THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY PUBLISHED ITS FIRST QUALITY-OF-LIFE PLAN CALLED AUSTIN FORWARD. TOGETHER. (AFT) IN 2018. THIS QUARTERLY PUBLICATION DESCRIBES HOW AUSTIN COMING TOGETHER (ACT) IS SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY TO IMPLEMENT AFT AND OTHER EFFORTS. July 8, 2026
AUSTIN FORWARD. TOGETHER. 2026 QUARTER 2
Historic landmark secured on the Westside by Austin Coming Together
THE JOURNEY OF AUSTIN COMING TOGETHER AND THE WALSER HOUSE PAGE B3
ROADMAP: RECLAIMING AN ASSET FOR THE COMMUNITY PAGE B4 THE WALSER HOUSE SAVED BY A WESTSIDE COALITION PAGE B7
Since 2010, Austin Coming Together (ACT) has facilitated collaboration to improve education and economic development outcomes in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood.
Today, we serve a network of 50+ organizations committed to improving the quality of life in the Austin community. Our strategic plan is called Thrive 2025 and outlines how we will mobilize our resources to achieve four impact goals by the year 2025: Quality Early Learning, Safe Neighborhoods, Living Wage Careers, and Stable Housing Markets.
Officers
CHAIR
Larry Williams
Broker, State Farm Insurance
VICE CHAIRMAN
Bradly Johnson
CEO, BUILD Inc.
SECRETARY
Jerrod Williams
Law Clerk, Illinois Appellate Court
TREASURER
LaDarius Curtis
Director of Community Engagement, Greater Chicago Food Depository
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Darnell Shields
Austin Coming Together
Directors
Sharon Morgan
Director of Graduate Support & Community Outreach, Catalyst Schools
Reverend Reginald E. Bachus
Pastor, Friendship Baptist Church
ACT STAFF Naysha Alcala
Data & Systems Analyst
Leadership
Darnell Shields
Executive Director
Research & Evaluation
Andrew Born*
Senior Director of Community Impact
Mia Almond
Research Associate
Operations
Deirdre Bates
Director of Operations
Dearra Williams
Executive Liaison
Londen Mance Office Administrator
Alfred Jackson
Community Liaison/ receptionist
Marsha Williams
Office Clerk
Strategic Initiatives
Sandra Diaz*
Service Delivery Enhancement Manager, Hub @Aspire Center
Emone Moore Engagement Specialist
A House in Austin
Academy of Scholastic Achievement
Austin Childcare Providers Network
Austin Community Family Center
Austin Weekly News (Growing Community Media)
Be Strong Families
Beat the Streets Chicago
Bethel New Life Beyond Hunger BUILD Inc.
By The Hand Club For Kids Cara
Catholic Charities
Chicago Austin Youth Travel Adventures
Chicago Community Loan Fund
City of Refuge
Defy Ventures Illinois
Erikson Institute
Friends of the Children
Friendship Community Development Corp. of Austin
Greater West Town
Community Development
Project
Housing Forward i.c. stars IFF
Tenisha Jones
Executive Management Professional
Reginald Little
Business Development Specialist, Great Lakes Credit Union
Deborah Williams-Thurmond
Founder & CEO, D.W. Provision Consulting Services
Ruth Kimble
Founder & CEO, Austin Childcare Providers Network
Dollie Sherman
Engagement Specialist
Ethan Ramsay* Planning and Investment Manager, Austin Forward Together
Grace Cooper Lead Organizer
Natalie Goodin
Special Projects Manager
Arewa EKUA Community Organizer
Institute for Nonviolence Chicago
Jane Addams Resource Corporation
Kids First Chicago
KRA Westside American Job Center
Learning Edge Tutoring (fka Cluster Tutoring)
Legal Aid Chicago (fka LAF)
Manufacturing Renaissance
Mary Shyrese Daycare
Maryville Academy
Max Komnenich
Associate Principal, Lamar Johnson Collaborative
In Memoriam
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jack Macnamara 1937–2020
FOUNDING BOARD CHAIR
Mildred Wiley 1955–2019
La’Shawna Bundy
Community Land Trust Coordinator
Mary White Community Resource Coordinator
Krys Cano Community Resource Coordinator
Ariel Bland Referral Network Coordinator
Mercy Housing Lakefront
New Moms
OAI, Inc.
Oak Park Regional Housing Center
Open Books
PCC Community Wellness Center
Project Exploration
Renaissance Social Services, Inc.
Sarah’s Inn
South Austin Neighborhood
Association
St. Joseph Services
Marketing & Development
Robbie Gorman* Director of Development
Jon Widell
Marketing and Development Specialist
Sydni Hatley
Marketing and Development Specialist
*Also part of the ACT Leadership Team
Westside Health Authority
West Side Forward
St. Leonard’s Ministries
Stone Community
Development Corporation
The Catalyst Schools
The Journey Forward
The North Avenue District, Inc.
Towers of Excellence
UIC Jane Addams College of Social Work
VOCEL
Worldvision
Youth Guidance District, Inc.
Towers of Excellence
UIC Jane Addams College of Social Work
VOCEL
Westside Health Authority
West Side Forward
Worldvision
Youth Guidance
By Darnell Shields Executive Director, Austin Coming Together
In late June 2026, Austin Coming Together acquired the J.J. Walser House –– the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed residence at 42 N. Central Avenue in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood. The acquisition marks a major preservation milestone for Austin, with ACT taking responsibility for the endangered landmark and guiding its next chapter with community accountability and long-term care.
The home, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1903 for Joseph J. and Grace Walser, is a rare example of Wright’s Prairieperiod residential work in the city of Chicago. It is a designated Chicago Landmark, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is Wright’s only single-family residence on Chicago’s West Side. The Walser House has benefited from generations of stewardship, including nearly five decades of care by Hurley and Anne Teague, who purchased the home in 1970. Following Anne Teague’s passing in 2019, the property entered a period of vacancy and uncertainty, underscoring the need to protect the home and carry forward its legacy.
For ACT and its partners, the acquisition is not only about preserving a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home. It is also about recognizing the Walser House as part of Austin’s future. As steward of the Austin Forward. Together. quality-of-life plan and Austin’s Central Avenue Plan, ACT sees the house as a valuable asset with the potential to anchor the preservation of history, and the opportunity for more cultural and educational experiences along one of the neighborhood’s key corridors. The Walser House was a dot on a map in the Qualityof-life plan back in 2018, and we see this as a full circle moment for the community, and the vision and direction that had been set out for Austin all of those years ago. Further, this acquisition continues the momentum and transformation taking place on Central Avenue, moving the Central Avenue Action Plan fully into implementation, preserving a piece of Austin’s rich history and beginning a journey that mirrors the trajectory of the community.
This moment has been years in the making. Along the way, we have navigated a complex process, outside development pressures, severe weatherization, foreclosure, and a myriad of financial and maintenance hurdles. Through bringing both preservation leadership and a longstanding commitment to Austin, we are ready to usher in the next chapter.
Reclaiming an asset for the community entails a lot of work: stabilization, community engagement, development, in addition to navigating the complexities involved with acquiring a property that has a rich history; it requires time and patience. We are now entering the next phases of this process, after acquisition, and while this process is demanding, we are excited for the opportunity and privilege that has presented itself to restore an iconic home in Austin.
Stabilization is the first critical step. This work focuses on addressing the immediate physical needs of the property to prevent further deterioration while continuing to assess the home’s long-term restoration needs.
Early priorities include weatherproofing the roof to protect the home from elements, working with architects and engineers to develop and execute a plan to support the structural foundation and addressing environmental concerns that resulted from years of deferred maintenance. The stabilization efforts will help ensure the Walser House is protected and prepared for future restoration and reuse. .
The Walser House is more than just an architectural project, reclaiming this asset for Austin is a tool for community equity, furthering the revitalization of Central Avenue, and honoring previous stewards of the property, like the Teague family. The home has tremendous potential to serve as a cultural hub and multi-use space that reflects the needs, history, and aspirations of Austin residents. Additionally, its architectural significance also creates opportunities for tourism associated with the architectural appeal of Frank Lloyd Wright, while preserving and sharing the important history connected to the former resident owners and the Austin community.
This is an exciting and complex adaptive re-use development project that will require strong partnerships, a massive fundraising e ort, and deep community engagement.
The development will occur in multiple phases. ACT is well positioned to lead this project, as the new owner of the home, building on our successes stewarding assets for the community, including the Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation. ACT will ensure this process has community accountability, input, and the longterm care and development that is required. .
The acquisition reflects a broad coalition e ort to move the house from uncertainty into stewardship. The stewardship is a permanent long-term phase of ownership that is unique to an acquisition of this nature. Unlike standard real estate ventures that end when construction finishes, ownership and acquisition of a landmark is an ongoing responsibility. Austin Coming Together is honored to take on this project and maintain, protect, and manage the Walser House to restore it to its former status, and see it become a contributor to Austin continuing to thrive.
With the release of the AFT Highlighted Agenda, ACT is going “on the road!” Our team will be on tour and available to co-host discussions about the new phase of Austin’s AFT quality-of-life plan and its vision and strategy, with block clubs, churches, community organizations, coalitions, etc. Other ways we’ll ensure to update the community on the progress of implementing the Highlighted Agenda are through newspaper sections like this, emails, and social media.
Community Narrative
TASK FORCE CHAIRS
Kenneth Varner
Healthy Schools Campaign
Dearra Williams
Austin Coming Together
Reesheda Nicole Berry
The Kindred Civic Arts Forum
STRATEGY LEADS
Cindy Gray Schneider Spaces-n-Places
Maria Sorrell
Community Resident
Megan Hinchy
Ann & Robert H. Lurie
Children’s Hospital of Chicago
Andraya Yousfi By the Hand Club for Kids
Jai Jones
United Way and Community Resident
Adrienne Otkins Community Resident
Michael Romain The Culture
Keli Stewart Front Porch Arts Center
Imani Lewis Civic Researcher
Kenn Cook Westside Historical Collective
TASK FORCE CHAIR
Roxanne Charles West Side Forward
STRATEGY LEADS
Emily Peters
Jane Addams Resource Corporation
Tina Augustus Community Resident
Melissa O’Dell Defy Ventures
Fanya Buford-Berry Community Resident
Baxter Swilley Community Stakeholder
Ed Coleman Austin Chamber of Commerce
Nikea Banks Community Resident
Education
TASK FORCE CHAIR
Charles Anderson Michele Clark High School
STRATEGY LEADS
Pam Price Director of Parent University
Ruth Kimble Austin Childcare Providers Network
Cata Truss Community Resident
Housing
TASK FORCE CHAIRS
Athena Williams Oak Park Regional Housing Center
Allison McGowan Community Resident
STRATEGY LEADS
Shirley Fields Community Resident
Rosie Dawson Westside Health Authority
Public Safety
TASK FORCE CHAIRS
Langston Harris Project Exploration
Deondre Rutues Rutues Center for Business & People Development
STRATEGY LEADS
Edwina Hamilton BUILD Inc.
Jose Abonce The Policing Project
Ruby Taylor Taproots, Inc.
Youth Empowerment
TASK FORCE CHAIR
Kenya Hawkins Community Stakeholder
STRATEGY LEADS
Aisha Oliver Root2Fruit
Helen Slade Territory NFP
Dollie Sherman Austin Coming Together
Chris Thomas YourPassion1st
Civic Engagement
TASK FORCE CHAIR
Deborah Williams-Thurmond
D.W. Provision
Consulting Services
The journey to rescue the historic JJ Walser House has reached a monumental turning point. The acquisition by Austin Coming Together reflects a broad coalition e ort and marks a critical shift from uncertainty into stewardship.
Without the commitment from a broad coalition: the Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy, Landmarks Illinois, Preservation Chicago, City of Chicago Historic Landmarks Division, Austin Forward. Together, and the Teague Family this historic moment would not be possible. Their work has helped the asset in the hands of the community.
This acquisition reflects years of coordinated e orts to rescue the property from foreclosure and neglect. Civic and community partners, including Fannie Mae and the Community Investment Corporation, worked alongside community stakeholders and preservation partners to secure a pathway for the property’s transfer to ACT so the community can benefit from it.
Moving forward, we are committed to and focused on the long-term stabilization of the home. This is an outcome preservation advocates described as significant for both the landmark and the West Side community. t
We commend Austin Coming Together for its vision and determination to preserve the J.J. Walser House, a nationally recognized architectural and cultural asset on Chicago’s West Side.
KENDRA PARZEN, LANDMARKS ILLINOIS ADVOCACY MANAGER
ACT understands the potential waiting to be unlocked by revitalizing this landmark Frank Lloyd Wright design, celebrating Austin as a destination for notable architecture. The organization’s deep roots in the community mean they know the rich stories the house can tell about how it has changed over time, and what Austin residents envision for its future.
BARBARA GORDON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT BUILDING CONSERVANCY
Austin Coming Together’s acquisition of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Walser House will be transformative for both the home and the community.
WARD
MILLER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF PRESERVATION CHICAGO
