Classic locale gets a nice lift from housing

What Chicago neighborhood has been used for scenes in hit movies like “The Blues Brothers” and “The Fugitive” and is very near where “Barbershop” and “Barbershop 2” were shot?

The Gold Coast? Lincoln Park? Guess again.

South Chicago on the city’s Far Southeast Side is the answer, a neighborhood that has not starred in local new home construction.

Part of Chicago’s sprawling 10th Ward, the city’s largest, South Chicago is a neighborhood of modest homes and mid-rise buildings. It sits astride the once-proud old industrial corridor stretching along Lake Michigan’s southern shore into Indiana.

For more than a century, the neighborhood was home to U.S. Steel’s South Works plant which supplied steel to the nation. At its peak in the 1940s, the plant employed up to 20,000 people, many immigrants from Eastern Europe and Mexico or African-Americans up from the South.

But when the plant closed in 1992 after several decades of declining employment and production, the neighborhood fell on hard times. It has been largely forgotten or ignored in the decade-long housing boom, despite an abundance of vacant land.

Hoping to reverse that pattern, New Homes for South Chicago, developed by Claretian Associates, a non-profit organization established by an order of Roman Catholic priests and brothers, is building houses and two-flats on 25 sites in a 12-block area. It has teamed with South Chicago Workforce, a contractor with mostly neighborhood workers.

The project is a mix of market-rate and subsidized housing and is part of the Department of Housing’s New Homes for Chicago program.

Located in an area between the former South Works property and the historic Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the city’s oldest Mexican-American Roman Catholic congregation, the homes are the first I’ve ever encountered to accommodate the vaulted streets in some of the city’s older neighborhoods.Buyers have a choice of a single house floor plan and one for a two-flat. Both are more functional than stylish, but the simple, straight-forward plans have decent-sized rooms and closets and good traffic flow. Full basements are standard.

These are homes with a high degree of environmental- and energy-consciousness; some of the residences test as much as 30 percent higher in energy efficiency than Energy Star, the gold standard in new construction.

They are built with a number of environment-friendly components including carpet made from recycled plastic food and beverage containers.

And in contrast to a number of urban neighborhoods where a city lot is “maximized” by lot-line-to-lot-line condo buildings, these residences are on oversized lots, in many cases two city lots; so there is plenty of room for a garden or for children to run and play.

“This community is green-space deficient,” said project manager Kathy Kelleher, explaining how the developers won the city’s approval for the oversized yards, a feature she thinks will aid sales.

There are no model homes for prospective buyers to tour; the developer arranges for prospective buyers to visit a finished home or one under construction.

I toured a market-rate, two-story, single-family house on the 9000 block of South Buffalo. Featuring a number of upgrades, including a back deck, additional cabinets in the kitchen, a finished basement and two full bathrooms, one with an oversized shower, the home as shown cost about $185,000.

An entrance bridge connects the vaulted sidewalk to a covered front porch and to the entrance at the side of the house.

Inside the front door, there is small foyer with a coat closet to the left. This entry leads to the 16-by-13-foot living room at the left. To the right of the entry, past the stairs to the basement and second level, is the powder room and the combination kitchen and dining area.

The living room is certainly big enough for a sofa and loveseat combination and it has walls that could accommodate a home entertainment center or big screen television.

To the right of the living room is the study, about 10 by 9 1/2 feet, which could be used as a home office, playroom for small children or a bedroom for those who need to be on one level.

If those aren’t compelling needs and the budget allows, removing the wall between the study and the living room will open up the area across the front of the house, much as the combined kitchen and dining area, about 11 by 21 feet, does at the back.

There are three bedrooms and a bath on the second level. The master bedroom, with a standard cathedral ceiling, is a comfortable 11 by 18 1/2 feet and has a large walk-in closet the width of one end of the room.

The secondary bedrooms are considerably smaller, but also have good closet space. Two small linen closets are in the second floor hallway.

These are no-frills houses, but a good value. And while a bit short on style, the architect and builder provided a couple of nice touches.

Wood baseboard and door trim helps to keep the interior from being sterile. A window in the landing on the stairs to the second floor adds light and opens up the stairwell. And the main floor powder room, though not overly large, is big enough to be converted into a full bath with minimal fuss.

More importantly, especially to buyers on a budget, these are homes that are exceptionally energy-efficient to keep utility bills low.

More Top Picks Braun Series 9 Pro

They are constructed of structural insulated panels (SIPS), a system of thickly insulated wall units that are quite sturdy. High-efficiency gas furnaces and energy-efficient refrigerators and windows are standard.

And, in a sales incentive I haven’t seen in years, the first 12 buyers got free solar panels on the roofs. The photovoltaic panels are not likely to supply enough electricity for all the needs of each home, but they are expected to help reduce utility costs.

They will be monitored by a private organization working with the Department of Energy in a study of urban housing energy usage.

– – –

New Homes for South Chicago

Address: 9108 S. Brandon Ave.

Developer: Claretian Associates

Phone: 773-734-9181

Web: www.claretianassociates.org

Description: 25 residences, single-family or two-flats, in a 12-block urban area. Houses have three bedrooms, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 baths, 1,700 square feet and are base-priced at $165,00. Two-flats are up to 3,400 square feet and are base-priced from $230,000. Some buyers may be eligible for subsidies. Prices as of Jan. 3.

Amenities: All sites are oversized or double lots, with full basements, cathedral ceilings and walk-in closets in master bedrooms. Maytag ranges and refrigerators; hook-ups for dishwasher, washer/dryer and air conditioning. Wrought iron fencing along front yard. Energy Star Home designation for energy efficiency.

Neighborhood: About 30 minutes from downtown Chicago, blocks from the former USX steel mill site. Walking distance to stores, churches and new 93rd Street Metra station.