National Public Housing Museum Announces Grand Opening Weekend Plans in Chicago

First Museum in the Nation to Interpret History of Public Housing Across America Holds Opening Weekend Events April 4-6, 2025

Chicago, Illinois (March 19, 2025) – The National Public Housing Museum today announced plans for its grand opening weekend, set for April 4–6, 2025. The opening marks the completion of an expansive adaptive reuse project of the last remaining building of the Jane Addams Homes at 919 S. Ada Street on Chicago’s near west side. Founded by public housing residents, the Museum is the first institution of its kind dedicated to interpreting the histories and policies that have shaped the experience of public housing across the United States. 

Following an invitation-only ribbon cutting ceremony and reception the morning of April 4, 2025, the Museum will welcome the public in to experience exhibits rooted in personal objects and stories from people who call public housing home, including restored apartments from different generations of Jane Addams Homes residents. 

Throughout Opening Weekend, the Museum offers a variety of special programs to mark the occasion. Admission is free and open to the public, but advance registration is encouraged (and required where noted). The full schedule of events is below, and updates and registration can be found online at www.nphm.org/event/grand-opening-weekend/. 

Open Hours–Free Museum Entry

Be among the first to experience the National Public Housing Museum and explore the story of public housing in America. General admission to the Museum is free, but reservations are encouraged all weekend long:

Friday, April 4, 2–6 pm

Saturday, April 5, 10 am–5 pm

Sunday, April 6, 10 am–5 pm

Historic Apartment Tours

Experience the texture of public housing throughout time by visiting three recreated historic apartments showcasing different families’ experiences at different moments in public housing history between 1938 and 1975. The intimate individual, family and community stories become the lens to understand large national public housing policies and their impact. 

The Historic Apartments can only be experienced through a guided tour led by one of our educators. Space is limited; advance reservations are encouraged. Tickets: $25 adults, $15 seniors, students, and youth; free for Members. 

Schedule of Grand Opening Events and Receptions

As you explore the Museum, drop by our new program and community spaces to enjoy talks, receptions, workshops, and more. Browse the full schedule of Grand Opening Weekend happenings and make reservations for tours and other experiences at nphm.org/event/grand-opening-weekend.  

Friday, April 4, 2025

2:30–3:30 PM 

Power of Place: Meet and Greet

Our opening reception celebrates those who helped to preserve and interpret our largest artifact, the last remaining building of the historic Jane Addams Homes, and our three restored apartments, which invite visitors to experience public housing through intimate individual, family, and celebrating ABLA community stories. 

5–6 PM 

Welcome Home Happy Hour: Dance Party w/ DJ Spinderella

Join our joyous, multi-generational, community of current and former public housing residents, staff, board members, neighbors, artists, musicians and more, on the dance floor for a high-energy celebration of our momentous opening day! Featuring sounds from DJ Spinderella, guest curator of the REC Room, a museum exhibit that celebrates the cultural impact, and diverse history, of public housing artists and musicians. 

Advance registration required for the dance party, as space is limited. 

Saturday, April 5, 2025

11 AM–12 PM 

Demand the Impossible: Arts, Culture, & Public Policy 

Connect with past Artists as Instigators Tonika Lewis Johnson, William Estrada, and Marisa Morán Jahn, along with other creative organizers who inspire our action-oriented Demand the Impossible Advocacy Space, which leverages the power of arts, culture, and storytelling to impact public policy and create more justice for our communities.

12:30–1:30 PM 

Public Housing Stories, Objects, & Style as Resistance

From sofa fabrics wrapped in plastic, to family heirlooms, photos, and stories, this special reception pays tribute to our exhibits and spaces such as Feeling at Home, History Lessons, Good Times, and our Dr. Timuel Black Jr. Recording Studio, each of which highlight how public housing residents across the nation leverage the power of storytelling and self-expression to resist erasure and spread joy. 

3–4:30 PM 

Posters for the People: Screen printing with William Estrada 

Drop by the Living Room to make art with William Estrada, a past Artist as Instigator and founder of the Radical Printshop, and learn about the important history of the Works Progress Administration, which employed thousands of artists, many of whom were tasked with creating promotional posters for the programs and social values of the New Deal. And don’t forget to grab your free poster!

Sunday, April 6, 2025

1–2 PM 

Community, Cooperation, and Resident Empowerment

Connect with members of Corner Store Co-op, Taylor Street Farms, Section 3 businesses, vendors and other local and community partners engaged with our Empowerment Hub programs, which promote solidarity, cooperation, and community wealth-building through initiatives led by, and in partnership with public housing residents and communities.

2:30–4 PM 

Black and Indigenous Love & Solidarity Workshop:

Kitihawa and Jean Baptiste Point du Sable 

Make a poster, and share your own personal love story (or moment of solidarity) as part of this all-ages hands-on workshop led by teaching artist duo, Monica Rickert-Bolter and Joel Rickert.

Inspired by Kitihawa and Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, the inter-ethnic couple who helped to establish the first permanent settlement in Zhegagoynak (the land that we now call Chicago), this workshop extends the exhibit Still Here: Histories of Displacement, and marks the beginning of the Museum’s ongoing work with regional Indigenous communities and public housing residents to co-create our land acknowledgement.

The National Public Housing Museum opens April 4, 2025 at 919 S. Ada Street in Chicago. General admission is free and open to all. Historic Apartment Tours can only be experienced through a guided tour led by a Museum educator, with a limited number of tickets available each day ($25 adults, $15 seniors, students, and youth 6-18 years of age; free for Members). The Museum will be open Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., with Extended Hours on Thursdays until 8 p.m. For more information and to plan your visit: www.nphm.org. 

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Images Available at National Public Housing Museum Media Center

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PUBLIC HOUSING MUSEUM

Our story starts with a simple truth: that all people have the right to a home. Founded by public housing residents, the National Public Housing Museum is the first cultural institution dedicated to interpreting the American experience in public housing. Filled with history, memories, music, and art, the Museum is a welcoming community gathering place that honors the stories and experiences of public housing residents. Through partnerships and programs, the Museum also serves as a civic incubator that inspires visitors to take informed action to advance housing justice. 

(773) 635-9919

info@nphm.org 

nphm.org