Public Housing Museum Project Moving Forward

By Amy Mikel in News on Aug 14, 2008 8:30PM

A plan to create a public housing museum was given a substantial boost yesterday, with the Board of Commissioners for the Chicago Housing Authority approving donated space for the project. The National Public Housing Museum, currently slated to open in 2012, will be built in a currently vacant building at the Taylor Street Jane Addams Homes, one of the city’s earliest public housing residences. The “living history” museum plans to use recreated period apartments and interactive and multimedia displays to share the country’s 70-year history with public housing:

"We want this to be a place that does many things—honors and remembers some of the forgotten lives and tries to understand a story of resiliency," said Susanne Schnell, museum project director.

The museum will also serve to tell stories behind the Chicago Housing Authority’s $1.6 billion Plan for Transformation, during which thousands of public housing residents have been displaced for reconstruction. Current and former public housing residents are being encouraged to contribute to the museum by sharing personal stories and donating artifacts and “memorabilia."

Image via Public Housing Musuem website