History. In the twenty years from 1890 to 1910, Chicago's African-American population increased from 15,000 to approximately 4:47 Cars #1797, 1759, and 1784 at 59th Street, December 31, 1954 Subways Since 1960 (Really! This gigantic construction project, a part of the New Deal, would overcome many obstacles while tunneling through Chicagos soft blue clay, under congested downtown streets, and even beneath the mighty Chicago River. Press ESC to cancel. The streetcar in the photo is headed northbound, with the Rock Island Main Line to its right and Vincennes Ave to its left. Housing discrimination is still a significant problem in Chicago. I always knew about racism growing up in the 70s, recall seeing the hippies in Old town. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 5248 at Vincennes and 105th on November 27, 1949. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 4044 is on Western at the Douglas Park L on June 22, 1955. Visit the website (wttw.com/firsthand) to explore all of the elements of the project. (Wien-Criss Archive), PCC meets PCC in this famous Bill Hoffman photo, showing CTA PCC streetcar 4373 on Western Avenue, while a Garfield Park L train crosses on Van Buren temporary trackage. Make No Little Plans Twentytwo of the targets has been restaurants. The Chicago and South Side Rapid Transit Railroad Company was the first to successfully obtain right-of-way and permission to build an elevated passenger railway in Chicago. While Chicago Housing Authority was right on target for claiming the programs of urban redevelopment, urban renewal and public housing which . 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. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 4238 is southbound on Wabash, crossing the Chicago River. Many thousands gathered to celebrate the starting of work on the subway. 03. The African-American population in Chicago now makes up 25 percent of the city, but racial segregation is high, and much of the South and West sides have become densely populated, marginalized, low-income areas. A 2017 fair housing study looked into six community areas that had the most reported complaints of racial and income discrimination against renters: Jefferson Park, the Near North Side, Bridgeport, Hyde Park, Clearing, and Mount Greenwood. Recorded between 1955 and 1963 on the Skokie Valley Route and Mundelein branch. To commemorate these anniversaries, we have written a new book, Building Chicagos Subways. The lack of such a track indicates that any Western car ending its run and heading to the 77th and Vincennes barn had to start at the 79th and Western terminal, go north on Western, then turn east on 69th. Open in Google Maps. The University of Illinois at Chicago's digital photo collections archive has about2,300 black-and-white scans of photos of various intersections and notable outdoor areas throughout the city from the 1920s-50s. Residents enjoy close access to several major shopping destinations, particularly the 87th Street Center and the diverse selection of shops and restaurants . HOUSING SEGREGATION IN 1950S SOUTH SIDE CHICAGO Already experiencing a population boom after Reconstruction, Chicago was a popular destination for African Americans moving from the South to the North in the early 20th century. 01. Of this, 46.22% are males and 53.78% are females. 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!). The first waves of Black migrants fleeing the Jim Crow South were relegated to a vertical strip of land near Lake Michigan. These demarcations were shaped by racist sentiments toward Black residents and non-whites and manifested through urban planning, housing policies, discriminatory banking, and other practicesall effectively confining people from different demographic groups to certain parts of the city. While in the South Side Chicago hoods along 83rd, 87th, and 95th streets the Black P. Stones have had a dominant presence since the 1970s. 04. This is one reason why the CTA began repainting these cars with a darker green around 1951-52. This segment focuses on the Chicago Outfit during the period after Prohibition. 10:36 (recorded May 3-7, 1958 line abandoned July 1958) Where is Rembrandt in The Night Watch painting? Images of America Early 1960s: Unequal learning opportunities lead parents in Chicago's South Side to protest public school . From the 1910s to the 1920s, thousands of Mexicans were recruited by industrial contractors to work seasonally in the Midwest, in some cases as strikebreakers in the steel mills. Andre Kristopans says it is Crossing under CNW and PRR at Rockwell. Total time: 61:31 Racially restrictive covenants were also common in the Chicago area, as in the rest of the country. The River Tunnels St. Louis Public Service: Greg Nye. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 7243 is on Western at the Chicago River on June 10, 1956. Additionally, 7.68% of the population is represented by non-citizens. Properties covered include: 04. Jacqueline Serrato is the Weeklys editor-in-chief. The Gallagher House is the home of the Gallagher Family. But when industrial employment dried up in the 1950s and '60s, it descended into poverty and crime. The YMCA Hotel, seen in the background, opened in 1916 and closed in 1979. Interesting to look at photos 591 & 565 which show the same area on Western. https://thetrolleydodger.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/pic534.jpg The photos come from the Illinois Department of Transportation and appear to have been made for the Chicago Park District's Engineering Section, according to the university. By 1928, there were at least six Mexican settlements parallel to Lake Michigan that were referred to as colonias. Chicagos first rapid transit subway opened in 1943 after decades of wrangling over routes, financing, and logistics. Chicago's South Side in black & white May 12, 2016 SJNN By Alden Loury Looking West down 79th Street at Western Ave, Chicago, IL. HOUSING SEGREGATION IN 1950S SOUTH SIDE CHICAGO (Setting: A Raisin in the Sun) Already experiencing a population boom after Reconstruction, Chicago was a popular destination for African Americans moving from the South to the North in the early 20th century. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA PCC 4101 is westbound on Madison, but where did it cross the Chicago & North Western? 03. Looks like between 1950 & 55 Burke Desoto/Plymouth became Burke Ford. Recent publications have variously mentioned that either 107th St. or 109th st. was the south end of the Halsted lines private right-of-way segment in this area. 02. It should be taught in school. 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. by Eddie from Chicago, via Flickr, Gage Park High School undermined by budget cuts, constant attacks. You can also see trolley bus wires, used on North Avenue. In the background, you can see the large Chicago Bridge and Iron Works, which fronted on the north side of 107th St. https://chicagology.com/wp-content/themes/revolution-20/century/194063rdhalsted.jpg. Niagara, St. Catharines & Toronto: The streetcars shown here were Western Ave. cars, running east on 69th St. to get to the Vincennes / 77th St. barn. An Irish mainstay, Kelly's is one of the oldest family-owned pubs in Chicago, opening just after Prohibition was repealed and the alcohol flowed freely again. Black residents did not enjoy the same geographic freedom. Chicago nightlife history is full of fun and fascinating stories. The deadliest tornado hit on April 21, 1967, traveling through Oak Lawn and the South Side of Chicago, killing 33 and injuring 500. . From 1915 to 1960, more than 5 million African Americans moved from the rural South to the North in a phenomena called the Great Migration. In the background, you can see the viaduct which is now part of the 606 Trail. 01. Pullman post-war PCCs did not disappear in one fell swoop. # of Discs- 3 What was South Side Chicago like in the 1950s? 12:40 Car #202 (ex-1202), between Springfield and Decatur, February 1955 4:51 Black communities bore the brunt of the closings of fifty-plus Chicago Public Schools that were shuttered during former Mayor Rahm Emanuels administration. What I would also love to see is pictures of what the Chicago neighborhoods and its residents looked like during that specific time period. Total time 73:14 Chapter Titles: https://thetrolleydodger.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/pic535.jpg You can compare the different CTA paint schemes on the first two cars. CTA PCC 4144 is southbound on Halsted. 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. Author David Sadowski We thank him for his generosity. (Wien-Criss Archive), The conductor of CTA 7156 is throwing a track switch at Western and Archer on November 17, 1954. It costs money to maintain this website, and to do the sort of historic research that is our specialty. 7113 crossing back to the right-hand track would have involved the same procedure unless there was a common, wired, trailing crossover a couple of blocks further. Southern Iowa Railway: Here we see the curved track from 63rd place along with the nicely highlighted companion overhead wire. During the 1950s many residents called the northeast . 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. In order to continue giving you the kinds of historic railroad images that you have come to expect from The Trolley Dodger, we need your help and support. During the 1940s to 1960s, the second ghetto is driven with tensions over housing and the dynamics of neighborhood change due to the rapid growth of black community. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 7213, the last streetcar to operate in Chicago, is on Western at 21st on July 16, 1951. 4 Board of Trustees/Directors minutes May 1952-Oct 1956 draft copy. https://thetrolleydodger.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/pic558.jpg Why not mention that the Panama Ltd and the City of Miami operated there on the tracks nearest to Cottage Grove; not to mention IC freight activity and such trackage rights New York Central trains as the James Whitcomb Riley and the Twilight Ltd? 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. Interesting experience for me,mind you I am Latina searching for African Americans to complete 2.5hrs survey ?and more details no problem. These segregated communities maintained a tense coexistence until 1919, when racist white hostility bubbled over. Shameless fans, you are welcome to come inside the gate and take pictures on the porch, a sign in front of the house reads. The South Side has been home to some of the most significant figures in the history of American politics. In the Windy City, jazz started out in small local clubs on the South Side. The South Side is one of the three major sections of the city of Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Geographically, it is the largest of the three sections of the city, with the other two being the North Side and the West Side.It radiates and lies south of the city's downtown area, the Chicago Loop.. Much of the South Side came from the city's annexation of townships such as Hyde Park. White flight caused redlining as the community was now at almost 90% black by 1960. Building Chicagos subways was national news and a matter of considerable civic pridemaking it a Second City no more! 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. PCC 7151 is a two-man car, and passengers are boarding at the rear. The station was closed in 1952, probably just a few months before this picture was taken. You can hear our 19-minute conversation here. Although the show is set in Chicagos Back of the Yards neighborhood, the house used for filming is actually located in the citys North Lawndale neighborhood. . 1960. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 4050 is southbound on Western at the Douglas Park L on November 11, 1955. At a beach near 29th Street, a white man began throwing rocks at Black boys who were swimming at a perceived whites-only beach, drowning seventeen-year-old Eugene Williams. Shaker Heights Rapid Transit: So, my best guess is this picture was taken during the summer of 1954. Chicagos suburbs, Indiana, and other Midwestern states are popular destinations for Black residents. Building new lives in the 'Black Belt' by Alex Q. Arbuckle (opens in a new tab) 2. Required fields are marked *. At the end of Shameless, Lip has decided to sell the Gallagher house for a mere $75,000 a far cry from the $250,000 he was offered by a developer before he pushed too hard and lost that deal. . Another clue that helps pinpoint the date is the light lettering on dark background seen on license plates in this image. 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. Went to kindergarten there. #1 Looking south on State Street, 1964 6 Points Upvote Downvote * #2 Randolph Street theaters, 1967 5 Points Upvote Downvote Chicago Southside 1950's 95 square miles of the 228 square miles were considered the "south side". Many immigrants were fleeing poverty and war, with many others coming to Chicago in pursuit of economic prosperity. Many were pushed to industry-heavy Pilsen, which for almost a century was an immigrant point of entry, but is now one of the most expensive gentrifying neighborhoods on the South Side. Chicago Skyline Downtown Chicago Chicago Restaurants Chicago Illinois Chicago Area Chicago City White Castle Restaurant White Castle Hamburgers South Side Chicago (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 4053 on Western and 66th on July 31, 1955. Chicago's Carson Pirie Scott built in 1907, Other Restaurant & Fast Food Advertising for sale | eBay, PHOTO - CHICAGO - SOLDIERS FIELD - AERIAL - NIGHT - SKYLINE BACKGROUND - ALL-STAR GAME - 1953, Chicago, Marshall Field & Co. Disc Three The restaurant that once occupied this corner space had been gutted in a spectacular fire during the Summer of 1953, along with a tavern next door on the North Avenue side. 75 years since the State Street Subway opened (October 17, 1943) They were concentrated in the Lincoln Park neighborhood on the North Side and are credited for pioneering the fight against displacement due to gentrification spurred by the expanding DePaul University campusa fight they lost. 07. First time I came across it and Im barely 23! 12. They were in various neighborhood, suburbs. Why does every recent description and photo caption of the segment of the Cottage Grove line south of 95th St. talk about it paralleling the Metra Electric? (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 7012 at Western and Congress, crossing over the new expressway, on June 11, 1956. The stores from left to right are: S S Kresge, on the southwest corner; The Ace department store on the northwest corner; and Sears Roebuck, the huge building on the northeast corner (with a Hillmans grocery in the basement). ), Now Available On Compact Disc https://thetrolleydodger.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/pic566.jpg Original Rainbow Cone on Western Ave in Beverly, Chicago: Grandma would take us on the bus to visit the cemetery and after we would stop at the Rainbow Cone! (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 7113 is in an area where tracks are being worked on, and is crossing over from one track to another using a temporary switch. The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.Read the press release here. Chicago Loop. 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. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 4373 is on Western near the Douglas Park L on October 5, 1953. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 7227 is on Western at Bross on October 15, 1954. Some southbound Under the Plan for Transformation, the City began to knock down the projects one by one like dominos. You can help us continue our original transit research by checking out the fine products in our Online Store. The New York Times - August 2, 1964. Redone tile at the Monroe and Dearborn CTA Blue Line subway station, showing how an original sign was incorporated into a newer design, May 25, 2018.