Altgeld Alumni

IF YOURE NOT FROM THE "G" DON'T REQUEST TO BE ON THE FRIEND-LIST. Altgeld Gardens is a housing project in CHICAGO, Illinois, USA. It is the Chicago Housing Authority's most structurally comprehensive and self-contained development. It was built in 1945 with 1,498 units. Murray Homes was built in 1954 with a total of 500 units. The 1,998-unit development, consisting primarily of two-story row houses spread over 157 acres, grew out of the need for post-World War II housing for African-American military personnel. It was originally owned by the federal government but was granted to CHA in 1956. Located in an industrial area on Chicago’s far South side, Altgeld was named after John Peter Altgeld an Illinois governor in the 1890s. As one of the first public housing developments ever built in the United States, it is considered a historic landmark property. Also known as "Alligator Gardens" and "Dirty 130."