History

Between 1890 and 1920, over 3,500 Greystone residences were erected, creating some of Chicago’s most beautiful neighborhoods. In general, the Greystone building is characterized by its handsome limestone façade frequently decorated with classical ornamental stone details. One notable southeast neighborhood contains the Chicago Landmark Black Metropolis - Bronzeville District. The original name “Black Metropolis” defined the Bronzeville neighborhood as a city-within-a-city, home to many prominent; African American owned and operated businesses and cultural institutions. In the early 20th Century, Bronzeville was one of the premiere centers of African American culture with a fairly affluent middle class. The site of Chicago's version of the Harlem Renaissance was home to many famous African Americans including Gwendolyn Brooks, Richard Wright, Louis Armstrong, Bessie Coleman, Ida B. Wells and Andrew Foster. After a period of decline, today, 47th Street remains the hub of the Bronzeville neighborhood and in recent years has started to regain some of the former glory of years gone by. Major community-driven revitalization efforts are being implemented, mostly by middle-class and entrepreneurial African Americans who value the neighborhood's significance as one of the nation’s landmark districts of African American urban history.

In 2003, Interior Architect and Design Educator, Clemenstien Love, purchased a three-flat Greystone property circa 1903, located in Bronzeville and began personal restoration of the interiors, exterior facades and grounds. Today, the building is comprised of four residential apartments and landscaped gardens. The Greystone Project establishes The Greystone Residence as the first live-in interior architectural “LABORATORY” in Chicago, owned, designed and operated by an African American Woman. The Greystone Residence is a house for living / teaching – a creative “CLASSROOM,” open to the general public for guided tours and educational programs. The Greystone Project identifies the Artist Apartments & Studios as a cultural “FORUM” for African American Women with living/studio accommodations specifically for emerging practitioners to nurture identity and accomplishments in architecture, design, visual arts and literature.