{"nrhp_refnum":"12000025","name":"Lathrop, Julia C., Homes","other_names":["Lathrop Homes"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Bounded by Clyburn, & N. Damen Aves., N. Leavitt St., & Chicago R.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chicago","county":"Cook County","state":"IL","lat":41.93601343500006,"lon":-87.68081352790625,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2012-02-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Landscape Architecture","Community Planning and Development"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 35-acre public housing complex on the north side of Chicago along the Chicago River, built from 1935 to 1938 with federal Public Works Administration funds. It has 29 apartment and row house buildings, an administration building and a power house.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that Lathrop Homes is among the most significant early federal public housing projects nationally and the most important surviving one of that phase in Chicago. It follows the community planning principles of Clarence Stein and Henry Wright, with buildings that define traffic-free interior green spaces. It also has a site plan by landscape architect Jens Jensen and traditional design details with a high level of ornament.","narrative":"Lathrop Homes is a federally supported public housing complex on a 35-acre strip beside the North Branch of the Chicago River on Chicago's north side. Built in 1935-1938 under the Housing Division of the Public Works Administration, it was designed by a team headed by architect Robert DeGoyler, with landscape architect Jens Jensen shaping the road layout and planting. Thirty-one original buildings, mostly two- to five-story brick-veneered apartment blocks and row houses, face the streets and enclose quiet rear courtyards and lawns for residents. Brick colonnades link buildings and lead into the interior open spaces. The plan follows Clarence Stein and Henry Wright's ideas about limiting traffic and creating safe play areas. The site is considered important both nationally and within Chicago for its site plan and its traditional, ornamented buildings. A 1959 senior building and a 1960 recreation center were added later and do not contribute to the historic character.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Robert DeGoyler (architect, leading a team of Chicago architects and engineers); Jens Jensen (landscape architect); Housing Division of the Public Works Administration","architectural_style":"Moderne; Classical Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Buildings retain historic integrity despite window replacement, deteriorated exterior wood and altered cornices and finials. The form lists current functions as multiple dwelling, with 'Vacant' also appearing among the function entries.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.574044-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/38/8924/28892438/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/12000025.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/12000025/1ce88f39d9-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/12000025/1ce88f39d9-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Alanscottwalker","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lathrop_Homes.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Alanscottwalker</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lathrop_Homes.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892438","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_C._Lathrop_Homes","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6306255"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/cook-county/lathrop-julia-c-homes-12000025/"}