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The rail system has been a big part of the Englewood area since the 1850s, when it was known as Junction Grove. The August 1869 edition of The Land Owner described the benefits of the railway, “In point of accessibility to the city, this point is all that could be desired. It is only twenty minutes by either the Chicago and Rock Island or Michigan Southern trains, whose tracks, crossing here, trains are always stopped for a sufficient length of time for passengers to get off or on the cars. The Pittsburgh and Fort Wayne railroad also passes directly through the place, which runs four special trains every day, especially for the accommodation of Englewood. The Rock Island railroad has also put on an accommodation train which runs to Englewood six times a day, thereby greatly increasing the already superior accessibility of this point. All the above railroads sell commutation tickets, at the rate of twenty for $2, making the fare each way only ten cents, the price of a Wabash Avenue or Broadway omnibus. Besides these ways of getting there, it is a very pleasant drive up the avenues and across the prairie.”
The area saw growth following this recognition. The Englewood Times continued to boast about the area in February of 1906. “The year 1905 was the most prosperous Englewood has known, and every indication is that there will be even greater expansion in business throughout the current year.
Recently bank reports show that Englewood financial institutions are among the most successful in the city. One local bank, in fact, paid its stockholders the highest dividends during the year of any national bank in Chicago.
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Engelwood has more and better schools and churches than any community of comparative size in the United States.
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Englewood has a complete retail shopping district of not only small stores but large well-stocked establishments in the hands of competent and enterprising businessmen.”
In 1929 Sears, Roebuck and Company purchased the Becker-Ryan and Company department store at 63rd and Halsted. By then the intersection of 63rd and Halsted was one of the busiest commercial districts in the city, second to State and Madison Sts. Only a few years later Sears opened a brand new five story department store on the site, the first large air conditioned store in the city.
Even in the 1950s this area thrived, bringing in $150M per year around 1958, which is equivalent to about $1.35B in today’s dollars. However, by 1961, nearly 30 years after Sears built it’s state of the art store, Engelwood’s shopping district was looking towards federal funds for rehabilitation.
Unfortunately, Englewood was also a victim to redlining. I found a great map of all of the districts affected by this lending practice. It’s pretty fascinating how much of the city was in the red. This plus the decline of its shopping district at 63rd and Halsted contributed greatly to the decline of the neighborhood. Two department stores, Weiboldt’s and then Sears closed in 1975 and 1976, respectively. Interestingly, the Sears Tower was built in 1970 and opened in 1973 according to Google.
Although the neighborhood was seeing a downturn in the late ‘60s plans and attempts to revive it continued. Robert Weber, Vice President of Englewood’s Chicago City Bank and Trust Co. was optimistic in his 1971 interview with the Chicago Tribune, “The name of the game is not black or white, it’s green. If you have businessmen willing to invest money in your community, to take a chance, then you can survive.” Unfortunately, the 1970s were not kind to the business world of Englewood. Not only did it lose its anchor department stores in the middle of the decade, Richard Drew, the director of the Englewood Business Men’s Association passed away in 1978, and with that left some of the strength of the association.
Another massive blow to Englewood’s economy happened in 1994. Many Green Line stops were shut down for a large rebuild project, but the one at 63rd and Racine never reopened.
However, Englewood might prove to be one of the most resilient neighborhoods in Chicago. National media has continued to put it down, but even today optimism permeates throughout the neighborhood. There are a variety of organizations in and by the neighborhood focused on making it a strong and thriving community. “The commitment to equitable infrastructure principles and practices must be co-designed with and for the benefit of the community that has been ignored.” -Asiaha Butler co-founder and CEO of Resident Association of Greater Englewood (R.A.G.E.) She lists a handful of them in her March 2022 article in Crain’s.
Along with residents working towards improving the neighborhood, there are many incentives available to support property owners and business owners in this endeavor. Englewood still has a long road to travel if it is going to return to its heyday. But even if it doesn’t house the second busiest commercial district in the city again this neighborhood continues to have a strong community dedicated help it thrive.
Sources:
http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/426.html
https://chicagology.com/englewood/
https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=063cdb28dd3a449b92bc04f904256f62
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Englewood,_Chicago
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/equity/englewood-residents-leverage-their-civic-infrastructure
