NATIONAL PUBLIC HOUSING MUSEUM NOMINATED FOR USA TODAY READERS' CHOICE "BEST NEW MUSEUM" AWARD

Voting Runs November 24 - December 22, 2025

CHICAGO, Nov. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Public Housing Museum was nominated for USA Today's 10BEST Readers' Choice Awards for Best New Museum, recognizing the institution's long-awaited public opening and its role in preserving stories often left out of the narrative of American history. Voting runs November 24 - December 22, 2025, at 10best.usatoday.com. 

More than 10 million people nationwide have lived in public housing during the past century. When sweeping reforms in the 1990s resulted in the demolition of thousands of public housing units, Chicago residents and community organizers envisioned a place that would safeguard memories, share history, and confront the country's complicated housing policy past. After years of planning and advocacy, the Museum opened in April 2025 in the last remaining building of the historic Jane Addams Homes.

Anchored by art installations and historic apartment tours that tell personal stories from the everyday lives of Jane Addams Homes residents from the 1930s through 1970s, the Museum plumbs the history of public housing. The restored Animal Court features playful stone sculptures by Edgar Miller. The REC Room, curated by Salt-N-Pepa's DJ Spinderella, celebrates musicians who once called public housing home, including Elvis Presley, Curtis Mayfield, Barbra Streisand, and Kenny Rogers. Care to Look displays artifacts preserved during renovation, including mailboxes, an intercom, and medicine cabinet, memorializing the building as a home where people once lived. Outside, Resilient Hues welcomes visitors with vibrant art inspired by paint chips collected from the building after the last residents departed.

For more information, visit www.nphm.org.

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Images Available at Online Media Center

ABOUT NATIONAL PUBLIC HOUSING MUSEUM
Our story starts with a simple truth: that all people have the right to a home. Founded by public housing residents, the NPHM is the first cultural institution dedicated to interpreting the American experience in public housing. Filled with history, memories, music, and art, the Museum is a welcoming community gathering place that honors the stories and experiences of public housing residents. Through partnerships and programs, the Museum also serves as a civic incubator that inspires visitors to take informed action to advance housing justice. www.nphm.org.

SOURCE National Public Housing Museum