The 124th publication from Public Collectors uses writing (in an 11 page essay) and photos to tell a familiar Chicago story about low-income housing being torn down to build luxury condos. The process is described from the perspective of living immediately next door to the development.
From the back cover:
I have lived in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood since 2012, when my wife and I bought a nearly one hundred-year-old brick bungalow next to a similarly old brick three-flat. The three-flat was an uncommon example of government subsidized low-income housing in our neighborhood until its demolition in the summer of 2024 to make way for a new five-unit condo building. This booklet details the events leading up to that demolition, including the eviction of our longtime neighbors. It shares photos that I took inside the three-flat before it was torn down, and during the demolition. This publication also tells the story of how neighbors shaped the trajectory of the development that came next by joining together to oppose a different proposal.
To respect the privacy of past and current neighbors, I have left out their names, and the address of the structure and its replacement. I don’t think that makes this story less relevant to people living throughout Chicago, and likely in other parts of the country as well.
Publication Year: 2026
Dimensions: 6 x 8.5", 28 pages
Materials: Paper, staple-bound
Half Letter Press
(Avondale)
Half Letter Press is a publishing imprint and online store initiated by Temporary Services—Brett Bloom & Marc Fischer, who have published booklets as an element of their collaborative work since 1998. Half Letter Press was created to publish and distribute book and booklet length works by themselves and others, and to use this endeavor to build long-term support and expanded audiences for people that work creatively in experimental ways.