Douglas (Bronzeville) in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Robert R. Taylor

1899-1957

— Bronzeville Walk of Fame —

Robert R. Taylor Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 14, 2026

1. Robert R. Taylor Marker

Inscription.
Urban planner, first Black chairman of Chicago Housing Authority, 1943-1950

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Political Subdivisions. In addition, it is included in the Bronzeville Walk of Fame series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1943.

Location. 41° 50.709′ N, 87° 37.068′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Douglas (Bronzeville). It is on South Martin Luther King Drive south of East 26th Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Chicago IL 60616, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in 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: John Moutoussamy (within shouting distance

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of this marker); Robert Motts (within shouting distance of this marker); Walter T. Bailey Giles (within shouting distance of this marker); Katherine Dunham (within shouting distance of this marker); Charles Sumner Duke (within shouting distance of this marker); "Butterbean and Susie" (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Jack L. Cooper (about 300 feet away); Al Benson (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.

More about this marker. Roughly 100 Bronzeville Walk of Fame markers are found around the neighborhood along Martin Luther King Drive between 25th and 35th Streets.

Regarding Robert R. Taylor. For a generation of Chicagoans, Robert Taylor is likely best known for something that occurred after his death: the construction of Chicago's public housing project, the Robert Taylor Homes. Comprising 28 high-rise buildings covering three city miles along State Street in Bronzeville, the project was the largest in the United States. The buildings were erected in 1962 and torn down in 2007.

Also see . . . Robert Rochon Taylor (1899-1957). From the BlackPast website.

Excerpt:
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 14, 2026

2. Robert R. Taylor Marker along the west side of King Drive
"By the early 1930s, Taylor worked with a group of local Black business leaders who formed the Illinois Federal Savings and Loan Association, one of only two savings and loan institutions that provided mortgages to would-be black homeowners on Chicago’s South Side. Because of his work and growing prominence as a Black business leader, Taylor was appointed vice chairman of the Chicago Housing Authority in 1935 and later chairman in 1939. Robert Taylor believed in safe and affordable housing for Chicagoans and, along with other city officials of the era, sought to remove slums from the South Side Black community known as the Black Belt. Taylor was a proponent of scattering public housing throughout Chicago, which many civil rights advocates called for to promote residential integration in this racially divided city."

(Submitted on August 17, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Robert R. Taylor Marker, south-facing view on King Drive image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 14, 2026

3. Robert R. Taylor Marker, south-facing view on King Drive

Credits. This page was last revised on August 17, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 17, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 6 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 17, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.