Shovels in the Ground: LeClaire Courts Breaks Ground as Garfield Ridge Marks a Historic Milestone
By Socialhood News · Garfield Ridge ·
The moment Garfield Ridge has been working toward for years finally arrived on October 13, 2026, when Mayor Brandon Johnson joined the Chicago Department of Housing to break ground on LeClaire Courts North — officially launching construction on what will become 124 new affordable homes on the Southwest Side. The ceremony marked the tangible, boots-on-ground beginning of a larger redevelopment that city officials say will ultimately deliver 725 new homes to the neighborhood.
The groundbreaking caps a years-long financing and planning journey that wound through the Chicago Housing Authority, the City Council, and the Community Development Commission. Earlier coverage tracked each of those milestones — the $27 million CHA loan, the TIF approvals, the permits — but the October 13 ceremony transformed paperwork into reality. For the families who have watched that site sit vacant for years, it was a moment worth showing up for.
The LeClaire Courts site carries deep historical weight in Garfield Ridge. Built in 1950, the original LeClaire Courts was the first integrated low-rise public housing project in Chicago, named for pioneer Antoine Le Claire. It later became the first project in the state to be managed by its residents, in 1987. That legacy of community self-determination makes the new development something more than a construction project — it is, in a real sense, a continuation of a story the neighborhood has been writing for more than 75 years.
The first residential phase — LeClaire Courts North — is part of a $119 million project that will deliver 183 new apartments across the broader site, according to Urbanize Chicago. The city's commitment here is substantial and multi-layered, reflecting an institutional confidence in Garfield Ridge that longtime residents have been pushing for. That the groundbreaking drew the mayor himself underscores how much political and civic weight this project now carries.
While the construction crews are busy on the LeClaire site, the neighborhood's social calendar is full this Saturday as well. The Garfield Ridge Branch of the Chicago Public Library, at 6348 S. Archer Avenue, is hosting three distinct community events today, October 24. "Art in the Library: Families Together" runs from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., offering a rare multi-hour creative space for families to make art side by side. At the same time, Saturday Game Day is running from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. — an all-ages gathering that transforms the branch into a hub of board games and neighborly competition. And for the neighborhood's younger crowd, Tween DIY Crafts runs from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m., giving middle schoolers a hands-on creative outlet right in their own community. All three events are free and open to the public.
Looking ahead, the library's community programming continues to build out the week. On Monday, October 27, the branch hosts "City Work: Learning About Career Opportunities" from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. — a practical session connecting residents to information about employment with the City of Chicago. And on Tuesday, October 28, a Halloween Story Time runs from 11:00 a.m. to noon, just in time for the holiday.
Taken together, the LeClaire Courts groundbreaking and a library packed with free community programming on the same weekend sketch a neighborhood that is moving forward on multiple fronts at once — one historic construction milestone and one Saturday game table at a time. The residents who have been advocating for investment in Garfield Ridge for years have reason to feel that the neighborhood is finally getting the attention it deserves.
If you attended the October 13 groundbreaking ceremony, or if you're heading to the library today for Art in the Library or Game Day, share your photos and reactions on the Socialhood feed. Your neighbors want to see Garfield Ridge's big moments through your eyes.
Sources:
1. https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/mayor/press_room/press_releases.html
2. https://chicago.urbanize.city/neighborhood/garfield-ridge
3. https://www.chipublib.org/locations/31/
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garfield_Ridge,_Chicago