Marshall Douthard Jr., 19, can picture himself on the expansive balcony of the single-family home that looks out over the Garfield Park neighborhood, a house that he helped build. “Just walking out in a robe, with a cup of coffee in the morning,” he said. “Even in the winter?” I asked. “That’s the best time,” he said. It won’t be his house, but Douthard was envisioning himself living on West 5th Avenue, a street filled with at least a dozen vacant lots and rows of existing houses, where three new homes were recently constructed with the help of about 10 graduates, including Douthard, of the Collins Academy High School in North Lawndale. The guys worked with their onetime football coach, computer science teacher and mentor, Lawon Williams, and architect Bryan Hudson, to design the homes and watch them come together from start to finish — while also occasionally being put to work removing fences and putting up drywall. The project started in early 2020, with Williams recruiting students from the Collins football team. Williams bought vacant lots and fundraised through a nonprofit he started called TechCo Savvy Inc., an after-school program that aims to expose youths age 13 to 20 to jobs in STEM fields. By teaching them about architectural design, Williams is showing the men how to apply science, technology, engineering and math in future careers. “We need to be the change that needs to be done in our community,” Williams said. “Most of the ideology is to get out of the hood, but in theory, (neighborhoods like Wicker Park) were once the hood too. And in designing our community, the thought is to come back to the hood, build in the hood … and be truly invested in the community.” The former students and Williams gave the Tribune a tour of the new home that sold for $600,000 in December. TechCo Savvy Inc. Executive Director Lawon Williams, center, gives a talk to his former Collins Academy High School students as they visit a home under construction, which they all helped design on West 5th Avenue on Jan. 9, 2025. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) Williams describes the homes as “affordable luxury” in a part of the city he calls a “hidden gem area,” one that is centrally located and has nearby transit stops and bike lanes. The homes boast five bedrooms, 4 ½ bathrooms, rooftop decks, front yards, large windows and walk-in closets, all with modern design. One graduate described the home’s stairs as like in “the movies”; another, who works as a barber, said the lighting is particularly good on the second floor for cutting hair; a third said he appreciates how many bathrooms there are because he lives in a house with nine people and two bathrooms. Some of the design elements were intentional. The rooftop balcony was built in lieu of a front porch because of the violence in the neighborhood, Williams said. There are two bedrooms on the bottom floor imagined for college students to have a space to return home to and three bedrooms upstairs, including a primary bedroom and one dubbed the “favorite child room” by Williams. Williams estimates each home cost about $400,000 to build; he foot the bill by raising money from corporate sponsors and putting in much of his own salary. Williams said he resigned from his job at Collins at the end of last year to focus on his nonprofit full time. The homes are nearby Charles Sumner Math & Science Community Academy, an elementary and middle school in Garfield Park that the graduates and Williams attended and one where Williams recruits students for his after-school program. Many of the Collins graduates told the Tribune they had no experience with construction and design prior to working with Williams and are now considering careers related to their project experiences. Former Collins Academy High School students Shaun Goss, from left, Keontay Fox and J’Son Kelton playfully show off kitchen appliances during a tour a house they helped design on Jan. 9, 2025. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) Former Collins Academy High School students tour a house they helped design in the 4200 block of West 5th Avenue on Jan. 9, 2025. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) Edward Mayes, 19, said he expected the construction process to be “way easier.” “I didn’t know about all the materials and costs … and all the phone calls you had to make to get the project and everything done,” Mayes said. Now, Mayes said he can see himself somehow making this a career. Marlon Smith, 19, wants to follow in his mother’s footsteps to be an accountant, a job that will require math skills he honed when budgeting for the development of the homes. Douthard, who pictured himself drinking coffee on the balcony, is pursuing a certificate in construction management. Shaun Goss, 19, is also going back to school to study construction. J’son Kelton, 18, wants to become an educator because of this experience. A trio of newly-constructed single-family homes line the 4200 block of West 5th Avenue Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. The homes were designed by former Collins Academy High School teacher Lawon Williams and architect Bryan Hudson with the help of several Collins graduates. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) Hudson, the owner of SOMA Design Consultants and the architect for the project, said it was a great opportunity for the youths to see the design evolve from concept to a full-scale model. And it is important for them to see Black architects like himself working in the communities that they are from, he said. “A lot of times they … don’t even see (the job) as an option,” Hudson said. “But if they walk up to the jobsite and see you with your hard hat on and your boots and ask, ‘What are you doing?’ And I say, ‘I am the architect,’ they think, ‘I can do this.’” Williams’ goal for the next couple of years is to continue to build new homes on the two vacant lots he owns next door, including one home that he will buy for himself. He also wants to build a community center in the neighborhood with a STEM-focused co-working space, a cafe, a fitness center and sports facilities. The money from the current project’s home sales will go toward future projects, said Williams, who won’t be reimbursed for the money he provided. Of the three adjacent homes, the second house went on the market this month, and the third one will be listed for sale soon. Former Collins Academy High School students Edward Mayes, left, Keontay Fox and Shaun Goss and other former classmates during a tour of a house they helped design on Jan. 9, 2025. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) The graduates said they are proud of their mentor. Keontay Fox, 20, said Williams is a good role model because he came from the same background as the students, and Williams carried out this project, which was his first homebuilding experience. “I couldn’t even imagine all of us in this room right now,” Fox said. “It just feels good and looks good to accomplish this.” [email protected]