“The Obsidian Collection founder Angela Ford and now-former owner of the Lu Palmer Mansion isn’t giving up on her dream of bringing a digital archive and co-working space to Bronzeville, even if the property is up for sale again.

“By the time the City Council approved Ford’s zoning request in December 2023, her $1.5 million loan was already in default. The acquisition loan was good for 18 months. Getting zoning approval took Ford and her team 24 months, she told Block Club. She tried to press on, assembling a development team to get construction underway.

“Contentious exchanges with former 4th Ward Ald. Sophia King made for tense public meetings and rough times navigating the local bureaucracy. Ford accused King of dragging out the process.

“‘She said she supported it and told me that if I got the building she’d do the zoning change. Someone can tell you they love you while stabbing you in the back,’ Ford said.

“Ford said she still struggles to understand opposition to a project seeking to enrich Bronzeville’s already-bountiful cultural landscape. Rescuing the long-vacant building — once home to legendary journalist Lu Palmer — and turning it into a home base for the city’s Black creative class was a civic duty, Ford thought.

“While losing the mansion was a setback, Ford said that Bronzeville will still be home to her vision. It might just take a little longer to realize it, she said.

“‘We had the building for four years, and we did a great deal of work on the building,’ Ford said.

‘We’re still in the fight. History is still being erased. We have to have a headquarters. We still believe in the mansion. At some point, the city has to believe in Black historic landmarks in the city, or they won’t.’ (Nesbitt Golden, Block Club Chicago, 10/29/25)

“A majestic but long-vacant Bronzeville mansion is for sale by the lender that financed a failed plan to turn it into an archive of Black photography and historical documents.

“Built in 1885, the ornate colossus at 3654-56 S. Martin Luther King Drive was sold in 2021 to the Obsidian Collection for $1 million by an owner who had held it vacant for about two decades.

“It’s now for sale again, still boarded up, at an undisclosed price, by the IFF, a community development-focused lender that helps finance nonprofits’ real estate and construction needs. The IFF lent $1.25 million at the time of the sale, according Cook County Clerk records.

“The property, on the corner of East 37th Street and South King Drive, includes a three-story Queen Anne-style mansion of about 9,200 square feet and a two-story coach house of about 5,800 feet on a lot that is a little over a quarter-acre. It was originally built for D. Harry Hammer.

“The mansion’s architect, William W. Clay, designed several stately homes in Bronzeville, Kenwood and the Gold Coast, as well as two 1890s skyscrapers that are no longer standing.

“Lu Palmer, described by the History Makers website as ‘the godfather of Chicago Black political activism,’ arrived in Chicago to work as a reporter for the Chicago Defender, the illustrious Black newspaper, and later was a columnist for the Chicago Daily News. He also founded a newspaper called Black X-Press Info and hosted radio shows. Lu and Jorja Palmer founded two Black activist and political groups, Chicago Black United Communities and the Black Independent Political Organization, and played roles in Harold Washington’s 1983 mayoral campaign.

“Fifteen years after Higginbottom bought the mansion, Preservation Chicago reported the empty mansion in 2019 ‘is in need of repair. Given the size of the house and the necessary investment the property requires, Preservation Chicago is concerned that the house will continue to deteriorate and accumulate building violations. This would give the owner and the city an excuse to demolish this important Bronzeville building and erase another part of Bronzeville history.’

“Six years later, the situation hasn’t changed, and the house may be in worse condition. Transwestern’s listing says the property has no landmark protection. (Rodkin, Crain’s Chicago Business, 10/24/25)

Preservation Chicago is deeply saddened that The Obsidian Collection won’t be able to move forward with the adaptive reuse the Palmer Mansion for a nonprofit digital archive for photographs, video and documents to focus on making Black history more available and accessible. We strongly supported Angela Ford with her incredibly exciting plan. Sadly, four years of exasperating delays and obstructions made the project unfeasible.

Preservation Chicago had been concerned about the deteriorating condition of the Justice D. Harry Hammer Mansion/Lutrelle ‘Lu’ & Jorja Palmer Mansion for years. To help raise awareness and to pressure stakeholders, it became a Chicago 7 Most Endangered in 2019. We have played an active role working with community organizations, local leaders, and decision-makers to help bring about a preservation-sensitive outcome for this building.

We continue to advocate to find a new buyer for this important building and towards an eventual restoration and Chicago Landmark Designation. We are optimistic that this process will result in a good outcome.

Read the full story at Block Club Chicago and Crain’s Chicago Business

• Lu Palmer’s Bronzeville Mansion For Sale, But Obsidian Collection Founder Still Planning Black History Archive; The building on King Drive was back on the market last week, but Obsidian Collection founder Angie Ford is still vowing to bring a digital archive and co-working space to the neighborhood, Jamie Nesbitt Golden, Block Club Chicago, 10/29/25
• Grand Bronzeville mansion for sale after museum plan fizzles, Dennis Rodkin, Crain’s Chicago Business, 10/24/25
• Bronzeville’s Obsidian Collection Nears Finish Line As It Goes For City Council Approval; The $3.8 million project would be home to a digital archive center and co-working hub inside the historical Lu and Jorja Palmer mansion on King Drive, Jamie Nesbitt Golden, Block Club Chicago, 2/1/23
• Lu Palmer mansion up for rezoning as Obsidian Collection moves ahead with plans for Black media archive and coworking space, Zoe Pharo, Hyde Park Herald, 2/3/23
• Owner Of Historic Lu Palmer Mansion Says Ald. King Is Stalling Planned Black Media Archive, Community Center At Site; Angela Ford accused King of blocking her proposal to open a museum in the 133-year-old home. King said Ford is misrepresenting the scope of the project, calling it ‘a Soho House next to your home.’ Jamie Nesbitt Golden, Block Club Chicago, 5/25/22
• Justice D. Harry Hammer Mansion/Lutrelle ‘Lu’ & Jorja Palmer Mansion, a Preservation Chicago 2019 Chicago 7 Most Endangered
• Hammer/Palmer Mansion, 3654 S King Dr. Chicago, IL 60653 LoopNet Listing