CHICAGO — Lathrop Community Partners, a development partnership between Related Midwest, Heartland Housing and Bickerdike Redevelopment Corp., has revitalized the Julia C. Lathrop Homes public housing project in Chicago. Originally built in 1938 as part of the nation’s New Deal public housing effort, the project now consists of a mixed-income residential property. The rehabilitated North Campus includes the original administration building and updated apartment buildings along the re-activated riverfront. The 35-acre project features 16 buildings. Design firm HED served as the executive architect for Phase I of the redevelopment, which is now open. The firm helped with modernizing historic structures, addressing accessibility challenges and coordinating new technology and HVAC systems. When all phases are complete, Lathrop will comprise a total of 1,116 residences, with 494 units leased at market rates, 222 offered to working families that meet affordable housing guidelines and 400 reserved for Chicago Housing Authority households. The flagship amenity at Lathrop is the five-acre riverfront park, reimagined by landscape architectural firm Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates. The project team also included Farr & Associates, JGMA, McGuire Igleski & Associates and Terra.
