Font #15

Ruby is inspired by the engraved type above the door of an apartment building on Jackson Boulevard in West Garfield Park. The engraving says “First National Bank,” “Chicago’s Best Landlords,” and also listed 10 sets of initials, which were the initials of the tenants living in the building. The building was owned by a slumlord that for years neglected to make repairs, so the court placed it into receivership. Due to her activism, a judge named tenant Ruby Kirk the receiver since it was perceived that she cared about the building more than the owner did, and she soon after formed a non-profit management company called “Chicago’s Best Landlord, Inc.”

Check out this article by Steven Vance for a little more info: Chicago’s Best Landlords, Inc

First release: October 17, 2024