Ida B. Wells Homes, Public housing project in Bronzeville, Chicago, United States
The Ida B. Wells Homes was a housing complex with townhouses, mid-rise buildings, and tall apartment towers spread across several city blocks in Bronzeville. The development contained more than 1,600 residential units arranged between 35th and 39th Streets and between Cottage Grove and Martin Luther King Boulevard.
The complex was built between 1939 and 1941 as part of a federal public works program created during the Great Depression. In 2003, the original development was significantly rebuilt with a mixed-income housing model replacing the earlier public housing structure.
The complex was named after journalist Ida B. Wells, who used her writing to expose racial injustice and push for equal rights. Her name represents the community's connection to the civil rights movement that shaped Chicago's history.
The site is located in the Bronzeville neighborhood and is accessible by public transportation. Visitors should plan enough time to walk through the different sections and get a sense of the full scale of the housing development.
The original development received around 19,000 applications for its units, a striking reflection of the severe housing shortage for Black families in Chicago at that time. This overwhelming demand revealed how desperate people were for safe, affordable homes in the city.
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