Where creativity and neighborhood life converge

Located on Chicago’s South Side in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood, the Dorchester Art + Housing Collaborative brings public housing residents and practicing artists together within a reimagined residential campus. Formerly a 32-townhome Chicago Housing Authority development, the long-vacant buildings were redeveloped by Theaster Gates and Rebuild Foundation in partnership with Landon Bone Baker Architects, with Site Design Group leading the landscape architecture.

The redevelopment includes rehabilitated townhomes and a centrally located Arts Center that serves as a hub for gathering and programming. The landscape was designed to feel both informal and contemplative, offering a range of communal and private outdoor space that remain fully accessible while fostering a sense of security and respite. A restrained hardscape palette of concrete, composite decking, and crushed stone echoes the modern character of the renovated buildings, while native plantings introduce texture and seasonal movement, softening the site overall.