A 79-year-old Altgeld Gardens commercial building that has spent years in disrepair despite being designed by noted Chicago architects Keck & Keck could soon begin a new life housing after-school programs and social services.

The nonprofit By the Hand Club for Kids has signed an agreement to buy the privately owned former Altgeld Gardens Commercial Center — residents call it the Up Top building — at 13100 S. Ellis Ave. for $450,000, according to Andraya Yousfi, the group’s chief of partnerships and development.

Helping make the acquisition easier: The Chicago Housing Authority on May 27 agreed to sell 1.24 acres of CHA land surrounding the building — mostly a parking lot that landlocks the structure — to the club for $27,600.

By the Hand Club has been operating in an Altgeld Gardens chu

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