Chicago Demo

The 124th publication from Public Collectors uses writing (in an 11 page essay) and photos to tell a familiar Chicago story about low-income housing being torn down to build luxury condos. The process is described from the perspective of living immediately next door to the development. 

From the back cover:

I have lived in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood since 2012, when my wife and I bought a nearly one hundred-year-old brick bungalow next to a similarly old brick three-flat. The three-flat was an uncommon example of government subsidized low-income housing in our neighborhood until its demolition in the summer of 2024 to make way for a new five-unit condo building. This booklet details the events leading up to that demolition, including the eviction of our longtime neighbors. It shares photos that I took inside the three-flat before it was torn down, and during the demolition. This publication also tells the story of how neighbors shaped the trajectory of the development that came next by joining together to oppose a different proposal. 

To respect the privacy of past and current neighbors, I have left out their names, and the address of the structure and its replacement. I don’t think that makes this story less relevant to people living throughout Chicago, and likely in other parts of the country as well.

— Marc Fischer / Public Collectors  

Authors
Marc Fischer

Publishers
Public Collectors

Publication Date
2026

Size
6 in x 8.25 inches 
28 pages

Binding & Process
saddle stitched
Digital printing

ISBN
N/A