Auburn Gresham Victorian Is 2000th Home Remodeled Through Cook County Land Bank

By Atavia Reed, Block Club Chicago | October 7th, 2024 (Click Here For Original Article)

AUBURN GRESHAM — When local developer Tytus Henry bought a home from the Cook County Land Bank Authority to remodel in 2021, he had one request. 

“I wanted it to be a challenging project,” Henry said. 

Standing outside the refurbished Auburn Gresham home Thursday morning, Henry dabbed sweat from his forehead with a small towel while peering up at his creation.

“And this was definitely what I asked for.” 

Local officials and leaders at the Cook County Land Bank Authority joined Henry Thursday to celebrate the completion of the single-family home at 8514 S. Peoria Ave. 

The four-bedroom, four-bath Victorian home is the 2,000th Cook County Land Bank Authority property to be redeveloped in the organization’s 10-year history. 

The Cook County Land Bank Authority bought the vacant property in 2019. The 4,500-square-foot home was built in 1890. 

Henry, owner of Lion Heart Construction, bought the home from the land bank in 2021 for $40,000, he said. He began working on the property at the end of 2022 after completing projects for other investors. 

What followed over the next two years was “blood, sweat, tears and a lot of sleepless nights,” Henry said. 

“Tytus worked to turn this abandoned, dilapidated home into a beautiful place that we stand in today,” said Jessica Caffrey, executive director of the Cook County Land Bank Authority.  “In the process, he created jobs, helped launch careers, created tax revenue and put a jewel right here on this block in Auburn Gresham.”

The house needed to be “built from the ground up,” Henry said. That meant adding new studs, electrical wiring, plumbing, HVAC units and flooring to the four-story home. Henry invested about $225,000 in the property, he said. 

Henry grew up with eight brothers and a father who was a carpenter, he said. His father taught him how to work in the trades to complete construction projects, and knowing those skills “cut down a big cost.”

Along the way, Henry had assistance from local youth in the YouthBuild and Bridge to Construction programs offered through Metropolitan Family Services. 

YouthBuild, an alternative education opportunity for people ages 18-24, and Bridge to Construction, a pre-apprenticeship program, help young people learn occupational skills so they can find well-paying jobs. 

At the Peoria Avenue home, Henry taught youth like 19-year-old Nehemiah Triplett and Keyshawn Shuford carpentry skills like house framing and plumbing and electrical work. Triplett and Shuford learned fence posting and how to pour concrete. 

“He made sure we understood what we were learning and took time to teach us,” Triplett said. “It’s not easy work to build a house, but I kept coming back because I knew it was also building my character and helping me build a career.” 

Triplett hopes to become a real estate agent. Working with Henry “gave me another outlet to help further what I want to do to become better,” Triplett said. 

When Henry finishes a project, “all someone has to do is come in, drop their keys and start living in the house without any headaches,” he said. He puts his “heart and soul” into the process.

Henry added a black-and-white color scheme to the Auburn Gresham home “because everyone is doing gray,” he said. The home features a full slab countertop, a butler’s kitchen and a wall-mounted electric fireplace.

Henry completed renovations on the home last month, he said. A new buyer is closing on the home Friday. 

Thursday’s 2000th home celebration coincided with the release of the Cook County Land Bank Authority’s 10-year Economic Impact Analysis. 

In the past decade, the Cook County Land Bank Authority has created over 1,400 jobs, generated more than $58.1 million in community wealth and added over $1.8 billion in economic impact throughout Cook County, according to the study. 

The homebuyer who bought the Peoria Avenue property will receive $20,000 in purchase assistance from the Cook County Land Bank Authority, Caffrey said. 

“The Lank Bank is the key to reversing some of the historic wrongs that have created such extreme inequities in our city and our county, including here in Auburn Gresham,” said county board President Toni Preckwinkle. “Because when we’re talking about home ownership, we’re really talking about safety and shelter, a place to nurture a family, a way to grow generational wealth that can be passed down to future generations.”

Construction on the Victorian home “was a monster, but it was well worth the journey,” Henry said. 

Meeting local young people who “listened, learned and asked a million questions all day and night” was one of the most fulfilling aspects of the project, Henry said. 

Tierra Montgomery, a Roseland native, was inspired by Henry to start a construction company, she said Thursday.

T&C Infinite Remodeling — named after her sons — launched last month. Montgomery is already completing renovations for a client in Morgan Park, she said.  

“It’s rare to be a woman who owns a construction company, and I want to mentor others the way I was mentored,” Montgomery said. “This is a career I truly love, and there’s no shortage of opportunities for someone like me who has a strong work ethic and big goals.”

Henry has three remodeling projects lined up for homes in Auburn Gresham and Englewood, he said. He hopes to launch a nonprofit called Raising Lions to continue mentoring youth in the construction industry. 

“I hope the future homeowner will feel proud that some young people worked on the house,” said Triplett. “Not only does this house look professional, but they can have a peace of mind knowing that we’re not on the streets. We have our own jobs lined up.”