Chicago Bungalow Association

The Historic Chicago Bungalow Association (CBA) was established in 2000 by Chicago’s Department of Housing (DOH) under the mayoral administration of Richard M. Daley. With the goal of preserving Chicago’s roughly 80,000 bungalows (which account for roughly 1/3^rd of Chicago’s single-family housing stock) during a time in which their demolition was increasing, CBA aimed to foster public appreciation for the architectural significance of the Chicago Bungalow, encourage rehabilitation of bungalows in need of repair, and assist bungalow owners with energy efficiency upgrades that adapt their homes to changing climate demands. Very quickly, CBA established itself throughout Chicago as a trusted resource for bungalow homeowners, providing critical financial and educational support for repairs, renovations, and energy efficiency upgrades. By 2015, CBA had reached a membership of 40,000 and had distributed over $10 million in energy-saving grants, leading to the weatherization of more than 4,000 bungalows. That same year, in recognition that the entirety of Chicago’s historic single-family housing stock was in danger of being lost to market forces – not just the bungalow – CBA expanded its membership and preservation efforts to include all single-family homes 50 years and older. Additionally, eligibility for CBA’s energy efficiency programs with utility partners has expanded to all single-family or two-flat homes 30 years and older within all ComEd territory.

In 2022, CBA entered a historic partnership with Southside artist-activist Tonika Johnson to form UnBlocked Englewood. With the larger goal of addressing Chicago’s decades-long history of discriminatory housing practices and the symptoms which still remain as a result, UnBlocked Englewood aimed to revitalize historically exploited African American neighborhoods in Chicago by financially assisting strategic home repairs, beautifying the block with public works of art, and fostering community building – one entire block at a time. With CBA providing a range of home repair services and Englewood Art Collective tasked with beautification efforts, UnBlocked began the initiative on the 6500 block of South Aberdeen Street in Englewood. Now, nearly three years into the initiative, UnBlocked has made critical repairs to 16 homes (two-thirds of the block), assisted residents with purchasing several vacant city-owned lots, and installed both a new mural and block club sign. Taking this bold leap, CBA has helped pioneer an efficient approach to reparative justice in the housing industry which can continue to be used as a tool in addressing Chicagoland’s racial-economic disparities.    

CBA’s model of historic preservation at the ground level – one that empowers homeowners both financially and educationally – has proven its effectiveness over 25 years in successfully preserving thousands of Cook County’s vintage homes, all while fostering economic resilience and bridging historical wealth disparities. Now entering its 25^th year in 2025, CBA boasts over 68,000 members and has distributed over $93 million in energy efficiency grants to 11,975 Cook County vintage homeowners, establishing itself not only as an essential historic preservation effort, but also as an essential resource for vintage homeowners. This model should now be seen as a stable, effective, and replicable approach that can be used by cities with similar preservation and/or empowerment goals.