Historical Note

South Lawndale began to experience development when the general westward expansion of Chicago began to bring residents to the area around 1885. Germans and Czechoslovakians moved westward on 22nd Street (which would later become Cermak Road), and the rest of the area, west of Crawford Avenue (which would later become Pulaski Road) was annexed to the city in 1889. Meanwhile, the outward movement of industry to sites along the railroads near South Lawndale brought in many workingmen's families, as did the McCormick plant (later the International Harvester Company) and the Western Electric Company's Hawthorne Works in Cicero, just northwest of the area. By 1914 the area had reached residential maturity, with only a few vacant lots remaining.

South Lawndale developed rapidly, reaching a population of 84,000 by 1920. The area did not change substantially from 1920-1950. The population declined steadily until 1960. In 1950, the largest nationality group was Polish, followed by Czechoslovakians and Germans. African-Americans also moved in slowly during this period. Since 1960, the area has become predominantly Hispanic.

Scope and Content

The South Lawndale Community Collection has been arranged in the following subject series: Biographical Data; Business Establishments; Churches; Clubs & Organizations; and School. All photographs and other audiovisual materials have been removed from the manuscript portion of the collection and placed in the Neighborhood History Research Collection/Audiovisual Collection.

Cross references have been provided for related subjects appearing in different series or record groups. Newsclips in the original collection which were duplicated in the library's newspaper holdings have been indexed in this guide, but not physically included in the manuscript collection.

Materials contained in this collection include newsclips, programs, school publications and other materials, newsletters and minutes.

The South Lawndale Community Collection is open to the public for research and is available during office hours or by appointment at the Special Collections Division.

Notable features of the South Lawndale Community Collection include:
Gerringer, August (publisher of the Chicago Daily Svornost)
Farragut High School
Harrison High School

Related Material:
Persons interested in FARRAGUT HISH SCHOOL
(folders 1:5 through 2:2) should see also the Lawndale Crawford Community Collection, folders 4:23 through 4:28, which contain records of Farragut High School as well. Thirty-four photos of Farragut High School classes are also in the Lawndale Crawford Community Collection-see photos numbered LCCC 1.467 through 1.500.

Persons interested in GARY SCHOOL should also see a photo of the school building in the Lawndale Crawford Community Collection, photo number LCCC 1.501.

Separation Record: Oversized Materials
The following items have been removed to the location provided:

Business Establishments Western Electric.
The Hawthorne Microphone. 7:27 (1928 Dec 31)-Oversize SL 1
The Hawthorne Microphone. XXVII:8 (1952 Feb)-Oversize SL 2

Processed July 1989.

Provenance

The South Lawndale Community Collection was originally part of the collections of the West Side Historical Society, which formed at the Legler branch of the Chicago Public Library in 1930 to promote and collect the history of Chicago's west side. Upon the dissolution of the Historical Society in the late 1950s, its records and materials remained at the Legler branch, where they suffered the mistreatment and depredations of unsupervised use. To protect the materials, an agreement was struck in 1976 with the University of Illinois-Chicago Campus for the temporary custody of the collection at the University of Illinois. As agreed, the materials were transferred to The Chicago Public Library's Special Collections Division ten years later, where they were divided up by community area, processed according to archival standards, and placed in the Neighborhood History Research Collection.

Access

The South Lawndale Community Collection is available to the public for research in the Special Collections and Preservation Division Reading Room on the 9th floor of the Harold Washington Library Center, 400 South State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60605. The collection does not circulate although photocopy and photoreproduction services are available depending upon the condition of the original materials. First time patrons to Special Collections must present a photo identification and complete a Reader Registration Form. Telephone inquiries on this collection and other Special Collections holdings can be directed to 312-747-4875.

Box and Folder Inventory

BOX 1 Series I: Biographical Data

1. Geringer, August-Biography, n.d.; Promotional material for the CHICAGO DAILY SVORNST, n.d.

Lorenz, Matthias E. See: Chicago Daily News, 1944 Apr 28

Melberg, Marie-Newsclip, n.d.

Series II: Business Establishments

CHICAGO DAILY SVORNOST
See: August Geringer, 1:1, above

Western Electric Company (Hawthorne Works)-THE MICROPHONE
Oversize material (newsletter), 1928 Dec 31; 1952
Feb. See Oversize folders SL 1 and SL 2.

Series III: Churches

1a. John Huss Methodist Episcopal-Commemorative plaque; n.d.
2. St. Andrew's Evangelical-programs; 1911, 1912, 1917

Sts. Peter & Paul Croatian Greek Catholic SEE: CHICAGO DAILY NEWS, 1939 July 22

Series IV: Clubs and Organizations

Civic Youth Council SEE: CHICAGO DAILY NEWS, 1938 Sep 28

3. Harrison [High School] Historical Society-Minutes; 1938 Apr 14

Series V: Schools

4. Burns School-Programs; 1938, 1940, n.d.
5. Farrugut High School-Handbooks; 1938, 1951, n.d.
6. Farragut High School-Yearbook; 1935
7. Farragut High School-Yearbook; 1936
8. Farragut High School-Yearbook; 1937
9. Farragut High School-Yearbook; 1938
10. Farragut High School-Yearbook; 1939
11. Farragut High School-Yearbook; 1940
12. Farragut High School-Yearbook; 1493

BOX 2

1. Farragut High School-Yearbook; 1946
2. Farragut High School-Programs; 1935
3. Hammond High School-COTEC Magazine; 1919 Nov, 1920 Jan, Dec, 1921 Apr

BOX 3

1. Harrison High School-HARRISON HERALD (newspaper); 1939-41 1944 (not inclusive)

BOX 2

5. Harrison High School-HARRISONIAN (yearbook); 1920
6. Harrison High School-Felt patch swimming championship, 1919; picture of bldg.; programs, 1920s; tickets, 1920s SEE ALSO:
CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 1939 May 14, 1941 Feb 2
7. Hay School-Class list, 1939; newsclips, 1948-49; programs, 1938-43; promotional booklet, c. 1940
8. McCormick School-Programs; 1938-39
9. Whitney School-Class lists, 1938-47; History, n.d.; Programs, 1938-

SUPPLEMENT 1

Historical Sketches

10. Mayer, Harold M., "South Lawndale-An Island in the City of Chicago" Real Estate Magazine; 1941 Nov 1

Schools

11. Gary School-Correspondence and programs; 1937-40

PHOTOGRAPHS

Residences
1.1 25th Street & Central Park Avenue (Hitchcock home), 1902

Schools
1.2 Robert Burns School, exterior, 1938
1.3 McCormick School, class of Feb 1938
1.4 Eli Whitney School, class of Feb 1938
1.5 Eli Whitney School, class of Jun 1938
1.6 Eli Whitney School, class of Feb 1939
1.7 Eli Whitney School, class of Jan 1940
1.8 Eli Whitney School , class of Jun 1940
1.9 Eli Whitney School, class of Jan 1941
1.10 Eli Whitney School, class of Jun 1941
1.11 Eli Whitney School, class of Jan 1942
1.12 Eli Whitney School, class of Jun 1942
1.13 Eli Whitney School, class of Jan 1943
1.14 Eli Whitney School, class of Jun 1943
1.15 Eli Whitney School, class of Jan 1944
1.16 Eli Whitney School, class of Jun 1944
1.17 Eli Whitney School, class of Jan 1945
1.18 Eli Whitney School, class of Jun 1945
1.19 Eli Whitney School, class of Jan 1946
1.20 Eli Whitney School, class of Jun 1946
1.21 Eli Whitney School, class of Jan 1947