For years, a stretch of Cottage Grove Avenue immediately south of 95th Street hasn’t been much to write home about — just a run of small industrial buildings and vacant land on the east edge of the Metra Electric embankment.
The street’s big draw? Maybe the Social Security Administration field office near 97th Street. And certainly in the olden days, the wonderful smell that used to come from Jays Potato Chips factory at 99th. The facility closed in 2007 and man, I still miss that aroma.
But the block now has a good looking new player that’s worthy of attention: the $32 million Imani Village Senior Residences at 9621 S. Cottage Grove Ave.
Built by Trinity United Church of Christ — the progressive and socially active church is also a developer on the South Side — and designed by the Black-owned architectural firm Johnson & Lee, the broad five-story building wakes up the street with a dash of color and a bit of verve inspired by the Motherland.
Most importantly, the residences provide open space, well-designed lounge areas and affordable apartments in a corner of the city that needs and deserves it.
And more things are planned. Imani Village, Trinity’s development entity, aims to redevelop 34 acres surrounding the senior residences.
“One of our main things in development is building a community that serves from sunrise to sunset [of life],” Imani Village Executive Vice President Patricia Eggleston said. “And of course, the latter years of your life, you need to be comfortable. You need to be in a nice surroundings. And so that’s why we decided that we wanted to build it.”
The exterior of the 70-unit senior building is clad in light gray metal panels.
It’s a cost-effective choice, given the tight budgets that often govern affordable housing. And the metal skin gives a subtle nod to the area’s industrial heritage.
Alternating black and yellow window panels brighten the facade.
“We looked at some Ghanaian weaving patterns,” Phillip Johnson of Johnson & Lee said. “That’s how we came up with the pattern around the windows.”
Trinity’s Afrocentric ministry also informed the design, Eggleston said.
“The outside of the building … shows the statement that we want to make as a people who are proud of our culture,” she said.
The result is a very pleasant building inside and out. In addition to the apartments, the property offer things like a salon, library, multipurpose room and wellness center.
An attached private open-air ground floor courtyard where residents can sit and gather is an especially nice touch.
A glass-walled hallway runs by the space, allowing residents to experience natural light and greenery without even entering the courtyard.
The apartment building’s wide mass acts as a visual and sonic barrier protecting the courtyard from the traffic noise along Cottage Grove Avenue and the rattle-rattle of commuter and freight trains running along the embankment across the street.
“You got the train and etc.,” Johnson said. “So we wanted to carve out some private space for the residents where they could go in and lighten up.”
Inside, the building has 60 one-bedroom units and 10 two-bedroom apartments. The building’s hallways, apartment entrances and common spaces are exceptionally well done, especially given the relatively low budget, thanks to the work of Black interior designer Brooke Lang.
A lounge area with a stone fireplace, snazzy brown patterned wallpaper and comfortable club chairs could pass for a section of a cool coffee shop.
“We really wanted to bring a sophistication to the space,” Lange, owner of Brooke Lang Design said. “It’s affordable housing, but it doesn’t have to feel like it. It can feel luxurious — just like it belongs downtown.”
Monthly rents range between $214 and $1,140, according to the Chicago Department of Housing. The agency said it kicked in $13.9 million in financing and capital support.
“This is a special home,” said resident Debra Woods, a poet who enjoys decorating her one-bedroom unit. “I really feel good being here. The environment, the atmosphere, the people — you feel so safe. And it really opens me up as to what I like to do. I do a lot of writing here.”
Led by the Rev. Otis Moss III, Trinity is planning a second senior building to be built behind the current one.
The church said the residences are the start of a new 35-acre community located east of Cottage Grove, roughly between 95th and 98th streets.
Built largely on old industrial land, the neighborhood would include 60 homes, a food hub, commercial space, hotel, manufacturing center, athletic facility and land for urban agriculture.
Can architecture help bring social change? Trinity seeks to test the question.
“As a congregation, we decided that we were going to build a community based on the principles [of] health equity, economic equity, reversing the negative impact of mass incarceration — and trying to do what we can to eliminate it — sustainability and ecological justice,” Eggleston said.