ABLA

ABLA
Picture of one of the low-rise ABLA Homes (foreground) with demolition of a ABLA high-rise going on in the background
Location	Chicago
Status	Mostly demolished
Constructed	1938-1961
Governing Body	Chicago Housing Authority

See also: Alcoholic Beverage Labeling Act

ABLA was a public housing development made up of different public housing projects in Chicago, Illinois, operated by the Chicago Housing Authority. The name "ABLA" was an acronym for four different housing developments that together constituted one large site. Those four developments were: the Jane Addams Homes, Robert Brooks Homes (including the Robert Brooks Extension), Loomis Courts, and the Grace Abbott Homes totaling 3,596 units. It spanned from Cabrini Street on the north to 15th Street on the south; and from Blue Island Avenue on the east to Ashland Avenue on the west. Most of ABLA has been razed for the Roosevelt Square mixed-income community development. For most of their existence the ABLA's held more than 17,000 residents (though only 8,500 were officially on the lease), giving it the second largest population in the CHA. It was second only to the Robert Taylor Homes and Cabrini–Green in land area and had a higher occupancy than Cabrini–Green.

Homes in ABLA

Jane Addams Homes

The Jane Addams Homes (one of the first housing projects) consisted of 32 buildings of 2, 3, and 4 storeys (987 units) built in 1938 by Franklin D. Roosevelt's WPA Program. They were originally built to last 60 years.^{[citation needed]} They were famous for their animal sculptures in the court area. The majority of the buildings have been demolished.

Robert Brooks Homes

Built in 1943, the original 835 rowhouse units were recently reconstructed (completed in two phases between 1997 and 2000) The $45 million CHA-funded renovation reduced unit density per acre and increased unit sites, resulting in 330 units of public housing.

Loomis Courts

Built in 1951, this 126-unit complex consists of 2 buildings of 7 stories each. It was built with City-State funds, not federal public housing funds. In 2005, the CHA started a 2-phase rehabilitation of the property that will result in all units being preserved as affordable rental housing. Rents will continue to be based on 30% of household income.

Grace Abbott Homes

Originally made up of 7 15-story buildings and 33 2-story rowhouse buildings (1,198 units), the Grace Abbott Homes were built in 1955. In 2005, four of the high-rise buildings were demolished, and the rest were demolished by 2007. This property is planned to be redeveloped in Phases 3-6 of the new Roosevelt Square mixed-income community.

Robert Brooks Extension

Built in 1961, this complex was made up of 3 16-story buildings (450 units). One building at 1239 S. Racine was demolished in 1998. The remaining 2 buildings were demolished in 2001. In 2005, Phase 1 of a new mixed-income development called Roosevelt Square was under construction on this site.

Cross Ashland

Just west of the ABLA's was small neighborhood affectionately known as "'cross Ashland". Named for the southern twang in which many residents of the downtown and the projects pronounced its location. Bordered by Ashland to the east, Western avenue on the west, the Fifteenth Place train tracks to the south and Roosevelt Rd. on the north. This area originally went as far north as Polk, pre-dating the Medical district. Many blacks and Jews lived in the area through much of the 20th century until the late sixties when most Jews, Poles and Italians moved away.

Cross Ashland also extended east all the way to Halsted. Before the ABLA homes were constructed many Blacks worked at the various railyard companies at Fifteenth street before the companies all moved to foreign lands and the suburbs. They were proud to leave the oppressive south and work arduous hours to feed families and attend barbecues.

In 2005 this community of roughly 10,000 in the fifties and 5,000 in the nineties was eventually brought to an end in a mass fire sale to land developers. Today the Cross Ashland area remains underdeveloped save for the new FBI building and University Police Station.

Existing conditions

ABLA once held over 17,000 residents but due to redevelopment only 2,100 residents remain. Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Little Italy neighborhood and inner city Chicago in general) underwent a significant period of gentrification resulting in almost all of the Chicago Housing Authority's projects being demolished or slated for redevelopment. The University Village redevelopment of the general Maxwell Street neighborhood and the expansion of the south campus of University of Illinois at Chicago also contributed to the end of ABLA.

Plan for transformation: mixed-income redevelopment

The CHA's redevelopment plan for ABLA is named Roosevelt Square and includes 1,467 public housing units, of which 329 units were completed in 2000 as part of a complete rehab of the Brooks Homes and 383 off-site CHA replacement units were newly constructed. Construction of the remaining 775 on-site mixed-income units at Roosevelt Square began in 2004. ABLA's new physical design includes traditional Chicago-style buildings including single family homes and six-flat structures. In June 2005, the Chicago Park District reopened Fosco Park, a 57,000-square-foot (5,300 m²) community center which includes an indoor swimming pool, gymnasium and a new daycare facility. A new Jewel/Osco supermarket opened near ABLA in January 2002. The redevelopment plan also includes an integrated "campus" green space with Smyth School and Duncan YMCA. A new fire and police station was constructed near ABLA.

The "Vill"

The common nickname for the ABLA homes is "the village," or "the vill,"

Due to their proximity to downtown and the UIC Medical Center/University, the ABLAs can be seen in several films and television programs:

• The 80s police drama Hill Street Blues was set at a police station located two blocks east of ABLA. Stories from the show often involved situations there.
• In the 1987 film Next Of Kin many scenes were filmed in and around ABLA, most notably one in which Patrick Swayze hides from his pursuers inside the Robert Brooks Extension and bribes a young child to misdirect them.
• In the 2001 film Hardball, Keanu Reeves coaches a ragtag bunch of kids on an inner-city little league team. Almost half the film was shot at ABLA.
• Several episodes of ER, Chicago Hope and Early Edition have filmed scenes in and around the ABLA homes.