Café DuBois

In a ‘15-minute city’, everyone is able to meet most, if not all, of their needs within a short walk or bike ride from their home.

​

The 95th street corridor has experienced decades of disinvestment and as a consequence, residents from this otherwise stable community travel outside of their neighborhood for basic amenities and necessities (i.e., cafes, quality restaurants and grocery, office supply, laundry/dry cleaning, banking institutions, cultural facilities). Community involvement is the core of the design and makeup of Endeleo's corridor revitalization strategy.

 

For over 6 years, we have engaged the community consistently through local technical assistance received from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) that resulted in a Planning Priorities Report for Washington Heights. That research and assessment of the community concluded $198M is pouring out of the neighborhood yearly, as residents leave to find their basic necessities and amenities.  Five years ago, we held four visioning sessions and the guidance received from the community was critical to understanding the community needs for a café and laundromat.

 

We are renovating and expanding the building at 325 West. 95th Street to 3000 square feet of usable space to bring Café DuBois to local residents.  The COVID-19 pandemic, civil unrest, and the plunging economy have taken on this predominantly African-American community. We aim to provide residents with employment opportunities,  a place to meet, create and inspire over a cup of coffee, and laundry services that are easily accessible by walking and biking. Read more about Café DuBois here.