A long fight to keep a local single room occupancy (SRO) hotel open is coming to a close.
The Chateau Hotel, a longtime controversial SRO, will officially close doors June 21, after the building was ordered to be vacated in court.
The Chateau, located in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood, has become a symbol of the plight of SROs in the Chicago, as developers renovate the often dilapidated but affordable buildings into market rate apartments and condos.
The Chateau sale was announced in January, but residents protested its closure. The Chateau had long been a source of tension among some area neighbors who felt the building contributed to crime in the area.
Lakeview Action Coalition (LAC) has opposed a string of SRO closures in Lakeview in recent years, which the group says has resulted in massive losses of affordable housing.
LAC wants new Chateau owner Jamie Purcell to maintain low-cost units in the building.
"This housing is so important in keeping people out of homelessness, and we need to make sure that it is replaced in our community," said Norman Kaesberg, a community leader with LAC, in a statement.
Housing advocates have fought to maintain SROs in the city because they tend to cost less than market rate apartments, come fully furnished and do not require security deposits, making them accessible to low-income renters.
Just four people reportedly remain at the Chateau. Prior to sale, the building faced hundreds of code violations. Alderman James Cappleman said some of the safety concerns at the Chateau were "life-threatening." But tenants of the building fought to stay, pointing out that the building was a far better option than the homelessness some residents feared.