Episode Details

In the latest installment in our series What’s That Building, architecture sleuth Dennis Rodkin shares the story of the Robert Franks Memorial building in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood. Robert “Bobby” Franks was 14 years old back in 1924 when fellow teens Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb killed him and left his body outside of Chicago. The premeditated murder became known as the “crime of the century.” Afterward, Franks’ father put money toward a boys’ club that he thought would have made his son proud. Amazingly, the building still serves boys today with a variety of enrichment programs. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.