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Framed by Chinatown to the north and Guaranteed Rate field to the south Armour Square is a pocket of vast history in Chicago. The majority of Armour Square is a stretch of residences between Chinatown and Sox Park, about one mile long and half a mile wide. Even in that small area there is a wide variety of homes from small apartments, newer condos, townhomes, older houses and new houses, big and small. The neighborhood started to take shape following the Great Fire of 1871. It was south of the fire, but as part of the rebuilding, the city required downtown construction to be of brick or stone. Armour Square was far enough away that wood could still be used in construction. This attracted families that could not afford the higher costs for the “brick area”.
The year 1890 brought the construction of the second South Side Park, often called Brotherhood Park, located between 33rd and 35th and Wentworth west to the train tracks. This ballpark was home to the White Stockings (now the Cubs) for just a few years before they moved out of the neighborhood. By 1900 proposals were made for turning the grounds into a large public park, complete with a lagoon.
1900 was also the year the Chicago White Sox moved to town. They started playing at South Side Park III, just a few blocks south of South Side Park II and just west of the first South Side Park. While Brotherhood Park was never developed into the grand plan with a lagoon it was acquired by the South Park Commissioners who developed 8.98 acres into a fieldhouse with two gymnasiums, an assembly hall, a pool, baseball fields, tennis courts, and a children’s playground. All of these amenities are still a part of what is now called Armour Square Park.
The White Sox played at South Side Park III until 1910 when Comiskey Park was built on the south end of where Brotherhood Park stood. South Side Park III became home to the American Giants, a new team in the Negro League that became a dominant team in the league. They played at that park until 1940 when fire damage caused them to move to Comiskey Park. The area was later redeveloped into the housing projects, Wentworth Gardens.
Approximately one third of the Chinese population in Chicago lives in Armour Square. About twenty five percent of the Chinese population lived in the Loop’s Chinatown, along Clark between Van Buren and Harrison, in the 1890s, but most of them migrated south establishing Chinatown in Armour Square by 1910. A myriad of factors including cheaper rent and racism seemed to drive the population away from the Loop.
The On Leong Merchants Association began developing the area in 1912 with a large mixed use building for housing, retail, and their headquarters. They worked with the architects to make sure the building had a distinct Chinese aesthetic. They then purchased additional 10 year leases to develop the area and establish the new Chinatown. Before the Chinese started establishing their neighborhood Armour Square was largely resided by Italians. Feeling pressure from the Chinese community moving in there was a push to block Chinese from building and leasing in the area. It had to be done through an intermediary. However, the community pressed on and in the 1920s they had about 50 ten-year leases for developing Chinatown. The longest running restaurant in Chinatown, Won Kow, was established in a new building in 1928 and served until 2018, demonstrating the longevity of the Chinatown community. While the Chinatown neighborhoods in other major cities are shrinking Chicago’s is still growing.
Although the neighborhood was growing from the start, it’s said it took about 50 years for Chinatown to become a sizeable neighborhood and it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. Chicago held the 1933 World’s Fair. As the city was celebrating its 100th year since incorporation the fair was called A Century of Progress. The fairgrounds ran along the lake from about Monroe to 35th, making Armour Square practically adjacent to it. While this was a good thing for the Sox who hosted the first MLB All-Star game that summer it wasn’t good for Chinatown which lost about half of its housing to make room for an extended streetcar line along a widened Cermak Road.
Following WWII in the age of redlining and highway construction Chinatown, which like much of the city, received a D grade. The Dan Ryan Expressway was originally meant to cut through Bridgeport, but it was rerouted to east of the mayor’s neighborhood creating a physical divide between white Bridgeport and the Black Belt. It also cut through Armour Square, demolishing more homes in Chinatown and creating a barrier between Chinatown and the rest of the area. Chinatown essentially became an island bordered by the expressway, train tracks, and river, stifling physical growth of a neighborhood that continued to see a large increase in population. The construction also demolished the only neighborhood parks including the fieldhouse. Leaving the neighborhood with no community recreation areas or greenspaces for two full generations.
It wasn’t until 1972 when Chinatown got its first branch of the Chicago Public Library. Previously the bookmobile would come through the neighborhood weekly. Neighborhood advocates pushed for more services and relevant selections in Chinese. Chinatown is now on its third location of a library branch. The 16,000 square foot building is a beacon in the community complete with feng shui design and a rooftop park.
In 1975 the Chinatown Gate was erected at the intersection of Wentworth and Cermak. This gate marks the entry to the oldest and most dense blocks of the neighborhood. Inscribed in large characters it reads, “The world is for all.” The 1980s also brought the founding of the Chinatown Chamber of Commerce as well as the development of Chinatown Square, a two story mall with shopping, dining, and professional services. It has come to serve as a gathering area of the neighborhood for cultural celebrations and performances and it is decorated with 12 statues of the Chinese Zodiac.
While Chinatown pressed on and continued building in the 1980s the Sox were having a hard time. Following 1979’s Disco Demolition Night, a promotional event that destroyed the field and ended in a riot, the losing team was sold to the Reinsdorf group. The team started to win again until the manager was fired and the struggle returned. When Reinsdorf had trouble raising funds for a new ballpark the team was almost moved to Tampa Florida. He managed to get funding at the last minute and the new Comiskey Park was built.
Even though the 1983 Sox uniform was a good and popular design the 1990 rebranding helped turn the team around. Based off of the popular uniforms of the late 1950s, the pinstripes, clean lines, and Old English style lettering was an instant hit among fans who got to preview a couple of potential designs at a neighborhood block party. The rebranding coincided with the timing of rapper Ice Cube leaving the group N.W.A. to go solo. As a solo artist, he was looking for a refreshed style as well. Growing up he was always drawn to Old English fonts, so when the new Sox hat came out with simple white on black Old English lettering he immediately took it on for his own personal branding. That endorsement followed by many other popular rappers choosing to wear the brand helped White Sox merchandise hit number 1 in MLB national sales by August 1991. They started by making 9,000 hats in 1990 and in 1991 demand was so high that they produced 544,000 hats.
The 1990s were good for Chinatown as well. In 1999 development of Ping Tom Memorial Park was completed, over 30 years after the Dan Ryan expressway displaced the parks and fieldhouse in the neighborhood. This nearly 18 acre park along the south branch of the Chicago River connects Armour Square/Chinatown to the South Loop. In 2013 a fieldhouse was built for swimming, a gymnasium, meeting rooms, and a green roof. Ping Tom Park has become a weekend attraction for enjoying nature, picnics, kayaks, outdoor entertainment, and it also houses a Water Taxi stop.
While the early 2000s saw stability in the area, including a White Sox World Series win, the area is facing possible changes again. Just north of Chinatown, in the South Loop, is the largest undeveloped tract of land in downtown Chicago. The 62-acre site is under development and slated to become the newest neighborhood, called the 78. Plans for the 78 are still in development. Creating a riverwalk that connects it to Chinatown has been a steady and welcome part of the concept. The threat to Armour Square is the proposal for the Sox to move out of the neighborhood and into the 78. There is no telling right now whether this idea will take flight, but if it does they will no longer have the title of longest residency in one neighborhood and Armour Square, which has always been a home for baseball, will have to find a good use and draw for the vacated stadium. If it were to happen it would certainly have a very big impact on the area.
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https://chicagology.com/goldenage/goldenage188/
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https://www.chicagochinatown.org/about-us
https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/152857
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disco_Demolition_Night
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_Cube
