It\u2019s called Jigzibik (JEEG-zeebeek), a Potawatomi word meaning \u201cat the river\u2019s edge.\u201d<\/p>\n
And while not exactly at the edge of the Chicago River \u2013 it\u2019s just a few blocks from the river\u2019s north branch \u2013 this $34 million, 45-unit, seven-storey affordable housing building, through design features, certainly nods in that direction. That\u2019s important because the idea is to reference the area\u2019s traditional Indigenous ties to the river.<\/p>\n
\u201cWater is life for Native Americans,\u201d said Shelly Tucciarelli, a principal driver behind the project. \u201cThe site was very important to us being that close to the river because we\u2019ve always traversed the waterways and that\u2019s where we\u2019ve always settled.<\/p>\n
The building is one of a handful in the U.S. \u2013 and the first in Chicago \u2013 to be purpose built primarily for Native American residents. A land blessing ceremony in July launched construction in the north Chicago neighborhood with an opening date of late 2026 or early 2027.<\/p>\n
Jigzibik had been in the planning stage for six years by the Native American Advisory Council and partner Visionary Ventures, which advocates for Native housing. But with $6 million from the city\u2019s housing department and $2.5 million in low-income housing tax credits, the project is now underway. Organizers are also optimistic about obtaining an affordable housing grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank.<\/p>\n
The seven-storey building has a contemporary style but is distinguished by Native American motifs. Designed by Chicago-based Canopy, whose members are partial to Indigenous themes, its fa\u00e7ade is serrated with all balconies facing east.<\/p>\n Jaime Torres Carmona, Canopy\u2019s founder and himself a member of the Mahica Tribe, said the project combines social housing with cultural relevance.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were lots of conversations about how we could use the building to represent community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n So, the serrated facade is symbolic of nature like a wheat stock with ridges which \u201creaches out like a fan,\u201d he said. The serrations arise from the floorplan and balcony edges.<\/p>\n The building is also positioned to an eastern orientation with all balconies facing that direction.<\/p>\n \u201cIn Native cultures you really use the morning sun as a place to wake up and to recharge your energy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The balconies also allow ceremonial burning of sage. And they have colorful elements symbolizing traditional female jingle attire.<\/p>\n Meanwhile across the front of the building is a blue bunting or wave.<\/p>\n \u201cWe really wanted to lean heavily on this notion of the river as a place for life, longevity and a place for transportation, so it\u2019s really the dynamic element of geography,\u201d Torres Carmona said.<\/p>\n He said staff wondered \u201cwouldn\u2019t it be cool\u201d to incorporate the river motif. Therefore, a wave representing the mouth of the river starts at the building\u2019s entrance.<\/p>\n \u201cThe blue band begins at the front door and then meanders up and splits into two just like how the Chicago River has a north and south branch.\u201d<\/p>\n The contrasting material is masonry brick with blue for the river and beige representing the land \u201cso we could integrate a blue glazed brick with a more matte clay brick,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n As well, Canopy incorporated an Iroquois \u201clonghouse\u201d idea into the top floor community room.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a place where people could have powwows, dances, any kind of ceremonial event or just very simply for people coming together,\u201d the architect said.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a circular aspect to represent the moon and lighting to create a \u201creally beautiful light-dark silhouette to represent the sky.\u201d<\/p>\n The firm\u2019s name, Canopy, also references Native culture. Like a tree made of roots, trunk, branches and leaves all working together, the firm believes in a collaborative process with designers, builders and developers.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody around the table is working in a similar stream of consciousness,\u201d Torres Carmona said.<\/p>\n The oversized A in the logo also may be \u201cinterpreted it as a teepee.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"-\"](\"https:\/\/cc-production-uploads-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Gathering-hall-300x167.png\")