chicago neighborhoods project

8/12/2019 Chicago Neighborhoods Project

1/18

Katy Canzone

Hst 240

Englewood

The neighborhood of Englewood, located on Chicagos southwest side, currently

holds a violent reputation. With one of the highest crime rates in the city, the

neighborhood is home to immense poverty. The negative connotation Englewood holds

has developed over years of dramatic downturn within the neighborhood. Englewood was

not always such a bad place to live; in fact it once thrived, serving as a home to some of

the most powerful and most wealthy people in Chicago. Determining what exactly caused

this neighborhood to decompose over the years is not a simple task; the history of this

neighborhood however stands as a model for many other neighborhoods within Chicago

and the study of its demise may help future neighborhoods escape Englewoods dark fate.

Along with many other suburbs, Englewoods history trulybegan after the Great

Fire of 1871; in the years following the fire Englewood was deemed one of Chicagos

fastest-growing suburbs. Englewoods location heavily aided its sharp expansion; with

eight railroad lines converging within its borders Englewood was an ideal location for

stockyard supervisors and company officials. Residents of the neighborhood could take

trains or streetcars to work, send their children to local schools, attend church, and

wander the lavish parks. They were congratulated for living upwind of the Stockyards

and seen as well off by Chicago standards1.

The Chicago Worlds Fair- or The Columbian Exposition- of 1893 also aided

Englewoods expansion. Its close proximity to Jackson Park, the location of the fair,

1Larson, Erik. The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That

Changed America. New York: Vintage, 2004. Print.


2/18

made it ideal for visitors to stay while touring the fair2. Throughout the 1890s almost

100 new hotels were constructed in Englewood, along with markets, shops, and various

other tourism outlets. Young people from around the world were drawn to the

neighborhood for its vast number of jobs and low priced, but affordable homes.

Entrepreneurs saw opportunities to open their shops here and investors saw opportunities

to make money off this new hot spot3. Once the fair ended in October of 1893 the

neighborhood could no longer hide from the Depression that had engulfed the world

around it.

The end of the Worlds fair meant the unemployment of hundreds of people into

the streets of the city. Many flocked to Englewood hoping to get piece of the success it

had experienced in the last decade. The neighborhood however was on the decline,

unemployment shot up along with poverty levels and crime rate4. The dramatic change

this neighborhood experienced sent them into a downward spiral that is still spinning

today.

Englewood developed a different kind of reputation amidst the economic

struggles. Gamblers and gangsters invaded building saloons and roadhouses along South

Broadway in an area known as Orchard Place. Englewood during this time was described

as seven saloons, a grocery store, and two sporting houses. Shootings and knifings

became every day occurrences and the down town area of Englewood was filled with

2

"City of Englewood : Englewood History." City of Englewood : Home. 22 Apr. 2011. Web. 17Nov. 2011. .

3McDonnell, Rosemary. What It Takes: Community Development in Englewood : an ExploratoryUrban Case Study. Chicago, IL, 1999. Print.

4"City of Englewood : Crime Statistics." City of Englewood : Home. 14 Oct. 2011. Web. 17 Nov.2011. .


3/18

cheap liquor, vulgar language, and fancy women. Residents of the area rallied, fighting

for the formation of a city and in 1903 they got their wish. Known for its abundance of

trees the neighborhood adopted the name Englewood which literally means wooden

nook.2

By 1896 the country had elected a new Republican president- McKinely. The

country, Chicago, and Englewood were brought out of the depression and into the years

of the most rapid growth the country has ever seen. Englewood participated in this

growth. They built schools, doctorsoffices, hospitals, an amusement park, and various

other entertainment pubs. Committees transformed Orchard place into a beautiful space

with paved roads and public gardens5. Englewood gained a reputation of close

community and the residents prided themselves on it. When another wave of economic

depression hit the city, Englewood fought to maintain their spirit of hometown

friendliness.

As the country fell into its deepest depression yet, Englewood looked inward for

support. Local grocery stores ran soup kitchens to feed the hungry and hotels opened

rooms after hours for those with no place to sleep. In the 1940s the city backed the

country in support of World War II; during this time however the city saw a decline in

real-estate values6. The buildings were old, close to 40 years, and needed repair however

the materials needed were scarce due to the war effort. Meanwhile the Black Belt

expanded rapidly from the East2.

5Keating, Ann Durkin. Chicago Neighborhoods and Suburbs: a Historical Guide. Chicago:University of Chicago, 2008. Print.

6Stockwell, Clinton E. "Englewood."Encyclopedia of Chicago. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.

.


4/18

The apartment boom in the 1920s provided many low-income residents with

homes. However, the conditions were poor and over-crowded7. As more and more blacks

migrated into the neighborhood, the community transformed. In 1940 Blacks made up

just two percent of the population. This number increased to eleven percent by 1950 and

jumped to 96 percent in by 1970. As black population soared the whites fled along with

the companies they had brought in8. The once infamous shopping district had deteriorated

to almost nothing and restoration projects were unsuccessful. Major department stores

such as Sears and Wiedoldtsleft Englewood and the Chicago State University relocated.

For the first time since its founding, Englewood saw its population decline; from its peak

of 97,000 in 196 it fell to 59,000 in 1980 and then to 40,000 in 20009. The slow decline

Englewoods residents had been desperately fighting since the 1890s was moving faster

than anyone could keep up with and Englewoods fate as a low-income community was

sealed (Hill).

The demographic make up of Englewood by 2000 had changed as dramatically as

its economic. Of the 40,222 residents, 39,352 about 97% were black. Other races

included Asian, Hispanic, and white but none made up even 1% of Englewoods

population. The majority of residents in Englewood in the year 2000 ranged from ages

25-64. About 30,000 of those residents were born in Chicago, while the other 10,000

migrated to the state at some point9.

7

Squires, Gregory D.From Redlining to Reinvestment: Community Responses to UrbanDisinvestment. Philadelphia: Temple UP, 1992. Print.

8Benedict, Lyle A. Chicago Neighborhoods: How to Find Statistics and Other Information onLocal Areas in the Municipal Reference Library. Chicago, IL: Library, 1985. Print.

9"Area 68- Englewood." Chicago FactFinder / Census Data for the City of Chicago. Web. 17Nov. 2011. .


5/18

The neighborhood of Englewood has fought endlessly to preserve the once elite

reputation it had. The introduction of parks, museums, and health care centers represent

the joined effort residents put in to their community. The dramatic economic changes and

even more dramatic population changes doomed Englewood to a fate no community

effort could pull it out of.

The drastic difference of the Englewood we see today and the Englewood that

once was is shocking. This neighborhood has a truly colorful history that is, for the most

part, forgotten. This neighborhood was home to an infamous cereal killer, the cities most

successful railroad owners and corporate managers. Englewood has boomed and crashed

with the peaks and downfalls of the nations economy;as it coasts along this path of

destruction however more and more people are giving up on the neighborhood. The

community organizations are being to crumble and the governor continues to ignore the

true need this neighborhood has for restoration. Englewood will slip away from history

all together if it does not turn around soon.


6/18

The Antioch Haven Homes are located in West Englewood on 63rd

street. As a visitor to

the area this looks like a nice place to live. There are courtyards, walkways, and the area

around it is well kept. The homes were built in 2000 as part of an urban renewal project.

There are 192 units within the homes and are designed for low in-come families. They

are a visual representation of the effort the local government and neighborhood

communities have put in to keeping this space beautiful and keeping this community

united against poverty.


7/18

As I walked down 63rd

I noticed rows and rows of these houses; on either side of

the street and down every cross street. Every house is identical, they almost reminded me

of a stereotypical suburbia. The homes were part of the same urban renewal act that built

the Antioch Haven Homes. These homes were built for middle-income families and are

located to the three best schools in West Englewood. The federal government provides

the financing to maintain these places of residence. Each home has a sizeable back yard

and the walkways between the homes are well kept.


8/18

The corner of 63rd

and Wallace was home to the Nations first documented serial

killer- Dr. H. H. Holmes. As I took this picture residents walking past me cautioned me

against doing so and told me about a curse they believed Dr. Holmes left them with. I

was amazed at the amount of complete strangers that stopped to talk to me about this

corner, this serial killer, and the story he left. I originally took this picture for myself but

after talking with the residents I felt I had to include it. As I read through histories of

Englewood the same phrase kept coming up hometown friendliness and for aneighborhood with so much violence, friendliness was the last thing I expected. Everyone

however was more than willing to stop and talk to me. One man even told me the story of

the haunted post office. I included this picture because it represents how Englewood is

more than its statistics. It is home to some wonderfully friendly people, and wonderfully

terrifying stories!


9/18

Englewoods post office stands as one of the last unifying features of the

neighborhood. The post office is under threat of closing by the government due to itsslow service, lack of adequate employees and low maintenance. One resident I spoke

with was very concerned about the after effects of closing this post office. He believes

that its presence in the neighborhood legitimizes Englewood asa neighborhood and its

removal would be the final breaking point. I have included a picture found on

exlporingillinois.blogspot.com due to the bad picture quality of my personal photo.


10/18

This photo captures the remnants of a community park. The park borders the

newer homes but severely contrasts the quality of their lawns and courtyards. The park

has various parts from a playground as well as benches that have been torn apart. The

walkways are nearly completely covered with leaves and over grown grass and the fence

surrounding the park is covered in graffiti. This park may have been part of the

community effort to beautify during the 1980s after the construction of Cinderella

City; over the years the park has been forgotten however, and stands as a sad

representation of the neighborhoods decline.


11/18

This mural immediately caught my eyes as I walked off the Red Line. This mural

extends along the walls of a freeway over pass and expresses the views of the people.

They show their appreciation for the railroads they are losing and the goals they hope to

fulfill in the future through a more environmentally friendly neighborhood. This portrait

again exemplifies the sense of community the people of Englewood cherish.


12/18

This is the remaining portion of the mural included above. It shows

various types of people- immigrants, laborers, women and children etc. The mural

progresses as you move from left to right, illustrating the words written above. The first

portion shows a very industrialized neighborhood centered around the railroad and as you

move right you see the instruction of greenery, parks, and playgrounds. The mural is

gorgeous, colorful, and tells the story of Englewood through the peoples eyes.


13/18

I was walking down a side street and noticed these strange teepee- like piles of

wood. A man passed by and saw me staring and told me these were the shelters for

homeless people. He explained how during the day the dwellers will abandon them but

come back to them to sleep. He also explained that these shelters are cleared away daily

by various maintenance and trash men but that the homeless always find wood to re-

build. These homes severely contrast the homes I first photographed and are a reminder

that although the government has put money into urban renewal many residents of

Englewood still find themselves living on the streets.


14/18

This is Banneker Elementary School off of Marquette Road. This is one of the

few still standing public schools in Englewood and the center around most urban renewal

projects prosper. The school is well kept and has a better reputation than most in the

neighborhood but this may be due to the fact that it is an elementary school. The lawns

around the school are gardened regularly and the maintenance in and around the school is

looked after regularly. Englewood takes pride in this landmark in the same way it does its

post office, claiming it is one of the few centerpieces holding the community together.


15/18

Signs such as this are placed everywhere around the neighborhood- locals looking

for work and promoting themselves. The sign however has multiple holes punched

through it and almost falls over every time the wind kicks up. Behind and all around the

sign you can see another abandoned area in Englewood one that has been left to over

grow and become home to whoever or whatever passes through. Much of the

neighborhood looks this way- abandoned- with little traces of life. The neighborhood has

been forgotten in a large sense and needs all the aid it can get to restore its life.


16/18

Eric Larson, author of the national best seller, The Devil in the White City, details

the story of architect Daniel H. Burnham and mass murdered Dr. H. H. Holmes. Before

reading this novel one might question the relationship between these two men and their

relevance to anyones life today. Larson lays out his message beautifully in a personal

note, concluding with this profound statement, In the end it is a story of the ineluctable

conflict between good and evil, daylight and darkness, the White City and the Black.

The message Larson hopes to lay out is similar to the message this project will

hopefully lay out. As a student in the year 2011, one might dread doing a project such as

this one, one that forces them to research, to travel, and to interpret statistics. One might

not understand how this project will affect their life or impact the lives of others. As

students in the year 2011 we tend to be ignorant to the point of all this education we are

absorbing.

The neighborhood of Englewood holds one of the most negative reputations of the

77 neighborhoods in Chicago. When one hears the name Englewood they automatically

think of the high crime rates, the high unemployment, and the high poverty. They do not

think back to the success and beauty the neighborhood has held. As a foreigner to the city

one will look at CityCenter Englewood not knowing it was once home to the largest

shopping mall east of the Mississippi; they will stand on the corner of 63rd

and Wallace

not knowing that that was home to Nations first documented serial killer. In the same

sense students in the years ahead will be unaware of what Englewood was like in 2011.

It is important to document these neighborhoods and to learn about their histories

for two reasons: one, so they are not forgotten and two, so we can learn from them.

Larson created a novel that has memorized the nation because its message can and will


17/18

transcend through the years. The themes he writes about are still as present as they were

in the 1890s. The battle between good and evil prevails, as it always will. We cannot

prevent the battle we can simply learn from history and work towards a better future.

Without the sources I have used in this project the history of Englewood would be erased,

and as students it is our job to continue that documentation.

Englewood was home to one of the most magical moments in time. That same

moment is widely forgot from modern history. Englewood needs to be remembered as a

beautiful place not a place of poverty and despair. In a hundred years this neighborhood

may lead again, and if so, its residents will have this project to look back on,

remembering the hardships it has endured.


18/18

Bibliography

"Area 68- Englewood." Chicago FactFinder / Census Data for the City of Chicago. Web.17 Nov. 2011. .

Benedict, Lyle A. Chicago Neighborhoods: How to Find Statistics and OtherInformation on Local Areas in the Municipal Reference Library. Chicago, IL:Library, 1985. Print.

"City of Englewood : Crime Statistics." City of Englewood : Home. 14 Oct. 2011. Web.17 Nov. 2011. .

"City of Englewood : Englewood History." City of Englewood : Home. 22 Apr. 2011.

Web. 17 Nov. 2011. .

"Clearmaps: Crime Indicator." CLEARMAP Chicago Police Department Geographic

Information System. Web. 17 Nov. 2011. .

"History, Mission and Vision."Benjamin E. Mays Academy. 01 Oct. 2010. Web. 17 Nov.

2011. .

Keating, Ann Durkin. Chicago Neighborhoods and Suburbs: a Historical Guide.

Chicago: University of Chicago, 2008. Print.

Larson, Erik. The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That

Changed America. New York: Vintage, 2004. Print.

McDonnell, Rosemary. What It Takes: Community Development in Englewood : anExploratory Urban Case Study. Chicago, IL, 1999. Print.

Moreno, Rich. "The Site of the Infamous Murder Castle."Exploring Illinois by RichMoreno. 6 Apr. 2010. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.

.Pacyga, Dominic A. Chicago: a Biography. Chicago: University of Chicago,

2009. Print.

Squires, Gregory D.From Redlining to Reinvestment: Community Responses to UrbanDisinvestment. Philadelphia: Temple UP, 1992. Print.

Stockwell, Clinton E. "Englewood."Encyclopedia of Chicago. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.

.

chicago neighborhoods project

Documents