Lorraine Hansberry House
Frederick J. Nachman, 2017
Lorraine Hansberry drew from this building her inspiration for the widely acclaimed A Raisin in the Sun, which would become the first Broadway production of an African American playwright. Hansberry’s father, Carl, was a real estate developer, and he purchased the building in 1937, against threats of violence, in part to challenge the racially discriminatory housing covenant that precluded his African American family from moving into this neighborhood. The Hansberry family lived in this building from 1937-40, the whole time pursuing a legal challenge that ultimately was decided in a favorable Supreme Court decision. The building was designated Chicago Landmark on Feb. 10, 2010.
Lorraine Hansberry drew from this building her inspiration for the widely acclaimed A Raisin in the Sun, which would become the first Broadway production of an African American playwright. Hansberry’s father, Carl, was a real estate developer, and he purchased the building in 1937, against threats of violence, in part to challenge the racially discriminatory housing covenant that precluded his African American family from moving into this neighborhood. The Hansberry family lived in this building from 1937-40, the whole time pursuing a legal challenge that ultimately was decided in a favorable Supreme Court decision. The building was designated Chicago Landmark on Feb. 10, 2010.
