Trumbull Park Housing Project  a.k.a. Trumbull Park Homes

Trumbull Park Homes Sanborn Fire Insurance Map

<>    Located in South Deering, the second largest community in area out of Chicago's 77 communities, the Projects, which they are better known as, were constructed under the auspices of the federal government. The homes were not intended to be built where they stand today. The original building site for the projects was the F.J. Lewis Subdivision on the East Side of Chicago. The Federal Housing Division contacted the South Deering Improvement Association (SDIA) after the Lewis site was rejected. The SDIA found a vacant area of appx. 21 acres of land south of Trumbull Park, extending from Bensley to Oglesby and 106th Street to 109th Street. There was a big controversy over putting public housing in Irondale but eventually died down and in 1938, for $3,250,000, including land and buildings, the area was bought by the Public Works Administration (PWA) and then leased to the Chicago Housing Administration (CHA). 
      Architects for the Projects included John Armstrong, John Holabird, Elmir Jensen, Philip Maher, and E.Grundspelo. The Projects held plans for 460 living units in 2-story group houses, flats, and 4-story apartments. It was to be a low-rise construction project, which seemed more "successful" then high-rise projects such as Cabrini Green. It was also to occupy no more than 20% of the site and the remainder of the area was left open for landscaping such as parks, trails, etc. 3,000,000+ homes were needed as well as 680,000 each year due to a housing shortage from the Great Depression. 
      The Projects originally was a white dominated area. In 1940 there were no other minorities living in the area. Though there was a "No Color Line" policy passed, the black population did not enter the Trumbull Park Homes until 1953. When the black population did enter, there seemed to be no attempt by the city's officials to to prepare the community, which may have helped in fueling the anger in the Trumbull Park Riots. In 1954, 5 black families moved into the Trumbull Park Housing Project which angered the completely white population. Many of the white home owners in Irondale began staging spontaneous attacks, rioting, and bombing on the miniscule black population for 6 months. After the riots were over the families continued to live there and eventually more minority families began to enter the Projects. 
      These riots as well as other factors brought the community into bad light. From 1954, the black population had trippled and is now predominatly a community of minorities. Though the Projects are currently considered a low-class community, it is full of ethnic diversity. 
 
 

Click on the links at the left to tour
Chicago's Deering Community.