{"nrhp_refnum":"81000218","name":"Rosenwald Apartment Building","other_names":["Michigan Boulevard Garden Apts."],"category":"building","location":{"address":"47th St. and Michigan Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chicago","county":"Cook County","state":"IL","lat":41.810250514000074,"lon":-87.62389375999999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1981-08-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A five-story brick walk-up apartment complex at 47th Street and Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, developed in 1929 and also called the Michigan Boulevard Garden Apartments. It was designed by Ernest Grunsfeld, Jr. and includes an older 1901-06 three-story building on the same block.","why_significant":"It was developed under philanthropist Julius Rosenwald to provide sound housing for Black residents and to show that private investment could be drawn to such projects. It was modeled on housing in Vienna and New York's Harlem. Architecturally, its protected interior landscaped courtyard gives all residents security, privacy and play space for children.","narrative":"Built in 1929 at 47th Street and Michigan Avenue in Chicago, this apartment complex was financed by philanthropist Julius Rosenwald, who had led Sears, Roebuck & Co. The five-story brick walk-up, designed by his nephew Ernest Grunsfeld, Jr., was planned for 421 apartments and 16 stores, and now holds 418 apartments and 14 stores. An older three-story building with 33 units completes the block. The buildings ring the site around a landscaped courtyard reached through six archways with folding metal gates. Rosenwald intended the project to provide sound housing for Black residents at a time when few public or private groups built it, and to show that private investors could be drawn to such work. It drew on housing in Vienna and in Harlem. Returns were modest, yet the complex became a model for later housing. Its secure, private courtyard with play areas is its main architectural distinction. The city has operated it since 1973.","period_of_significance":"1929","architect_builder":"Ernest Grunsfeld, Jr.","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and structurally sound, with exterior and semi-public spaces largely intact; needs roof, window sill, sash and tuckpointing maintenance. Owned and managed by the City of Chicago's urban renewal department since 1973.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:34.648475-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/34/8923/28892334/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/81000218.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/81000218/e588937011-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/81000218/e588937011-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Thshriver","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rosenwald_Apartment_Building_2.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Thshriver</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:Rosenwald_Apartment_Building_2.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"12000040","name":"Chicago Park Boulevard System Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/illinois/chicago-park-boulevard-system-historic-district-12000040/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892334","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosenwald_Court_Apartments","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6837465"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/cook-county/rosenwald-apartment-building-81000218/"}