“In the past 16 months, at least 29,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago from Texas on buses, airplanes and Metra trains.
“Providing shelter has been a challenge that sparked numerous controversies, such as neighbors resisting the use of buildings for migrant housing and the collapse of a plan to build a tent camp in the Brighton Park neighborhood because of contaminated soil on the site.
“But there are buildings all over the city, and some in the suburbs, that have been turned into migrant housing, if only temporarily.
“City officials have been tight-lipped about how buildings get selected, and there’s no public list of what buildings are being used. Nevertheless, WBEZ’s Reset found several that have distinguished histories, either because of their architecture or because they’re linked to noteworthy figures or events in Chicago’s past.
“Here’s a look at five of these buildings.
- 4900 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive, formerly Lake Shore Hotel
- 320 S. Plymouth Court, former Standard Club
- 640 W. Irving Park Road, former Immaculata High School
- Sears Roebuck & Co Warehouse, 2241 S. Halsted St.
- 6650 S. Ellis Ave., former Wadsworth and Dumas Elementary” (Rodkin, WBEZ Chicago, 1/4/24)