South Side Tour #1

Spent yesterday visiting fascinating and beautiful places all over Chicago's South Side. Started with architectural landmarks, took a donut break, and then focused on public housing. Here are the highlights:

(1) Giles Calumet District (Bronzeville)
Grassroots organizing and the support of Alderman Pat Dowell resulted in the preservation of this neighborhood west of King Drive between 37th and Pershing.
(2) Metropolitan (Apostolic) Community Church
Constructed in 1890, at 41st and King Drive. (Bronzeville)


(3) St. Laurence Church
7148 South Dorchester (Greater Grand Crossing)

It is looking like this church is going to be demolished. Going to try to see the inside of the church before that happens...

(4) Coffee break at Old Fashioned Donuts
11248 South Michigan Ave (Roseland)

Amazing donuts! Need to go back on a M/W/F. That's when they do the blueberry donuts.

(5) Altgeld-Murray Homes (Riverdale)

A large public housing development bordered by the Calumet River, the Bishop Ford Freeway, and a landfill. Spoke with some very nice librarians at the Altgeld branch of the Chicago Public Library. They said that a few years back a pipe burst and flooded the old library there. For two years after that, Altgeld Gardens had no library. Residents fought hard to get the library that we visited.


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(6) Trumbull Park Homes
2455 East 106th Street (South Deering)

This public housing development was built during the New Deal, around the time Lathrop Homes was built. But unlike Lathrop, Trumbull Park has been rehabbed-- beautifully!-- and is still 100% public housing. My visit to this community was overwhelming. If the CHA can do this in South Deering, why not in Lincoln Park?