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.
Art for All, Posters for the People
Public housing posters from the WPA
Photo by Joe Nolasco.
Exhibition
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The Living Room,
1st floor - Free
“I see one-third of a nation ill-housed, ill-clad, ill-nourished.”
—Franklin D. Roosevelt’s second inaugural address, 1937
No government program has left a more visible legacy on the American landscape than the New Deal’s Works Progress Administration. Along with the construction of hundreds of federally funded buildings, including the Jane Addams Homes, the program employed thousands of artists.
Many of these artists were tasked with creating promotional posters for the programs and social values of the New Deal. In our Living Room space, we have reproduced a collection of WPA posters centered on public housing. Many make the connection between safe, clean, and affordable housing, and other social issues such as health, safety, and crime. They reflect the underlying New Deal philosophy that each type of governmental support does not work in isolation, but rather in tandem with other public goods such as health, safety, education, and art.
Pick up a poster
As part of our commitment to this history, the National Public Housing Museum will also periodically commission new posters for people to take away for free. The first posters celebrate joy, community, and affordable housing and are designed by William Estrada, the Museum’s
2019–2020 Artist as Instigator.
More exhibitions
History Lessons
History Lessons offers intimate glimpses of life in public housing through everyday objects and personal memories.
Project Greenway: A Reimagination of 130th Street
Students share their vision for connected community green space in this exhibition centered on underused land in Altgeld Gardens on the South Side of Chicago.
Exhibition Resources
Additional resources available at the front desk.