Newsletters 1995
Volume 16, Number 4 Winter, 1995
This wonderful photo which HPHS Archivist Steve Treffrnan has just acquired from the Chicago Historical Society for our headquarters was taken on November 6, 1915. lL shows Lhe LC. Sta Lion at 57th Street; the tracks just behind it r:1ised :is Lhey are Loday.
Jean Block, in her book Hyde Park Houses, describes the opening of the first station (Hyde Park al 53rd Street in 1856 and the second (Kenwood at 47th SLreeL) in 1859. She continues. ''A third railroad station was opened at 57th Street. initially known as Woodville, because thal was where the train refueled. later it was called South Park."
After its years of service as ;1 depot. including the ;11Tival and departure of thousands s of visitors to the 1893 World's Fair, this enormous station (consider Loday' skimpy pldlform shclLers!l was for , time home to the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club! Sec Eleanor Campbell's article on the next page.
Eleanor Campbell l1as been associated with the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club since 1944 when she became staff as a group 1mrhcr. lfltcrsl,c1ms cmc of11i11c clw,trr members 0Ft/1r Business and Professional Auxiliary in existence for37 t;ew before it disbanded. Sl1e is a long-ti1 1c board n1rmbrrhaui11g sc,vcd as clwinna11 of several committees m1d as president.
Currently she is a professional geneologist and family historian 1citli a11 i11tcrnatio11af clic11trle.
The Hyde Park Neighborhood Club
by Eleanor Campbell
The Hyde Park Neighborhood Club has served the south side of Chicago since its founding in December 1909.
Created ;is a settlement house and a neighborhood center. it continues today as a multi-program soci,d se1vice agency in our economic1lly diverse and rncially mixed community.
ln its formative years the Club operated its programs out of an abandoned railroad depot. originally huill Lo accommodate the thousands of visitors arriving at the 18g3 World's Columbian Exposition. lnter the Club made use of unoccupied store fronts, empty second floor rooms over businesses. and ;111 old fire station. lL varied its activities with the space available and the needs in the community. Originally designed "to promote Lhe physical and moral welfare of Lhe children in the area" its programs have always included ,adult activities.
From 1931 to 1g48 the Club rented the buildings at 56th and Dorchester, which had been the University Congregational Church sanctuary. its Fellowship hall. and parsonage, for $1 a year with the congregation maintaining the outside of the buildings; the Club kept up the interior. The church had merged with Hyde Park Presbyterians and worshiped in their building at 53rd and Blackstone Ave. This much larger space allowed the Club to expand its programs for the first time in its history.
During the Depression years, the Club's ,activities took on a different dimension. There were family fun nights, a soup kitchen and activities which assisted the entire fomily. An annual "human" circus was held every spring ;:is ,1 culmination of months of preparing paper mache' animal costumes. complete with a bandind a circus parade. When a large apartment building went up in flames the Club was there to provide temporary housing and meals with the assistance of the Red Cross. With the aniv;:il of the Second World War, women came to the Club to roll bandages and learn first-aid procedures. These buildings were alive throughout the d,1y ;:ind into the evenings with activities for children and ,adults.
When the church buildings were sold in 1948 the Club operated decentralized programs for six years in local schools. churches, empty store fronts and with its offices localed in the local police station, which was just of- 53rd St and Lake Park Avenue. Owing Lhal time the directors of the Club had to decide if the agency would continue. When one of them offered Lo buy some property. which was ,1v,1ibble in Lhe center of the community. their future was secured.
ln 1953. a one story structure was erected al 55th and Kenwood, in which is now Nichols Park. Liter addition since the have included more meeting rooms. ,1 shop. a post-war quonseL-sLyle gym--replaced in 1888 with high school sized gymnasium and expanded meeting ,and activity rooms. This Liter space w;1s m,1de possible by renovating the old gym into sun-filled room which can be divid into smaller ;areas by closing folding doors. The present totals 25,&o square feet.
Over the years the importance of the Club's work in the community has been evident in is willingness Lo sec new needs and lo make the changes necessary programs accordingly. Today this community house offers programs and services lo ;1l1 age groups including a pre school indoor Tol Lal and ;1 full-day activities and Lu Luring for element,1ry age children before and after 11001. a growing youlh program for ages 11-17. a drop-in center and Golden Oinerc; noon for seniors. and an Older Adult 0,1y center for more fragile adult_. There is also a job placement program for those over fifty and adult classes. Programs run all year with summer full-day camp included.
ln order to Furnish improved se1vices for the more than 2CXX) people aided by the Club. ils staff of 12 full time and 28 part-Lime workers is headed by Mrs.
JureIlene Rigsby, M.S.Ed., Executive Director since September 1994. As Child Service Director of Community Services South for 14 years she managed a variety of programs including day care, counseling, parent empowerment. group homes. foster care. and emergency shelters. She has a strong youth OiientaLion and is familiar with the Chicago network of social service agencies and funding sources.
A community board of three dozen men and women manage the affairs of the Club, now in its 86th year. The budget of $888.B&J come from individual, corporate, and foundation money. T11e United Way, government funds, program fees ,and rentals.
Volunteers are also pa1t of the support staff of the agency is and has been, a communitypartner.developinganddeliveringse1vicesinresponseloidenlifiedcommunilyneeds
Paul Cornell Awards
1994
by Tom Pavelec. Vice President HPHS
The Paul Cornell Award is presented yearly by Lhe Hyde Park Historical Society to honor individuals or groups who foster and preserve Hyde Park hislory. Over Lhe years we have given a variely of these awards. c,ich well deserved in its own way.
The Society presented three ;1wards at ils Fehrtwry 26, rgg4 annual dinner meeting.
The firsl was presented Lo Lhe managing truslces of the Promontory Apartments at 5530-32 Soulh Shore D1ivc. This building. designed hy Mies van der Rohe in 1947. h;1s recently undergone some 111,)jor structuralwork. As you pass this building you probably won't secondly change in the exterior. And is exactly why they received th is award.
The Truslees forced some hard decisions when Loki of Lhe repairs necessary Lo the structure. While Lhc basic integrity of the structure was al tisk. Lhey could reconstruct Lhe foundation, windows and apron suLTOLlllding the building exactly as 01iginally designed, at considerable cost. or take the less expensive route and change the facade dramatically.
Th Promontory owners felt that they were more than property owners, but rather custodians of architectural history. They chose to take the more expensive route that 111;1inlained the integliLy of Lhe original design. We applaud their foresight and thank Lhem for preserving this design.
The Managing Trustees are Don Norlon. Alan Shefner and William McGhee.
The blocks of 57th to 59th on Harper Avenue are known as Rosalie Court ;md the residences as Rosalie Vi lbs. ;1 significanl ,md hisL01i slreet in Hyde Park.
Ln Jenn Block's r978 book Hyde Park Houses she talks about the 1885 planned development along Harper Avenue. To quote from Jean's book, ··Many of these houses have since been remodeled. but the one al 5736 Harper is unaltered."
Our second award was presented to Tom Jones and Steve Weiner for the restoration, preservation and reconstruction of their home at 5736 Harper.
Tom and Steve have taken this "unaltered" beauty and with great care and sensitivity have enhanced its original beauty into a pure delighL thc1t even architects of the late r&:lo's would have admired.
Ln addition to exterior and interior restoration of this Queen Anne home. they have constructed a rear addition that blends with the original design perfectly, leaving one to wonder where the original ends and the new begins.
They endeavored to maintain the original design by removing the entire brick facade, adding a three story addition, and Lh n reconstructing the original facade. They accomplished their mission. ln addition, they scoured the city to find door and window hardware Lhal exactly matched the original wherever it had been replaced by previous owners.
Exterior paint chips were analyzed to determine original colors and all missing wood members replaced. They researched landscaping of the era and have duplicated it as closely .:is possible.
Kudo Lo Tom and Steve for a job well done and our thanks for their determination to reconstruct history.
The final HPHS award, but no less significant, was presented to students and faculty of the William H. Ray School for fostering and encouraging the history of Hyde Park.
The HisL01ical Society believes that the study of history must be encouraged in young minds and hearts. Last year. the Ray School's 100th anniversary, Lhcir students were challenged to find out 1d10 was William H. Ray?
lt was an interesting exercise for Ray School students, giving them a sense of the history of Hyde Park. They learned and grew from the expelience, exploring the path from past to present.
You should Know About...
The on-going exhibit at HPHS Headquarters:
University Church Celebrates 100 Years
This interesting exhibit was prepared by Eleanor Campbell. Church member and historian who recently has published 1 book on the Church's long years here in Hyde Park. The exhibit features a roo year Limc-linl'
;:-is well as photos. documents. and m,rny ol<jecls rebting lo the church's history. Don't miss it!
The upcoming exhibit and program:Forty Years of Urban Renewal
Be watching for notice of our HPHS Spring Focus commemorating the 40th anniversary of Urh;in Renewal in Hyde Park. We plan to h1ing together memo,ies. photographs. maps. elc. Lo document and presc,ve that strategic moment in our recent hi Lory. LF you have any m,1leri,1ls or memo,ies you would like to shme, please call Program Chairman Alice Schlessingcr.
The Annual Meeting of the Hyde Park Historical Society
Saturday, February 18, 1995 The Cliff Dwellers Club
Orchestra Hall 220 S. Michigan Ave.
HPHS Exhibit The White City As
It Was Wins Award for Excellence
This wonderful exhibit of exceplioml 18g3 half-tone photos hy Willi,1111 Henry Jackson ;is well ac; m;I11y items of inlercsl - from poslctrds ,111d Lickcts to souvenir chin;1 plates - w,Is mounted hy HPH members Ed Cimphell ;111d Steve Treffm:111 to commcmor:1Le 1893 Columbian Exhibition World’s Fair. He received an Award tor Excellence from the Association of Illinois Museums and Historical Societies statewide awards. HPH S won two!
Recollections of Ted Anderson
l Firsl mel Ted Anderson when I was ;1 small hoy
:md my bmily were cuslomers of his slore ;:iL 1444 E;1sl 55Lh Street. lL was a large. old fashioned hardware store .jusl the sort of place a boy who liked to work with his hands loved to hang mound. 1i1e store was delighLl·ully messy. wiLh hundreds of boxes and hins full of misc llaneous pmls and g;1dgeLs. nothing like the bland. s,mitized horne ccnler slores of Laday. where everyLhing is in plasLic hags. ln tho_c days Hyde P,irk h.td ;1 half dozen or so good hmdwarc slores. on 57Lh
Lreel. especi,tlly 55Lh. ;md 53rd SLreel.
1i1c only one who knew where cvcryLhing was in his
<,Lore. of course, was Ted. ;ind Lhe cnlirc operalion revolved ,trl)Und him. He knew mosl of Lhe cuslomcrs by 11;1mc. ,md :dmosl everyone who c1me in Lo Lhe '>Lore soughL him out tor ;idvicP on whal merch,mdise Lo buy. or how to do ;1 p,1rlicubr repair. The slorc w;1s
,d<,o ;1 g;1Lhering poinl forjanitors in Lhc are,1. who
<,Lood ;iround Lhe nickel Coke machine Lo sw;1p slories ahoul Lheir Len;inls. m;:iny of whom were studenl<; or professors. who did1i'L h;ive enough "common scn<,p" nol Lo pul gm1se down Lhc sink. or Lo lock themselves oul ot Lhcir ;ip,irlmenls.
Yc;irs Liter. when l goL Lo know Ted much heller. ill' hr;igged Lo me Lh;it he h:id only one joh hi'> enlire life. He w;1s horn in Hyde Park in 1908. .inc.I allenc.lec.l R;1y School ,ind Hyde P,irk High School. where he loved Lo work in Lhe shops Lh;iL were i.tl('r moved oul when
hit ;1go Voc,tion;il High School w;i<., huilL. When he w;is 10 ye;1rc; old. in Lhe Fourlh gr;1de. he h,,d a friend whose Lither owned Lhe Im.ti h,1rdwarc slore. Thl' hoy Loki Ted Lh,1t his bLhcr needed ,1delivery hoy. ,md he gol Lhc joh. Eighteen ye;irs J;1Lcr he houghL the slure. hy Llwn owned by the W;igner 13roLhcrs. ,md renamed il
A.T. Anderson Hardware.
During the Depression Ted kepl Lhe sLore going hy purch;1sing Lhe slock of olher South Side h;irdw,1re '>lore<; LiwL were going oul of business. and by buying dislresscd merchandise from wholes,1lcr<; al bargain p1ices. For ex;1mple. he once boughL 75 broken wooden ironing bo;irds for Lwe11Ly-five cenls e;ich. horn which he
was ;1blc Lo rep.iir 50 or oo of Lhem. Lo sell for $5.cx) a piece.
The wood slove in the he;idquarlers w;1s purchased by Ted ;1L ;1 b,mkruplcy sale and sal in his g;ir.ige for alrnosl 50 years before being used for Lhe firsl Lime. ln order Lo mike ends meel. Ted also did ;1 loL of repai1ing of small appli,mces ;1L Lhe slore. and he was ;i m;1sler locksmilh.
Ted and his wife Lillian raised Lheir three children in Lhe large frame house al 5627 Kenwood. He could oflen be <;een smoking his cigars on the front porch. because his wife didn't like him Lo do it in the house. He was extremely active in the Hyde Park Methodist Church. which was late torn down. and The congregation merged wilh Lhe United Church of Hyde Park on 53rd Street. He loved music and often led singing al the church. He and his family could usually he seen ealing Sunday dinner. afler church. at the Tropical Hut restaurant on 57Lh Street
Ted spent an enormous amount of Lime involved in various volunleer activities in the communily. He w;:is a member of Lhe local DrafL Board for 20 years. a matter of no small inlere L lo me and my m;:ile contemporaries. since we were of draft age during the Vietnamwar. He was also active in and usually chairman of. a virtual "wh0’s who" of Hyde Park organizations, including Lhe YMCA. Kiwanis Club, 5Lh Ward Citizens Committee. Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference, Southeast Chicago Commission. 55the street Businessmen's Association.
Hyde Park Neighborhood Club, Mason's. and Schrincr's.
When the Historical Society was formed he was in charge of selling 100 Charter Memberships ;1L $100 each. which provided thc nucellus of funds to rehabilitate the headquarlers. We worked very closely Logelher on Lh;il projecl.
In Lhe I.iLe t95o·s, Ted's 01iginal store w;is slated for demoliLion ;,s p;1rl of Lhc urhan renewal pb111. He moved Lo ;1much smaller inlcrim localion. ;it 1215 Easl 55Lh Slreel. helween Kimb;irk and Woodlawn. where he wa lornLed for 8 years. 1i1e ,iclual move was made by a p.tmde ot volunleers c1nying Lhe merchandise from one sLore Lo another in ho1Towed Co-op Food Store shopping rnrls. Evenlu;illy he and olher merchanls. '>uch ,1<; "Mr. G... built Lhe 53rd Street and Kimbark Shopping Plaza where his store was recolated. A few years later he retired after 55 years in the hardware business. The dean of Hyde Park merch,mls.1i1e store Lh1ives Locby. of course. now known as Anderson's Ace Hardware. enlarged ;md owned by his protege George Alguire. George recently himself celehrated 50 years in the hardware business.
ln rg8o. afler his wife died. Ted moved Lo Hawaii where his son Ronald is an engineer. He shipped his (·urnilurc. belongings and Lools in an enormous conL.1iner. Lh,1L ,ilso included his beloved Mercedes Benz ,1ulomobile. H' died in Haiwaii on J;:inuary 18, 1994. ,md a mcmo1i,1l sc,vice was held for him nt the Actually. the Quadrangle Club had a number of homes before what is now Ingleside H,111 was constructed. as Ed conectly notes. on the southeast comer of Fifty-eighth and Univer ity. the site now of Lhc Oriental Institute. O1iginally. the club was orgm1ized by and for University of Chicago male b ulty in 18g3 at the old Del Prado Hotel. than called the Barry Hotel. where many of the club's early members lived. lnlernalion;1I House st;mcls there now. The club was incorporated in 1895 ;111d ;1 three story red brick lub house was built on th,1L Fihy-eighth ;md University
c-orner ;111d opened on June 19. 18g6. ln r8g7, however, il experienced three successive fires. li1e third. on December 25. 1897. caused such extensive damage that lll,)jor reconstruction w,1s m,1de necess;iry while, a well. ,11lowing expansion of the old building. For
approximalely six months thereafter the club mentioned temporary quarters at a building once stood at what is now 1358-136o East Fifty-eighth. On July 26. 18g8, the new club house. now twice the size of its predecessor hut retaining the original focade. w,1s onc,e1gain opened lo its members. The brger quarters were needed because of an increase in the club's membership whicl1 occured when a change in requirements allowed men to join who were not University of Chicago faculty. By 18g7. these "community" men made up almost half of the club" Quadrangle Club.
Volume 17, Number1 Spring 1995
THE CLIFF DWELLERS: The Hyde Park Connection by Scott Elliot
The Society is grateful to Scott Elliot, chairman of the Cliff Dwellers' Art Committee, who spoke at our Annual Dinner which was held at the cliff Dweller
Good evening, and welcome to the Cliff Dwellers Club.
The exhibit you see on the walls traces the history of the club from its inaugural dinner in this room in Ig:Jg until just about the present
1he founders were men of letters, artists, architects. and musicians as well as lawyers and businessmen.
Today the membership is made up more of businessmen than artists. but we have managed to keep alive the spirit of the place and have tried to maintain the ideals or our predecessors.
Like Hyde Park. the Cliff Dwellers Club is to a considerable extent an outgrowth of two historic Chicago events. First, the World's Columbian Exhibition of 18g3, which brought artists, builders. poets, and creative men and women of all descriptions to the boom town that Chicago had become in the twenty-year aftermath of the Great Fire. Second was the founding of the University of Chicago.
Having spent some years in two university towns - New Haven. Connecticut, and Evanston, Illinois. I know that the relationships between universities and the general population are not always as happy as they might be. But from my vantage point it would appear that Hyde Park's relationship with the University of Chicago is a close and largely positive one, not unlike, until quite recently. that is. our relationship with the Chicago Symphony Orchestral Association. Now, after eighty-seven years of harmonious and mutually beneficial coexistence, we have been slapped with a notice of eviction from the home that we built with our own resources - and in which we believed that we were secure - at least as long as Orchestra Hall is still standing.
Not only did we buildthis club house. butseveral ofourfoundingmemberswerealso
Cliff Dwellers continued From pag,e
largely responsible for building and financing Orchestra Hall, as well as the orchestra itself. Daniel H. Burnham was the architect and the chief fund-raiser for the building. Charles L Hutchinson was a founding member of both groups and a major financial supporter of both.
Burnham died of a sudden illness on a trip to Europe in 1912. When his dear friend and fellow Cliff Dweller, the grand old maestro, Frederick Stock. learned of his death just before a concert, he conducted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in the funeral march from Wagner's Gotterdiimmerung as a final tribute to its greatest patron. When Hutchinson died in 1924 heleft a legacy of $5,exx> and one-tenth of the income from a
$250,exx> trust to his beloved club, no doubt in the belief that its future was secure. It is not hard to imagine what he would make of the present situation - one of the many of Chicago's cultural institutions which he helped to create (including the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Chicago) turning its back on another. In Hutchinson's day commerce and the money produced therefrom was at the service of art
He saw the fine arts and the humanities as the ultimate reward of commerce and industry and as a redemption from their darker, more sordid aspects.
In no place, more than in this room, were these ideals nurtured and cultivated. In those days the Fine Arts Building down the street was burgeoning with the studios of illustrators, muralists, craftsmen, and musicians. Downtown was full of bookshops, galleries, theatres, recital halls, and restaurants crowded with enthusiastic and idealistic "dilettanti," Bohemians, bibliophiles, academicians, journalists, typographers, tradesmen, and captains of industry in the pursuit of culture. The cliff Dwellers is one of the last survivors of this era.
The old fire may have burned down somewhat, but
the embers still have a healthy glow to them, and with a bit ofluck and a lot of perseverance, its warmth and light will be rekindled for a long time to come.
Many of the early Cliff Dwellers lived inHyde Parkwhere they foundthe same kind of congenial,comfortable,unpretentious,yetstimulatingatmosphere.FrankIloydWright,whowasaCliffDweller for a short time, and hisfriendand fellowarchitect,HowardVanDorenShaw,whowasafoundingmemberandalife-longCliffDweller bothbuiltanumberofhousesinHydePark.Shawdesigneda house for sociology professor, George Vincent; Mrs.William RaineyHarper; Edgar J. Goodspeed,theorientalist, in1919 Henry Hoyd Hilton,the publisher on Woodlawn, which later became the residence of the chancellor, Edward Morris, on Drexel Boulevard; and the Quadrangle Club in 1920.
Wright designed a house for George Blossom and one for Warren McArthur in 18g2, both in the 48oo block of Kenwood; the Isadore Heller house in 18g7 on Woodlawn; and, of course, the Robie house on Woodlawn in 1go8-og.
Alfonso Iannelli, the sculptor whom Wright brought from California in 1912 to work with him on the ornament for the Midway Gardens at Cottage Grove and 6oth Street (it was, tragically, tom down in 1929) also collaborated with Barry Byrne (another Wright protegel on the decorative elements of the Church of St. n1omas the Apostle on Kimbark. Charles L
Hutchinson, who grew up in Hyde Park. had a home at 5n5 Cornell Avenue until the early 18gos, after which he moved to Prairie Avenue. Martin A. Ryerson, who, like Hutchinson, was a member of the original board of trustees of the University of Chicago and its president from 18g2 until 1922 was also a Cliff Dweller. Ralph H. Norton, who was a student at the university and later became head of Acme Steel lived at 4930 Woodlawn.
He was a trustee of the Chicago School of Civics and Philanthropy until it was absorbed by the University of Chicago, as well as a trustee of the Orchestral Association and a governing life member of the Art Institute.
Lorado Taft, the sculptor of the Fountain of Time, at the end of the Midway, lived at 5&n Dorchester and had his studio at 6016 Ingleside Avenue. Leonard Cnmelle, and Frederick devel and Hibbard were also sculptors who lived and worked in Hyde Park. All three
were founding members of the cliff Dwellers. charles Francis Browne, Frank V-rrgil Didley, and Frank charles Payraud were painters who lived there. Robert Jarvie, the silver and metalsmith who designed our famous silver punchbowl which was presented to the club by Charles Hutchinson in 1910, had a studio at 1340 East 47th Street.
William K. Fellows of the architectural firm of Nimmons and Fellows lived at 4530 Lake Park Avenue.
Leo Sowerby. the composer. Joseph Zeisler, and Allen Spencer, the concert pianists, also lived in Hyde Park. Sowerby was president of the club in 1962. William 0. Goodman, who was president of the cliff Dwellers in 1919-20 and his son, Kenneth Sawyer Goodman, lived at 5026 Greenwood in a house with a ballroom wiili a stage where Kenneth developed his theatrical talent.
He joined ilie Navy in World War I and died in 1918. His parents gave ilie Goodman Theatre (which had its first season in 1925) to the Art Institute in his memory. Thomas Wood Stevens lived at 57o6 Jackson Park Avenue. He was an author, teacher of mural painting at the Art Institute, a lecturer on ilie history of art, and director of the Goodman Theatre from 1925-30.
Hamlin Garland, our founding president, lived at
6427 Greenwood. He wrote many books including Main Tmvelled Roads and a Son of the Middle Border and won a Pulitzer Prize. He was married to Lorado Taft's sister.
Garland ruled the club with a whim of iron until 1914 when he moved to New York. He was one of iliose writers of whom it was said that they came to Chicago riding ilie rails and left in Pullman coaches.
Bert Leston Taylor, newspaperman, known as ''.B.LT.," whose column "A Line o' Type of Two" ran in the Chicago Tribune, lived at 5526 Everett Avenue.
Pierce Butler,a professor of bibliographical history and lecturer online history of printing;
Cliff Dwellers
Wmfred Ernst Garrison, a history professor. poetry editor, and president of the Cliff Dwellers from 1944-45; Ralph Waldo Gerard, professor of physiology; William A Nitze, professor and head of the Department of Romance Languages and Literature and a Chevalier of the legion of Honor in France; Percy H. Boynton, English professor and Dean of the Colleges of Arts, Literature and Sciences; Robert Herrick novelist and professor; Robert Morss Lovett, author and English professor; William Vaughan Moody. poet, playwright, and English professor (Lovett and Moody collaborated on A History ofEnglish Literature in 1g:>2}, Harry Pratt Judson, president of the University from r ::n-27; George Herbert Mead, professor of philosophy and author of Mind. Self and Society, published in 1934; Rollin
D. salisbury, professor of history: and Paul Shorey, classical scholar and professor of Greek from 18g2-1933, all were Cliff Dwellers and Hyde Parkers.
The pennanence of the relationship between Hyde Park and the University of Chicago is, of course. ensured. But this is primarily based on geographic and economic realities. For better or worse, they are inseparable. It is to the credit of both partners in this marriage that a mutual appreciation of one another seems to flourish. Sadly for us, our situation is altogether different. Instead of (sensibly) building on terra fmna we chose a rooftop (albeit a rooftop that would not exist but for our efforts and fmancial support). Our partnership with the Orchestral Association has over the years and from the beginning been based on trust and friendship. This has worked pretty well for more than eighty years.
We live in a tough world where money is - well,
almost- everything. But if we lose sight of the past, the things that bind us together, old values. old friends, a sense of honor, we also risk losing the capacity to appreciate and enjoy- even to recognize - whatever good things may be in store for us in the future.
The important thing is to keep the fire burning!
HYDEPARK
In the year 1855 the undersigned made the preliminary survey of the village of Hyde Park and at that time first conceived the idea oflaying out a town, destined to be. what it now is. the most desirable suburb of the city of Chicago: and now offers for sale at very low prices, much lower than speculators can sell, Seven thousand feet front (150 and 175 feet deep), near the GREAT SOUTH PARK in the vicinity of the fine brick depot just completed at Hyde Park. comprising some of the choicest Lake shore residence sites.
This property has the advantages of fine macadamized roads, sewerage. gas. and is supplied with lake water by the Holly Water Works which affords abundant domestic supply and protection against fire.
The Hyde Park train now affords better accommodations than any other Chicago suburban train, running every hour night and morning and at suitable intervals through the middle of the day and night. The beautiful ride on the cars along the lake shore to and from the city without crossing a single street until it reaches the village of Hyde Park, thus enabling the train to run more speedily than any other suburban route. renders it the most desirable place to
live in the vicinity of Chicago. STATEMENT MADE BY THE MAYOR Of HYDE PARK IN HIS ANNUAL MESSAGE.
He stated that when elected about sixyearsagotheassessedvalueofRealEstateinHyde Park was $8oo, while at the present time it was about $15,CXX>,oco;and also. aftercomparingwiththeassessor,JosephH.Gray.Park he found the taxes in Hyde Park to be just one-fifth of those of the city; yet Hyde Park possessed all the advantages of the city. David Truitt speaker at the Society's Annual Meeting, described the history of the Jackson Park Yacht Club and its many ups and downs - into the water, that is. As you can see from the postcard below, the club was built on the water and was accessible to the shore by way of a gangplank. Weather, wear, wind, and wavesLetters to the Editor
To the Editor:
Anyone who remembers Ted Anderson at all will be grateful for Devereaux Bowly's recollections n the Winter 1995 issue of the Society's consistently Newsletter. An addendum may be of interest to some.
As a member of the house committee of my University of Chicago college fraternity in 1947. I quickly became acquainted, and delighted, with AT. Anderson and his Hardware Company. It was a maivelous. unbusinesslike, hodge podge of quotidian essentials and artifacts that might come in handy. some day. for someone.
My bride and I bought our first hous in1954. It was at 5430 South Blackstone - built circa 18go for 1he Fair and, we were told, first occupied by the elephant trainers. Ted Anderson was always available: for plumbing. for locks. for trade references, for a chat with a confused young householder or an old widow who needed a 5¢ fuse but didn't know what size. The janitors waited their tum with the rest of us. They knew that. in their time, they would get the same full attention and the same leisurely. reliable counsel. None of this was very efficient. All of it was very winning.
Mr. Bowly noted Ted's numerous civic commitments - including the draft board. It was during this nation's ghastly entanglement in Vietnam. I only accepted an appointment because Ted asked me, and it was a painful experience for all: life and death power over young men known and unknown, none of whom wanted to go (why should they?). Well-advised ones, mostly white. who knew how to use the system to escape. Un-advised ones, mostly black. who didn't. Never again? Please, God, may it be so.
Kind regards, Charles F. Custer
Revisiting Urban Renewal
1he Historical Society's headquarters were open on Sunday afternoon. April 23, 1995. for people to come in and reminisce about the days of urban renewal. 1955-196o. About forty people dropped in. A powerful stimulus to memory was a ?i_splay of photocopies of pictures of pre-demoht10n H de Park, which Mary Irons had obtained from the Chicago Historical Society. Trying to identify buildings and to remember what stood where proved very intriguing to those who came. . .
Archivist Steve Treffman provided a bnef questionnaire, which visitors were encourag d to answer. on their assessment of our commumty's gains and losses through urban re?- wal. W hop to acquire other materials for an exlubit on this topic.
1he Hyde Park Neighborhood club, through the good offices of Eleanor Campbell. con b_uted a painting by Vi Fogle Uretz of the demoht10n of ne large building. This painting is extremely evocative of the days of Hyde Park A and B, and will be a cornerstone of the new exhibit.
We encourage members to bring in their own memorabilia for the exhibit. as well as their comments and reflections on forty years of urban renewal.
On May 21, Oswelda Badal, who was actively engaged in the grassroots process. reviewed for the_ Society the history of Hyde Park's Urban Renewal: its phases. projects, ups and down , legacy - its, continuing role in the commumty. Mrs. Badal s expertise gave us a fitting conclusion to the discussion which began with Ruth Knack's presentation in March. .
We hope to bring you highlights of her talk rn a future issue of the newsletter.
Volume 17, Numbers 2 & 3 Summer/Fall 1995
by Oswalda Badal Growth of the Community Oswalda (Ozzie) Badal, an early volunteer and staffmember The chronological development of Hyde Park ofthe Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference during the Kenwood started when the "town of Hyde Park" was 50S and early 60S, saw the development ofHyde Park's urban incorporated in 1861, and Paul Cornell known as the renewal from its pre-planning days to its fulfillment Her talk father of Hyde Park, became its flrst elected to the society put the many aspects ofthis enormous project supervisor. By the time the City of Chicago annexed in a nutshell, so to speak. She has generously allowed us to the Town of Hyde Park in 1889, its boundaries reprint it here. encompassed far more area than the present day community. The follOwing year (18ga), the University
The community of Hyde Park-(South) Kenwood of Chicago was founded by a gift from John D. was the first area in the nation designated as an Rockefeller. At that time the community was 'Urban Renewal Project". Its boundaries run from 47th primarily composed of single family homes with the to 59th Streets, Cottage Grove to Lake Michigan. It is a larger, more fashionable mansions being built by colorful community with an interesting history. wealthy families in Kenwood continued on page 2
continued from page 1 between 1885 and 1895. With the announcement and plans for the Columbian
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increase in the population of the area from about 65,300 in 1940 to 71,700 in 1950. By the end of the
Exposition of 1893, which located at the southeastern edge of the community, a tremendous real estate and building boom resulted in the addition of many spacious walk-up apartment buildings. In the 1920S, small apartments and hotels were built to meet the needs of an increasing number of elderly people and single men and women. In the same period and through the 1930S, stores, churches, banks and schools were built leaving little open space in the interior of the community.
During World War II, Hyde Park-Kenwood like the rest of the nation underwent the pressures of a severe housing shortage for people draym to the city to work in the defense industry. Many of the large private homes and spacious apartments in the area were converted into smaller units-many of these conversions were illegally made and were accompanied by a noticeable decline in
maintenance.
Up until World War II the residents of the community were mostly well-to-do families. In addition to faculty and staff of the University living in the area, there was also an unusually high percentage of professional and business people. 1he newcomers who entered the community during the war years and occupied the converted units were for the most part oflower income-people coming from rural areas and the South seekingjobs. The conversions of apartments and homes begun during the early I940S continued after the war with no new building occurring.
The changes in the housing stock resulted in an
I94OS, the community was showing signs of deterioration because of conversions, decreased property maintenance, and increased population all of which were overtaxing the community's facilities and services (schools, parking, police and fire protection).
In the 1940s, to the north and west of Hyde Park Kenwood, the population was largely African American and rapidly increasing in number by families migrating from the South. Chicago's overall African-American population increased by 42% between 1940 and 1950. Adding to space problems in those particular areas was massive displacement for the Lake Meadows and Prairie Shores developments so that by the time restrictive covenents were finally outlawed in 1948 (which opened up areas previously closed to African-Americans), it was not surprising that in the late 1940s, that population began to grow in Hyde Park-Kenwood.
new and old neighbors could meet, know each other and find common grounds on which to work cooperatively.
An extensive survey, developed by a Conference committee headed by St. Clair Drake and Everett Hughes and utilizing people in the new block group organizations was carried out in the area in 1950. The results pinpointed the vast number of problems, and a program which defined general community objectives was developed. This survey served as an important factor in future planning activities for the area.
The program that evolved identified five speCific aspects to the program: (I) the panic and fear of the white residents, and the block busting techniques of unscrupulous real estate brokers needed to be combated through a program of education and through presentation of facts; (2) a self-help program to arrest continued deterioration in the community through strict enforcement of zoning and building code laws needed to be developed; (3) additional space for overcrowded school facilities and for playground and recreational facilities needed to be found; (4) improvement of city services (such as street cleaning, garbage collection and street lighting) was needed; and (5) redevelopment of pockets of slums and a conservation program were needed.
In 1952, as a result of public indignation about the rising crime rate, and sparked by the abduction and attempted rape of a University faculty wife, a "Committee of Five" headed by the now u.s. Judge
Hubert will formed another organization-the South East Chicago Commission which directed much of its efforts toward improving law enforcement. The Commission also devised more comprehensive and effective approaches to the problem of the more serious illegal conversions of buildings often using such power tactics in getting insurance and mortgage cancellations for slum buildings. In some instances, its executive director Julian levi along with other attorneys from the community served as "special" Assistant Corporation Counsel, without compensation, in trying cases involving violations of single family zoning. The Commission's most important program, however, was its role in urban renewal. The Commission's major support came form the University of Chicago and it attracted additional support of business, real estate and other institutional interests. It represented the community's conservative interests who looked with concern at the Conference's idealistic goals for a stable interracial community.
The role of the University administration was an asset and vital factor in many of the
accomplishments for the community. While community residents were moved to action by the deterioration and racial changes earlier, the University had remained aloof until the effects of increased blight and crime brought the community's problems onto its front door. Reduction in enrollment because of fear for the safety of students indicated to the University that it could no longer remain disinterested. It could not afford to move the University elsewhere so it decided something had to be done to improve the climate of the community.
Over the years, there were many conflicts and disagreements between the Conference and the Commission. Each had its own constituency-the Commission represented the University and the Conference represented the grass roots residents in the area. A constant effort was made, however, for recognition and consideration of the needs of both groups, and in the final analysis these efforts benefited both the University and the community residents Embarking on Revitalization
The long range conservation program for the Hyde Park-Kenwood area involved three separate projects. The first was a slum clearance project called Hyde Park A andwebb & Knapp of New York City, was selected as the
developer for this project. The Hyde Park Shopping
Center, which houses the Co-op, highrise apartments
and about 250 townhouses were built on the cleared
land.
The second major project was the SO]Jth West
Hyde Park Neighborhood Redevelopment
Corporation Project. It was organized and
spearheaded by the University of Chicago under a
State authorized program in order to provide needed
student housing. The plan under this project
(approved in 1956) involved the acquisition and
demolition of about 15 acres ofland between 55th
and 56th Streets, Cottage Grove and Ellis Avenues,
plus a rehabilitation program for the remaining
buildings running south of 56th Street to 58th Street
covering an additional 40 acres. This project, after
court battles establishing its legality, was not
implemented until the end of 1962. The cleared land
had been designated for student hOUSing but
eventually was developed into open playing fields for
University sports activities. During the long delay
due to the litigation, student hOUSing was provided
Ozzie Badal speaks to HPHS
through the University acquiring and rehabilitating many existing small unit apartment buildings scattered throughout the community. These were primarily structures built in the 1920S. In the final analYSiS, this approach to the problem served the community well since there was no market for these apartments and the buildings were increasingly becoming a problem.
The third and main project was the Hyde Park Kenwood Urban Renewal Project. When the Chicago Land Clearance Commission agreed to investigate the possibilities of a clearance project in the community in 1953, it was on the condition that they would undertake the project only if it was a part of a larger conservation plan for the over-all community.
Because of this condition, it was necessary for the community to take steps to begin such planning. The University of Chicago and the Commission worked on two fronts toward this end. They jOintly applied
for and received a $100,000 grant from the Field Foundation to establish a "planning unit" to begin planning a conservation program. They also worked closely with other private and public organizations toward the enactment of the U.S. Housing Act of 1954 to provide federal financial assistance for this type of conservation program. Upon the passage of the 1954 Housing Act, the process of designating Hyde Park-Kenwood as the first urban renewal project in the nation began and the city
subcontracted the planningjob to the planning Unit established by the University and the Commission.
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Planning Begins
The Conference had worked closely with city agencies in the development of the clearance project. They now insisted that there be full continued on page 7
The Community Reacts
In 1949, a few people in the community felt action was necessary to stem the growing physical deterioration and to work at developing good race relations. Amongst these early leaders were Rev. Leslie Pennington of the First Unitarian Church, the 57th Street Meeting of Friends, Rabbi Louis Weinstein of KAM, academicians Harvey Perloff, st. Clair Drake, Herbert Thelen, financial and real estate leaders Earl B. Dickerson, Oscar Brown Sr., and Jerome Morgan.
Down Memory Lane...
55th Street Pre-Urban Renewal by Sister Bennet Finnegan, D.P.
Sister Bennet grew up in Hyde Park, on Kimbark - where
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The Hyde Park Neighborhood Club was in the
bank building - we read there and looked at stereop ticon slides.
The Home for Incurables was in the red building, part of which is still standing, just south of Ellis Avenue. We went there for concerts in the garden
Urban Renewal gave us Nichols Park. Living next door to the Finnegans was Alonzo Stagg and his family. She went to school- and eventually taught - at st. Thomas. Sister, now retired and living at the Dominican Motherhouse in Sinsinawa, Wisconsin, recalls the 55th Street she knew:
Fifty-fifth Street is a lonesome road for those of us who lived in Hyde Park in the twenties and thirties. Parker Dry Goods Store on the comer of 55th and Kenwood (succeeded by Bears and then by Breslauers) was where I worked during their sales when I was in school. The important thing to remember was not to tell people what color thread they wanted but to let them choose for themselves. There was a yardstick fastened to the counter so that you could measure yard goods. I enjoyed working there. o
Hazel Hoff Keifer had a store across from the University State Bank where I also worked several times.
The best memory of 55th was the Frolic Theater with the clown above the marquee who bobbed up and down. We saw Jackie Coogan and Mary Pickford, Our Gang Comedies, etc.
At the comer of 55th and Ellis was Greenberg'S Delicatessen where we got delicious poppy seed twist bread. o
Halfway down the street was the Chocolate Shop and the Piggly Wiggly.
At Wolfs Toy Shop we bought Chroma Packs - a set of twelve pictures from story books to color. They were 25 cents.
The shoe man was at 55th and Woodlawn - his nephew is now at 57th and Harper. Watson's Watch Maker was at 55th and Woodlawn and Bourgeau's Hardware store was farther up the street. Feinstein was the Oculist and VanDyke was the photographer, and Finnigan's (spelled with an "i") was at 55th and Woodlawn. Cowhey's Mens Store was near Ellis.
outside.
Later, Walgreen's was at 55th and Dorchester and the A and P was next door. wolfs was the magic store, Eggers the fine grocery and Flori's did hair cuts and manicures. o
Where the Bixler play lot is now, we went to Saint Thomas the Apostle School. at 57th and Kenwood. We attended st. Thomas church at 55th and Kimbark where I was baptized and made my First Communion.
When we go down 55th Street now, I often think of the ghosts of those buildings, especially Greenbergs, the Frolic, Parkers, and Watsons. III
Are you aware that there is a bold, unprece dented plan already formulated to revitalize this neighborhood? Every major housing agency in the city, public and private, will join in the effort to conserve this area. Eyesores will be eliminated, new housing and new streets will be constructed and new traffic solutions will be worked out. Top sponsors of the project are the University of Chicago, the South East Chicago Commission and the Chicago Plan Commission. This is no chimerical plan; it is well on the way to realization. It is worthy of everyone's support. The second annual open meeting of the South East Chicago
Commission will be held at the Hyde Park Church S.W. Corner of 56th & Woodlawn Ave. You are urged to attend the meeting, pre pared to ask the questions you want
answered.
The Date: Tuesday evening, May 11, 8:00pm
From a St. Thomas The Apostle Church Bulletin, May 2, 1954
blacks to whites in a free flow without regard to race. (The Kenwood Open House Committee
Conference and the community were very fortunate in that Jack Meltzer, the director of the planning Unit, wanted citizen participationjust as strongly as the residents insisted upon it.
In 1956 the area was officially designated a Conservation Area and a Conservation Community Council (CCC) consisting of II residents of the community was appointed by the Mayor which for most of its years of existence was led by Edwin A. Rothschild. The CCC is responsible for the first step in the approval process of an urban renewal plan and subsequently plays the same role for amendments to the plan with respect to changes in property acquisition and land use deSignations. The HP-K CCC also undertook reviewing redevelopment proposals to make its recommendations to the city although this was not one of its legally required functions.
That same year (1956), the Preliminary plan was completed and approved, which enabled the federal government to reserve $25,835,000 of federal money
for the project. These funds would be released provided that (r) the final plan was satisfactory and (2) the City of Chicago would provide an additional one-third of its share of the total estimated cost of $39,500,000. The Preliminary plan was then presented to the community, too.
By this time, progress had been made toward checking deterioration in the community through the efforts of the block organizations and the staffs of both the Conference and the Commission. Both organizations worked very closely on several court cases which served to enforce the single family zoning for the mansions in Central Kenwood, returning mansions previously converted into rooming houses back to single family use.
While these two organizations were fighting those particular cases in court, a group of young matrons living in the area embarked on a positive program of attracting families to purchase these large homes for single family use. The Kenwood Open House, an event where several homes were opened to the public each year for a tour, and the development of enticing brochures which were taken to large concerns in the city in an effort to attract young executives to their area, were the two major means used by the Kenwood "Ladies". Needless to say, their efforts were extremely successful. Kenwood was the earliest area within the community to stabilize and where homes are sold by whites to blacks, and by
continues to meet and to serve as the watchdog for that part of the community.)
In Hyde Park itself, by 1956 block groups were so alert to watching for and reporting to the Conference any signs of illegal conversions in its many apartment buildings that it led the Building Commissioner to comment that even a stick of lumber for a bookcase could not be delivered into the area without a report being made to the Building Department. But much remained to be done to improve the maintenance of standards in apartment buildings, many of which were owned by absentee landlords. Block groups had also achieved some successes through close cooperation with the city for such services as street cleaning, garbage collection, clearing ofvacant lots for playlots and the like. In many instances, they supplemented these services by doing thejob themselves. The city's program of posting for street cleaning was born out of the posting of flyers by block groups in order to get streets and curbs cleaned.
The planning Years - 1956-1958
When the Preliminary plan was presented, a special "planning committee" of the Conference undertook the role of the middle man in the citizen participation program that followed. Members of this committee were residents of the community and was mostly composed oflayrnen although there were a few who were profeSSional planners. The members of this committee presented the proposals of the Preliminary plan to block group meetings, got the reactions, comments, criticisms, and suggestions from the residents and relayed them to the planning Unit. These initial meetings were often followed by block groups meeting directly with Jack Meltzer where the difficulties and problems of proposals were discussed, debated, argued and sometimes changed or modified.
Over 300 block and area meetings were held during the two years the plan was discussed in the community. There were many changes in the plan as a result of the interaction between planners and community-some were major and some minor. The people in the community were asked to look at the plan not in terms of their own property or block, but in terms of the overall community needs and conditions-a highly difficult undertaking. By the time the discussions came to an end, those who were concerned about standards were clarified, and there was a reduction of clearance in the northeast comer of the
community.
any proposals under the plan knew more clearly the reasoning behind them even though, regardless of the logic presented, many felt the planning was done for the direct benefit to the University and other institutions and with less regard for the community's residents.
Because discussions of the proposals in the program were held via the block group organizations, the participants in its development included residents of all economic, cultural and racial levels. It was interesting to note that on several occasions where strong protest arose over similar proposals one of which would be in a lower income, working class, block and another in a middle class University faculty block-the arguments raised by both were identical with the only exception being the difference in their articulation of the protest but not in the feeling or the meaning.
The "final plan" was released for community discussion early in February 1958. After a month of meetings to review it at the block level, public hearings were conducted in March by the Ccc. There were additional changes and modifications made and the ccc approved the plan and submitted it to the city. When the final revised plan was presented to the City Council late in 1958, it received wide community support. The City Council's Committee on planning and Housing held its public hearings on the plan. There were 135 witnesses, go of whom were individuals or representatives of groups from within the community, who testified at the five days of hearings. Major opposition to the plan came from Msgr. John Egan representing the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago and was backed from within the community by a local group of residents known as the Hyde park Tenants and Homeowners Association. Their opposition centered on the failure to provide public housing in the plan, and to secure definite commitments for new middle-income housing. The destruction of sound buildings, the prospect of displaced families being relocated into crowded neighborhoods, and the ambiguity of rehabilitation standards were also questioned. In response to some of these concerns. prior to the submission of the plan to the full City Council. a commitment was secured from the Chicago Dwellings Association to provide two million dollars of new middle-income housing. the rehabilitation
There was. in spite of-and in some cases because of-the vigorous opposition of the two above mentioned groups. overwhelming community and city-wide support for the plan. The Committee on planning and Housing unanimously recommended that the City Council approve the plan with a strong recommendation that a minimum of 120 public housing units be included in implementing the program.
On November 7. 1958. the City Council approved the Hyde Park-Kenwood Urban Renewal plan and the federal government authorized the City of Chicago to
proceed with its execution in January 1959.
The Urban Renewal plan
The urban renewal plan called for the clearance of lor acres ofland. This was about 20% ofthe area excluding the land clearance project and the University's campus area. of the buildings proposed for demolition. 78% were substandard. An integral part of this project was the large scale rehabilitation program involving close to 2.400 remaining structures.
The plan provided for expanded space around existing schools for building new plants or additions to the old ones. or for needed play space. At the time these proposals were made. schools were overcrowded. but as the population dropped in succeeding years. school expansion was not necessary in many instances. Some of the designated school sites still provide open space for the schools while others have been redesignated for other uses.
Although the community is almost surrounded by park land-Jackson Park on the east. Washington Park on the west. and the Midway on the south. there was little in the way of park and playground facilities
within easy walking distance in the interior of the community. These were also prOvided for in the plan and except for one park/playground site. the Conference's Parks and Recreations Committee headed by Barbara Fiske. provided the vehicle for the community to participate in planning the new parks and playgrounds. John Hawkinson. a local artist. helped the committee and the block groups in designing the parks and playlots in their immediate areas through the creative use of sand boxes and centers. Most of the displaced businesses either closed or moved out of the community. Some remained in the community and moved into existing spaces not scheduled for demolition. Several displaced businesses banded together. formed a cooperative and built the Kimbark Shopping plaza with several of the key businesses still in occupancy-Mr. G's. Breslauer's. Ace (Anderson's) Hardware. and Mitzie's Flowers.
Space was also provided for institutiemal expansion for churches. hospitals. private social welfare agencies. as well as for the University.
Small spot clearance areas were deSignated for off street parking. The community wanted off-street parking but it turned out that residents did not want to pay for the privilege. Therefore. most of these sites were later redesignated for other uses. usually for hOUSing development.
The remainder of the land cleared was for the development of about 3.000 new dwelling units. The Chicago Dwelling Association built its commitment of $2 million of middle income hOUSing in the multi apartment structure hOUSing elderly persons and families at 51st and Cottage Grove. Additional moderate/middle income family housing units were developed under special FHA insured programs including the cooperative built by the Amalgamated Clothing workers Union at 48th and Lake Park. The CCC adopted the Conference's recommendation that the public hOUSing sites should be scattered and after much heated discussions and hearings. six family units were designated and built in the 5600 Dorchester block. another six in the 5100 Blackstone block. and 18 "modular" units at 50th and Blackstone. Two developments for elderly housing were built-18 units at 55th & Woodlawn and 8 units at 53rd & Woodlawn. Another 64 units of family hOUSing is located in a Chicago Housing AuthOrity (CRAJ building at 50th and Cottage Grove on land the CHA had acquired prior to the approval of the Urban Renewal plan and was the only site of public hOUSing built on the periphery of the community. These 120 newly constructed units were supplemented in subsequent years by public hOUSing eligible persons and families using CHA issued Section 8 certificates
eligible family or individual pays 30% of their income toward the rent and CHA pays the landlord the balance. There has been a constant danger of concentration instead of dispersal of low income households through the use Section 8.
The rehabilitation phase of the urban renewal plan was slower in getting started and did not really begin until 1964 after it was stimulated by new development on some of the cleared sites. It continued at an accelerated rate in the 70S and 80s and most often occurred when properties (single family and multi-family) changed ownership or when rental apartments were converted to condos. As hOUSing prices rose. more rehab took place. and areas where it was felt no change would ever occur. are even nowjoining the rehab/condo parade.
Officially the Urban Renewal plan will come to a close within the next three and a half years. There are still some problems-maybe they'll be resolved by closing time or maybe they will be resolved later when renewal activities in North Kenwood-Oakland finally get underway. Nonetheless the purpose of the urban renewal program-to stimulate the physical up-grading of the community-has certainly occurred throughout Hyde Park-Kenwood marking it a successful program.
It was not. however. just an Urban Renewal project that made the revitalization of Hyde Park Kenwood a reality. It was the in-depth involvement and participation of hundreds of its residents to make the program work. They are too numerous to name but they were blue collar workers. white collar workers. postal workers. school teachers. small business owners. government workers. executives. lawyers. University faculty. staff and students. Leadership came from all walks oflife-especially at the block group and regional area levels.
Looking back. those were noble goals that were set some 45 years ago by the organizers of the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference-to build and maintain a stable interracial community of high physical standards. To the credit of those early leaders. and the dedicated and enthusiastic involvement of the community's residents. the goal has been achieved.
Volume 17, Number 4 Winter 1995
A Childhood in Early Hyde Park
by Helen Mathews Miller
Helen Mathews Miller has captured here life i11 old Hyde Park. We are delighted to be able to share her memories with our readers.
In 1894. my father. Shailer Mathews. left Colby College in Waterville, Maine. where he taught history and political economy. to join the new University of Chicago being built under the Presidency of William Rainey Harper. He was Dean of the Divinity School for 25 years until his retirement in 1933. He built the three-story brick house with white trim at 5736 Woodlawn Avenue. It was said that no frame houses were permitted after the great Chicago fire of 1871. My mother joined him after the birth of their son and the three lived in the old Del Prado Hotel on 59th and Washington. now Blackstone. while the house was being completed. It was the second house on the block. Woodlawn Avenue was unpaved; cows were pastured across the street; rats scurried under the wooden board sidewalks. and it must have seemed a dreary spot to my mother coming from her New England home. The house was equipped with both electricity and natural gas ("in case the electricity should fail"). the roof was of slate shingles brought from Maine as were the kitchen sink and laundry tubs. The interior woodwork was all golden oak. so popular at that time. There were transoms over each bedroom door which could be dosed or opened for ventilation. and a speaking tube from the front bedroom to the kitchen through which one could send a piercing whistle to attract someone's attention for the message to follow. Two of the bedrooms had gas grates for extra warmth which gave a great "plop" when lighted and smelled faintly of gas. A chute from the 3rd floor bathroom to the basement disposed oflaundry. All the pipes in the house were of lead.
I was born in r8g8 and recently came across the bill for my delivery by Dr. Frank Carey: $75. My sister Mary arrived 4rh years later. Up to that time we had had no telephone. depending on the Quadrangle Club.
then around the corner on 58th Street. for phone calls. With her birth imminent. it was thought wise to install our own phone to call the doctor.
The Quadrangle Club was later moved on rollers across the campus to make way for the building of the Oriental Institute, and the present club was erected at 57th St. and University Ave.
Other professors arrived and built their homes up and down Woodlawn and Lexington Avenues from 55th St. to the Midway. Soon there was quite a group of children my age on our block, all boys except Clarinda Buck and me, and all very kind, thanks to my brother. in allowing us to join in their track meets and King Arthur Tournaments. There were the Jordans, the Bucks, the Herricks, the Vincents, the Loebs (who covered their back yard with gravel because it was more sanitary than grass), the Hales and the Donaldsons. In the winter we flooded the yard for ice skating and built forts and a toboggan slide out of huge snow balls. We had "hose parties" in hot weather.
Papa was in great demand as a lecturer and preacher at colleges and churches all over the country. so he was away from home a great deal. Once I asked him if speaking even to smaller groups was worthwhile. He said, 'Yes, if I can enlarge their outlook even a little." He was never ordained as a minister, preferring to teach and write. He was the author of some 20 or more books, among them 'Toe Social Teachings of Jesus," "Is God Emeritus," 'Toe Faith of Modernism," 'The French Revolution," and his autobiography, "New Faith for Old."
He was also very active in the Hyde Park Baptist (now "'Union") Church, was President of the Federal Council of Churches, and on the boards of the Northern Baptist Convention, University of Chicago Settlement. Chautauqua Institution and Church Peace Union, and Kobe College, Japan. He started and edited a news magazine 'The World Today." My mother, too, was busy with outside activities: the Needlework Guild of the World, Camp Farr of the U of C Settlement and Women's Society of the Baptist Church. She was a member of Mrs. George Glessner's Monday morning reading class at 18th and Prairie Avenue and of the "Once a Weeks," a group of close friends in the neighborhood and on the board of the Chicago Orphan Asylum.
Nahnally. the faculty children went to the
University Elementary and High School (being given half tuition). The school had developed from the old John Dewey School my brother attended at 58th and Ellis. I reveled in classes in art, weaving, clay modeling. woodwork and copper shop, sewing and cooking (for both girls and boys) and especially in Miss Stillwell's print shop where we set up type by hand and printed our own booklets of poems and
Greek and Norwegian mythology, illustrating them with drawings done in our art class. There were the usual academic subjects also, starting French in the 4th grade, though American history seems to have been somewhat neglected. We were taken on field trips to the Japanese tea house on the Wooded Island and to the Indiana Sand Dunes to study bugs and weeds. We were taken to the fire station on 55th Street to see a demonstration on instantaneous response to a fire alarm and to Lake Michigan to view the three Spanish ships (the "Caravels"), reproductions of those in which Columbus sailed when he discovered America. then anchored off the land where stood la Rabida Convent, all these donated by Spain to the Chicago World's Fair in 1893.
One day, when I was alone in the house, I decided
to climb down the outside to the ground. I went out the window in Papa's 3rd floor study, dropped to the small balcony below, climbed over the w'ooden railing. slid down the downspout to the roof of the front porch and went over to the north end where I could climb over that railing and slide down the long post to the porch railing below. an easy jump from there to the ground, but I confess I arrived shaken. No one ever mentioned this exploit to me so I assume it was not known.
On Spring Saturday mornings. Connie Mclaughlin. Clarinda and I would climb into the low branches of the old willow tree in the field now occupied by Ida Noyes Hall, where we read aloud "David Copperfield" as we munched gumdrops and horehound candy.
Clarinda and I sat on the back porch steps reading the endless "Green Fairy," "Blue Fairy," "Red Fairy," stories and the "little Colonel" books. She believed she was a witch because she had red hair. Carrell Mason and I were champion 'jack" players, inventing new tricks for that ancient game. She had a Shetland pony and would take me for drives around Washington Park.
Special treats were monthly concerts by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra held in Mandel Hall, and the Fuller Sisters who sang old English songs accompanied by harpsichord and harp. Sunday afternoons the children on our block were invited to Gardner Hale's house where his mother read aloud Scott's "Ivanhoe," a little advanced for me, being four years younger than the others.
Carrell, Connie and I would wait until the workmen had left a new house just being built and then explore to see what we could find to collect, climbing up ladders and over loose boards. We specialized in acquiring drops of lead left by the plumbers and once were richly rewarded to find a whole cup oflead in the Frank Lloyd Wright house (called the Dreadnought). being built across the street. The first theatre I ever went to was 'The Deceitful Dean," given by the student players 'The Blackfriars." As a member of the University Athletic Board, Papa could get free tickets to all the games. so he. Mr. Buck. Clarinda and I attended football games in Stagg Field and basketball games in Bartlett gymnasium.
I learned to swim in Mr. White's swimming class in the Bartlett gymnas.iµm pool. Miss Hinman conducted a social dancing class that met in our various homes. Once a week I rode my bicycle to my music lesson with Miss Van Hook on Rosalie Court and could finally play 'When Morning Gilds the Skies" on the piano.
For Christmas we decorated the tree with strands of popcorn and cranberries and lighted it with real candles which miraculously never caused a fire. I was usually sick with the grippe and was brought downstairs Christmas morning wrapped in blankets and full of calomel. The German band would play the old Christmas music outside each house. In the Spring the scissors sharpener man would appear, ringing his cheery bells. and the organ grinder, with his flea-ridden monkey. would arrive. I can still feel his icy little hand as he clutched my penny and doffed his cap in thanks.
When the wind blew from the northwest. the air was filled with the heavy odor of the Stockyards and we would close all our windows. But all summer the air was also filled with the beautiful strains of music from across the street as Fannv Bloomfield Zeister, the concert pianist. practiced her scales.
We had a "poor family" living on the West Side whom we gave clothes and food to, but whom we never got to know personally. Yet they served to remind us that many were less fortunate than we were and needed help. Many of our neighbors employed Mr. Riley. a private watchman. to make the rounds at night to check windows and doors, but it was generally believed he came around only once a month to collect his modest salary. Once I tested this and strung a black thread from post to post across the front porch. It was intact the next morning. Yet no one thought it wise to dismiss him.
Our family were all members of the Hyde Park Baptist (now "Union") Church. After Sunday school and church it was good to dash home to a dinner of roast chicken and chocolate ice cream. There were often guests. a visiting preacher or foreign missionary. or two college girls, as our parents were counselors of Kelly Hall, one of the University dormitories.
Every evening Larry. the lamp lighter. would stop his horse in front of our house, lean his ladder up against the lamp post and light the gas lamp. Fire engines terrified me as the horses galloped down the street pulling the steaming engine and hook and ladder. and we were reassured only when they had passed our house. Other familiar sounds were the 'Uxtra. Uxtra" of the newsboy calling out some exciting news, and we would run out to buy a copy.
Help seemed to be plentiful; a cook and "second maid" lived in and a laundress came once a week. Miss McKenzie came Saturday mornings to shampoo our hair; Miss Helmar once in a while to sew and mend; John Halstrom shoveled snow and tended the furnace in winter and mowed the grass in summer.
We loved all the horses that delivered packages to our door: the grocery horse. the milk wagon horse. Marshall Field's handsome pair of dappled grays. the hardware store horse and Gus Chear's horse who wore a straw hat over a wet sponge to keep him cool on his long trip from South Water Street bringing vegetables and fresh fruits. We would slip lumps of sugar into their feed bags whenever possible.
At Halloween we carved our pumpkin and put it, lighted up, in the oak tree in the back yard. The boys would sneak up to the Deke fraternity house, ring the bell and run. If caught, they were likely to be held under a cold shower bath. The urge to reminisce once yielded to, is difficult to stop. From my eighties, these memories reflect my deep gratitude for a childhood spent in this pleasant and stimulating neighborhood. II