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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, Grace Abbott Homes, Robert Brooks Homes (including the Robert Brooks Extension), and Loomis Courts. It spanned from Cabrini Street on the north to 15th Place on the south; and from Blue Island 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 12,000 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) are made up of 32 4- 3, and 2-story buildings, and were built in 1938 by Franklin D. Roosevelt's WPA Program. They were originally built to last 60 years. 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 800 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Originally made up of 7 15-story buildings and 33 2-story rowhouse buildings, the Grace Abbott Homes were built in 1955. Although in 2005, 4 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. 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.

Crime situation

Like many other CHA projects, the ABLA homes were plagued by violence and poverty.

The Village War

The Gangster Disciples street gang controlled most of the area through much of the late 1960s until the late 1980s. Around this time an internal war involving gang leaders in prison resulted in much of the area changing their allegiance from the original Gangster Disciples and becoming "New Breed," (following the lead of the jailed ABLA gang leader "Boonie Black"). At this point violence in the area doubled as many formerly allied gang members turned into bitter enemies and rivals in the increasingly lucrative drug trade.

Most of the ABLA homes and surrounding areas (Maxwell Street, Wright Homes, and Circle Park), all followed suit and were now "New Breed" territory. The Gangster Disciples still maintained a stronghold in roughly half of the Jane Addams and unincorporated Black Disciples held court in one Robert Brooks building. At least fifty people were killed between 1988 and 1993, plus countless wounded, beaten and intimidated during this period.

Hostage Situation

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In the summer of 1993, following an argument with his infant child's mother, a resident of the ABLA homes took the child hostage at knife point. An intense standoff ensued as police followed him throughout the projects, attempting to convince him to hand the child over and surrender. The man finally sat down on a curb on Roosevelt Road some eight hours after the start of the situation. Police moved in on the man who was still holding the bundled-up child at knife-point. Two officers lunged and held the man's arm while another officer freed the child. This particular crime was captured on video and has aired on many 'real-life camera event' styled programs.

Tourist Stabbing

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In 1994, at the local McDonalds restaurant at the corner of Roosevelt Road and Loomis Boulevard, a tourist entered the restroom after ordering lunch. There, she encountered two drug addicts preparing to inject themselves. She returned to the front counter and informed restaurant employees who ejected the addicts from the premises. Upon leaving some time later, the tourist was attacked by the addicts, with one of them stabbing her several times. The tourist died in the parking lot.

Existing Conditions

ABLA once held 12,000 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 or 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 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," in reference to its proximity to University Village. The Jane Addams homes in particular divided the University of Illinois at Chicago giving rise to the terms East and West Campus.

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

• The 80's police drama Hill Street Blues was set at a police station located two blocks west 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 is actually shot at ABLA.
• Several episodes of ER, Chicago Hope and Early Edition have filmed scenes in and around the ABLA homes.

References

• Neighborhoods in Chicago
• Public housing in the United States
• Chicago housing projects