The Shop Building in Riverdale Proposed for Landmark Designation

The Shop Building at Altgeld Gardens in Riverdale would be designated as an official Chicago landmark under a proposal introduced to City Council today by Mayor Brandon Johnson.

Built at 13100 S. Ellis Ave. in 1945, the Shop Building served as a commercial and organizational hub for the Altgeld Gardens public housing complex. Also called the Up Top Building, the modernist structure was designed by Chicago architect George Fred Keck.

From 1945 to 1951, the building housed the Altgeld Consumer Co-operative, the largest Black-owned co-op in the country, and later, it housed offices for grassroots environmental justice organization People for Community Recovery. Since the late 1960s, an exterior wall has been used as a memorial commemorating community members who have died.

In conjunction with the landmark designation, the building is planned for rehabilitation by By The Hand Club For Kids as part of a $24.3 million community center project. The landmark designation would protect all exterior elevations of the building and the memorial wall.