Once a shuttered school and empty schoolyard, the former Anthony Overton Elementary School has been transformed into an active, community-driven space on Chicago’s South Side where fifty public schools closed in the country’s largest mass school closure. Overton was left abandoned, when a local entrepreneur and neighborhood activist purchased the site with a bold vision to repurpose it as a hub for innovation, creativity, and community empowerment for the Bronzeville neighborhood.
This session will trace the journey from that initial vision to today’s thriving community space. The Overton School property has evolved organically, shaped directly by the community who uses it. It will highlight the passion and persistence required to convince neighbors that a new future was possible, and the collaborative process of bringing together local artists, landscape architects, architects, and civic leaders to reimagine the space.
The discussion will focus on the community engagement strategies that helped make the transformation successful. It will explore how trust was built, how residents were empowered to define the space’s programming and identity, and how long-term stewardship models are sustaining the site. Participants will leave with the equitable community development tools used during Overton’s transformation, including strategies to prevent displacement and ensure that neighborhood residents benefit from new investment.
