A good way to learn more about the CHA is through our pictures. This page is a photo essay of the CHA chronicling the agency’s history from its inception in 1937, through the beginning of the Plan for Transformation in 1999, to the present.

The Early Years

The “Early Years” reflect photos of CHA events from the 1930’s through the 1950s, capturing the agency’s residents, developments, and leadership during this time period. The Cabrini Green Homes, Bridgeport Homes, Brooks Homes (part of ABLA), and Altgeld Gardens were some of the developments built in the “Early Years” to address the severe housing shortage in Chicago in the 1930’s and 1940’s.

The Middle Years

The “Middle Years” depicts CHA events from the 1960’s through the 1980’s. Many of the high-rise developments which the CHA began constructing in the 1950’s were completed by the end of the 1960’s, including the Henry Horner Homes, Stateway Gardens, Rockwell Gardens, Robert Taylor, and Hilliard Homes. Emphasis was placed on building high-rise developments that could accommodate as many people as possible and keep construction costs at a minimum.

1990s - Present

The “1990’s - Present” section reflects the CHA’s most recent history. During this time period the Department of Housing and Urban Development assumed administrative and operational control of the CHA. Using the newly created HOPE VI program - a federal program that provided funds to revitalize public housing units – HUD set out to rebuild CHA developments. In 1999, the City of Chicago and HUD entered into an agreement that launched the CHA’s ten-year, $1.5 billion plan to transform Chicago’s public housing.