Remember the name Frances Cabrini? These row houses bear her name. Welcome to the Cabrini Row Houses. They stand as a reminder of Chicago’s complex history with public housing.
The Cabrini Row Houses are part of what was once the Cabrini-Green Homes. This was a large Chicago Housing Authority project. It stood on the Near North Side. The Frances Cabrini Rowhouses were south of Division Street. They were bordered by Larrabee Street, Orleans Street, and Chicago Avenue.
Construction of the Cabrini Row Houses finished in 1942. These two-story buildings originally held 586 units. Regulations initially aimed for a mix. Seventy-five percent white and 25% Black residents. The complex was named for Saint Frances Cabrini. She was an Italian-American nun. She served the poor and was the first American canonized as a saint.
Later, the Cabrini Homes Extension added more units. The William Green Homes also expanded the complex. At its peak, Cabrini-Green housed 15000 people. Most lived in mid and high-rise buildings. Crime and neglect created tough living conditions. Cabrini-Green became known for the problems of public housing.
In 1995, the Chicago Housing Authority started tearing down buildings. The last high-rise came down in 2011. Today, only the original rowhouses remain. The area has seen big changes. New high-rises and townhouses have been built. Some are CHA-owned. This has created a mixed-income area.
The Cabrini Extension buildings were called “Reds”. This was because of their red brick. The Green Homes had concrete exteriors. They were known as the “Whites”. Early residents of the Cabrini Row Houses were mostly Italian. By 1962, most residents were African Americans.
In 1981, Mayor Jane Byrne moved into Cabrini-Green. She wanted to show she cared about Chicago’s high crime rate. She stayed for three weeks. Many considered this a publicity stunt.
In 1994, Chicago received a HOPE VI grant. The city wanted to redevelop Cabrini-Green. The goal was to create a mixed-income neighborhood. Demolition began in 1995.
The Frances Cabrini Homes row houses still stand. About 150 have been renovated. They remain lived in. These Cabrini Row Houses serve as a window into Chicago’s past. They show both the challenges and the changes in public housing. They remind us of the people who lived here and the community they built.