Chicago Housing Development Featured
in National Exhibit on Affordable Housing

A HUD subsidized development in Chicago's China town, Archer Courts, is featured as part of an exhibit at the National Building Museum in Washington. The 147-unit mid-rise development is one of 18 developments honored in the exhibition this year, and the only Chicago development chosen. Entitled Affordable Housing: Designing an American Asset, the show will run through August 8th at the National museum at 401 F Street NW in Washington. On March 30 the project architect, Peter Landon, will speak at a symposium sponsored by the Museum.

Archer Courts, owned by the Chicago Community Development Cooperation (CCDC) is shown here after a $6.5 million renovation, which featured a new glass curtain wall that replaced 1950s vintage chain link fencing, and dramatically changed the look and feel of the development.

The Archer Courts rebirth continued with the construction on an adjoining land parcel of 43 town houses done under Chicago's "Homestart" program. This created a mixed income community, of thirty-four town homes sold at market rate, and five to individuals or families with incomes below 80% of the area median income. The remaining four will be transferred to the Chicago Housing Authority as replacement rental housing under the program that is demolishing the old high-rise buildings. Archer Courts is now a development that includes a cross section of incomes and a mix of individuals, families, senior citizens, and youth.

CCDC has participated in HUD's Neighborhood Networks (NN) initiative, establishing the first NN center in the state in 1996. The center at Archer Courts is equipped with state of the art computer hardware provided by Hewlet Packard. The center offers job skills training, basic and advanced computer skills training, Internet access, etc. for the residents of the development. A wellness center, operated by staff and volunteers from Mercy Hospital was established in1000 square foot addition to the development. It provides health screening and education to the residents of Archer Courts and the surrounding neighborhood.