West Town Community Collection

Historical / Biographical Note

According to the Encyclopedia of Chicago, West Town, Community Area 24, is about three miles northwest of downtown Chicago, with its official boundaries roughly corresponding to Bloomingdale on the north, Kinzie on the south, the Chicago River on the east, and a shifting western boundary that can go as far as Kedzie. West Town is comprised of all or part of several smaller neighborhoods including Bucktown, Wicker Park, Humboldt Park, Noble Square, Logan Square, Ukrainian Village and East Ukrainian Village.

Much of the West Town area east of Wood Street was within the limits of what was incorporated as the City of Chicago in 1837. During the 1860s, homes were constructed near the railroad shops and yards and near newly constructed factories by the river and along Milwaukee Avenue. Poles had begun to settle the area, and the 1869 establishment of Humboldt Park in West Town’s northwest corner, as well as Humboldt station by the Milwaukee Railroad, led to a settlement of primarily Germans and Scandinavians north of the park. The area attracted many workers after the Fire who wished to build cheap frame homes, and in the following decades Polish immigration to the area increased, along with Russian Jews, Ukrainians and Germans.

As ethnic groups became more affluent, they moved further north along the Milwaukee Avenue corridor. As the Germans and Scandinavians moved north, the Poles moved in. During the second half of the twentieth century, Poles began moving north, as Puerto Ricans and Mexicans moved in. The makeup of the neighborhood in 2013 is largely Hispanic, though there is still a strong Polish presence, especially surrounding the Polish Catholic parishes, many of which were established in the 1800s.

The 1950s saw not just a demographic shift in West Town, but also urban renewal efforts by the City of Chicago, including subsidized housing projects and construction of the Kennedy Expressway, Interstate 94. Ethnic communities organized against many urban renewal projects and met with some success, though several projects were realized despite community opposition. Toward the end of the twentieth century, sections of West Town, most notably Wicker Park and Bucktown, experienced gentrification, and their ethnic residents have been largely displaced.

Material in this collection from before 1970 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 1950s, its records and materials remained at the Legler branch where they suffered the mistreatment and depredations of unsupervised use and inadequate storage facilities. 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 under the auspices of a grant from the Dr. Scholl Foundation, and placed in the Neighborhood Research Collection.

Material in the collection from after 1970 was amassed by the Eckhart Park branch of the Chicago Public Library (CPL), which was located at 1330 W. Chicago Ave. in Chicago’s Noble Square neighborhood, a part of the larger West Town community area. Librarians at Eckhart Park kept newspaper clippings, brochures, articles and other files about the organizations, businesses, issues and history of West Town. In 2008, these files were transferred to CPL’s Digitization Working Group for possible digitization. They were not scanned, and the files were then transferred to CPL’s Special Collections. The Eckhart Park Branch closed in 2009.

For an overview of West Town, see:

• "West Town," Encyclopedia of Chicago
• "CA24 -- West Town," Local Community Fact Book, Chicago Metropolitan Area, 1990

Scope and Content

The material in this collection from before 1970 is mostly comprised of newspaper clippings, programs, historical sketches, school newspapers and similar materials. Notable features of the West Town Community Collection from before 1970 include:

• Chicago Artesian Ice Company
• Hochspeier Funeral home
• Milwaukee Avenue
• Northwest Division High School
• Polish Roman Catholic Union of America
• Quarries in the West Town area

The collection also includes a number of photographs, listed at the end of the Box and Folder Inventory, which 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. Newspaper clippings in the original collection that were duplicated in the library’s newspaper holdings have been indexed in this guide, but not physically included in manuscript collection.

The files in this collection from after 1970 cover the history of the neighborhood and its institutions including churches, businesses, charitable organizations, settlement houses, schools and libraries through articles, brochures, newspaper clippings and reports. Community newspapers and organizational newsletters also appear. Issues such as demographic shifts, gentrification, and homelessness are covered in these files.

Arrangement

Files are arranged in eleven series. Folders within series are arranged alphabetically.

Series 1: Biographical Data, 1929-1941

This series is mostly comprised of newspaper clippings, providing researchers with information on West Town residents.

Series 2: Business Establishments, 1867-1997

This series consists of newspaper clippings, historical sketches and printed material and ephemera.

Series 3: Religious Institutions, 1906-2003

This series contains information on a handful of mostly Roman Catholic, Eastern European churches in West Town.

Series 4: Clubs and Organizations, 1920-2002

The records documenting West Town’s many clubs and organizations consist of newspaper clippings, organizational newsletters and historical sketches. Many of the organizations in the records after 1970 provide social services to the residents of West Town.

Series 5: Historical Essays and Sketches, 1936-2002

This series contains historical essays and sketches about West Town, as well as reports and newspaper clippings about a variety of social issues experienced by West Town residents.

Series 6: Hospitals, 1930

This small series contains a souvenir book from West Town’s Norwegian-American Hospital.

Series 7: Parks, 1936, 2000

This small series contains maps and information about some of West Town’s parks and gardens.

Series 8: Residences, 1909, 1979

This small series contains a postcard and a descriptive tour of West Town’s residences.

Series 9: Schools, 1860-2000

This series contains brochures, programs, yearbooks, class and faculty lists, newspaper clippings and publications.

Series 10: Street Scenes, 1891-1941, undated

This small series consists of newspaper clippings and historical sketches.

Series 11: Transportation, 1940, 1980

This series contains information about various transportation issues in West Town’s history.

Related Materials

• Chicago City-Wide Collection
• Humboldt Park Community Collection
• Logan Square Community Collection
• West Side Historical Society Papers
• West [Near West] Side Community Collection
• West Side Newspaper Collection
• West Side Council of Parents and Teachers Records

Container List

Series 1: Biographical Data, 1929-1941

Series 2: Business Establishments, 1867-1997

Series 3: Religious Institutions, 1906-2003

Series 4: Clubs and Organizations, 1920-2002

Series 5: Historical Essays and Sketches, 1936-2002

Series 6: Hospitals, 1930

Series 7: Parks, 1936, 2000

Series 8: Residences, 1909, 1979

Series 9: Schools, 1860-2000

Series 10: Street Scenes, 1891-1941, undated

Series 11: Transportation, 1940, 1980

Oversize Folders

Series 2: Business Establishments

Series 9: Schools

Photographs

Series 2: Business Establishments

Series 3: Religious Institutions

Series 6: Hospitals

Municipal Agencies

Portraits

Series 8: Residences

Series 9: Schools

Series 10: Street Scenes

Series 11: Transportation