Newsletters 1979
Text of Newsletter:
HYDE PARK HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER
Volume I, Number 1 January, 1979
Herewith we inaugurate a newsletter which will come to you in January, April, July, and October. Your suggestions and contributions will be welcomed; send them to Muriel Beadle at 1700 E. 56th St., Apt. 401, Chicago 60637. The deadline for issue is the 10th of the month preceding publication.
On August 15, 1 75, the Chicago Tribune described a fete given by the ladies of St.Paul's Church. It was attended by about 390 persons, and lighted by locomotive search lights and Chinese lanterns.
On Saturday, January 27,1979 the Hyde Park Historical Society will have its annual meeting--a dinner at the Windermere Hotel. There are no plans to light the scene with anything more exotic than candles. For further details of the event, see p.3 of this newsletter.
Now is the time to renew your Hyde Park Historical Society membership, the best buy in Chicago because our dues are 1) low and 2) cover all members of a family. Send your check for $5 to Mrs.
John Davey, 5748 S. Harper,60637.
JANUARY MEETING FOCUSES ON FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT
From Jan. 10 to Feb. 25, "The Decorative Designs of Frank Lloyd Wright", a Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition, will be on display at the David and Alfred Smart Gallery, 5550 S. Greenwood. (Tues.-Sat.,
10 AM to 4 PM; Sun., noon to 4 PM.)
Hyde Park Historical Society Board member Irma Strauss assisted David Hanks, the Smithsonian's Curator of Decorative Arts, in lo cating obj_ects and researching their history.
She says, "All his interior details--furniture, lamp shades, rugs, windows, and at times fabrics, ceramics, silverware and even dresses of his clients--were designed to complete the architecture. Since most of his interiors have been destroyed or altered, it is only by viewing the objects in this exhibit along with photographs of the original architecture that his work can be properly understood." --2
The Winter Sporting Scene, circa 1912
With our purchase of the old Chicago City Railway Co. station at 5529 Lake Park Ave., people are becoming curious about cable car days in Hyde Park. Gerhardt Laves, who was born here in 1906, recalls how his older brother Ulrich enjoyed exhilarating sled rides down 55th St.,with the help of the cable car machinery.
This is how it was done: Ulrich would position his sled in the middle of the street, directly above the sunken cable which was constantly in motion thanks to the power house at 55th St. and Cottage Grove Ave. He would then reach down into the slot, grab the c ble, and off he'd go!
These adventures were less dangerous than they seemed, Gerhardt says, for the horses pulling other vehicles shied away from the boy on the sled; and following cable cars, being attached to the same cable and traveling at the same speed, never overtook him.
1978 IN REVIEW
On January 17, Mrs. Strauss will give an illustrated lecture, "Frank Lloyd Wright and Hyde Park Kenwood". Time: ts PM. Place: KAM Isaiah Israel Congregation, 5039
S. Greenwood Ave. The program will be co-sponsored by the Hyde Park Historical Society, the KAM-Isaiah Israel Sisterhood, and the Victor ian Society, Chicago Chapter.
Renovation Trade Fair Planned
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, in cooperation with the city of Chicago, is planning an exposition called "City House: A Marketplace of Renovation Ideas for Old.Houses." Scheduled for February at Navy Pier, this exhibit will feature preservation materials, skills, and information sources for home owners seeking to renovate older city dwellings.
Our programs were distinguished by their quality and their variety. Special thanks to Thelma Dahlberg, program chairman, for her fine arrangements. Here's a brief review:
Jan. 29: Arthur Weinberg on "Clarence Darrow As a Literary Figure", at the United Church of Hyde Park. A fresh approach to the biography of a famous lawyer and Hyde Park resident.
Mar. 14: A report on the status of proposals to designate parts of the community as Chicago historic districts or to list them on the National Register.Speakers: Robert Wagner of Illinois Dept. of Conservation, our own Board mem bers Dev Bowly and Michael Conzen. An exceptionally large and keenly interested crowd attended. At International House.
QUALITY AND VARIETY CHARACTERIZED THE SOCIETY'S 1978 ACTIVITIES
April 30: Mini-tour of KAM Isaiah Israel Temple, with Irma Strauss as our tour guide.
June 3 and 4: Members manned a booth across the street from the 57th St. Art Fair, distributed literature about the Society, sold publications, enrolled new members.
July 4: Excursion by bus to the traditional Fourth of July celebration at the Chicago Historical Society, preceded by juice and doughnuts and a quick look
at our just-acquired headquarters building (of which, more elsewhere in this newsletter).
Sept. 17: Excursion by bus--in fact, by three buses--to "Sunday on Prairie Avenue, 1893", the official opening of the Prairie Avenue Historic District. Most popular attraction: that modern rarity, an organ grinder man, complete with monkey.
Oct. 29: Sunday afternoon sherry reception for Paul A. Cornell and other HPHS Charter Members in Fellowship Hall at the United Church of Hyde Park. Speech by Mr. Cornell about his grandfather, the Paul Cornell who founded Hyde Park. At the following social hour, descendants of early Hyde Park families were welcomed as special guests.
Nov.11: Acting President Jean Block autographed copies of her much-praised book, Hyde Park Houses, at Hyde Park Federal Savings, a portion of each sale going to the Hyde Park Historical Society. Our thanks to the Universjty of Chicago Press and to Hyde Park Federal.
Dec. 10: Another workout for Jean Block--this time at the University Church of the Disciples, where she spoke to the topic, "Re searching Your House." For one bit of her advice, and a request, see the next page.
------------------------ti"'- - - - - - - - - - - -
ANNUAL MEETING & Dinner I
AT WINDRMERE HOTEL ON JANUARY 27
By the end of January, John Vinci will have completed his proposal for the renovation of our headquarters, the old cable car station at 5529 Lake Park. At the annual meeting, Dev Bowly will present a detailed re port and show sketches. There will also be entertainment before and after dinner, and a cash bar.
Date: Saturday, Jan. 27. Place: Windermere Hotel. Time: 6:30 PM.
Mr. Thomas J. Pavelec 5539 S. Cornell Ave.
Chicago, Il 60637
I will attend the HPHS annu al meeting and dinner on Jan.
27 at the Windermere Hotel. Please reserve places at $10 each. My check,drawn to the Hyde Park Historical Society, is enclosed.
Name
Cost: $10 per person. Guests are welcome. Use form at right.
CIHSM: Organized Swap Shop
The Hyde Park Historical Society belongs to the Congress of Illinois Historical Societies and Museums (CIHSM). This organization is sponsored by the Illinois State Historical Society in order to "facilitate the exchange of ideas, methods and solutions to mutual problem,s11 among the 135 local historical societies in Illinois who are members. Region al and state meetings are held frequently.
A newsletter, Historically Speaking, is published quarterly. Membership in CIHSM also includes subscriptions to two publications of the Illinois State Historical Society. We expect to print occasional excerpts from these sources.
DO YOU HAVE•. ?
Many Hyde Parkers have old title searches and architectural drawings of their houses. These, Jean Block says, should remain with the houses. But the HPHS would like to know of the existence of such material. Will you tell us what you have? Write Mrs. Samuel Block, 1700 E. 56th St., Chi cago 60637.
HYDE PARK HISTORICAL SOCIETY
N w Il att IT
Volume I, Number 2 April, 1979
Committee Organized to Save Rosenwald House
Whether by accident or a confluence of subliminal forces, the forma tion of the Hyde Park Historical Society preceded by only a few months a move on the part of the Chicago Landmarks Commission to make Kenwood a Landmark District and the nomination of Hyde Park-Kenwood for recognition
by the National Register· f Histor ic Places.
Under these circumstances, the
fi 'FfiMllf GfiTH[ INO
The date was January 27. The place was the Windermere Hotel. The weather was terrible. Yet al
most 200 people attended our annual meeting and dinner-and enjoyed it greatly.
In her welcome, President Jean Block said, "Recently there was a wonderful cartoon in the New Yorker depicting the usual lanky couple conversing over martinis. The wife says to the husband, 'I'd like to join the historical society, but I don't know if I want to be that kind of person.'
"If you look around this room, you will see that she wouldn't have that problem here. There isn't a Hyde Park Historical Society 'type.' In our membership we have all ages; renters and home owners; old-timers and newcomers: a cross-section that truly represents the diversity upon which Hyde Park prides itself "
This is undoubtedly why so many people later praised the "family original objectives of the Society to record Hyde Park's history, to preserve selected documents and artifacts, to promote public interest in Hyde Park and its history, and to educate and involve individuals and groups in an appreciation and understanding of its heritage take on a new and larger meaning.
One of the "artifacts" we are eager to preserve is the Rosenwald House at 4901 Ellis, now threaten ed with demolition if neither a single family nor an institutional purchaser can be found. The house, by Nimmons and Fellows, is an important example of Prairie School architecture, a unique element of our Midwestern heritage. Its own er was one of Chicago's great citizens, a gifted businessman and en lightened reformer and philanthropist. Julius Rosenwald contributed generously to the University of Chicago, Jewish philanthropies, Hull House, and many other organi zations. The Museum of
feeling" of the evening....top. 3
..
The State of the Station
VINCI PROVIDES RESTORATION PLAN FOR OUR HEADQUARTERS
By Devereux Bowly, Jr.
The Hyde Park Historical Society
has been demolished above the roof line, must be rebuilt. Most of the millwork must be replaced. The tongue and groove paneling on the interior walls and ceiling will be restored or replaced. The office of the Society will be located in what was once the station master's office, at the headquarters, 5529 S. Lake Park Ave., was constructed in 1893 or 1894 by the Chicago City Street Railway, once the most extensive cable car system in the country. The building later served the trolley system and in relatively recent memory housed a tiny lunch counter.
Last fall, the well-known preservation architect John Vinci was hired to prepare a set of measured drawings of the building as well as a plan for its restoration. A grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation covered half his fee. His report and drawings are now complete.
Here's a summary of the plan:
north end of the building. It will have a pullman kitchen and a renovated washroom.
The rest of the space will be out fitted as a station waiting room. It will have movable wooden benches, which can be supplemented for meetings by folding chairs, a wood-burn ing stove, ticket window openings, a sales stand, and facilities for display of historical material.
The building cost the Society $4,000. More than $10,000 was raised by the sale of Charter memberships. Architect Vinci estimates that the renovation will cost $50 per square foot, or a total of about $40,000.
This figure assumes that some of the
Because no original plans or early work will be done by Society volunteers. The building's exterior dimensions are 20 by 40 ft. The chimney, which no photographs of the building exist. Unfortunately, however, most far as is known) and the interior has of the needed work cannot be done by been extensively altered, it will be amateurs impossible to restore the building exactly as it was built. What will be It is hoped that most or all of done, however, is to create an authen the $40,000 can be obtained from tic railroad station appearance as Chicago-area foundations or corpora- of the late 19th century, wilettions, and a fund drive is in pro- the same time adapting the interior gress under the direction of Board to the uses of our Society. member Clyde Watkins, Director of Development of the University of Chicago. Depending on the success of the fund drive, construction is anticipated for the summer of 1979 or for 1980.
May 6: At the DuSable Museum of Afro American History, Dina Epstein and Ruth Fouch will speak on "Myths of Black Music."
May 19: A natural history tour of Wooded Island, with Douglas Anderson.
"City House" Advice: Think it Through, Do it Well
By Lesley Bloch
Twenty thousand people made their way to Navy Pier on the weekend of Feb. 16-18 for "City House", the exhibit sponsored by the Commission on Chicago Historical and Architectural Landmarks and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Passing up the popcorn and the hotdogs for gathering free brochures from many of the 99 exhibitors, I spent 2 1/2 hours listening, watch ing and walking. Looking over the to reinforce the impact of this lecture there was a display of page enlargements from an upcoming book, City House Guide, which tells the correct way to make many home improvements on older buildings.(Call Commission on Landmarks, 744-3200, for price and publication date.)
With new thoughts on restoring our front door to its original handsomeness and getting rid of the storm door, I took my enthusiasm home to our city house.
contents of my free "Make Chicago Great" shopping bag, I found information on shutter dealers, salvage companies, subscription forms for Old House Journal and the Time-Life Handyman series, information on security in the home, near the home, in the car and for the senior citi zen as well as passouts from the neighborhoods of the Highlands, Ken wood, Wicker Park, Pullman, etc.
With a list of all the exhibitors and their phone numbers I now have a ready source for any household improvement or problem.
Lectures were scheduled through out the weekend. Among those I at tended was Harry Hunderman's "Re storing the Historic Details of Your Home's Exterior." He says that
you should THINK before you ruin your house by tearing down, replac ing, repositioning or restoring bad ly. He showed slides of interesting houses which had become less so by the addition of aluminum siding, plastic awnings, glass bricks, etc.
This newsletter is published quarterly. Editor, Muriel Beadle. Typing, Corinne Seither. Graphics, Michael Conzen.
ANNUAL MEETING.... from p. 1
In addition to Irma Strauss's slide show, the President's Report, and the presentation of the first annual Paul Cornell awards, Dever eux Bowly brought us up to date on restoration plans for our headquarters. (His report appears on p. 2.)
The songs and skits which fol owed dinner were, as Ned Rosenheim said, "a reminder of the local tradition of amateur theatricals, those labors of love by writers, producers, directors and performers who make their livings in every possible colorful Hyde Park way except the professional theater."
The songs "Oscar" and "Abe" came respectively from the 1963 Harper Court benefit and the 1958 Revels. The song "In Old Hyde Park" and two monologues--"A Voice from the Past" and "Are You There?"--were written for this occasion. Performers were Helen and Roland Bailey, Pat Billingsley, Mary Schulman, Stephen Thomas and Impresario Rosenheim.
P.S. It would be a worthy HPHS project to collect memorabilia of the amateur theatricals that have flourished here. Anyone interested?
J. DARTER HAPPY HERE
By Malcolm Collier
How many kinds of fish are there in the Jackson Park lagoons? Ask David Gordon, who spoke Feb.22 at the Blackstone Branch Library on the ecology of the lagoons during the past century.
Gordon is on a work-study program at the Field Museum, is a research assistant at the Shedd Aquarium and a student of the lagoon fish population and bottom sediments.
He said there are now about 15 spe cies of fish in the lagoons. Among them are the tiny Johnny Darter andthe yellow perch, whose presence indicates that these waters are reasonably health y despite the loss of two feet of depth during the past decade and other hazards. Science and Industry is a constant reminder of his dedication to the city and its people. He espoused the cause of black education long before others became aware of this need.
The loss of this house would greatly reduce the aesthetic and historic value of the neighborhood. A group of concerned residents is working to prevent this from happening. You can join them by con tacting Victoria Post Ranney, 4919 Woodlawn Ave., 548-0017.
HYDE PARK HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Volume I, Number 3 July, 1979
f much reading as the Newsletters J
/ we have published previously. Designed to entertain and inform @
{ you while you laze in hammock or J
1 porch chair, it is also substantial enough to prop tent-like :)
@over your face as a shield from the summer sun. :::::
::::: Our special thanks go to the authors of our signed articles. t
{Any reader who would enjoy an occasional writing assignment ::::: comparable to these is invited to telephone Muriel
)Beadle at 493-2119, 9 a.m.-5 p.m {
JOYCE FOUNDATION GRANT
The campaign to raise the money necessary for the renovation of the Hyde Park Historical Society head quarters, the 19th century cable car station at 5529 Lake Park Ave., is going forward.
To date our efforts have been re warded with a $2500 grant from The Joyce Foundation. Proposals are be ing sent to other foundations, and fund-raising activity will continue
throughout the summer. o
Henry Who?
PUNNY PARTIES HONOR NOVELIST FULLER
GUEST OF HONOR'S GHOST HASN'T YET MANIFESTED ITSELF
By Mary Hynes-Berry
Early this year, the Committee for Fuller Recognition of the Deservedly Obscure sent out invitations to honor the 122nd birthday (Jan. 9) of Henry Blake Fuller, the mildly well-known Chicago author and Hyde Park resident. The appointed night (Jan.13) came, along with the Blizzard of '79 and 40 guests.
This was the third birthday party given by my husband and me since we discovered that, 50 years ago this summer, Fuller died of a heart attack in a room he rented in our house. Before happening by chance on this information, we had never heard of Fuller. Since then, we have learned a lot.
One delightful source, which we acquired, is a 1927 letter from Fuller to Mrs. Lorado Taft. In it, he mentions moving to 5411 So. Harper Ave., with "Mrs. Ryan, but American" as his landlady.
After reading all the way through some of his eight novels (including the two he wrote in our upstairs bed room), we decided that Fuller was a competent not brilliant writer of some historical interest. It was One faction argued heatedly that the man who wrote the first realistic novel with Chicago as its set ting (With the Procession), who wrote exciting to discover that one's house another which became the name of a had had a brush with history. It was somehow realistic to learn that the brush was-like life is so of ten-of passionate interest to those involved and forgotten by everyone else.
The most appropriate reaction was to celebrate the Deservedly Obscure. Although Henry was a notoriously shy bachelor, there was always the off-chance that his ghost might join in the festivities. But, alas, Henry didn't manifest himself at the first party. Nor, at the second, did he attend the premiere performance of a hitherto undiscovered manuscript entitled The Brushman Cometh (which bore a remarkable textual resemblance to the letter in the Berrys' possession).
It was on the agenda of this year's gathering to decide if Fuller should be promoted to the status of Free Spirit. The title is granted to only the most deservedly obscure. So, once the evening had sufficiently progressed, the group was asked to debate before voting a recommendation to the Powers-That-Be. Debate they did. famous club (The Cliff Dwellers), who was admired by such writers and critics as Hamlin Garland, Theodore Dreiser and Edmund Wilson, who greatly aided Harriet Monroe in the editorial work of Poetry magazine, and who counted Lorado Taft as a close friend--such a man did not deserve obscurity.
Others argued that perhaps obscurity was deserved when academics who had devoted their careers to the man made comments like: "Whenever a critic needed another example of arrested literary development, all he had to do was to point to Henry B. haunting the fringes of literary recognition." (Charles Silet)
Still a third set pointed out that the previous birthday parties had seriously threatened Fuller's obscurity, no matter how well deserved.
The secret ballots were counted. A majority had voted to make Henry a Free Spirit. Even so, when the lights were dimmed and the 122 candles lit, Henry still didn't feel free to waft down the stairs and blow them out.
Maybe next year
AT SPRINGFIELD -
At 9 PM every evening except Mondays until September 8 (weather
2- permitting), "Sound and Light at the Old State Capitol" will be presented free of charge at the handsomely restored Old State Capitol
building in Springfield. The 45-min. electronic production, now in its fourth season, was narrated by the late Lee J. Cobb and focuses in on the fateful issues facing Abraham Lincoln and the nation in 1860. "Your Obedient Servant, A. Lincoln" is also in its fourth season
@ at Kelso Hollow Theater in New Salem. The play is presented nightly except Mondays through August 25. For ticket information, write The
.· Great American People Show, Box 401, Petersburg, IL 62675, or tele- phone 217-632-7755. □
WEDDING BELLS rang out on June 5, 1885, for Ina Ott, 5146 S.Harper Ave.,
CALL FOR GIFTS!
Many libraries store historical material
By Victor Dyer
What sort of historical materials should community libraries or his orical societies collect? What should the relationship be between historical society and library, especially when the one collects and the other stores the material?
At a May 16 conference on local history, sponsored by the Chicago Historical Society, speakers included Susan Prendergast Schoelwer, Assistant Archivist in the Special Collections Division of the Chicago Public Library.
She reported that 15 major historical collections-most of them dating from the 1930's-are now housed in branch libraries. Typically, these collections originated with neighborhood historical societies, some of which have gone out of existence. (The Woodlawn Historical Society is an example.)
Ms. Schoelwer's remarks stimulated a lively discussion of pub lic library/historical society relationships and obligations. It was evident that clear guidelines are necessary, with special attention given to the disposal of collections if a historical society should become defunct.
Information and ideas from this conference will aid the Hyde Park Historical Society Board of Directors in planning our acquisitions policies. The Acquisitions Committee (Jean Block, Kathleen Conzen, Victor Dyer and Albert architect W. I Beman.
According to the Hyde Park ► Herald, "Presents included an ► upright piano, an elegant oak ► cabinet, a hammered wood hod, ► an oriental water pitcher, a ► decorated French butter dish, ► cut glass and Bohemian glass ► fruit dishes, an embroidered ► piano cover, a French mantel ► clock and a rocking chair."
Rosenwald
Efforts to save the historic and architecturally significant Julius Rosenwald house at 4901 Ellis Ave. have gained momentum in recent months.
Representatives of the Committee to Save the Rosenwald House have met with Fourth Ward Alderman Ti othy C. Evans, Kenwood community leaders and the owner of the property.
The committee has widely distributed a statement contending that the only economically feasible way to preserve the building is to permit it to be sold as three condominium units, one on each floor.
To date, 770 people, more than 270 of whom live in the immediate vicinity of the Rosenwald house, have endorsed the statement and joined
the committee. If you would like to do likewise, send your name and ad dress on a postcard to the head of the committee, Victoria Post Ranney, 4915 Woodlawn Ave.
Early Black Music in U.S. did have Roots in Africa
By Muriel Beadle
"The break from their African cultures was so abrupt and so complete that slaves who were brought to the United States were in effect without any culture. White society, especially missionaries, was the source of whatever music they later developed." True or false? FALSE.
On May 6, members of the Hyde Park Historical Society hea d Dena Ep stein, music librarian at Regenstein Library, and Ruth Fouche, ethnol ogist at the DuSable Museum of Afro-American History, discuss "Myths of Black Music." Our thanks to both for an enlightening presentation.
Our speakers said that the erroneous statement above derives from the fact that incoming slaves had no common languages. What they did have,
however, were mutually comprehen
0 tempora! 0 mores!
Two delightful excerpts from "A Hyde Park Childhood," by Dorothy Michelson Livingston, who is a daughter of the great physicist Albert A. Michelson:
"We children attended the Lab oratory School,[which] was called the University Elementary School when I entered there for first grade in 1912. We were taught the nursery rhymes in Latin, and in sixty-eight years I have not
forgotten: Domina Maria, tota con traria/Quibiti crescit in horto?"
*
"My sisters and I were taken to hear Frederic Stock conduct the Thomas concerts at Orchestra Hall. We saw Pavlova do her famous 'Dy ing Swan'. We heard Galli-Curci sing and saw Joseph Schildkraut play in 'Lilliam'. But my person al taste was for a more vulgar form of entertainment. Whenever possible I escaped to the Frolic Movie House on Fifty-fifth Street, where for ten cents I saw hero William S. Hart rescue maiden Blanche Sweet from the villain..."
--from the University of Chicago
Alumni Magazine, Winter Quarter 179
sible tonal systems. They also had the traditional musical instruments of their homelands-cannily provided by slave traders to encourage dancing by their human cargo during the long sea voyage. The slaves arrived in better condition if they exercised enroute.
Nor did spirituals make up the bulk of the slaves' later American music. They also had secular music, the "sinful tunes" in the title of Dena Epstein's recent book, Sinful Tunes and Spirituals: Black Folk Music to the Civil War (University of Illinois Press). Until recently, the existence of such music during the antebellum years was so poorly
documented that Mrs. Epstein's book is being highly praised by other experts in her field.
*
Its site added additional interest to the May 6 meeting. At the turn of the century, when Washington Park was one of the jewels of the Chicago Park District, the building that is now the DuSable Museum was the park's Administration Building.
It overlooked a sunken garden, of which only the formal pathways and edging balustrades remain today.
There is no trace at all of the hand some conservatory that was once sit uated at right angles to the Administration Building, just east of the sunken garden. □
If you have always wanted to know
... where the original Magnificent Mile was
... where there is a statue of President McKinley which-before it was melted down, re-cast, and moved to a new location-depicted Christopher Columbus
... where the garbage dump mentioned in Upton Sinclair's The Jungle used to be...
you should have been on the bus with Dominick Pacyga for the Chicago Historical Society tour, "People and Industry on the South Side" on Saturday, June 9.
The four-hour excursion focused on changes in industry, land use and movements of ethnic groups. In the Near Loop area we looked at the abandoned industrial buildings, wonder ing if plans for Soho in Chicago would attract tenants whose activities will make the area live again.
When passing the old Dearborn St. Station, we heard about the neighborhood of the future which is being built on railroad land, and how the station will be a school and a community center. Viewing these wide open spaces, we found it difficult to visualize the area in the days when the great trains were corning through Chicago and industrialists were benefiting from the closeness of the Loop, the river, the workers and the trains.
Further south, we saw the remnants of Prairie Avenue and understood how encroaching industry and the noise and dirt of the trains closed the grand houses and drove the people away.
On to the Stockyard neighborhoods of Bridgeport, McKinley, Back of the Yards and Canaryville (Irish nick name for hogs). Here we heard about the importance of the parish church, the ward office, the tavern, the drugstore and the funeral parlor in the life of the COillJt.lunity.
A busy Saturday afternoon on West 47th St. attested to ethnic variety, with shop signs in Polish, Lithuanian and Spanish. Only we to rists seemed to be bothered by pungent fumes from a fertilizer plant which has replaced the stockyards and their much heavier odors.
All the live animal pens are gone (except one for animals destined to be koshered in Philadelphia) Land where thousands of people once la bored has been left to go wild or to become sites for small industries or sprawling truck lots employing a few hundred people.
As our tour continued, we learned about physical barriers such as expressways, railroad tracks, sports arenas; and how everything changes once you cross the boundaries be tween them. Each ethnic group is memorialized in churches, synagogues and other institutions. We traced the movements of the Irish, for ex ample, through the architectural grandeur of their buildings as they (and we, in 1979) went west on Garfield Blvd.
Our guide defined a "corridor neighborhood" for us; showed us some streets without character and some with the wrong kind of character (too many fast food outlets, parking blessed with two special treats. The weather was the nicest in memory, and the Hyde Park Historical Society had a patriotic booth selling a full line of "dry goods."
There were items catering to the budget of every age group, from badges to boaters to books. Especially popular were the new HPHS t-shirts, displaying a picture of our headquarters-to-be.
Also available were handsome prints of the building, suitable for framing. These pictorial subjects were particularly appropriate because all profits will go toward the renovation project.
Behind the counter, a progression of volunteers from our ranks handled sales totaling over $800. Our thanks to: Theresa McDermott, Linnea Anderson, Kathleen and Michael Conzen, Tom Jensen, Cheryl and Clyde Watkins, Donald Miller, Christine O'Neill, Tom arid Georgene Pavelec, Margaret Fallers, Betty Davey, and Jean Block. Their enthusiasm also helped recruit 36 new members from among the passing throngs.
Next to our booth was a display on the Rosenwald House, including an excellent scale model by Kenwood Academy senior Josh Gerick. After many hours and repeated explanations of the issues, the Committee to Save the Rosenwald House had secured another 300 signatures!
If you missed your chance to purchase Hyde Park Historical Society paraphernalia, don't fret. We have some left, and will be offer ing them at future meetings and other events.□
HISTORICAL MATERIAL....from page 3
Tannler) is considering several possible locations for future archival and book collections of the Society.
In the meantime we are anxious to begin assembling histories of local institutions, pamphlets, biographical materials on residents of the community, scrapbooks, photographs, posters, etc. The committee would be happy to consider gifts of these and other historical materials relating to Hyde Park-Kenwood.
Call Kathleen Conzen at 285-2181
to describe or discuss your possible contribution.□
6
IS
AGING
According to the News Service of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, more than a third of the nation's housing was built before World War II.
Of the 80 million year-round housing units, 34% were constructed be fore 1940. Of the 48 million owner occupied units, 29% pre-date 1940.
And 43% of the 26 million renter occupied units are more than 40 years old.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, from the 1976 annual housing survey.□
HONORS LIST
The Chicago Foundation for Literature Award has been given by Friends of Literature to HPHS President Jean Block for "her careful ly researched and handsomely illustrated book Hyde Park Houses , a wonderful source book and guide to the architecture of an area where the past is present to be under
NOW AVAILABLE BY MAIL
CITY HOUSE GUIDE
City House: A Guide to Renovating Older Chicago-area Houses is the printed sequel to the popular "City House" exhibition at Navy Pier in February, about which we had an ar ticle in our last Newsletter.
The Guide, a treasury of infor mation and advice, has been published by the city's Commission on Chicago Historical and Architectural Landmarks, 320 No. Clark St., Room 800, Chicago, IL 60610. It can be
ordered by mail for $5.45. □
stood and enjoyed." The book was
published by the University of Chicago Press.
ROSENWALD ....
Mrs. Ranney is associate editor
The American Institute of Architects this year presented six of its 15 Honor Awards to historical preservation projects. One of them was the Chicago Public Library Cultural Center at Michigan and Randolph.
Tours of this handsomely restored building are offered by the Friends of the Library on Thursdays at 11 AM and 1 PM and on Sundays at 1:30.
Groups of 10 or more may schedule tours at other times. Call 269- 2922 between 10 AM and 4 PM during the business week.
*
The Illinois State Historical Society gave its Award of Merit for local and regional history to HPHS Board member Devereux Bowly, Jr. for his book, The Poorhouse: Subsidized Housing in Chicago, 1895- 1976 Southern Illinois University Press).
Describing the book as "carefully researched", the citation said further: "Although it deals with the Chicago experience, it has implications for all cities faced with the problem of providing housing for; poor people."
of the papers of famed landscape ar chitect Frederick Law Olmstead and chairperson of the Illinois Humani ties Council. Other organizers of the committee include Edna Epstein, 1120 E. 50th St.; John McDermott, 4811 Kimbark Ave.; and Gary Husted, 4900 Ellis Ave.
The Rosenwald house was open to the public in May as part of the An cona School Kenwood House Tour. Vis itors were glad to see that it is in good condition despite the fact that it has not been occupied for more than two years.
With the increasing interest in local history and in preserving sig nificant architecture, it is hoped by the HPHS Board of Directors that soon the Rosenwald house will again be occupied. Its preservation will give future generations some insight into the life of a most remarkable civil rights leader and philanthro
pist. □
The Hyde Park Historical Society Newsletter is published quarterly.
Muriel Beadle, Editor Corinne Seither, Typing Michael Conzen, Graphics.
Sierra Club Book Tells
the History of the Great Lakes
Reviewing Jonathan Ela's The Faces of the Great Lakes in the Journal of the Illinois State Historical Socie ty, Orvetta M. Robinson of the Illi nois State Museum describes as "ab sorbing" this account of the ecolog ical, geological and human history of our great inland "river of lakes."
Published by the Sierra Club and priced at $24.50, this beautiful book
SOUTH SIDE TOUR...
lots and gas stations are almost sure to ruin the neighborhood); and said that electing to stay in a changing neighborhood can be cause
includes a preface by conservationist Sigurd Olson and 87 pages of photo graphs by B.A. King, "arranged by region from East to West, from the Thousand Islands to Duluth; remark able photographs [which] depict not only the natural landscape but also the cultural phenomena." Ms. Robinson says this is much more than a good coffee table book (although it is
that too).
for growth. Hyde Parkers who lived through urban renewal here would surely agree.
For your own guide to changes in Chicago, look for Dominick Pacyga's and Glen Holt's Chicago-A Histori cal Guide to Neighborhoods, to be published this month by the Chicago Historical Society. Paperbound $7.95
HYDE PARK HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Volume I, Number 4 November, 1979
A Chance to Share, to Observe, to Banquet ·:·::::
Some interesting and instructive events lie just ahead. They include:
► An exhibit called HYDE PARK HISTORY ON SHOW, at Hyde Park Federal, on November 11. You should already have received a mailed announcement and invitation to show your historical treasures. Our next Newsletter will report on the meeting and exhibit.
► On Friday, December 7, the Illinois
NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR THE
the Paul Cornell Awards, which are presented annually by the Hyde Park Historical Society.
Members are invited to submit short written statements commend ing anyone (except a currently serving HPHS Board member) who significantly furthered community knowledge, appreciation, or preservation of Hyde Park's historical heritage in 1979. (For this purpose, "Hyde Park" is the area between 47th St. and the Midway, Cottage Grove Ave. and the Lake.
Award categories are: books and articles; exhibits; lectures;
Historic Sites Advisory Council, meeting at the Windermere Hotel between 9 and 12, 2 and 5, will consider applications for nomi nation to both the National and the Illinois Historic Registers.
According to Council member Michael Conzen (who is also on the HPHS Board), the Council convenes at three-month intervals in different cities in order to encourage greater public knowledge of its activities and procedures. It has not met before in Hyde Park. Interested citizens are urged to come for the entire meeting or any part of it.
► Our Annual Meeting and Dinner will take place on January 19. Full details will come later. D
This Hyde Park Historical Society
student projects; restoration of exterior or public interior spaces of commercial, civic, or residential buildings; and sympathetic
... to page 8
Newsletter is published quarterly.
Muriel Beadle, Editor Corinne Seither, Typing Michael Conzen, Graphics
Library. Renovation well Underway
NOTE: This is the first in a series of reports on the renovation of the Blackstone Branch Library. The following notes were extracted by Muriel Beadle from a conversa tion with architectural historian and HPHS Board member Irma Strauss.
Chicago's first branch library was built in 1904 by Mrs. Timothy
Blackstone to memorialize her husband. Solon s. Beman (who lived in Kenwood) was the architect of this
Greek Revival building. Exclusive of land, it cost $125,000. The renovation is budgeted at $700,000.
Beman's renderings survive in the Burnham Library at the Art Institute but the blueprints are missing. Coping with the resultant surprises are the renovation architect, An drew Heard(he lives in Kenwood, too) and the contractor, R. E. Rudnick.
They are doing a sensitive job. Ac cording to Librarian Emma Kemp, they are keeping as much as possible of the original fabric yet are taking full advantage of modern technology.
In 1904, the site was a cow pas ture. Being on alluvial soil, the building has done much settling.
Therefore, the outside stairs need ed resetting. The sidewalks have been repaved. In back, a concrete ramp has replaced the steps. New windows have been installed. (Not to re-use the original frames is too bad, but it wasn't possible.)
All the wiring has been updated and new fluorescent fixtures, ugly but necessary, are in place wher
ever bright light is essential.□
Next report: Restoring the de tails; modern additions.
TAX RELIEF LAW
MISSES ITS MARK ''--(7
By Carol Moseley Braun Like other best laid schemes of
mice and men, Illinois Senate Bill
244 is a scheme that has gang aft a-gley. It was intended to provide incentive for preservation efforts by granting a 10-yr. tax freeze on single family dwellings in Munici pal Landmark areas or in National
Historic Districts. (There are 26 of the latter in Illinois, among them Hyde Park and Kenwood.)
However, the bill contains many and grave errors. Qualification for the tax freeze depends solely on the house's age and location, not upon the extent of preservation efforts or investment. The owner can take advantage of the tax re lief while allowing the property
to deteriorate for 10 years. He can make "improvements" which funda mentally change the structure, with out loss of tax relief. Wholesale destruction of historic buildings could result from such a loophole.
PAUL CARROLL PAYS FOND TRIBUTE
TO THE IRISH WHO
LIVED HERE IN THE 193O's
By Lesley Bloch
The sanctuary of St. Thomas the Apostle Church was the scene of the Oct. 7 Hyde Park Historical Society meeting. It was an ideal spot for Paul Carroll's recollections, Being Irish in Hyde Park. Sipping "tears of the angels" and speaking from a place normally reserved for saints and priests, he delighted the audience with tales of his family, St. Thomas Church and Grammar School, and Kenwood--"the stronghold of the Irish mafia in the 1930's."
Nineteenth Century Picnic Menu
At our pleasant Sept. 15 outing to Naper Settlement, the bag lunches were prepared by Thelma Dahlberg, Jean Ervin, Gladys Finn and Chris Lehigh. Thanks, ladies.
HPHS members enjoyed reading the explanatory sheet which accompanied each lunch. It explained that every item on the menu--plum jam sandwiches, deviled eggs, pickles, apple and black walnut cookies, butter cookies with hazelnuts, fresh picked grapes, cider--could have appeared at an early 19th century pic nic.
This bread too was made by "set ting the sponge" from a carefully kept "starter." The cookie recipes came from century-old cookbooks.
The jam and pickles were homemade. Only the butter was "modern"--i.e., store-bought, not churned at home.
Our 20th century cooks also used plastic bags and paper products- much more convenient than following the 19th century practice of wrap ping sandwiches in a damp cloth, then packing them in a tin or wicker box. There's a limit to one's yearning for authenticity.□
The relatives living together at 51st and Kenwood were a marvelous crew. The spinster sisters, Nellie and Catherine Rose, attended 6 a.m. Mass, stirred pots of stew and read only the parish obituaries. The four bachelor brothers, aloof from work of any kind, sat behind their news papers--except on the occasions when they came before J.A. Carroll (real estate developer, builder of the Hyde Park Bank, father of Paul) with candidates for marriage, his approv al being required. The candidates were generally unsuitable.
Among young Paul's favorite spots in the neighborhood was the room above the garage at the home of Big Jim McKay. Here, the boy got to see and talk to three pistol-toting bodyguards who played cards continu ally but were always ready for trou ble. A shotgun was a fixture in a corner of the room. Mr. Carroll al so recalled with relish the "Friday night fights with the Protestants from Ray School."
For more Irish wit and wisdom from Paul Carroll, listen to WFMT on Sundays at 10:30 p.m., and look
for his forthcoming book, Chicago, Magic City of the West.□
NOTE: This and the story of Joe Hill (facing page) are corrrplementary. One is written from the viewpoint of a modern day union syrrrpathizer, the other reflects the anti-labor sentiment of many members of the Chicago Establishment in 1886
By Jean Block
Starting with the depression of the 1870's, strife between labor and management was almost constant as workingmen struggled for better wages and working conditions. The Haymarket Riot in 1886 followed a strike at the McCormick works: an apparently peaceable mass meeting was charged by the police, a bomb was thrown into the crowd, and many people were killed or wounded.
Nine anarchists were arrested and hastily tried. Seven were convicted and sentenced to hang. Although no one was ever to know who threw the bomb, the charge was that the thrower was incited by the inflammatory speeches of the accused.
An eyewitness account of the night before the execution as well as the execution itself appears in the papers of J. Frank Aldrich at the Chicago Historical Society. Attached to the account is a finely engraved invitation to the hanging.
Aldrich lived at 5649 Blackstone and then at 4800 Kimbark. A crusading Republican, he was elected President of the County Board in
1886 as part of a reformers' effort to rid the Board of the graft and corruption that were leading the County to bankruptcy.
Because of his office, Aldrich could visit the jail at will. On the eve of the hanging, he talked with August Spies and later wrote:
"Speaking in a well modulated but rather low tone, Spies said he believed he had done no wrong, that all they were contending for was the right of free speech, it was the struggle of the masses against the capitalists who had decreed that they should be 'put out of the way'.... I do not recall that we shook hands when I left him; probably not."
As for the execution, Aldrich wrote: "When the caps were adjust ed, Spies said, 'There will be a time when our silence will be more powerful than the voices you strangle today.'... Engel cried, 'Hurrah for Anarchy!' ...Fischer said, 'This is the happiest moment of my life.' Parsons said, 'Will I be allowed to speak Omen of America? Let me speak, Sheriff Watson. Let the voice of the people be heard.
Aldrich concluded (with a final sigh of relief) that the event "gave anarchism in this country a set back from which it has never recovered.
Amen." □
U.S.S. NAUTILUS JOINS ELITE GROUP Evidence that a historic place can move around is provided by the listing of the U.S.S. Nautilus on the National Register of Historic Places. This, the world's first atomic powered vessel and the first submarine to circumnavigate the globe at high speed while it was submerged, dates--how time flies!
--from 1951.
The Navy hasn't decided whether or not to put its historic place
on public display.□
By Lee H. Morgan
A historical society like ours is, by its very nature, specialized in its interests and program. Even more specialized, however, are the labor history societies which exist in thirteen Sta.tes. For example:
The Illinois Labor History Soci ety is among groups trying to se cure a posthumous pardon for Joe Hill, executed for murder in Salt Lake City in 1915 but whose convic tion is felt by many to have been due to anti-labor sentiment.
Joe Hill, born Joel Hagglund in Sweden in 1879, emigrated to the United States in 1910. Here, he joined and became an organizer for the militant Industrial Workers of the World (Ir-m, whose members were popularly known as "Wobblies").
Also a poet and balladeer, he was the great troubadour of the early 20th century labor movement. The following lyrics are typical of his work; this and other of his songs are still popular with folk-singers.
If we workers take a notion,
We can stop all speeding trains, Every ship upon the ocean
We can tie with mighty chains. Every wheel in the creation, Every mine and every mill, Fleets and armies of all nations Will at our command stand still.
Hill's way with words did not desert him upon his arrest for the murder of a Salt Lake City grocer and his son, during the trial, and later. Shortly before his execu tion, he sent to 'Big Bill' Hay wood, the IWW leader, this tele gram: "Good-bye, Bill. I will die as a true-blue rebel. Don't waste time mourning. Organize." And on the night before he faced the fir ing squad, he wrote:
My will is easy to decide,
For there is nothing to divide.
My kin don't need to fuss and moan--
"Moss does not cling to a roll- ing stone."
My body? Ah, if I could choose, I would to ashes it reduce, And let the merry breezes blow My dust to where some flowers
grow,
Perhaps some fading flower then Would come to life and bloom again. This is my last and final will, Good luck to all of you--Joe Hill.
On November 19, 1915, he died, despite pleas for a pardon from thousands of people. As for a post humous pardon, Utah's attorney gen eral says that neither Utah law, fed eral law nor English common law pro vide for it. The Illinois Labor His tory Society is sending its petitions anyway. Its president, Lester Orear, says, "The Utah ruling isn't final; it's only a skirmish."
FUNDS SOUGHT; GIFT RECIEVED
The drive to raise funds to re store our headquarters building at 5529 Lake Park Ave. is fully under way. Applications for major grants are pending before several founda tions and others are being prepared for banks and corporations.
The first donation of a fixture for the building has been received from Dr. and Mrs. Albert Dahlberg, both HPHS Board members. It is a late 19th century water closet, complete with a mahogany water tank with tin lining.□
Where are the records of the South Park Improvement Association? They must be in someone's basement, but whose?
If you know, or can provide a clue, get in touch with Jean Block
at 1700 E. 56th St., Chicago 60637i phone 363-9093. □
Strolling along Lake Parl( in days gone by
NOTE: Lake Park Ave., formerly Lake Ave., is now--thanks to urban renewal--hard by the west side of the I.e. embankment. But fragments of the original thoroughfare remain: for example, the section of today's Lake Park between 56th and 57th; the block that abuts the Hyde Park Bank on the east between 53rd and 54th; the driveway and parking lot east of Hyde Park Federal; the roadway which the Blackstone Branch Library faces.
According to a memoir written by a pioneer settler here, Mrs. Homer Nash Hibbard, Hyde Park in 1860 "was a cluster of scattered houses, less than a score, dropped down among the oak trees. There was no store, no postoffice, no market, and a single passenger car on the Illinois Central, three times a day, was the only connection with the city except Purcell's ox-cart, which served as an express to bring from the city barrels of flour and groceries. The one sidewalk, a board walk on Lake Avenue, was fringed with ferns and violets, wild flowers and strawberries."
--from the 1910 history of the Hyde Park Presbyterian
Church (now the United Church of Hyde Park)
About 1925, an 11-year-old youngster named Fred Sherwood lived at 5442 Dorchester, attended Ray School, and roamed the community during his leisure hours. A little over 50 years later, this is how he remembers Lake Park Ave. (from which the ferns and violets had certainly departed):
"There was still a livery stable there; also a wholesale butcher and a cigar shop where the owner sat in the window, hand-rolling ci gars. There were several horse troughs with semi-circular basins, one of which also had a slow-flowing 'people' spout."
--from a 1979 letter from Fred Sherwood, who now lives in Sawyer, Michigan.□
HAVE YOU EATEN AT THE COLLEGE INN?
Where students meet and eat. Best food at best prices.
READERS CAMPUS DRUG STORE.
61st and Ellis Avenue Fairfax 4800 ( also on campus exchange)
ADVERTISING IN THE NEWSLETTER?
Not yet. Older Hyde Parkers may re member Readers Campus Drug Store and correctly date the ad as circa 1935. (HPHS Board member and Uni
City House
March 21-23, 1980 are the dates for Chicago's second annual "CITY HOUSE: A Home Improvement Fair of Older Houses," at Navy Pier. If you want to exhibit, call Edward Jeske at 744-3200. University Archivist Al Tannler dug it out for us.)
The half-timber and stucco shops and gas station at 61st and Ellis were built in 1931. The University owned other commercial property in Hyde Park-from offices let to the Anti-Saloon League to shoe shining parlors-but the stores at 61st and Ellis were the first it had built for the benefit of students.
As the University Record said, these shops would make it easy for students "to buy a linen collar or obtain a 'permanent wave'". It was expected that dormitories for wo men would be erected near the existing College Residence Hall for Men (now Burton-Judson). Its Goth ic splendor was, of course, the reason for the Olde Englishe architecture of the retail shops.
Although the women's dorms never materialized, the stores long did well. The University still owns them but, alas, only the gas sta tion is open. The shops are boarded up, waiting for a revival of the economy south of the Midway. D
--Muriel Beadle
SENATE BILL 244
Governor Thompson signed the bill into law on Sept. 22, but used his amendatory veto to postpone the effective date of the legislation from January 1980 to January 1981. This, he said, was to give preservationists a chance "to work with the sponsors to improve the bill."
Anyone who cares about the preservation of our architectural heritage should send his or her suggestions for the amendment of Senate Bill 244 to its sponsors, Sen. Jeremiah E. Joyce and Rep. Daniel P.
O'Brien, care of their respective legislative bodies in Springfield.
NOW IS THE TIME TO MAKE NOMINATIONS FOR THE PAUL CORNELL AWARDS
renovation or adaptive re-use. Our awards may be made in any, all, or none of those categories, but only one award will be made in each cat egory. Recipients of awards will be announced at our annual meeting in January. Send your nominations by Dec. 1 to Kathleen Conzen, 1333 E. 50th St., Chicago 60615.
To refresh your memory, our 1978 awards went to:
0 George Cooley, "for leadership in researching and preparing a plan for the restoration of the Wooded Island to its former glory."
0 Mr. and Mrs. Victor Barcilon, "for their sensitive exterior res toration of the Heller House [5136 Woodlawn Ave.], tuckpointing it in the unique manner initially speci fied by its architect, Frank Lloyd Wright."
0 Eliza Davey, "for developing an architectural outdoor study-game, Queen Anne Meets the Greek, which heightens the observational skills of parents and children."
Incidentally, there's a nice se quel to this one. Mrs. Davey, Ancona School's Art Center Coordina tor, will produce three similar Streetgames during 1979-80, thanks to a $26,000 grant from the Nation al Endowment for the Humanities.
The Games will be tested city-wide by 12 to 17 year olds. □