CHICAGO (WLS) — During Black History Month, ABC7 Chicago is shedding light on the current initiatives aimed at revitalizing sections of Bronzeville in Chicago, particularly focusing on Rosenwald Courts.
There are new possibilities for a community some of the nation’s greatest stars once called home.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
New businesses and new tenants now inhabit the complex that was once the best housing option for many African Americans.
“In the past, this area was bustling with activity for influential individuals, and our goal is to recapture that vibrancy,” explained Trez Pugh III, the creator and leader of Sip & Savor Hospitality Group.
The residential units were rehabbed a few years ago.
But the business spaces were just completed last year.
Sip & Savor, where coffee and community meet, is located at 47th Street and Michigan Avenue.
“We are hiring from the community; we are putting art up from the artists here. Folks in the music industry, we let them come in here,” Pugh said.
The Rosenwald sits along 47th between Michigan and Wabash avenues.
Constructed in 1929 by Julius Rosenwald, a Sears executive, the massive complex was designed to provide high-quality yet affordable housing options for Black residents of Chicago, a pioneering idea during that time.
It became a spring board for the Black middle class, with well-known residents like Quincy Jones, Lorraine Hansberry, Nat King Cole and Jesse Owens.
It was nearly demolished, but saved from ruin to witness a new chapter in Chicago history.
Carletha Ousley still has an old rent receipt: $130 for a two-bedroom apartment. Ousley grew up at the Rosenwald, and was among those who came back after the reconstruction.
“We didn’t really want for anything. If one didn’t have, the other one looked out for the other, that’s that type of neighbors we were. It was more like a family than anything,” Ousley said.
“There was a little over 400 apartments in the building. So, that has allowed me even in adulthood to relate to people from all walks of life,” former resident Tamela Christian said.
Ousley and Christian met as children, and say they are more like sisters than friends. Now they organize an annual Rosenwald reunion at which others share the same affection for bonds they made.
“We survived; we made the best of the things that we had. And we have also formed lifelong friendships,” Christian said.
“A lot of us wish it could go back to the way that is used to be, but it’s not,” Ousley said.
Among the new commercial tenants is Ladies of Virtue. It’s a nonprofit mentoring and leadership program for girls. Founder and CEO Jamila Trimuel understands Chicago’s history of racial housing restrictions, and makes sure the girls in their program understand not only the history, but the possibilities now.
“What it means for me and ladies of virtue is really being part of that rebirth, and to say, ‘yes, you belong, not only here in this space and in this neighborhood but in the city of Chicago. And in this world you have a place,'” Trimuel said.
It will never be as it was, and some are hopeful new life at the Rosenwald and reinvestment in other parts of Bronzeville will foster more meaningful relationships in the community and unity for future generations.
Copyright © 2025 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
