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Our mission is to preserve, promote, and propel the right of all people to a place where they can live and prosper—a place to call home.

    Animal Court

    A black and white image from the 1940s shows a courtyard surrounded by brick buildings. In the courtyard, children in swimsuits play in water spraying out from the concrete and climb on stone animal statues surrounding the fountain.

    Photo by Peter Sekaer, 1938–40, Library of Congress.

    Exhibition

    • Alphawood Foundation Sculpture Garden

    • Free

    Animal Court in the Alphawood Foundation Sculpture Garden

    “The biggest one was always home base. I’ve always thought about what it meant to go around through the animal kingdom, and then come back and touch home base. It was a metaphor for how that project development felt like: home.”

    —Rev. Marshall Hatch Sr., Jane Addams Homes, 1962–1974

    Experience the enchanting seven-piece sculpture Animal Court by Edgar Miller, which has been lovingly restored and placed in our courtyard. The sculpture garden is free and open to the public during museum hours.

    These playful animals were an important social hub at the Jane Addams Homes and continue that legacy today, at the museum. Come enjoy a brew from the Corner Store Co-op coffee cart, take your lunch break among the animals or participate in one of our community programs.

    Listen to residents tell their poignant memories of the Animal Court throughout its history.

    Lead support for the Animal Court was provided by the Alphawood Foundation and Denis and Martha Pierce, with additional support from the Terra Foundation for American Art and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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    Exhibition Resources

    Additional resources available at the front desk.

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