“There were incidents of vandalism, robberies, and an influx of strangers coming in and out of the abandoned silos,” says Alicia Rocha, a lifelong Pilsen resident.
“The structures were falling apart and were an eye soar for the community,” says Raul Hernandez, another Pilsen resident and TRP board member. “There was a lot of garbage accumulating in the area that created a rat infestation.”
TRP began to work with community members, parishes, and elected officials to have the silos torn down. But even with the silos torn down, the lot remained a challenge for the community. For years,TRP tried to convert the empty lot into a healthy community space.
“We saw an opportunity to reclaim a once-dangerous space for the community,” says Raul Raymundo, CEO of The Resurrection Project.“We wanted to create a new building that would transform the landscape while also creating quality, affordable housing so that families could stay in Pilsen.”
The opportunity became reality late last year, when TRP closed the deal to begin construction on Casa Querétaro.

TRP will celebrate alongside dignitaries, partners, and community stakeholders with a shovel ceremony on February 5, 2015.
Construction of Casa Querétaro is expected to be complete in December 2015, and leasing for the new units will begin in October.The 45 units will be available at below-market rates.
“Casa Querétaro will help keep individuals and families from being priced out of the Pilsen neighborhood,” says Guacolda Reyes,Vice President of Economic Development at TRP.
More importantly, Casa Querétaro will reclaim a once-dangerous empty lot and convert it to a new space where families can live and grow as part of the community. It will remove a dangerous empty space near Orozco Academy, and transform the area with a beautiful new building.
This is a victory for the neighborhood and its years-long fight to convert this space into a new community asset.

Casa Querétaro by the numbers

Return to Nueva Vida January 2015 here.