Dr. Martin Luther Kings visit to Chicago during the Freedom Movement campaign for fair housing made headlines in 1966. The interactive map shows that by the 1950s, Black residents had started to trickle into "grade C" or "yellow-lined" European immigrant neighborhoods on the West and Southeast sides. According to 2009 American Community Survey data, of Chicago's 77 community areas, 68 are home to a population of which at least 50 percent identify with a single racial group. The plan was ostensibly intended to decentralize Black poverty and relocate residents to mixed-income housing in integrated neighborhoods. This is post 1 of 6 in the series FIRSTHAND: SEGREGATION. Two laws in 1947, the Blighted Areas Redevelopment Act and the Relocation Act, helped create the Chicago Land Clearance Commission, enabling the City to raze areas that it deemed blighted without regard for who it would displace. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 7284 is on Western at the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal on October 8, 1953. With yt people spreading almost all across Chicago and changing so much of the neighborhoods cultures and its peoples.. its hard to imagine those areas without them. PDF Housing Segregation in 1950s South Side Chicago - Mr. Barringer'S Weebly Photos of Southside Chicago During Great Migration - My Modern Met along with a sign alerting northbound motorists to stay left of the open running tracks. 10. After that, the streetcars had to use the 77th and Vincennes barn. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA PCC 4262 is on 77th, by the car barn at 77th and Vincennes. But this must be a reroute, since it is definitely after 1949 (the car has advertising on the side) and its running Route 36 Broadway-State. After returning from World War II, American service members brought back memories and souvenirs from the South Pacific. Seen as one of the most massive internal movements in United States history, it was an era that sparked the Harlem Renaissance . A cropped version of this photo ran in one of our earlier posts, but this was scanned from the original negative. In Chicago, most of the South and West sides have 40 to 60 percent of residents living below the poverty level. Striking B&W Photos Capture the Black Experience in 1940s South Side Chicago. IIRC, Jalens Snack Shop, the new occupant, was up and running by the Summer of 54 and for many years after that. (The Census Bureau didn't begin to identify "non-Hispanic whites" as a separate category until 1980, when that group accounted for . Make No Little Plans (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 4044 is on Western at the Douglas Park L on June 22, 1955. Most resided in Humboldt Park with Division Street being the heart of the neighborhood. Streetcars were on rails, so they could maintain such clearances. Chicago's South Side in black & white - Social Justice News Nexus My Auntie Stell and her co-workers, Chicago. 3. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA PCC 4154 is at Waveland and Halsted, the north end of Route 8. 4:51 Public housing was intended to house a mix of working-class and poor families and was welcomed and enjoyed by new residents, according to early testimonies. Southside of Chicago Capital of Black America By Carla Punla Suffered its first postindustrial crisis as the meatpacking industries began to close Robert Taylor Homes was known to be the largest housing project. These have been digitized, and we are now offering over three hours of 1950s traction audio recordings that have not been heard in 60 years. They were simultaneously subject to predatory practices such as contract selling, in which realtors would deceive buyers into signing contracts to buy marked-up houses on installment with high interest rates and no guarantee of title. In the early years of the twentieth century, Chicago was the fastest-growing city in the U.S. Disc Two Western Ave. cars had used the carbarn at 69th and Ashland until it closed. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA PCCs 4103 and 4076 pass each other while crossing the Chicago River on Madison Street. CHICAGO If you think your neighborhood has changed since you first moved in, you should see what it looked like 60 years ago. Riverdale. A wooden Garfield Park L train is nearby, on temporary trackage. South Side Chicago Chicago School Al Capone Al Capone's Chicago home, old Prairie avenue home, 7244 South Prairie Avenue. But by then, the Pullman PCCs were systematically being retired and shipped to St. Louis, where they were scrapped and parts were reused in rapid transit cars. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 7038 is on Western at Van Buren on June 11, 1956. Known as "Bronzeville," the neighborhood was surprisingly small, but at its peak more than 300,000 lived in the narrow, seven-mile strip. He would later say, I have been in the Civil Rights Movement for many years all through the South, but I have never seen not even in Alabama or Louisianamobs as hostile and hateful as this crowd. The Fair Housing Act was passed in 1968. The locality has a violent crime rate of 743 crimes per 100,000 individuals and a property crime rate of 2,830 crimes per 100,000 individuals. 09. Then, Douglas Park L trains used these tracks from 1954-58. I can remember the screeching noises and sparks from when the connectors hit the wires. It costs money to maintain this website, and to do the sort of historic research that is our specialty. Early 1960s: Unequal learning opportunities lead parents in Chicago's South Side to protest public school . To replace workers at local factories, business brought in w. What Time is Halloween Trick-or-Treating in Chicago? South Side, Chicago - Wikipedia The Ugly History Of Racism In Chicago That Persists To This Day African Americans were also denied access to white areas by means less violent, but no less destructive. From the Original Master Tapes # of Discs 1 Clock (in Explore 9/20/09). (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 4004 is on Western at 26th on June 7, 1956. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 4053 at Western and Leland on June 10, 1956. 45 Southside Chicago 1960s Premium High Res Photos After Chicagos incorporation by Yankees in 1837, European immigrants flocked to the city through the early 1900s; Irish, Jewish, Polish, German, Italian, Czech/Bohemian, Swedish, and Lithuanian immigrants among them. The original Little Joes Pizzeria on 63rd Street & Richmond, The original 1960's era White Castle restaurant at South Archer and Kedzie Avenues, in Chicago's Brighton Park neighborhood. South Side 1950s and 1960s Boom Migration and Industrial Decline https://thetrolleydodger.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/pic568.jpg (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 7123 at Western and 69th on January 28, 1954. The light green paint originally used on these cars faded badly and was hard to match. Tom. The comments about the photo at Division and Crosby are confirmed by the street sign at left showing that street to be Burling Street. The date is June 16, 1954. Why is it significant that the play takes place on the South Side of Chicagos position as the hub of a vast railroad system enabled a bustling industrial economy that was teeming with job opportunities in its stockyards, factories, and steel mills. Photo 513 has a pet peeve caption as far as I am concerned. Building new lives in the 'Black Belt' by Alex Q. Arbuckle (opens in a new tab) #535 looks north on Halsted from the L station, this was the main crossroads of the Englewood shopping district. Yusay beer stands out on a lot of the photos. Their early presence is not reflected in our interactive map because the U.S. Census did not accurately track the Mexican population in Chicago during this time period. The conductor then raises the trolley pole onto the parallel wire. The growing Black population eventually formed settlements farther south and up north in isolated and undeveloped areas along the Kinzie rail lines, Roosevelt, and the North Branch of the Chicago River. 5 . Once a separate community, South Chicago began as a series of scattered Native American settlements before becoming a village. There are pictures on my blog, and also in my book Chicagos Lost Ls. Looking back at Chicago in the 1960s and the racial tensions that divided Blacks and Whites, I decided to write a book about that experience. The Southeast Side is a description that the city itself continues to resist, including this neighborhood with all of Chicago's South Side communities. Chicago Southside 1950's by brandon hebblewhite - Prezi The YMCA Hotel, seen in the background, opened in 1916 and closed in 1979. Lost Stores in Chicago - Pinterest This series was produced for WTTWS FIRSTHAND: SEGREGATION, an award-winning FIRSTHAND multiplatform, multi-year initiative focusing on the firsthand perspectives of people facing critical issues in Chicago. 06. Notice While the elevated Chicago Loop is justly famous as a symbol of the city, the fascinating history of its subways is less well known. The South Side's 87th Street, for instance, was a stronghold of Black businesses, particularly during the 1980s. Went to kindergarten there. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 4408 on Western at 66th on July 16, 1951. In its aftermath, white flight from Chicago accelerated. Another fantastic series of photos. The Near North Sides Cabrini-Green complex at one time had 3,606 apartments. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 4096 is westbound on Madison, crossing over the Chicago River. Wonderful shots as usual. Of this, 46.22% are males and 53.78% are females. All Rights Reserved. Riverdale is one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Chicago since 478 crimes are reported annually in a small population of just 13,000 people. The State Street Subway The South Side has been home to some of the most significant figures in the history of American politics. The Trolley Dodger On the Air (2) As can be seen from each side of the street in this photo, Western Ave. was auto dealer row for a mile or so to either side of 63rd St. https://thetrolleydodger.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/pic555.jpg With maybe at least a few St.Louis-built cars being included in some of those orders; the Pullman cars were largely gone from the streets by the end of 1955. Neighborhood That Inspired 'Raisin in the Sun' May Revitalize - realtor.com The cars have 1953 license plates. Chicago Loop. Photo 516 is not at Halsted and Waveland, it is a half a block north at the streetcar layover area wedged between Halsted and Broadway (Hence the Route 8 destination sign!). Two CTA bus routes served the 79th and Western station: West 79th (to almost Cicero Ave.) and South Western (to 119th St.) The buses shown were manufactured by ACF Brill, probably in the 1940s, because they had stick shifts. One day I got off at Damen and walked under the tracks to see where they went. Our friend Kenneth Gear recently acquired the original Railroad Record Club master tapes. White Flight, which I titled "Midnight Flight: One family's experience of White Flight and the racial transformation of Chicago's South Side (an online novel)" which you can read here for free . Chicago's South Side in black & white May 12, 2016 SJNN By Alden Loury Looking West down 79th Street at Western Ave, Chicago, IL. What was it like in South-side Chicago in 1950? - Answers You can hear our 19-minute conversation here. He is still stuck on the poverty line, working a food delivery job to support his girlfriend Tami and their son Freddie. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 7118 is southbound on Western at Van Buren on November 3, 1954, with a train of wooden L cars about to cross Western on the temporary right of way for the Garfield Park L during expressway construction. Your email address will not be published. I wish they could just appreciate from afar without taking and still destroying everything in their way. (Wien-Criss Archive), A CTA prewar PCC is on Western at Congress on June 11, 1956. Where is Rembrandt in The Night Watch painting? The story of segregation in Chicago | Features | Al Jazeera Chicago South Side 1940s-1950s - Untitled Take a trip underground and see how Chicagos I Will spirit overcame challenges and persevered to help with the successful building of the subways that move millions. After its peak in the 1950s, a variety of changes influenced the direction the Outfit took. https://thetrolleydodger.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/pic534.jpg Despite the simplicity of Chicagos famous grid system, designed for flat land and seemingly equitable on a map, residents of Chicago have never been equally dispersed or had the same freedom of movement and belonging. (Wien-Criss Archive), An unidentified CTA red car is on Halsted at 63rd Street on September 16, 1953. John White/U.S. CHA high-rises were stigmatized by the city and the media, which portrayed them as vertical drug-ridden ganglands. Building Chicagos subways was national news and a matter of considerable civic pridemaking it a Second City no more! Newly rediscovered and digitized after 60 years, most of these audio recordings of Chicago, North Shore and Milwaukee interurban trains are previously unheard, and include on-train recordings, run-bys, and switching. Remembering Chicago's racial tensions from the late 1960s This corresponds to the white on dark green format of the 54 Illinois plates. Note the dark areas where some touch-up painting has been done on the PCC. View of members or supporters of the Almighty BlackStone Rangers as they march on 63rd Street, in Chicago's southside, Chicago, Illinois, 1969. The city, which had been 85.9 percent white in 1950 and 76.4 percent in 1960, saw that proportion fall to 65.6 percent in 1970 and 49.6 percent in 1980. While the Gallaghers are said to live on Wallace Street, the house is actually located on Homan Avenue. To the left, is an embankment where Illinois Central commuter trains (now Metra Electric) ran. Hollstein School was a one-room schoolhouse in Tinley Park. During the 1950s, Puerto Ricans began to arrive in the city of Chicago. Publisher Arcadia Publishing (SC), 2018 Many of the photos show the same area from a number of different angles, giving a snapshot early transportation worked and everyday life through a look at businesses, fashion, architecture and more. There is no shoo-fly yet, meaning construction had not yet started on the Western Avenue bridge that would eventually go over the Congress Expressway. Many thousands gathered to celebrate the starting of work on the subway. This pattern ran from 107th St. north to the Rock Island suburban line viaduct at 89th St., at which point the streetcar tracks rejoined Vincennes Ave. to go under the viaduct. Chicago Skyline Downtown Chicago Chicago Restaurants Chicago Illinois Chicago Area Chicago City White Castle Restaurant White Castle Hamburgers South Side Chicago Also, its wonderful to see all the old advertising signs on the street cars and the buildings. The introduction to Polk's Chicago Directory 1923 provides a brief history of Chicago directories and a list of published volumes. 07. During the 1950's, the time that the Younger family was living in Chicago, whites and blacks were living completely separate lives and a majority of the blacks were living in poverty. It truly is a phenomenal resource, not only for those interested in transit history, but also for anyone researching Chicago or Twentieth Century urban life. These segregated communities maintained a tense coexistence until 1919, when racist white hostility bubbled over. Are We All Losing It? ChicagoGenealogy | How to Find Chicago City Directories Total time: 79:30 3. On June 25, 1965, Vito and Nick's moved to 84th and Pulaski, at 8433 South Pulaski, in the Ashburn neighborhood of Chicago, where it remains today. For a few months, Madison-Fifth continued as a shuttle operation between Madison and Pulaski, using older red streetcars. Look at the bottom of the photo. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 4028 is on Western at 27th on November 20, 1955. Constructed over alleys through the South side, the Alley "'L" opened for regular service on June 6, 1892. . The tracks going to the right were for the 67th/69th/71st line, which used Western to travel between 69th and 71st. 05. Take a look at these stunning historical photos of Chicago in the 1960s that shows the street, roads, transport, nightlife, and everyday life. Black communities bore the brunt of the closings of fifty-plus Chicago Public Schools that were shuttered during former Mayor Rahm Emanuels administration. History of Chicago Public Schools - The Chicago Reporter Includes both Electroliners, standard cars, and locomotives. 13 Vintage Photos of Illinois in the 1940s - OnlyInYourState At this time, the temporary Van Buren trackage was still under construction, and this picture was taken from the Garfield Park L station, then still in use. Another 537 were injured, more than half of whom were Black. Some southbound 1.5k Views. The Second Ghetto Unfortunately, public housing did not solve Chicago's housing problems. 29:34 (Johnstown Traction recordings were made August 9, 1953) The expressway was originally designed to run through Bridgeport, then Mayor Daleys neighborhood, but the development was moved eight blocks to the east, installing a multi-lane barrier between Bridgeport and the Black Belt, literally cementing the segregation of Black and white communities. The sign indicates that this bridge is going to be converted to one man operation, meaning that it will be operated from only one tower instead of two. First time I came across it and Im barely 23! Located in what used to a Buick showroom, it features a large taproom with a BYOF policy that encourages delivery. (Wien-Criss Archive), The date at which this photo of CTA PCC 4421 could have been taken, southbound on Clark at Van Buren, is a bit of a mystery. https://thetrolleydodger.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/pic566.jpg The significance that play takes place on the South Side of Chicago in the 1950s because families like the Youngers experienced segregation from the white community.. What is the community? (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 4393 is on Western at 21st on July 6, 1950. Racism Of Chicago : The 1950 ' S - 1737 Words | Bartleby Those canopies were short-lived after the end of streetcar service, as buses eventually ran into them. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 7037 is on Western at the Chicago River on June 10, 1956. (Wien-Criss Archive), Passengers are getting off northbound CTA 7192 at Western and Van Buren on October 10, 1952. It appears that the street has already been made a one-way, which did not happen until November 16, 1953. Photos depict intersections, streets, bridges, snow removal and other traffic features in the city, mainly along major streets. South Side Weekly partnered with WTTW and the Invisible Institute to co-publish text and visual reporting and analysis covering the impact racial divisions have on individuals, the city, and our region. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA prewar PCC 4008 is southbound on Wabash at about 900 South. It is very unlikely that he will ever be able to recoup his investment, but we support his efforts at preserving this important history, and sharing it with railfans everywhere. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 7227 is on Western at Bross on October 15, 1954. We look forward to hearing from you. This led to disinvestment and redlining to . The first waves of Black migrants fleeing the Jim Crow South were relegated to a vertical strip of land near Lake Michigan. The purpose was to find residents that were given Section 8 vouchers vs those who did not receive them. The 1919 Race Riots, which were part of the racial violence seen across the country during a period known as the Red Summer, were provoked by an attempt to enforce segregation in the waters of Lake Michigan.