The ABLA Development spans from Cabrini Street on the north to 14th Street on the south; and from Loomis on the east to Racine on the west.

Resident Leadership

Public housing residents are represented by a strong leadership headed by the development’s Local Advisory Council (LAC). This council is synonymous with a tenant association and is headed by an LAC president who is part of the Central Advisory Council, the governing body of the LAC.

ABLA Homes LAC President	Deverra Beverly
Mailing Address	1254 S. Loomis Chicago, IL 60608
Phone	(312) 743-1277

History

The name “ABLA” is an acronym for four different housing developments that together constitute one large site. Those four developments are: Jane Addams Homes, Robert H. Brooks Homes and the Brooks Extension, Loomis Courts, and the Grace Abbott Apartments.
Jane Addams Homes, constructed in 1938, was one of the first housing developments built in Chicago. Named after the founder of Chicago’s Hull House, Jane Addams Homes was a revered institution that provided child care, employment counseling and a variety of other pioneering social services to immigrant workers during the early part of the 20th century. Jane Addams Homes was one of four demonstration projects built under the Public Works Administration Act. The act was a depression-era program designed to promote employment and revive the failing economy.
The 15-story Abbott Apartments were named for Grace Abbott, a contemporary of Jane Addams who lived in Hull House and ministered to the poor and working class.

Brooks Homes, built in 1943, was named after Robert Brooks, an African-American war hero. The CHA made a concerted effort to integrate this site, calling for a residential population to reflect the racial mix of the surrounding community, which was 80 percent African-American and 20 percent white. The Brooks Homes Extension was later completed in 1961.
The seven-story towers of Loomis Courts, the final addition to ABLA, were completed in 1960 and are the only high-rises on the sites.

Existing Conditions

ABLA is currently home to about 2,100 residents. This residential complex straddles Chicago’s near southwest side, which has experienced a redevelopment boom, fueled by the resurgent Little Italy neighborhood and the University of Illinois at Chicago campus.


Plan for Transformation: Mixed-Income Redevelopment

The CHA’s redevelopment plan for ABLA comprises 1,467 public housing units, which include 329 units completed in 2000 as part of a comprehensive rehabilitation of the Brooks Homes, and 383 off-site CHA replacement units. The breakdown of these units is reflected in the chart below. Construction on the remaining 775 on-site mixed-income units at Roosevelt Square began in 2004.
ABLA’s new physical design will include a mix of traditional Chicago-style buildings, ranging from single family homes to six-flat buildings. No structure will rise higher than four stories. The Park District in June 2005 opened Fosco Park, a 57,000 square foot community center, which includes an indoor swimming pool, gymnasium and a new daycare facility.
A new Jewel/Osco shopping center opened near ABLA in January 2002. The redevelopment master plan also includes an integrated campus green space with Smyth School and Duncan YMCA. The City built a new fire and police station near ABLA. The CHA Board of Commissioners approved the selection LR Development of in December 2002 as the Master Developer to implement ABLA’s revitalization Plan. Roosevelt Square is the name of the new redevelopment.

Contact Property Management Office or Service Connector for ABLA Homes