Douglas, Chicago

Coordinates: 41°50′05″N 87°37′05″W / 41.83472°N 87.61806°W / 41.83472; -87.61806
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
Bronzeville, Chicago
)

Douglas
Neighborhoods
List
Area
 • Total1.67 sq mi (4.33 km2)
Elevation
ZIP Codes
parts of 60609, 60616 and 60653
Median household income 2020[2]$35,796
Source: U.S. Census, Record Information Services

Douglas, on the

community area and partly in the Near South Side.[5]

The Douglas community area stretches from 26th Street, south to Pershing Road along the Lake Shore, including parts of the Green Line, along State Street and the Metra Electric and Amtrak passenger railroad tracks, which run parallel to Lake Shore Drive. Burnham Park runs along its shoreline, containing 31st Street Beach. The community area also contains part of the neighborhood of Bronzeville, the historic center of black culture in the city, since the early 20th century and the Great Migration.

Neighborhoods

Bronzeville

SouthEast Service
.

Bronzeville is located in

ward, currently represented by Alderman Pat Dowell.[6]

Victory Monument and the Ida B. Wells-Barnett House

In the early 20th century,

culture. The groundbreaking Pekin Theatre
rose near 27th street in the first decade of the 20th century.

Between 1910 and 1920, during an early peak of the "Great Migration", the population of the area increased dramatically when thousands of black Americans escaped the de jure segregation and prejudice rife in the U.S.South and migrated to Chicago in search of industrial jobs. The Wabash YMCA is considered the first black Y in the U.S.[7] It remains active today due to ongoing support from nearby black churches.[8] The Wabash YMCA's work to commemorate black culture was the genesis of Black History Month.[9]

In 1922, Louis B. Anderson, a Chicago alderman, had the architects Michaelsen & Rognstad build him a house at 3800 South Calumet Avenue. The surrounding area would take on the name of this house (which he had named Bronzeville).[10]

Key figures in the area include:

Black Metropolis-Bronzeville District.[11]

public housing projects were constructed in the area, which were managed by the Chicago Housing Authority. The largest complex was the Robert Taylor Homes. They developed severe social problems exacerbated by concentrated poverty among the residents and poor design of the buildings. This project was demolished in the late 1990s and early 21st century. The nickname "Bronzeville" was first used for the area in 1930 by James J. Gentry, a local theater editor for the Chicago Bee publication. It refers to the brown skin color of black Americans, who predominated as residents in that area. It has become common usage over decades.[12]

The Bronzeville community features in various literary works set in Chicago, including Richard Wright's Native Son, Gwendolyn Brooks' A Street in Bronzeville, Lorraine Hansberry's stage play A Raisin the Sun, Leon Forrest's There is a Tree More Ancient than Eden [The Bloodworth Trilogy], Bayo Ojikutu's crime novel 47th Street Black, and Sara Paretsky's detective mystery Blacklist, part of the V. I. Warshawski series.

Historical images of Bronzeville are in Explore Chicago Collections, a digital repository made available by Chicago Collections archives, libraries and other cultural institutions in the city.[13]

Prairie Shores

Originally a five-building, 1677-unit public housing project erected in 1962 by

US$6.2 million ($62.5 million today) of subsidies.[14]

Groveland Park

Of all the sections of Douglas originally developed by

Metra Electric
railroad tracks.

Politics

The Douglas community area has supported the

2012 presidential election, Douglas cast 8,206 votes for Barack Obama and cast 158 votes for Mitt Romney (98.11% to 1.88%).[16]

Transportation

The Metra Electric District has a stop at East 27th Street.[17]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
193050,285—
194053,1245.6%
195078,74548.2%
196052,325−33.6%
197043,731−16.4%
198035,700−18.4%
199030,652−14.1%
200026,470−13.6%
201018,238−31.1%
202020,29111.3%
[2][18]

Education

Phillips Academy High School

The following

Walter H. Dyett High School. Notable private schools include De La Salle High School and Hales Franciscan High School
.

Young Women's Leadership Charter School, a charter school, is in the community area.[19]

Bronzeville is also home to the renowned

Great Books
, moved into the neighborhood.

Notable residents

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Douglas". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. May 15, 1997.
  2. ^ a b c d "Community Data Snapshot - Douglas" (PDF). cmap.illinois.gov. MetroPulse. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  3. ISBN 978-0-252-09070-7
    .
  4. ^ "Old University of Chicago". 2005.
  5. ^ Hinz, Greg (September 23, 2006). "Plan for 2016 Olympics disclosed". Crain Communications, Inc. Retrieved April 2, 2007.
  6. ^ "New homes are transforming this historic neighborhood". Crain's Chicago Business. January 13, 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  7. ^ "Wilton YMCA", Official Website
  8. ^ "History - The Renaissance Collaborative". www.trcwabash.org. Archived from the original on August 31, 2013.
  9. ^ University of Chicago collections
  10. ^ "Landmark Designation Report - Giles-Calumet District" (PDF). chicago.gov. City of Chicago. July 10, 2008. p. 2. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  11. ^ "Black Metropolis-Bronzeville District". City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development, Landmarks Division. 2003. Archived from the original on May 2, 2007. Retrieved May 10, 2007.
  12. ^ "Bronzeville Stories". Archived from the original on March 13, 2005.
  13. ^ Long, Elizabeth. "A Single Portal to Chicago's History". The University of Chicago News. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  14. ISBN 0-07-137367-5
    . Retrieved July 4, 2010.
  15. DNAInfo. Archived from the original
    on September 24, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  16. DNAInfo. Archived from the original
    on February 3, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  17. ^ Lane, Laura (January 19, 2014). "Map: South Shore Line, Metra Electric Line". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  18. ^ Paral, Rob. "Chicago Community Areas Historical Data". Archived from the original on March 18, 2013.
  19. Young Women's Leadership Charter School
    . Retrieved on December 22, 2016. "YWLCS, 2641 S. Calumet Ave., Chicago, IL 60616."
  20. ^ a b "NHL nomination for Ida B. Wells-Barnett House". National Park Service. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  21. ^ Year: 1940; Census Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Roll: m-t0627-00923; Page: 11B; Enumeration District: 103-90 via HeritageQuest
  22. ^ "R. Kelly Arrested In Chicago | Music News". Rolling Stone. April 9, 1998. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  23. ^ Lupica, Mike (March 22, 1980). "This year's Bird or Magic will hit court shortly". Daily News. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  24. ^ Illinois Blue Book 1935-1936 page 115
  25. ^ Staff (November 2, 2017). "Brace Yourself: Chicago's 'Hawk' Winter Wind Turns 50". DNAinfo. Archived from the original on April 19, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  26. ^ Gilmore, Lesley; Germann, Suzanne (May 1, 2000). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Martin Roche-John Tait House" (PDF). Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 22, 2017. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  27. ISBN 9781629140216
    .
  28. ^ "Wabash Avenue YMCA". City of Chicago. September 9, 1998. Archived from the original on August 30, 2000.
  29. ^ Reich, Howard (March 14, 2018). "Back Alley Jazz Revives a Chicago Tradition". Newspapers.com. Chicago Tribune. pp. 4–2. Retrieved February 13, 2022.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Douglas, Chicago.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Chicago/Bronzeville.
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