane Addams Homes Marker
Janetta Pegues, ABLA
This is the last remaining building of the Jane Addams Homes. It is now home to the National Public Housing Museum and 15 units of mixed income housing on the north side.
At one point, this neighborhood was the heart of Chicago's working-class and Immigrant populations, containing the densest population in Chicago.
In the 1930s, entire blocks of homes were leveled to make space for the Jane Addams Homes. Over the next 17 years, three additional public housing projects were opened nearby: the Robert Brooks Homes, Loomis Courts, and Grace Abbott Homes. The four developments collectively comprised the larger community known as ABLA.
In the 1960s, the University of Illinois Chicago moved its campus to the Near West Side, Initiating the demolition of over 800 homes and displacing over 5,000 residents. And in the 2000s, the majority of ABLA was demolished as part of Chicago's Plan for Transformation, leaving the Brooks and Loomis low-rises to continue the fight for public housing.
A neighborhood is created day in and day out by the people
this page online
Este es el último edificio que queda de los Jane Addams Homes. En la actualidad alberga el National Public Housing Museum y quince viviendas de ingresos mixtos en la zona norte.
En su momento, este barrio fue el cora zón de la clase trabajadora y la población Inmigrante de Chicago, y contenia la mayor densidad poblacional de la ciudad.
En los años treinta, se derribaron man-zanas enteras para construir los Jane Addams Homes. En los diecisiete años posteriores, se inauguraron otros tres proyectos cercanos: Robert Brooks Homes, Loomis Courts, y Grace Abbott Homes, conocidos colectivamente como ABLA.
En la década de los sesenta, la Uni-versidad de Illinois Chicago trasladó su campus a las inmediaciones del West Side, demoliendo más de 800 viviendas y desplazando a más de 5,000 residentes Yen la década del 2000, con el Plan de Transformación de Chicago, se demalió la mayor parte de ABLA, quedando en pie solo los edificios Brooks y Loomis.
El barrio lo crean dia a dia las persones que viven en él; son ellas quienes le dan su
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, March 21, 2026
2. Jane Addams Homes Marker in front of the National Public Housing Museum
Another marker affixed to the building itself can be seen in the background; it describes the demolition of 31 of the 32 Jane Addams Homes buildings in 2002.
Erected 2026.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1938.
Location. 41° 52.17′ N, 87° 39.58′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Little Italy. It is on West Taylor Street east of South Ada Street, on the right when traveling west. The marker is near the southeast corner 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: The Demolition of the Jane Addams Homes (here, next to this marker); Still Here: Zhegagoynak, A Monument and Memorial
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, March 21, 2026
3. Jane Addams Homes marker
The National Public Housing museum is on the left, with Chicago's skyline in the distance. The other red marker in the distance describes a mural dedicated to Native Americans. In the sidewalk on the far right side is a commemoration stone for Joseph Lovings, who died during the Race Riot of 1919.
More about this marker. Three red signs like these were installed outside the south side of the National Public Housing Museum sometime in the first three months of 2026.
Also see . . .
1. National Public Housing Museum official site. (Submitted on March 23, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
2. SAH Archipedia: Jane Addams Homes. A history of the Jane Addams Homes from the Society of Architectural Historians.
Excerpt: "The development aimed to stimulate the post-Depression economy and improve the dilapidated housing conditions for impoverished immigrants in the Near West Side neighborhood. Built in 1938, the Jane Addams Homes consisted of 1,027 units spread across thirty-two buildings that faced one another, creating semi-enclosed courts of playgrounds and landscaped areas. The Addams Homes were only the beginning of the Chicago Housing Authority’s (CHA) larger development known as the ABLA Homes, an acronym for four separate public housing projects: Addams, Brooks, Loomis, and Abbott."(Submitted on March 23, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
Credits. This page was last revised on March 23, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 23, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 13 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 23, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
