Area of Work: Housing Preservation

Client: Historic Chicago Bungalow Initiative

Years of Involvement: 2000 - 2010

Challenge:

To create a program that would provide recognition of the Historic Chicago Bungalow and in doing so encourage citizen purchase and rehab of bungalows in Chicago’s Historic Bungalow neighborhoods.

Approach:

Create a program that combined public relations, marketing and advertising with a financial incentives package that would preserve city assets while providing homebuyers and rehabbers with resources needed to buy and rehab these unique Chicago homes.

Activities (select):

• Creation of both PR strategy and financial package that provides aid to residents across the income spectrum
• Creation, writing and design of all materials, including brochures, newsletters, banners and design guidelines
• Creation, writing and design of website
• Orchestration of media events
• Outreach to aldermen from across the 20-ward Bungalow Belt
• Outreach to all Bungalow Belt Communities (from South Shore to Austin to West Rogers Park)
• Organization of the Historic Chicago Bungalow Expo, including: securing sponsor, vendor and lender participation; advertisement to the home-owning and home-buying public, and media placement relating to the Expo and its workshops
• Expansion of the Historic Chicago Bungalow Expo to the Historic Chicago Bungalow and Green Home Expo
• Creation of local and national media campaign
• Design and publication of finance and design guidelines
• Creation of visibility strategy and materials
• Creation of partnership with banks, vendors, all public institutions and schools
• Creation and marketing of the “Green Bungalow Block”

Accomplishments (select):

• Creation of an integrated PR/financing program that provides recognition of and financing for preservation/purchase and restoration of Chicago’s 80,000 bungalows
• Creation of unparalleled awareness of Chicago’s Bungalows and Bungalow neighborhoods as evidenced by enormous press coverage and the inquiries from more than 100,000 people about the program
• Registration of more than 10,000 Bungalows as certified Historic Chicago Bungalows
• Enrollment of seven banks and 100 businesses as partners in the Bungalow Initiative
• Creation of Green Bungalow Blocks that involve the purchase and rehab of foreclosed homes in four neighborhoods to date
• National historic designation
• Establishment of the Historic Chicago Bungalow Expo which draws more than 10,000 visitors a year
• Draw down of more than $3 million in grant dollars through outreach and media programs
• Raising of more than $150,000 per year to fund the Expo
• Over $4.5 million in energy benefits distributed