“A 79-year-old Altgeld Gardens commercial building that has spent years in disrepair despite being designed by noted Chicago architects Keck & Keck could soon begin a new life housing after-school programs and social services.

“The nonprofit By the Hand Club for Kids has signed an agreement to buy the privately owned former Altgeld Gardens Commercial Center — residents call it the Up Top building — at 13100 S. Ellis Ave. for $450,000, according to Andraya Yousfi, the group’s chief of partnerships and development.

“Helping make the acquisition easier: The Chicago Housing Authority on May 27 agreed to sell 1.24 acres of CHA land surrounding the building — mostly a parking lot that landlocks the structure — to the club for $27,600. By the Hand Club has been operating in an Altgeld Gardens church since 2005 and has served young people from kindergarten through high school in the Cabrini-Green area since 2001.

“Built in 1946, the single-story curvilinear brick structure, designed by George Keck and his brother William, was conceived as a mini shopping center for residents of the then-new and remotely located public housing development.

“At Altgeld Gardens, the Kecks designed a brick building that looked lighter than air, thanks to its gracefully curved profile, an abundance of glass shop windows and a stylish overhanging roof.

“The center originally had a grocery store, a doctor’s office, beauty and barber shops, a laundry and a delicatessen. But shops and services left as the years passed, and its owners removed and sealed up most of the center’s visually striking glass facade while letting the building empty out and rot.

“According to renderings from By the Hand Club, much of Keck & Keck’s glass would return. A breezeway within the structure was turned into a memorial wall that Yousfi said will be preserved as part of the renovation.

“‘Here’s to hoping this amazing building can be restored and reused,’ said Preservation Chicago Executive Director Ward Miller, whose organization placed the structure on its most endangered buildings list in 2011 and 2013.

“‘Ideally, this building would even qualify for Chicago landmark designation, which would be marvelous and well deserved,’ he said. (Bey, Chicago Sun-Times, 6/3/25)

Read the full story at Chicago Sun-Times

• A neglected Altgeld Gardens building, designed by 1933 World’s Fair architect, is slated for rebirth; Once renovated, the 79-year-old former Altgeld Gardens Commercial Center designed by noted architects Keck & Keck will house after-school programs and social services, Lee Bey, Chicago Sun-Times, 6/3/25
• Altgeld Gardens Memorial Wall’s place in Chicago history is clear, its future less so; “The wall is kind of like a historic monument for everybody who used to live or still lives in Altgeld Gardens,” a former resident says. But it’s in danger of being demolished, Linda Paul,  WBEZ, 1/31/23
• THREATENED: Public Housing Sites; Altgeld Gardens Commercial, Cabrini Rowhouses, Lathrop Homes South Campus A 2022 Chicago 7 Most Endangered