Altgeld Gardens, Chicago
Encyclopedia
Altgeld Gardens is a housing project located in the Riverdale
Community Area of Chicago, Illinois
, USA. The residents are 97% African American according to the 2000 US Census. Built in 1945 with 1,498 units, the development consists primarily of two-story row houses spread over 190 acre (0.7689034 km²). It was built to satisfy the need for African American veterans returning from World War
II and was originally owned by the federal government, but was granted to the Chicago Housing Authority
in 1956. Located in an industrial area on Chicago
’s far South side, Altgeld was named after John Peter Altgeld
an Illinois
governor in the 1890s. As one of the first public housing developments ever built in the United States
, it is considered a historic landmark.
Altgeld Gardens' boundaries are 130th Street on the north and 138th Street on the south, from the Bishop Ford Freeway
on the east and the Calumet River
on the west. Altgeld Gardens is located near numerous manufacturing plants, former steel mills, waste dumps and landfills. The residents have a growing concern about the number of deaths annually from cancer and other diseases that may be related to their environment.
Altgeld Gardens contained a great deal of asbestos
in its construction materials - asbestos that remained there until a grassroots campaign in the 1980s advocated for its removal. US President Barack Obama
, then a local community organizer, participated in this campaign, and wrote about it at length in his book Dreams From My Father
.
It is one of the densest concentrations of potentially hazardous pollution sources in North America
. Many of the landfills that surround them are unregulated, and some of those are still being used. Since most of these landfills as well as many industrial plants are located along the waterways surrounding the area, of the 18 miles (29 km) of rivers and lakes surrounding Altgeld Gardens, 11 miles (17.7 km) of them are unfit for human consumption and recreation, though many residents still fish in them.
Over the years, Altgeld Gardens (www.altgeldgardens.com)
has experienced various gang problems—yet the community is not regarded as ridden with the sort of bloody rivalries endemic to the North Side's Cabrini–Green community nor to the Robert Taylor Homes
, near the historic Bronzeville neighborhood.
Riverdale, Chicago
Riverdale, one of the 77 official community areas of Chicago, Illinois, is locatedon the city's far south side.The town of Riverdale is at the far south end of Chicago extending beyond the Chicago boundary of 138th Street to 144th Street. The town hall is at 157 West 144th Street...
Community Area of Chicago, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, USA. The residents are 97% African American according to the 2000 US Census. Built in 1945 with 1,498 units, the development consists primarily of two-story row houses spread over 190 acre (0.7689034 km²). It was built to satisfy the need for African American veterans returning from World War
World war
A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....
II and was originally owned by the federal government, but was granted to the Chicago Housing Authority
Chicago Housing Authority
The Chicago Housing Authority is a municipal corporation established by the State of Illinois in 1937 with jurisdiction for the administrative oversight of public housing within the City of Chicago...
in 1956. Located in an industrial area on Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
’s far South side, Altgeld was named after John Peter Altgeld
John Peter Altgeld
John Peter Altgeld was the 20th Governor of the U.S. state of Illinois from 1893 until 1897. He was the first Democratic governor of that state since the 1850s...
an Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
governor in the 1890s. As one of the first public housing developments ever built in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, it is considered a historic landmark.
Existing conditions
There are 3,400 residents currently living in the Altgeld / Murray complex. This complex includes its own schools, maintenance staff, on-site social services and medical facilities.Altgeld Gardens' boundaries are 130th Street on the north and 138th Street on the south, from the Bishop Ford Freeway
Bishop Ford Freeway
The Bishop Ford Freeway, formerly known as the Calumet Expressway, is a portion of Interstate 94 in northeastern Illinois, south of downtown Chicago. It runs from Interstate 57 south to the intersection with Interstate 80, Interstate 294 and Illinois Route 394...
on the east and the Calumet River
Calumet River
The Calumet River refers to a system of heavily industrialized rivers and canals in the region between the neighborhood of South Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, and the city of Gary, Indiana.-Background:...
on the west. Altgeld Gardens is located near numerous manufacturing plants, former steel mills, waste dumps and landfills. The residents have a growing concern about the number of deaths annually from cancer and other diseases that may be related to their environment.
Altgeld Gardens contained a great deal of asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
in its construction materials - asbestos that remained there until a grassroots campaign in the 1980s advocated for its removal. US President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, then a local community organizer, participated in this campaign, and wrote about it at length in his book Dreams From My Father
Dreams from My Father
Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance is a memoir by United States President Barack Obama. It was first published in July 1995 as he was preparing to launch his political career, five years after being elected the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review in...
.
It is one of the densest concentrations of potentially hazardous pollution sources in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. Many of the landfills that surround them are unregulated, and some of those are still being used. Since most of these landfills as well as many industrial plants are located along the waterways surrounding the area, of the 18 miles (29 km) of rivers and lakes surrounding Altgeld Gardens, 11 miles (17.7 km) of them are unfit for human consumption and recreation, though many residents still fish in them.
Over the years, Altgeld Gardens (www.altgeldgardens.com)
has experienced various gang problems—yet the community is not regarded as ridden with the sort of bloody rivalries endemic to the North Side's Cabrini–Green community nor to the Robert Taylor Homes
Robert Taylor Homes
Robert Taylor Homes was a housing project in the Bronzeville neighborhood of the South Side of Chicago, on State Street between Pershing Road and 54th Street alongside the Dan Ryan Expressway.-History:...
, near the historic Bronzeville neighborhood.
Notable residents
- Tim HardawayTim HardawayTimothy Duane "Tim" Hardaway is a retired American basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association and who in his prime was one of the league's best point guards...
- Scoop JacksonScoop Jackson (writer)Not to be confused with former United States Senator Henry M. "Scoop" JacksonRobert "Scoop" Jackson is an American sports journalist and cultural critic currently contributing to ESPN.com's Page2 and ESPN The Magazine....
- Cazzie Russell
- Terry CummingsTerry CummingsRobert Terrell "Terry" Cummings is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association for 18 seasons as a power forward and occasional center.-College and NBA years:...
- Buddy YoungBuddy YoungClaude "Buddy" Young was an American football player. A native of Chicago, the 5'4" Claude "Buddy" Young, also known as the "Bronze Bullet," had exceptional quickness and acceleration. He is one of the shortest men ever to play NFL football...
- Jason AvantJason AvantJason Raye Avant is an American football wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Eagles in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan....
- Dr. Lloyd Bond