In 2013, 50 Chicago Public Schools were closed by then Mayor Rahm Emmanual, with the largest number, four, being located in Austin. Low-income areas across the city that already were facing disinvestment, crime, and dwindling opportunities were hit the hardest. These closures removed even more access to necessary resources to the people of Austin. When the former Emmet School (now the Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation (ACWI)), first became available ACT and Westside Health Authority (WHA) knew that this was an opportunity to reclaim what was lost in the community. A rare chance to not only have a physical and permanent space to serve as a reminder of the freedoms that had been taken away, but to also show how the future is shaping up for Austin and the Westside. To further illustrate this point and to drive home what the Aspire Center symbolizes, Juneteenth (6/19/2025) was chosen for the grand opening date.
Community buy in and input was key to the success of this project, in determining what was needed and what this needed to look like. From the start, we worked alongside community members to provide residents with the wraparound resources they need to move from workforce development to building wealth. The community built this for itself, and the Aspire Center stands as a testament to the power of community organizing and collective vision. Built on the efforts of passionate advocates and community trailblazers, this project reflects a legacy crafted by and for the people it serves.
Located at Madison and Central, along two main commercial corridors, ACWI is part of a broader effort to revitalize our local economy and increase home ownership. When residents walk past the building, we want them to feel pride, and when they walk in, we want them to feel supported.
ACWI not only represents visible and physical change, but reclaiming a physical asset in the community serves as a reminder of the hope and the change that is possible, and that it is happening right now. While the Aspire Center is a new structure, it was important that much of the original structure, built in 1893, was preserved. It was key to show an ode to the past while pushing the boundaries forward, reimagining what was once thought possible, challenging the status quo and telling our youth their futures matter, but remembering where we came from.
Decades of disinvestment in the area have brought and shaped radical change, and this day and moment we hope serves as a point of liberation. The northeast corner of Madison and Central Avenue is no longer a reminder of Austin’s inequitable past, but an engine of new opportunities for generations of Austin families. After nearly a decade of planning and imagining, the Aspire Center has opened its doors to the community.
Learn more at https://acwichi.org/