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This 30-building complex is one of the city’s oldest and most unique
low-cost housing projects. It was built in 1935-38 by the Public Works
Administration, based on a design scheme by an architectural “dream team”
headed by Robert DeGolyer and including Hugh M.G. Garden and Tallmadge &
Watson. The landscape plan was by Jens Jensen and the 35-acre site along the
Chicago River features dramatic vistas, curving streets, and mature trees.
The two-story rowhouses and three- and four-story apartment blocks were a
desirable location for returning World War II veterans and countless
thousands since.
In July of 2006, the Chicago Housing Authority announced
plans to raze the entire complex for 1,200 new mixed-income apartments,
condominiums, and town homes. With the recent demolition of the Jane Addams
Homes, Lathrop is one of the last examples of the city’s early public
housing legacy.
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