Bronzeville in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Ida B. Wells Public Housing Community
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 28, 2026
1. Ida B. Wells Public Housing Community Marker
In 1961 and 1970, Clarence Darrow Homes and Madden Park Homes were added. Despite the racial and economic segregation of the era, many local and family-run businesses and educational and cultural institutions thrived, and were at the heart of this vibrant community, supporting its important local economy. Beginning in 2002, the entire public housing development was razed and replaced with mixed-income housing. Today, the community is named Oakwood Shores.
Your presence here honors those who lived and worked in this community, and those who continue to shine a light of truth on injustice and inequity.
Erected 2025 by Ida B. Wells Commemorative Art Committee.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Notable Buildings • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1941.
Location. 41° 49.596′ N, 87° 36.606′ W.
this page online
Regionally, this marker is on Chicago’s South Side and in Chicago’s Bronzeville. It is also 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: Ida B. Wells-Barnett (here, next to this marker); Richard Hunt (here, next to this marker); Stephen Douglas (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Great Migration Centennial, 1916-2016 (approx. 0.3 miles away); Stephen Arnold Douglas (approx. 0.3 miles away);
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 28, 2026
2. Light of Truth monument
The marker about the public housing community is in the foreground.
More about this marker. This marker was added to the site in 2025, along with two others dedicated to Richard Hunt, the designer of the Light of Truth Ida B. Wells National Monument, and the donors who helped erect the monument.
Also see . . . Ida B. Wells Housing Projects. From the Chicago Architecture Center.
Excerpt: "Named after Wells, the Ida B. Wells Homes were a series of rowhouses, mid-rise and high-rise apartment buildings, constructed in 1941 to house Black families in the heart of the Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. When the homes first opened, more than 18,000 families applied to live in the 1,600-unit complex."(Submitted on September 28, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 28, 2026
3. Ida B. Wells Public Housing Community Marker
By Russell Lee / Farm Security Administration (Public Domain) (courtesy of the New York Public Library), circa 1941
4. "Ida B. Wells Housing Project for Negroes, Chicago, Illinois"
The marker sits in the middle of the site of what was the Ida B. Wells Homes, a housing project built by the Works Progress Administration in 1941.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 28, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 28, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 5 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 28, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 4. submitted on October 28, 2023, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
