Once home to 15,000 people, “Cabrini-Green” became synonymous with the problems associated with public housing in the United States. Gang violence and neglect created terrible conditions for the residents.

After too many children fell over the railings of the exterior porches, the porches were completely enclosed with a steel mesh. It became easier for gunmen to see police from inside the building than it was for the police to see the gunmen. By the 1990s many Chicago Police refused to enter the complex for fear of their lives.

During the worst years rotting garbage stacked up in clogged trash chutes (once piling up to the 15th floor), and basic utilities (water, electricity) often malfunctioned and were left unrepaired. Grass was paved over to save on maintenance.

The first Cabrini building was constructed in 1942. In an effort to make the complex safer, then Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne moved into a fourth-floor apartment in 1981. Backed by police and bodyguards, she stayed for only three weeks, and once she left, the violence returned.

More information on Cabrini’s history