Pilsen Historic District
Pilsen Historic District | |
 Pilsen Historic District, 21st and Wood, Chicago IL | |
    | |
| Location | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°51′14″N 87°39′28″W / 41.85389°N 87.65778°W |
| NRHP reference No. | 10240018[1] |
| Added to NRHP | February 1, 2006 |
The Pilsen Historic District is a
During the year 1945, the Committee on Minority Groups established a Subcommittee on Social Services for Mexican Migratory Workers due to the increasing migration of Mexican migrant contract workers (braceros).
Although this area was predominantly
Since 2000, the Mexican population in Pilsen had decreased.[5] Still, the 2003 case study, addressed that Pilsen was 93% Mexican-American leading to the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce identifying Pilsen as "an authentically Mexican neighborhood'' and “a true Chicago Barrio''.[2]
On February 1, 2006, Pilsen became a National Historic Register District.[6]
PIlsen is home to Chicago's largest migrant shelter, located between Cermak Road and the southern branch of the Chicago River, opened in fall 2023. People living at the shelter have described it as having "harsh shelter conditions, including cramped living quarters, mistreatment from workers, freezing temperatures, and unsanitary bathrooms," with an analysis by Borderless magazine concluding that the shelter "fails to meet the basic standards for emergency shelter laid out by the U.N. Refugee Agency."[7] In December 2023, several children staying at the shelter became ill, with one of them dying.[8]
Gentrification
As early as 1985, Pilsen's proximity to the downtown area and its low-value property became an ideal neighborhood for gentrification.[2] Pilsen residents and community institutions mobilized against two major redevelopments Chicago 21 Plan (the mid-1970s) and Chicago 1992 World's Fair (early to mid-1980s).[2] The neighborhood's long-lasting defense is prompted by its alliance of local developers, Pilsen homeowners, and the city.[2] As of 2014 growing community activists like The Pilsen Alliance, an organization from 1998 that mobilized against the expansion of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) in Pilsen, continued to display an extensive stronghold against developer and city plans.[5]
In 2016 a recent uprise of Pilsen as a neighborhood experiencing gentrification led to the displacement of residents, the shutting down of businesses, and a cultural change in the Historically Mexican neighborhood.[2] According to the Chicago Sun-Times as of 2023 Pilsen community organizations are protesting the increasing property taxes that continue to force residents out of their homes.[9][10]
See also
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ ISSN 0308-518X.
- ^ OCLC 1243580130.
- ^ ISSN 1078-0874.
- ^ ISSN 0042-0980.
- ^ "Pilsen Historic District, Cook County, Illinois". National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
- ^ Peña, Mauricio; Pham, Katrina; Rhee, Nissa (December 15, 2023). "Migrants Describe Inhumane Conditions At Chicago's Largest Shelter". Block Club Chicago. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
- ^ "City releases statement after 'several' hospitalized, 5-year-old dies after falling ill at migrant shelter". NBC Chicago. December 19, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
- ^ "New affordable housing opens in Pilsen". Chicago Sun-Times. February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
- ^ "'A great injustice': Property tax hikes lead to protests, workshops to help homeowners lower bills". Chicago Sun-Times. February 15, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2023.