Chicago’s workers cottages, built after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, provided affordable, entry-level homes for working and middle-class immigrants. These modest wood-frame homes, with their steep gables and simple details, enabled many immigrants to achieve homeownership for the first time. Today, efforts to preserve these historic structures highlight the ongoing struggle for affordable housing in the city. The cottages' preservation varies across neighborhoods, facing challenges from gentrification and disinvestment. Advocates emphasize the need for policies supporting affordable homeownership to restore the cottages' role as a pathway to middle-class stability.
See "Chicago Workers Cottages Gave Immigrants Access to Homeownership", Zach Mortice, Bloomberg, July 29, 2024