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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.


More exhibitions

A person tends a flower garden in front of a brick high-rise apartment building, an image from the exhibit Living in the Shade

Living in the Shade

Explore the role of open space—large lawns and tenant gardens, paved paths and play spaces, shady seating areas and public art—in creating more livable, healthy, and thriving communities.

A map with a red line and silhouetted figures are projected on a wall

Historic Apartments

Three recreated apartments at the heart of the National Public Housing Museum showcase the stories of diverse families who lived in the Jane Addams Homes.

View from above, a white, purple, orange, and blue geometric mural turns a parking lot into a play space

OOPS & HOOPcycle

Conceptualized by artist Marisa Morán Jahn and architect Rafi Segal, the mobile art installation HOOPcycle offers a reimagined sports experience that challenges norms and unites communities through play.