Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Chatham and the Nation of Islam

It isn't widely known but a portion of Chatham as we know it was owned by the nation of Islam. The Chatham Village Cooperatives and the surrounding buildings including the mall are located on land that was once owned by the Nation of Islam. The land was seized by the government and was slated for public housing.

Also, the Nation of Islam has owned numerous building in our neighborhood that include:
Capt Hardtimes formerly Shabazz Bakery
7900 Champlain formerly Sister Clara Muhammed School
Senior Suites 8300 S Cottage formerly Salaam Restaurant
Family Dollar 8400 S Cottage formerly Your Supermarket
7801 S Cottage
I requested pictures from CROE but did not receive a response. So do you feel they have a right to reclaim property they once owned regardless of the circumstance in which they lost it?

3 comments:

  1. I was just thinking about what used to be at the site of the senior suites on 83rd & Cottage Grove. Yeah there was a building there with a decent parking lot. I never knew a restaurant there, but there was a clinic or something like that for many years. Maybe for a while this place found itself vacant.

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  2. I was at the Salaam Restaurant as a kid in '68. It was a new restaurant that had recently been converted from a bank. We were lucky enough to get a tour behind the scenes. The old vault was used for food storage.

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  3. I personally witness the conversion of the bank to the Salaam Restaurant from start to finish and its opening in 1968. Yes, the NOI's had the above business in Chatham, I worked in "Your" Supermarket for a number of years.

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