4550 N. Clarendon

Formerly known as "the twin towers," and now named Lakeview Towers, 4550 is located on Clarendon just south of Wilson. The building was built in 1969 as part of a federal program intended to provide affordable housing for low-income housing.

According to a 2001 Chicago Reader article, the twin towers "came to symbolize the surrounding Uptown community--an amalgam of races and religions that included refugees and immigrants from Africa, eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, as well as U.S.-born blacks, whites, and Hispanics."

In that same Reader article, tenant leader, and cab-driver Hugh McGhee explained, "It was always a dream of tenants here to own the buildings. It's not that Voice [of the People] was doing a bad job running it. We just felt we could do a better job because we have so much at stake, living here and all. We talked to the local officials about it, particularly Alderman Helen Shiller. People knew what we wanted."

In January, 2001 The tenant association at Twin Towers had an opportunity to purchase their building. Tenant leaders contacted Alderman Shiller who made calls to HUD officials, and set into process the tenant-purchase of the building.  Getting the tenants the opportunity to purchase the twin towers as a cooperative was just the first step, however. Tenants needed to obtain up-front money.

Shiller and the tenants approached the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (Shiller is on the board of JCUA) and received a short-term bridge loan of $50,000 for the initial earnest money.  The tenants then got together and gathered other upfront moneys amongst themselves.  Shiller then successfully lobbied the state for a $500,000 no-interest loan.

The 500-unit building has been tenant-owned since October, 2001.  In 2006, the building completed a substantial rehab of the common areas.  The building continues to be a model of economic and ethnic diversity as well as a symbol of accomplishment.