Stateway Gardens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Stateway Gardens |
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2007 photograph of the last remaining building of the Stateway Gardens public housing project preparing for demolition.
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| Location | Bounded by 35th Street, Pershing Road, State Street, and Federal Street Chicago, Illinois,  United States |
| Coordinates | 41°49′38″N 87°37′40″W / 41.82722°N 87.62778°W |
| Status | Demolished |
| Constructed | 1955–58 |
| Demolished | 2001–2007 |
| Governing Body |
Chicago Housing Authority |
Stateway Gardens was a large group of apartment buildings in Chicago, Illinois. It was a public housing project, meaning the government helped provide homes for people. These buildings were located in the Bronzeville area on the South Side of Chicago.
Stateway Gardens was near the Dan Ryan Expressway. It was also close to other similar housing projects. These included the Robert Taylor Homes and Dearborn Homes. The area was part of a larger group of housing called the State Street Corridor. Over time, the buildings were not well taken care of by the city. This led to many people moving out. The buildings became run-down. Because of this, Stateway Gardens was completely torn down by 2007.
Contents
What Was Stateway Gardens?
Stateway Gardens was built to provide homes for many families. It was made up of tall apartment buildings. These buildings were designed to house a lot of people in one place. The project aimed to offer affordable living spaces.
Building Stateway Gardens
Construction on Stateway Gardens began in 1955. The plan was to build 1,644 apartments. These homes were spread across eight tall buildings. The entire project cost about $22 million to build. Three years later, in 1958, the construction was finished. Around 3,000 people moved into the new apartments.
In 1978, the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) started a big repair plan. This plan cost over $100 million. It helped fix up Stateway Gardens. It also improved other housing projects nearby.
Changes and New Plans
In 1993, the United States government created a program called Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere. This program is better known as HOPE VI. Its goal was to give money to cities. This money would help tear down old, damaged public housing. The plan was to replace them with new communities. These new places would have a mix of people with different incomes.
What Was HOPE VI?
HOPE VI was a way to improve public housing. It helped replace old buildings with new ones. These new communities aimed to be better places to live. They would include homes for people with various income levels.
In 1987, federal officials took control of the Chicago Housing Authority. This happened because there were problems with how money was handled. The CHA stayed under federal control until 2010.
The End of Stateway Gardens
In 1996, another large housing project, Cabrini–Green, began to be torn down. This was the start of a big change for public housing in Chicago. This change was called the Chicago Housing Authority's Plan for Transformation.
The Plan for Transformation
One year later, in 1997, demolition began at the Robert Taylor Homes. In 2000, the CHA officially approved the Plan for Transformation. This was a 10-year plan to remake public housing. Demolition at Stateway Gardens started in 2001.
By October 2006, families in the last building at Stateway Gardens were asked to move out. This building was located at 3651–53 S. Federal Street. It was finally torn down in June 2007. The land was then used for a new mixed-income neighborhood called Park Boulevard. The CHA had a rule called "One Strike." This rule helped decide who could get help with housing costs through a program called Section 8.
Images for kids
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2007 photograph of the last remaining building of the Stateway Gardens public housing project preparing for demolition.
