International Homes

Location

Chicago , IL
United States
41° 52' 41.2104" N, 87° 37' 47.2728" W
Illinois US

Planned and implemented in cooperation with neighborhood organizations, the International Homes offered the opportunity for home ownership at affordable prices to diverse groups of people. Located on vacant lots mostly owned by the city, the development has 28 attached rowhouses with 1200 square feet plus a full basement and a private outdoor space. Weese Langley Weese designed the buildings to blend with the traditional architecture and streetscape of Chicago's Uptown neighborhood. The homes are grouped together with high roofs to fit the scale of the high density neighborhood; gables and porches emphasize the individuality of the homes. Voice of the People in Uptown, Inc., a nonprofit housing development corporation that has been active in the Uptown community for 25 years, conducted workshops to familiarize prospective buyers with the application and purchase process. The buyers reflected the racial and ethnic diversity of Uptown and included African, African-American, Asian, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, Native American, and Caucasian households. Buyers were able to purchase the houses with a minimal downpayment and must sell the houses to qualified families with low-incomes. The community gained both stability and vitality with the replacement of dangerous vacant lots with quality homes, without gentrifying

Dwelling Type: 
Multiplex
Number of Units: 
28
State: 
ILLINOIS