When the Chicago Housing Authority was organized in 1937, it hoped to clear blighted, slum areas and replace buildings with public housing up to current standards. This included housing units with modern kitchens and bathrooms. Many old Chicago cottages did not meet these basic standards. This announcement about a tour of slum clearance at Larrabee Street and Chicago Avenue in June 1941, reminds the reader that the houses in this district had sub-standard “under-sidewalk toilets.” Residents had to leave their dwelling to use the toilet set next to the sewers under the grade of the street.

Creator: Chicago Housing Authority
Source: Chicago Historical Society (ICHi-37404)