Scottsdale Homeowners Association Records

Abstract

The Scottsdale Homeowners Association was established in 1952 by residents of Scottsdale, a newly formed neighborhood on the Southwest Side of Chicago. This collection documents association’s activities through newsletters, meeting minutes, programs, clippings and photographs.

Biographical/Historical

The Scottsdale Homeowners Association (SHA) was established in 1952 by a group of residents of Scottsdale, a newly formed subdivision on the southwest side of Chicago. The mission of the SHA is to meet regularly with Scottsdale residents in order to discuss and take action on community issues and services; for example, the association worked to obtain sidewalks on major streets in the neighborhood, to acquire the Rainey, Durkin and Scottsdale Park Field houses and to establish a Summer Swim Program at Daley College, among other initiatives. In addition, SHA members have been extremely active in the neighborhood by promoting community events such as the yearly Santa Claus visit program, the Annual Picnic in the Park, and the Annual Inaugural Ball dedicated to newly elected SHA officers. The SHA published the newsletter, The Scottsdale News.

Scottsdale, a subdivision of the Ashburn neighborhood, grew out of a residential development project and shopping center planned by Raymond Lutgert. Lutgert was a real estate developer and built roughly 1,000 homes on the site of the old Ashburn Flying Field in 1952. He named the community after his son, Scott. The Scottsdale Shopping Center was completed in November of 1955 in the midst of post-World War II industrial and population growth in the area. Scottsdale runs approximately from Pulaski Avenue west to Cicero Avenue and from 77th Street south to 87th Street.

Scope and Contents

The Scottsdale Homeowners Association Records documents the organization’s activities through meeting minutes, newsletters, news clippings, photographs and programs, primarily between 1952 and 2014. The issues that concerned the Association include the development of shopping centers, the cross-town expressway proposal, the Chicago Public Schools desegregation in the 1960s and 1970s. The organization sponsored events, little league teams,

The collection includes by-laws, directories, flyers, historical sketches, initiatives, meeting minutes, programs, a scrapbook and subject files along with a full run from 1955 to 2014 of The Scottsdale News newsletter.

Arrangement

The Scottsdale Homeowners Association is arranged into 2 series: Series 1: Administrative Files, 1951-2014, undated and Series 2: Subject Files, 1916-2006, undated.

Subject Headings

• Ashburn (Chicago, Ill.)
• Associations, institutions, etc -- Illinois -- Chicago -- History
• Crestline (Chicago, Ill.)
• Homeowners’ associations -- Illinois -- Chicago
• Little league baseball -- Illinois -- Chicago
• Societies and clubs -- Illinois -- Chicago -- History
• Scottsdale (Chicago, Ill.)

Related Collections

• Chicago Department of Urban Renewal Records
• David Gremp Photographs
• Ravenswood Gardens Homeowners Association Records
• Ravenswood Manor Improvement Association Records

Collection Inventory

Series 1: Administrative Files, 1951-2014, undated
Scope and Contents

Series 1 includes administrative materials created and collected by the Scottsdale Homeowners Association to implement its programs and initiatives. The materials include by-laws, directories, flyers, historical sketches, initiatives, meeting minutes, programs and scrapbook along with a full run from 1955 to 2014 of The Scottsdale News newsletter.

The Association’s events include its annual Picnic in the Park, Inaugural Ball, membership drive, and the Santa Claus program. The historical sketches cover the Ashburn and Scottsdale neighborhoods and the Scottsdale Homeowners Association and written by Association members for the community and as reports for class projects. The organization’s initiatives include efforts to purchase both the Hancock and Crerar Schools for use as field house facilities for Rainey and Durkin Parks, and to build the Scottsdale Park Fieldhouse.

The Scottsdale Homeowners Association scrapbook documents highlights from the organization’s first eleven years from 1952 to 1963. The scrapbook primarily contains news clippings and SHA newsletter clippings, but also has 50 photographs taped in and a few programs and flyers. The topics include the first houses built in the area, association events, the local little league baseball, neighborhood organizations and issues such as streets and zoning. The clippings, programs and photographs document the construction of Adlai E. Stevenson School, Beth Jacobs Congregation, Hancock School and Park, Hometown Christian Church, New Golgotha Lutheran Church, the Scottsdale Shopping Center, St. Bede the Venerable Parish and School, St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church, and William J. Bogan High School. The scapbook also includes clippings and notices from Scottsdale organizations not otherwise represented in the collection, including the Crestline Little League Red Sox, the Scottsdale Jewish Community Center, the Scottsdale Youth Organization and several women’s groups such as the PTA, A-Ta-Ya Campfire Girls, Scottsdale Ladies, Scottybirds Bluebird Group, and the St. Bede’s Altar Guild. The number of images with the same description is indicated in parentheses.

Arrangement

Series 1 is arranged alphabetically by type of item or title. The scrapbook photographs are described in the order of appearance (chronologically).

Series 2: Subject Files, 1916-2006, undated

Scope and Contents

Series 2 contains a range of materials collected by the Scottsdale Homeowners Association that relate to neighborhood topics and residents. The files include biographical data along with information on businesses, municipal agencies, parks, religious organizations, schools, streets and transportation. The materials are primarily bulletins, flyers, news clippings and programs. The topics include the Scottsdale Shopping Centers that opened in 1955, Southwest College that was renamed Richard J. Daley College in 1982, Chicago Public School’s desegregation initiatives in the 1960s and 1970s and some early files on the Ashburn Flying Field prior the creation of the Scottsdale subdivision.

Arrangement

Series 2 is arranged alphabetically by topic and then alphabetically within.