Reading Room Office Hours with Sequane Lawrence: The Robert Taylor Homes
Drop by for a conversation and oral history listening session around the Robert Taylor Homes with former resident Sequane Lawrence.
Join us for the Taylor Street Little Italy Festival
Extended hours on Friday, discounted tours, and more
Photo by Angie McMonigal Photography.
-
National Public Housing Museum, 919 S. Ada Street, Chicago, IL 60607
- Free
National Public Housing Museum: Festa Weekend Hours
Thursday, August 13 | 10 am–5 pm
Friday, August 14 | 10 am–8 pm
Saturday, August 15 | 10 am–5 pm
Sunday, August 16 | 10 am–5 pm
Please allow for extra time when visiting, as portions of Taylor Street outside the museum will be closed for the festival.
Our neighborhood’s summer street festival is happening along Taylor Street next to the museum, August 13–16, 2026, featuring music, food, drink, and more.
Join us for Festa—the Taylor Street Little Italy Festival! Add some history to your weekend by dropping by the National Public Housing Museum to explore family stories from Taylor Street and the Little Italy neighborhood.
Festa Friday
Friday, August 14
Extended hours: museum open until 8 pm
Historic Apartment Tour begins at 6:30 pm
The Jane Addams Homes opened along Taylor Street in 1938, replacing “dangerous and unsanitary” buildings with “modern apartments at modest rents.” Step back in time on a guided Historic Apartment Tour and experience the voices and public housing stories of families who lived here.
In addition to Friday evening, our immersive tours are offered multiple times a day throughout the weekend. Use discount code FESTA to get a special $10 festival weekend price. Get your timed ticket today!
Remembering Taylor Street
Saturday, August 15
12–2 pm
Cool off inside with us! Gather around a big map of the neighborhood and explore the ways in which it has changed across decades of migration, demolition, and redevelopment. As part of this interactive oral history listening and mapping session, visitors are invited to explore a historic neighborhood influenced by immigrants—including Italians—listen to stories from former residents of the Jane Addams Homes, and share their own memories of living in the neighborhood. Free, drop-in.
Our Streets & Our Stories:
Taylor Street, Little Italy, and Beyond
Ongoing
Pick up a self-guided tour and discover stories from Italian American families and artists throughout the museum, from the first residents of the Jane Addams Homes to Frankie Valli, who was inspired to take up singing while he was living in public housing in Newark, New Jersey. Free, drop-in. Pick up the guide at the front desk.
About Festa
Taking place every August, this long-running festival celebrates the legacy of Taylor Street as a hub for Italian immigrants to Chicago. Festa is sponsored by Little Italy Chicago Neighborhood Association and produced by Ron Onesti—who was born on Taylor Street—of Onesti Entertainment.
Upcoming events