Historic Chicago Greystone Initiative: Planning Phase Report 2005

Chicago is famous for its bungalows, but another housing type- the Greystone- provides critical affordable, attractive housing to a diverse range of Chicagoans. Lining the city’s late nineteenth-century boulevard and park system, greystones are a little-known architectural treasure of the city. In 2004 and 2005, the UIC City Design Center carried out preparation and research to provide a foundation for the Historic Chicago Greystone Initiative®, work published in a report. Preparatory work included research into the rich history of the Chicago neighborhood of North Lawndale, a study of the number and types of greystone homes, the convening of special advisory committees and the creation of new organizations to shepherd the initiative.

The Historic Chicago Greystone Initiative® report encouraged the use of one of Chicago’s greatest architectural and historic assets – its historic greystone homes – to encourage pride of place, stewardship and reinvestment, both in North Lawndale and the city’s older central neighborhoods. The goal of the Greystone Initiative was to promote the greystone as a means to further cultivate Lawndale’s image as a community with a unique historic and cultural legacy. Initially launched in North Lawndale, the Initiative also sought to stimulate the local housing market through the rehabilitation and preservation of its historic housing stock.