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Location: Jonquil City (aka Smyrna) Georgia- by Atlanta
16,259 posts, read 24,769,842 times
Reputation: 3587
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I am actually suprised that there was not more news about it. It was one of the most famous housing projects in the nation and was the setting for the TV show "Good Times" back in the 70s. I have been there myself a few times. I am not sorry to see it go. It was nasty, full of criminals and dope heads and was a blight on an area that otherwise is a pretty nice neighbourhood. It is a mere few blocks from Chicago's Gold Coast. Now it sits empty, fenced off and waiting for the dynamite man or the wrecking ball- however Chicago destroys buildings these days.
I was living in Chicago when they started the process of clearing out Cabrini Green a decade ago (and, actually, having moved from the state since then, I wasn't actually aware that it WASN'T already completed). But I do I remember it getting plenty of press back then; it's been a years-long process.
All of the public highrises are now gone. The demolition started in about 1999 and finally just concluded. By the end, only 70 residents were remaining. Cabrini and Robert Taylor were the 2 worst. There were plenty of other horrible ones too.
The Tribune has several articles on it. I think that the last families were told that it wouldn't close until January unless there wasn't a big enough population. I think some were told a week ago that it was going to close and some didn't find out until Monday. They were going to protest but apparantly that died rather quickly.
The Chicago Housing Authority is offering displayed families great deals and is even letting some of them (that they know won't turn the place into another dump) live in the new condos and villages they build that will have many new amenities and hopefully will be very safe for everyone.
Cabrini Green was definitely high on the list of the biggest mistakes and embarrassments in Chicago history.
I remember in the 90s when I was in grade school the typical saying when you were on Division was, "I won't even drive past there."
Location: Jonquil City (aka Smyrna) Georgia- by Atlanta
16,259 posts, read 24,769,842 times
Reputation: 3587
Quote:
Originally Posted by chitown85
All of the public highrises are now gone. The demolition started in about 1999 and finally just concluded. By the end, only 70 residents were remaining. Cabrini and Robert Taylor were the 2 worst. There were plenty of other horrible ones too.
I disagree having been in them. By far the worst of them was Stateway Gardens. Worse than jail even!
Location: Jonquil City (aka Smyrna) Georgia- by Atlanta
16,259 posts, read 24,769,842 times
Reputation: 3587
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nafster
The Chicago Housing Authority is offering displayed families great deals and is even letting some of them (that they know won't turn the place into another dump) live in the new condos and villages they build that will have many new amenities and hopefully will be very safe for everyone.
Cabrini Green was definitely high on the list of the biggest mistakes and embarrassments in Chicago history.
I remember in the 90s when I was in grade school the typical saying when you were on Division was, "I won't even drive past there."
The CHA was the reason those places got bad to start with. They let the really bad element in there and all the working class families that actually had fathers with jobs fled. Any applicant for public housing should be examined and investigated. A complete background check should be done and those with criminal records should be rejected. Anybody on the sex offender list should be rejected. Drug test should not only be performed at the time of application but the resident must agree to random drug test while a tenant. All tenants with children over 5 should be required to have a job and each resident should be assigned with a cleaning task for one of the common areas (hallways, stairways, grounds). ALL children under 18 without a HS diploma MUST attend school. If the CHA did this, the places would have remained fairly nice places to live in.
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