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Reading Room Office Hours: The Robert Taylor Homes

Installation view of resource room with books on a rail shelf, seating, and a digital screen

with Ron Carter

  • National Public Housing Museum, 919 S. Ada Street, Chicago, IL 60607

  • Free

Drop by and join in a series of civic conversations about the history of the Robert Taylor Homes.

Throughout the summer, join us in the reading and resource room within the exhibition Nathaniel Mary Quinn: A Love Letter to My Mother for conversations, oral history listening sessions, and other programming with residents, scholars, and housing activists.

On May 31, the office hours feature Ron Carter, a former Robert Taylor Homes resident and community organizer. Ron published TRUTH News—Taylor Residents United Towards Harmony—and established the South Street Journal. He served as the Executive Director for The Greater Roseland Organization, the lead organizer for Chicago Area Project, and an organizer for the education advocacy organization, Designs for Change. Ron is working on a new book about Da Hole, a cluster of buildings in the Robert Taylor Homes.

Stick around for Groundwaves Generations! The May 31 office hours coincide with an afternoon of live performances and creative family fun happening throughout the museum. Learn more »

FREE, drop-in.

Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Nathaniel Mary Quinn: A Love Letter to My Mother.

This Robert Taylor Home reading room is made possible by the Department of History at Loyola University Chicago in honor of Professor Brad Hunt.


Office Hours Schedule

Ron Carter
Sunday, May 31, 1–3 pm
Office hours and conversation with Ron Carter, a former Robert Taylor Homes resident and community organizer.

Dr. Brad Hunt
Sunday, June 14, 1–3 pm
Office hours and conversation with Brad Hunt, Professor of History, Loyola University Chicago.

Larry Turner
Saturday, July 11, 1–3 pm
Listening session and conversation with Larry Turner around the legacy of Beauty Turner (1957–2008), a Robert Taylor Homes resident, public housing advocate, mother, journalist, poet, and the namesake of our oral history training program.

Sequane Lawrence
Sunday, August 9, 1–3 pm
Listening session and conversation Sequane Lawrence, former Robert Taylor Homes resident and the President and CEO of Revolution Institute.


Upcoming events

Collage of artifacts, paint chips, flowers, photos of workshops, and a vintage photo of man on horseback in dance regalia.

History Lessons: Osage Nation

Join artist Lydia Cheshewalla, poet Elise Paschen, and members of the Osage Nation for an exhibition opening reception and conversation.

Detail of a piece of fabric being mended with yellow and orange thread

Weaving Our Civic Fabric: Mending Circle

A fiber art workshop, co-presented with Red Line Service.

A diverse group of people gather in a circle to have a discussion

Collective Study Hour: Evidence from the HOPE VI Program

Join us for a series of small group conversations around a new report that examines the long-term impacts of the HOPE VI housing program