Building an Equitable Chicago • February 4, 2025

The Ultimate Guide to Chicago Zoning for New Developers

by Molly Heyen

Screen Shot of Chicago's Zoning Map focused on the greater downtown area.

Introduction:
Navigating zoning regulations can feel overwhelming, especially for new developers in Chicago. But understanding the city’s zoning code is key to finding opportunities, avoiding pitfalls, and getting your projects off the ground. In this guide, we’ll break down the basics of zoning in Chicago, key concepts to understand, and tips for working with zoning approvals.

What Is Zoning and Why Does It Matter?

Definition: Zoning determines how land can be used—residential, commercial, mixed-use, or industrial.
Purpose: To promote orderly growth, ensure public safety, and balance competing needs in the city.
Importance for Developers: Zoning determines what you can build, how high, how dense, and what functions your property can serve.

Chicago Zoning Basics for New Developers

Zoning Code Overview: Chicago’s zoning code consists of districts (e.g., RS for residential, B for business, M for manufacturing) and further subcategories for density or use (e.g., RS-3 for single-family homes).
Key Terms to Know:
- FAR (Floor Area Ratio): Dictates how much building you can have on a given lot.
- Setbacks: The required distance between your building and the property line.
- Special Use Permits: Required for unique projects outside standard zoning rules.
Chicago’s Zoning Map: Learn to read and use the map to identify opportunities. Follow this link to view the map.

Common Challenges New Developers Face with Zoning

Rezoning Delays: The process can take months and requires community and aldermanic approval.
Permitting Obstacles: Missing documentation or misunderstandings of the code can lead to delays.
Community Pushback: Lack of engagement with local residents can derail projects.

Pro Tips for Navigating Chicago Zoning Successfully

Do Your Homework: Review the zoning code and consult the city’s online zoning map for potential sites.
Engage the Community Early: Host listening sessions or meet with local groups to address concerns upfront.
Build a Strong Team: Work with a zoning attorney, architect, or real estate agent familiar with Chicago’s system.
Stay Flexible: Be ready to adjust your plans to align with zoning requirements or community input.

How I Can Help as Your Real Estate Agent

Property Sourcing: I specialize in finding properties that align with your zoning needs and goals.
Navigating Rezoning: I’ll connect you with experts to guide you through the rezoning or special-use permitting process.
Connecting You to Resources: From zoning attorneys to community liaisons, I’ll help you build the team you need to succeed.

Conclusion:
Zoning is a critical piece of the puzzle for equitable developers in Chicago. By understanding the basics, anticipating challenges, and working with a team that knows the landscape, you’ll be set up for success. If you’re ready to explore your next project, let’s connect—I’m here to help you navigate the process every step of the way.

Chicago Neighborhood Story • December 30, 2024

Fuller Park: One of the Smallest Community Areas

by Molly Heyen

Just east of New City is one of the smallest community areas in the city, Fuller Park. Located near the stockyards and the railroads the first residents of the area found work nearby. The neighborhood grew following the Great Chicago Fire since it was still part of Lake Township at that time and did not have as strict building codes as the city adopted in its rebuilding era. The area was annexed in 1889.

During the late 19th century the city was grappling with many public health concerns such as pollution in the lake and river from sewage and the stockyards, illnesses such as respiratory diseases, dysentery, and cholera, as well as poor living conditions and sedentary lifestyles. One of the major pushes to overcome these challenges was to build more parks. In 1869 John H. Rauch published Public parks: their effects upon the moral, physical and sanitary condition of the inhabitants of large cities; with special reference to the city of Chicago. In this piece, he addressed the benefits of public parks and discussed how they can improve public health.

“Parks have been aptly termed ‘the lungs of a city.’ They are emphatically the people’s gardens, – places to which the overtasked laborer and mechanic of the overcrowded city can, with his wife and children, resort to breathe the breath of God’s pure air, inhale the odors of fresh, blooming flowers and enjoy the pleasures of a rural retreat on a larger scale, amid far richer vegetable forms, than in the gardens created by mere private opulence. … I think it is not presuming too much to say that the climate of Chicago may be materially modified, and rendered more equable, by the proper location of parks, and the planting of trees, thereby diminishing the mortality of preventable diseases, and improving the general health.”

Between 1903-1905 the South Park Commission planned and implemented a system of neighborhood parks. Designed by the Olmsted Brothers landscape architects and D.H. Burnham & Co. architects these large parks featured gymnasiums, swimming pools, and the world’s first field houses. Fuller Park is one of these neighborhood parks. Spanning 11.41 acres it has a fountain, swimming pool, playground, sport fields, tennis courts, and a fieldhouse with a kitchen, fitness center, auditorium, and meeting rooms.

Fuller Park has always been an impoverished neighborhood. The stockyards, which served as one of the largest employers in the area, declined in the 1960s and finally closed in 1971. This disinvestment came towards the end of redlining. During redlining the area had a D rating, the lowest rating used. Appraisers gave the area the following description,

“Located between 35th and 63rd, Wentworth to Halsted, a mixed area consisting of foreigners, mostly Lithuanian and Italian. Colored people are on Tremont, between Normal and the railroad. Many railroad yards, shops, etc., are in the area, with a poor class of property adjoining them. Stockyard odors are detrimental when the prevailing wind is from the west; stockyard location is at 43rd to 47th, Halsted to Western. This has a tendency to soften returns and depress sales. Area improved somewhat south of Garfield where there are more single homes. Transportation is not good, especially in the north section. It is better south of Garfield. On Union are many poor frame houses, with a few 2’s; and south of Garfield the situation improves somewhat both as to brick, frames and 2’s. On Lowe are a number of frames, old, in fair condition. 63rd and Halsted is a good business location, ranking with Uptown as an excellent retail section, notwithstanding the class and occupation of the surrounding districts; Sears Roebuck have one of their largest, modern retail stores here. The Gar Wood Industries, Inc., are on 37th west of Wentworth. Another blighted area.”

Today, the area described includes all of Fuller Park and a little bit of New City, Armour Square, Bridgeport, and Englewood. South of Garfield Blvd is Englewood, which, unlike Fuller Park, was a neighborhood that thrived in the first half of the 1900s.

Disinvestment continued in the last half of the 20th century. From 1975-1990 the stockyards area lost over 41% of jobs. In the 1980s the neighborhood received fewer home improvement loans than any other in Chicago and no new housing was built between 1969-2004.

Even with a lack of investment as recently as 20 years ago neighbors continue to work together to improve the area. In 1997 resident Michael Howard learned that Fuller Park contained the highest levels of lead in the city of Chicago. Concerned with the health and safety of his family and neighbors he decided to start by cleaning up the illegal dump site across the street from his home. He acquired the deed to the property and over the course of three years he and his wife worked with hundreds of neighbors and volunteers to clean up the three acre parcel of property that housed mounds of waste over two stories tall. Following the clean up the space was developed with tons of fresh soil, a gazebo, storage sheds, trees, and even a reflecting pond.

The Eden Place Nature Center harks back to the late 19th century ideas regarding the importance of nature and parkland. Founded by Amelia and Michael Howard, the couple has dedicated themselves to giving back to the community. They’ve provided financial literacy programming, job training, and through Eden Place Farms they teach how to farm and connect with nature in an urban setting.

Although the community is still plagued by environmental problems that have developed through its history the work done at Eden Place has made a very big difference in helping Fuller Park move forward.

http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/490.html

https://www.loc.gov/item/agr09002522/

https://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks-facilities/fuller-melville-park

https://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/about-us/history-chicagos-parks

https://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/redlining/map/IL/Chicago/area_descriptions/D72/#loc=15/41.8168/-87.6318&adview=selections&scan=2/64.5484/-119.8828

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuller_Park,_Chicago

https://news.wttw.com/2022/06/16/chicago-tonight-your-neighborhood-fuller-park

http://www.edenplacenaturecenter.org/history.html

Chicago Neighborhood Story • December 6, 2024

Calumet Heights

by Molly Heyen

Nurses and Kitchen Staff from South Chicago Community Hospital

Although Chicago’s history goes back to the 1830s it wasn’t until 1881 when settlement began in Calumet Heights after a rail line was constructed on the west edge of the area. A quarry encouraged more growth, but even decades after the area was annexed to Chicago residential growth remained slow. In the 1920s the area finally saw a growth boom, doubling the population over the 10 year period. However, the great depression slowed it down again and it remained slow until after WWII. The area is still filled with mid-century single-family homes. Most notable are the ones in the neighborhood, Pill Hill. The neighborhood got its moniker because many of the original homeowners moved to the area to work at the South Chicago Community Hospital, now Advocate Trinity Hospital.

Founded in 1895, the hospital has served the area practically since its initial settlement. By 1917 the hospital was nearly bankrupt. However, the Spanish Flu of 1918 gave the community good reason to find ways to keep it afloat. In 1920 Clara Dorothy Schaefer was named superintendent and she famously turned the hospital around, increasing the average annual patient count between 1920-1929 from 700-2,700. Schaefer was hired by Dr. J. V. Kahn, who later wrote her this letter, “When you arrived you found a small hospital, infested with rats, mice and vermin. I thought you would quit the next day, but hoped you would stay. Sufficient help was lacking, and patients had to eat, so besides being superintendent you became exterminator, cook, maid, housekeeper, and what not. You toiled day and night in your effort to clean up the place, give it a good reputation, and live down the public’s ‘slaughter house’ opinion. In a short time you succeeded.” She helped make both the hospital and nursing school a success. Schaefer retired in 1957. In 2014 a park in neighboring South Shore was officially named after her.

Calumet Heights already had an 18.4 acre park of its own. The Jesse Owens Park was established between 1947-1955. Originally called Stony Island Park the Park was renamed in the mid1980s to honor the Olympian Jesse Owens. Although Owens is not from Chicago he made great contributions briefly serving as director of the Chicago Boys Club, the Illinois State Athletic Commission, and the Illinois Youth Commission. The large park offers many amenities to the community. A fieldhouse has a fitness center, meeting rooms, and a green roof garden. A nature garden surrounds the building. Outside there are four baseball diamonds, picnic groves, tennis courts, a field, and, of course, an olympic themed playground.

The area further supports family life by being host to the first and only children’s museum dedicated to teaching African American History, the Bronzeville Children’s Museum.

While the history of Calumet Heights is fairly short compared to many other areas in Chicago it’s also pleasantly stable. The community hasn’t survived without struggle, but having been influenced greatly by the hospital and the settlement of doctors and other white collar workers on Pill Hill has led to a stable middle-class community built through generations of families.

http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/200.html

https://www.advocatehealth.com/about-us/faith-at-advocate/office-for-mission-spiritual-care/clinical-pastoral-education/available-programs/advocate-trinity-hospital#:~:text=Advocate%20Trinity%20Hospital%2C%20founded%20in,serving%2090%2C000%20patients%20each%20year.

https://www.sechicagohistory.org/archive/browse/south-chicago-community-hospital-nurses/

https://www.sechicagohistory.org/archive/browse/south-chicago-community-hospital-nurses-and-kitchen-crew/

https://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks-facilities/owens-jesse-park#History

https://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/April-2010/Calumet-Heights-20-Best-Towns-and-Neighborhoods-in-Chicago-and-the-Suburbs/

Chicago Neighborhood Story • June 14, 2024

Armour Square: Baseball History and a Growing Chinatown

by Molly Heyen

View of Chicago skyline from Ping Tom Park Bridge

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.

View of Chicago skyline from Ping Tom Park Bridge

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.

http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/71.html#:~:text=Armour%20Square%20has%20been%2C%20from,in%20social%20and%20economic%20status.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Side_Park

https://chicagology.com/goldenage/goldenage188/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Cubs

https://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks-facilities/armour-philip-square-park

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_American_Giants

http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/284.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinatown,_Chicago

https://www.chipublib.org/news/stories-we-tell-chinatown-exhibit/

https://drloihjournal.blogspot.com/2023/03/chinatown-history-chicago-illinois.html

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/38a774e5320c4f0e9809fc7d96581127

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn1a51gNUU4

http://www.andrewclem.com/Baseball/Stadium_chronology.html

Chicago Neighborhood Story • May 2, 2024

West Garfield Park: The First Neighborhood with a Report Card

by Molly Heyen

West Garfield Park report card mural. A project by City Bricks.

West Garfield Park started as a village called Central Park, for the large park to the east, and was renamed West Garfield Park in 1881 following the assassination of President James A. Garfield. It was a residential community with most recreation taking place in the park. The park offered a variety of activities. The conservatory houses exotic plants, there are areas for picnics, and a bicycle track. In 1878 a gentlemen’s club was established, on the west side of the park, complete with a race track for horses. By 1888 the club was converted for gambling. This may have not been the best move. Only four years later, in 1892 the track was raided by the police three times. Two police officers were shot in the last raid and the track was shut down for racing.

The space was later used for more family friendly programming including Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. However, it was demolished in the early 1900s for more housing. From what I can tell the border had been from about Madison to Congress and Hamlin to Springfield.

Many policemen moved into the area along Wilcox street, which gave it the moniker Uniform Row. Other new residents came for jobs in the new Sears plant in nearby North Lawndale. The El along Lake street was built in 1893, which caused the commercial district to move along Madison street at Crawford. By 1914 the new commercial district housed department stores, hotels, and movie theaters. It was so vibrant that the proposal to rename Crawford to Pulaski sparked a 19-year long fight.

During its heyday the Madison Street shopping district was one of the busiest in the city, the Marbro Theater was one of the largest, and the Paradise was considered the most beautiful movie house. The Midwest Athletic Club was the tallest building between the Loop and Des Moines, Iowa. The Chicago Bears were founded in 1922 by a West Garfield Park resident, George Halas. He was a coach to the team for 40 years and helped them win six world championships as well as enjoy two undefeated seasons. Good times!

West Garfield Park report card mural. A project by City Bricks.

Like many neighborhoods in Chicago the Great Depression, followed by World War II, and then the rampant segregation of the 1950s played a great part in changing the neighborhood dynamic. Construction of the Congress Expressway displaced many homeowners and effectively cut off the south end of the neighborhood.

In 1959 a black family moved into the center of the neighborhood on the 4300 block of west Jackson Blvd. Two neighborhood groups were formed, the United Property Group and the Garfield Park Good Neighbors Council. The former opposed black homebuyers in the neighborhood and the latter welcomed them.

During the ‘60s the neighborhood suffered the consequences of white flight. Many block clubs and small organizations were formed to help maintain the neighborhood, but it caused the community to look disjointed from an outsider’s perspective. However, there was still a sense of neighborhood within the community. Extended families lived in nearby houses. Homeownership and business ownership was common and the park was well-used as a gathering place for families and kids. However, racial tensions were still rampant and were the catalyst for a riot in 1965.

The fire departments at the time did not hire black people and were considered careless in this neighborhood. When a, possibly drunk, fireman accidentally killed a pedestrian it was the last straw and a large riot ensued, destroying many buildings and causing many white-owned businesses to leave. Rioting took place again only a few years later in 1968 following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The King Riots destroyed over 100 buildings along a two miles stretch of Madison Street, running through East and West Garfield Park. 1968 was also the year the Fair Housing Act was passed after which many black families moved out of the neighborhood too, leaving it vulnerable to drug trafficking and crime.

Although it’s suffered tough times through the second half of the 20th century there has been a continued push for improvement. For example, in 1986 former President Carter and his wife volunteered with Habitat for Humanity to build a four-unit townhouse in the neighborhood. They even lived in the neighborhood at the Guyon Hotel during construction. Unfortunately, even though, families moved in immediately the property ended up falling in disrepair and was torn down in 2010. Even today West Garfield Park is full of community members who are dedicated to building the neighborhood and getting investment in to support businesses in the neighborhood. WTTW has a great documentary about the community. It’s framed after the City Bricks Report Card Mural at 4333 W Madison and discusses the disparity that exists between West Garfield Park and other affluent neighborhoods in Chicagoland. It illustrates the conversations and activities that neighborhors are focused on to figure out how to make things better. They need investment and they need the investment to go to the the community members who are ready to do the work needed to create more opportunities for their neighbors.

At the end of the documentary was a little bonus mention about the next report card mural that they are creating. It’s for North Lawndale and the block they filmed was directly across the street from the property I just sold. When it was listed there was a lot of interest from neighbors who wanted to do a variety of activities with the building, from after school programming to artistic spaces. In the end it was sold to a food pantry, another good thing for a neighborhood of community members who want to give back.

http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1338.html

https://chicagohistorytoday.wordpress.com/2014/07/07/jimmy-carter-habitat-for-humanity-chicago-house/#comments

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRD_NXSEdy8

https://schedule.wttw.com/episodes/562932/We-Witness?tp=b3b07bbd-e600-4236-b343-e7d8294d2079

https://www.domu.com/chicago/neighborhoods/west-garfield-park/history-in-west-garfield-park

https://www.wbez.org/stories/west-garfield-park-past-and-present/381522a4-1a3a-4070-930c-9c1536dc8de2

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/11/3/23918607/west-garfield-park-chicago-business-owner-out-of-the-past-records

https://www.chicagomag.com/city-life/april-2018/what-happened-during-the-west-side-riots-of-april-1968/

https://citybricksreportcard.org/

Chicago Neighborhood Story • February 8, 2024

South Deering: The Largest and Perhaps the Most Industrial Area

by Molly Heyen

Originally referred to as Irondale, South Deering is the largest community area in Chicago. Like many of the south areas industry was the driving factor to bring this community together. In 1875 the Joseph H. Brown Iron and Steel Company located here. They were purchased by International Harvester in 1902, who later merged with Wisconsin Steel and in 1986 the holding company Navistar was created as the successor to International Harvister. Navistar is still one of the largest manufacturers of class 4 to 8 trucks and busses in the United States. Other notable manufacturers that operated out of South Deering include Gold Medal Flour, Illinois Slag and Ballast Company, and the Federal Furnace Company.

Although South Deering was settled by factory workers from Europe only about 20% of the land is residential. 80% is industrial, wetlands, and parks, including Lake Calumet, which is just west of Big Marsh Park. Big Marsh Park used to be a dumping ground for waste and slag from the nearby factories. In 2011 the Chicago Park District acquired the nearly 300 acres of land and opened it as a park in 2016. Due to the pollution plants have a hard time growing in large areas of the park. The park district used that as an opportunity to create eco-recreation areas for activities like hiking, off-road biking, and adventure courses. The trails are “capped” with clay to protect people from the pollution of the former dumping ground. Other areas of the park are being developed to protect the natural habitat and provide spaces for passive recreation.

In 1938 due to a housing crisis the Chicago Housing Authority built a public housing community called Trumbull Park Homes. The Jeffery Manor homes were constructed between 1947-49 for returning WWII vets. The residential neighborhoods were predominantly Jewish. While the community allowed for black people to work at the nearby factories they did not want them living in the area.

Betty Howard, a very light skinned black woman, interviewed for housing at the CHA office in 1953. Being mistaken for a white woman her family was granted housing in the community. They moved in on July 30. White residents promptly protested their new neighbors and tried to force them out of the projects. By August 5 their apartment was attacked by nearly 50 white teenagers with stones and bricks. By August 9 the mob of protestors swelled to one to two thousand people! The family was attacked with violence such as rocks and fireworks. The CHA managed to evict some of the white families who were attacking the Howards and moved in 10 more black families. However, as the debate got heavily underway of whether black families should have the right to move in the police were tasked with keeping humiliating logs of the movement of black residents and even escorted them in and out of the neighborhood, often in a paddy wagon. This is a link to the front page of the Daily Calumet evening edition from August 29, 1953. The Howard family was evicted in 1954 when it was found that Betty was untruthful about her employment on her application. Although the Howards were moved out, a full on riot was avoided, and other black families moved into the neighborhood racial tensions continued through the decade. It wasn’t until 1963 when black residents could openly use a public park in the neighborhood without police protection.

Around this time the Wisconsin Steel plant employed nearly 20% of the neighborhood. Following financial trouble in the late ‘60s it was sold to Envirodyne. Unable to properly operate the plant Envirodyne caused more financial problems and the plant closed in 1980. Meanwhile, the 1970s brought rise to gang violence in the area, as was often seen in neighborhoods with strong racial discrimination.

Between the 1980s and 90s the former steel workers moved out of the neighborhood and gang violence grew among the African Americans and Mexicans who now made up the majority of citizens, 60% to 30% respectively by the year 2000.

Today residents are still living with the aftermath of the steel mill closing and pollution. Closing the mills not only caused job loses and lower incomes, large areas of the earth are irreparably damaged from the steel mills and slag dumps and even today nearby factories continue to pollute the air causing burning sour odors and rotten odors. While there are numerous articles and books about the South Deering area many accounts are short and don’t always capture the whole picture. I know this one doesn’t. Perhaps with more awareness of the full history of the area the community can be more supported from an environmental and social standpoint.

Located in nearby Pullman, the Method Manufacturing Company could be a good case study for the possible future of industry in South Deering. Method is known for its environmentally friendly cleaning products and its LEED Platinum certified factory illustrates their commitment to healthy living. The roof of the factory houses a farm run by Gotham Greens which grows fresh produce for local distribution. Additionally, Method makes it a point to hire from within the community of Pullman.

This type of equitable development could help the community of South Deering both socially and environmentally. It could also be a catalyst for more amenities such as transportation, affordable housing, enjoyment of nature, and accessibility for all.

http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1171.html

https://www.navistar.com/locations/manufacturing#:~:text=With%20approximately%2014%2C500%20employees%20worldwide,and%20buses%20in%20North%20America.

https://www.chicagoriver.org/about-the-river/inside-out-around/story-6-big-marsh-park

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Deering,_Chicago#:~:text=The%20original%20settlement%20of%20South,from%20103rd%20Street%20to%20109th

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=uyzF08JxsTU

https://www.chicagoganghistory.com/neighborhood/south-deering/

https://daily.jstor.org/how-trumbull-park-exposed-the-brutal-legacy-of-segregation/

https://www.sechicagohistory.org/archive/browse/trumbull-park-riots-headline-in-the-daily-calumet-1953/

https://encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/2461.html

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/2/10/23592110/polluters-pullman-innovations-air-quality-pollution-violations

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2022/9/4/23326912/documentary-steel-mills-industry-southeast-side-south-chicago-hegewisch-deering-steven-walsh

https://greatcities.uic.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/CalumetRiverCommunitiesPlan_Web.pdf

Chicago Neighborhood Story • January 4, 2024

The Remarkably Rich Black American History of the Riverdale Community in Chicago

by Molly Heyen

Map of the Underground Railroad pathways through Chicago to Detroit

If you take a drive through Riverdale the area may seem like the city’s castaway. It’s a true food desert, there is very little transportation, no dining options, no hotels, some streets are falling apart even though they are already practically too narrow for one car, and some aren’t paved at all. Each section of Riverdale is very distinctive, from the industrial area in the north, the neighborhoods; Eden Green, Golden Gate, and Altgeld Gardens, to the sliver of residential and industrial land south of the Little Calumet River. From the outside looking in one might never guess that this area is home to some of the richest Black American History, dating back to 1835 when George Dolton settled near Thorton Road (today’s Indiana Avenue) and the river.

He started a ferry business to help people cross that section of the river and it became known as Riverdale Crossing. A few years before he settled there the Underground Railroad had been taking shape and growing to the point that it got its moniker, that was in 1831. While it’s hard to pin down all of the details of the history of the Underground Railroad, due to it mostly being oral history and much of it wasn’t made public until long after it was over and safe to speak about, some of a timeline has been traced to the Riverdale area.

Between 1835 and 1839 Dolton and a small community of abolitionists moved in and they worked together to help thousands of former slaves travel through Chicago to Detroit where they could escape into Canada and be free. One of the people who helped him with this was Levi Osterhoudt, who had a tavern/road house at 133rd and Thorton. In 1842 Dolton and Osterhoudt replaced the ferry with a toll bridge. Other neighbors who helped were Cornelius Kuyper and John Ton. Ton either rented or purchased (it’s unclear) a farm from Dolton in 1849 and in 2022 an Illinois State Historical marker was erected on the site honoring the men.

A fascinating story recounting how they helped was recounted in this Tribune Article

“Kuyper’s actions were recorded by local historian George Brennan in 1923 and are included in McClellan’s report.

A store owner and constable, Kuyper defied his legal obligation to slave catchers. On one occasion, a Kentucky slave owner accompanied by a deputy sheriff and a crew from Chicago came seeking three escaped male slaves the owner valued at $3,000 each. Kuyper led the band of men across the countryside, as far as the Indiana state line and to 87th Street in Chicago. After hours of searching in the rain, the three men were nowhere to be found, Brennan wrote.

Back at his home in Roseland, an apologetic Kuyper fed the men before they journeyed back to Chicago. The slave owner “[thanked] him exceedingly for his kindness, zeal and hospitality” as he said goodbye, Brennan wrote.

Once gone, Kuyper headed to his cellar and shoveled potatoes off a trap door. Out climbed a man. Then, he shook an enormous bail of hay in the barn, and out rolled two more men from the golden straw. He led them inside, and the three men ate in the same kitchen in which their former master had thanked Kuyper moments before.

After the speedy meal, the men hid in his wagon, and Kuyper covered them with corn. They could hardly breathe, Brennan wrote, but stealth was crucial, so Kuyper covered the corn with old sacks. They set off for Riverdale to the Ton farm, the next stop on the railroad, historians said.

Ton then took the freedom seekers across a bridge three blocks from his home and traveled along the “Chicago Road” toward Detroit to drop them at Hohman Bridge in Hammond, where another man would take the escaped slaves to the next stop in the Indiana Dunes.

It was reported later to Kuyper and Ton that the men made it safely to Canada, Brennan wrote.

The high-stakes adventure was routine for the men, historians said.”

The Underground Railroad operated until about 1865, the end of the Civil War.

Meanwhile, in 1837, another neighbor David Perriam settled his land which was called Wildwood. Wildwood was purchased by James Bowen in the 1870s, after he lost his home to the Great Chicago Fire. He built a summer home there where he hosted the Chicago elite. He was also instrumental in the construction of the Cal-Sag canal.

Industry came to Riverdale in the late 1870s with Riverdale Distilling being the first in 1877. The period between the Civil War and WWII was the time of the American Industrial Revolution. Being surrounded by Pullman, Riverdale couldn’t help but be afflicted. The rise of industry continued in the area with the Calumet Paint Company in 1888, which later was sold to Sherwin Williams. The Pullman strikes in 1894 led to new hiring practices and more industry to come to the area. A slight respite for the land occured in the 1920s when Beaubien Woods, a 135 acre preserve with hiking, fishing, wetlands, and woodlands, was added to the Cook County Forest Preserve. However, by the 1940s, through WWII more people worked in Riverdale than lived there.

Following the war’s end in 1945 the Chicago Housing Authority built Altgeld Gardens as low cost housing for returning soldiers, most of whom were black. The Philip Murray Homes followed in 1954. Next came the Golden Gate subdivision, Eden Green, and the Concordia Apartments these were among the first black owned and operated housing developments constructed in the country. Although that is an awesome accomplishment which helped the population grow to over 15,000 segregation was a strong subject at the time. Tensions began to rise between the white community of Pullman and the black community of Riverdale. By the early ‘70s gang violence was on the rise. This often happened in areas of discrimination.

Even in areas of violence there are often amazing people giving back to the community. Hazel Johnson moved to the area with her husband in 1962 and became known as “Mama Johnson” for her help in organizing field trips and block parties. Sadly her husband died of lung cancer in 1969 only a few weeks after his diagnosis. She soon learned of other neighbors experiencing cancer, skin, and respiratory illnesses, including her own children. In researching the environment of Altgeld and nearby areas of the Southeast Side and Northwest Indiana she found it was “housing more than 50 landfills, a chemical incinerator, a water and sewage treatment facility, steel mills, paint factories, scrap yards and abandoned industrial dump sites. Altgeld Gardens itself was built over a former industrial waste dump.” (from the PCR website). Hazel founded the People for Community Recovery (PCR) which led to the Environmental Justice Movement. This movement started in the mid-1980s, only a few years after the City of Chicago finally connected city water and sewage to the area.

Despite its harsh history Riverdale has been a home to heroes from the start and they continue to work hard to make their home and the world a better place. The Urban Growers Collective has a two acre bee sanctuary in Altgeld Gardens. CYC has the Dorothy Gautreaux Child Development Center, named after a civil rights activist who was key in winning class action lawsuits against the CHA for unjust housing practices and segregation. PCR continues to be active, fighting for environmental justice, affordable housing, and equitable economic development. The former Ton farm is now home to Chicago’s Finest Marina, where owner Ronald Gaines helps educate people on the historical significance of the land.

The red line extension is planned to end at Altgeld Gardens, which will finally make public transportation a feasible option. However, being the last stop for a project that hasn’t broken ground yet, there is a lot of time before that will come to fruition. House flippers are rehabbing some homes in the area, which helps, but it needs more than that. This community needs support from the greater community of Chicago. Developers with a strong interest in history and environmental preservation could help the community continue the efforts that have been started.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riverdale,_Chicago

https://www.chicagoganghistory.com/neighborhood/riverdale/

https://www.urbangrowerscollective.org/our-farms

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-underground-railroad-marker-dedication-20220925-pec36x4m7jhpdgvenp665wt4ui-story.html

https://www.chicagoyouthcenters.org/riverdale-altgeld-gardens-dorothy-gautreaux

https://www.metroplanning.org/news/10430/Reconnecting-Riverdale-Community-to-the-Riverfront

https://southsideweekly.com/best-south-side-riverdale-west-pullman-2018/

https://www.nrdc.org/stories/what-gutted-epa-could-mean-chicagos-toxic-doughnut

https://openlands.org/paddle-illinois/african-american-heritage-water-trail/

https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/ct-sta-southland-underground-railroad-st-0213-20170217-story.html

https://www.peopleforcommunityrecovery.org/our-story/legacy

https://fieldguides.fieldmuseum.org/sites/default/files/rapid-color-guides-pdfs/1485_usa_chicagoregion_beaubienwoods.pdf

Chicago Neighborhood Story • November 22, 2023

How WWII Led to the Creation of O’Hare

by Molly Heyen

Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat - Butch O'Hare White F-15 Replica at ORD

The other day WBEZ sent me an email with a headline estimating 290,000 people in Illinois would fly for the holidays this year. Apparently it’s a record number. It’s also very fitting for my subject area today, O’Hare.

Of Chicago’s official 77 community areas O’Hare is number 76. It was the most recent community area of land to be annexed into the city. Edgewater, area 77, was already part of the city when it broke off from the area of Uptown. Although O’Hare was annexed specifically for the airport the area still has a solid residential community of single family and mixed-use homes.

The area of O’Hare was originally settled in the mid-1840s by a few families, a church, and a cemetery. In the 1880s a post office and railroad station opened in the northeastern section, which became known as Orchard Place. However, having a train station did not drive many people to move to the area.

It wasn’t until World War II when the community finally “made the map” and the proximity to trains helped too. Douglas built an aircraft plant on 1,347 acres of land in Orchard Place. While residents of the community raised many concerns as soon as the factory was announced the land was rezoned for industrial use in June of 1942 and construction started soon after. It took 10 months for the world’s largest all timber manufacturing plant to be built and put into operation. Between July 1943 and when it closed in October 1945 the plant produced 655 cargo planes.

Although Douglas no longer needed the plant following the war efforts no time was wasted to keep the facility in use. Civic leaders recognized right away that not only did the plant have potential to become a bustling airport, the area had room for an airport to double in size. Not only that, but the site was well located among current plans for the development of major expressways.

After considering five sites it seemed to be a no brainer to make Douglas Airport the main airport for the city of Chicago. The War Assets Administration ended up giving the 1,080 acre site to the city for free, under conditions that allow the U.S. Army to utilize 200 acres for storage. With much of the desired land in hand, the city began acquiring the adjacent residential and community land to expand the site’s footprint to 3,280 acres.

For a short time, the new airport was called Chicago Orchard (Douglas) Airport, but in 1947 it was renamed to O’Hare in honor of Lt. Cmdr. Edward “Butch” O’Hare. The original name is the reason the airport’s code is ORD, from Orchard.

Although the city owned the airport since 1946 it took another 10 years for it to be annexed. That procedure allowed for city services to run at the site. In 1960 the Kennedy expressway was extended from the Loop to the airport. By 1962 O’Hare Airport was the busiest in the world, a title it held until 1998. Today it remains in the top 4.

While the airport may be bustling, the neighborhood of O’Hare is a relatively quiet community. Surrounded by suburbs it retains a suburban feel. Much of the housing is single family homes and low rise condos. Since the airport attracts all kinds of travelers the neighborhood enjoys a mixture of local dining and entertainment options as well as high-end chains within the neighborhood and in neighboring Rosemont. Those who enjoy outdoor life have plenty to do as well as a vast amount of the land consists of forest preserves.

Since the majority of housing in O’Hare was built before 1978 there are some value add opportunities for investors and the proximity to the airport also provides short term rental opportunities.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_areas_in_Chicago

http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/924.html#:~:text=In%201942%2C%20Douglas%20Aircraft%20took,Butch%E2%80%9D%20O’Hare)

http://www.connectingthewindycity.com/2012/06/chicago-look-back-at-june-9-1942.html

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-ohare-international-airport-development-history-timeline-htmlstory.html

https://www.luc.edu/eminent-domain/siteessays/bensenvilleil/orchardfieldtooharefield/

https://simpleflying.com/behind-the-scenes-chicago-o-hare/#:~:text=From%201962%20until%201998%2C%20Chicago,title%20to%20Atlanta%20Hartsfield%2DJackson.

https://www.neighborhoods.com/neighborhood-guides/il/chicago/northwest/ohare

Chicago Neighborhood Story • October 27, 2023

The Influence of New City’s History

by Molly Heyen

Chicago

BY CARL SANDBURG

Hog Butcher for the World,
Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
Player with Railroads and the Nation’s Freight Handler;
Stormy, husky, brawling,
City of the Big Shoulders:
They tell me you are wicked and I believe them, for I have seen your painted women under the gas lamps luring the farm boys.
And they tell me you are crooked and I answer: Yes, it is true I have seen the gunman kill and go free to kill again.
And they tell me you are brutal and my reply is: On the faces of women and children I have seen the marks of wanton hunger.
And having answered so I turn once more to those who sneer at this my city, and I give them back the sneer and say to them:
Come and show me another city with lifted head singing so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning.
Flinging magnetic curses amid the toil of piling job on job, here is a tall bold slugger set vivid against the little soft cities;
Fierce as a dog with tongue lapping for action, cunning as a savage pitted against the wilderness,
Bareheaded,
Shoveling,
Wrecking,
Planning,
Building, breaking, rebuilding,
Under the smoke, dust all over his mouth, laughing with white teeth,
Under the terrible burden of destiny laughing as a young man laughs,
Laughing even as an ignorant fighter laughs who has never lost a battle,
Bragging and laughing that under his wrist is the pulse, and under his ribs the heart of the people,
Laughing!
Laughing the stormy, husky, brawling laughter of Youth, half-naked, sweating, proud to be Hog Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with Railroads and Freight Handler to the Nation.

New City

If you’ve been following my reports about the areas that saw an increase in closings in 2021 and 2022 you may have learned some of Chicago’s history that is perfectly painted in Carl Sandburg’s poem about the city. Our next area to explore is New City. New City is probably better known for the two neighborhoods that make up the area, Back of the Yards and Canaryville. Of course, his first line in the poem, “Hog Butcher for the World” refers to the Union Stock Yard, which at its peak controlled about ¼ of the Back of the Yards neighborhood.

The Union Stock Yard first opened on Christmas day, 1865 in the town of Lake. While the meat packing industry had previously been centered in Cincinnati southern trade was closed off in that city during the Civil War. At the time Chicago was becoming a central location for shipping due to a strong train system. Ongoing advancements in refrigerator boxcar designs made Chicago an excellent location for the meatpacking industry.

The area was annexed by Chicago in 1889 and developments of workingmen’s cottages sprang up. The area was originally settled by Irish and German butchers. With little access to transportation these workers wanted to live near their jobs. Between 1881-1905 the meatpacking industry saw the most strikes in any industry in the United States at the time, including an 1894 strike supporting the Pullman workers, who we learned about in March. During this time managers found that they could hire Polish workers as strikebreakers. This drove many of the Irish and German workers to move to Englewood and other neighboring areas. You may recall from my July post that in 1905 Englewood enjoyed its most prosperous year.

1906 was the year Upton Sinclair published his book The Jungle in which he describes the working conditions in the stockyards in grotesque detail. The unsanitary conditions were not solely contained within the plants. The entire Back of the Yards community was impoverished and polluted from the start. The nearby branch of the Chicago River is called Bubbly Creek because all of the waste dumped in it from the stockyards has caused it to bubble. These conditions led to gang activity starting with the Irish and German youths and evolving through time as different groups of nationalities moved in and out of the area.

Canaryville wasn’t immune to this either. Settled by clerks, cattle buyers, and managers, it has always strived to be more of a middle class neighborhood. However, a strong gang reputation was also established there.

The great depression hit the area hard and became the catalyst for neighbors to come together to advocate change in the neighborhood. In 1939 the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council (BYNC) was created for this purpose. The organization is still active today, shepherding the area through societal and economic changes.

Increase in highway travel following World War II led to truck transport of meat and less of a need for a central hub. The Union Stock Yard closed in 1971 and has since been replaced with a very active industrial park.

For better or worse New City has been behind a surprising amount of Chicago history and in some ways completely embodies Carl Sandburg’s poem. Upton Sinclair’s book finally caused the US government to inspect the meatpacking plants and as a result enacted the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act. Crooked politicians paid gang members to do dirty tasks and as the kids grew older they followed into careers in politics. The BYNC was used as a model for community organizing across the country.

Today the BYNC continues to offer strong support for the whole community with programming for youths, adults, and seniors. New City is also a priority area for the INVEST South/West program which offers incentives for developers to improve the major commercial corridor at Ashland and 47th. As part of that program a new branch of the Chicago Public Library is being built. Vacant land is also being developed for affordable housing, youth programming, senior living, medical clinics, and park space

Although the two neighborhoods that make up the area are pretty distinct a strong community is very important to the area of New City. An equitable developer would do very well here. There is plenty of room for development and improvements while allowing the community to keep its strong personality. Next time you are in the area in the evening I encourage you to take a drive through Canaryville. I think, in the whole city, it might be the most decorated neighborhood for the holidays, all of them!

Curt Tech & Co. Postcard advertising the stockyards

Chicago Stock Yards (NBY 417615).jpg

Sources:

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/12840/chicago

http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/2218.html

https://interactive.wttw.com/playlist/2018/06/21/union-stock-yards

http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/99.html

https://kb.osu.edu/bitstream/handle/1811/102991/1/Thesis_Porkopolis_Hudson_Nuss.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refrigerator_car

https://www.lib.niu.edu/2006/iht1320636.html

https://interactive.wttw.com/playlist/2020/01/23/the-jungle-food-safety

https://www.chicagoganghistory.com/neighborhood/new-city/

https://bync.org/history

http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/2218.html

https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/invest_sw/home/new-city.html

Chicago Neighborhood Story • September 27, 2023

From Steel Mills to Nature Preserves: The Neighborhood of Hegewisch

by Molly Heyen

Image of a walking path in Hegewisch Marsh Park, Chicago

The furthest southeast neighborhood in the city is Hegewisch. If you don’t know the area you might even think you are already in the suburbs when driving through. According to Wikipedia Hegewisch has more undeveloped land than the other neighborhoods in Chicago. Chicago Cityscape even reports that in 2018 about 17.7% of the area is open space, primarily under conservation and 16.1% is water. Compare that to 8.4% of the land that is populated by single family homes and 2.7% dedicated to the only mobile park in the city of Chicago.

The community was first established by Adolph Hegewisch, president of U.S. Rolling Stock Company in 1883. Much like Pullman he was looking to create a company town. He chose land near the train tracks and had plans to create more waterway connections to encourage other factories to move nearby. Lack of funds kept the canals from being built and the town did not grow as fully as he had hoped.

However, steel mills did establish in the area. By 1935 workers at the mills began to organize for better pay and better working conditions. In 1936 the Steel Workers Organizing Committee, one of the precursors to the United Steelworkers, was formed. In 1937 they signed a contract with Carnegie-Illinois to improve pay and working conditions. Unfortunately, other steel mills did not follow suit. Non-violent demonstrations ensued until Memorial Day when Republic Steel hired off-duty police officers to the demonstration. They opened fire killing 10 and wounding 100s more. It’s called the Memorial Day Massacre.

Steel mills continued to operate heavily through the Vietnam War, after which demand decreased. Mills started closing in Hegewisch and the last one closed in 2001. From the 1980s residents of Hegewisch worked together to establish a library, a Metra stop, and earn a grant to focus on the infrastructure of the community.

The steel mills left a lot of pollution in the neighborhood and clean up continues today. It hasn’t been a smooth ride. In 1994 Donald Schroud purchased land from one of the last steel mills. He had big plans to clean up the area and redevelop it. Although he had a lot of initial support from the city to start a Tribune article from 2020 tells the story of how it never came to fruition and the questions that remain.

Even though there is still a lot of work to do, much has occurred that makes the community truly unique. Part of the community is named Arizona. Not just because it’s so far south in the city, but because its sandy dirt is home to the only native cactus in Chicago! In January of 2022 Chicago Magazine posted a very nice article about the “town”, in what ways make it a strong community, and how the nature that surrounds it helps give it a feeling of being outside of the city.

While there is still a lot of cleanup to do from all of the pollution Hegewisch has seen, a visit to Hegewisch Marsh Park can serve as a great example of what the rest of the land could be. Nestled in 129 acres native wetland and prairie has been restored. The area is part of a migratory flight path of over 325 species of birds and 210 have been recorded as seen in this marshland. Other animals such as turtles, beavers, and deer have also been spotted. Go visit for hiking, birdwatching, fall colors, and snowshoeing. All within city limits! To learn more about nature preserves in Chicagoland check out this blog.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hegewisch,_Chicago

http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/577.html

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/environment/ct-chicago-superfund-toxic-site-20201204-5nqtkvxwhbge3e24tcocftdzuq-story.html

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20130930/hegewisch/citys-last-wild-prickly-pear-cacti-live-secret-on-far-southeast-side/

https://natureinchicago.wordpress.com/2023/03/23/hegewisch-marsh-park-great-birdwatching-and-hiking-and-an-inspiring-story-of-ongoing-environmental-restoration/