CAC Open House

Architectural Innovation Trail: Chinatown

Chicago’s Chinatown is one of the country’s longest-enduring Chinese American communities, forming around the year 1912. For decades, it has also been one of the city's fastest growing neighborhoods. With the population boom, the highways and rail yards that had historically fragmented the community also contributed to overcrowding. Through persistent activism and rising political clout, in the 1990s residents began to win long sought improvements to services, housing, infrastructure and open space, all resulting in an ever-more vibrant urban community. This trail highlights some of the key additions to Chinatown's public realm over the past 25 years. Architectural Innovation Trail: Chinatown is sponsored by Ozinga. Photo (c) Jon Miller | Hedrich Blessing, Courtesy of SOM