Marques “Merk” Elliston and Cher’Don Reynolds have been friends for decades. They met as kids living in the Cabrini-Green Homes, a former public housing project Near North Side. But as adults, they can’t return to their childhood landmarks: Cabrini-Green was demolished over the course of the early-2000s, displacing several thousand residents. 

This reality hit Reynolds recently when she and Elliston went for a drive. 

“I was passing the building that I was raised in, the building that he was raised in,” she said. “Everything was gone.” 

Now, Elliston and Reynolds want to restore a church in the area and establish a creative hub. 

In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Elliston and Reynolds about Cabrini-Green’s legacy and their dreams for Cabrini Art House.