South Shore, Chicago Explained

South Shore
Official Name:Community Area 43 – South Shore
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Illinois
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Cook
Subdivision Type3:City
Subdivision Name3:Chicago
Parts Type:Neighborhoods
Parts:list
P1:Jackson Park Highlands
P2:South Shore
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Total Km2:7.74
Population As Of:2020
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population Total:53,971
Population Density Km2:auto
Demographics Type1:Demographics 2020
Demographics1 Title1:White
Demographics1 Info1:3.0%
Demographics1 Title2:Black
Demographics1 Info2:92.7%
Demographics1 Title3:Hispanic
Demographics1 Info3:2.6%
Demographics1 Title4:Asian
Demographics1 Info4:0.3%
Demographics1 Title5:Other
Demographics1 Info5:1.4%
Timezone:CST
Utc Offset:−6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:−5
Coordinates:41.76°N -121.8°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP Codes
Postal Code:60649 and parts of 60619, 60637
Blank Name:Median household income
Blank Info:$26,425
Footnotes:Source: U.S. Census, Record Information Services

South Shore is one of 77 defined community areas of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Located on the city's South Side, the area is named for its location along the city's southern lakefront. Although South Shore has seen a greater than 40% decrease in residents since Chicago's population peaked in the 1950s, the area remains one of the most densely populated neighborhoods on the South Side.[2] The community benefits from its location along the waterfront, its accessibility to Lake Shore Drive, and its proximity to major institutions and attractions such as the University of Chicago, the Museum of Science and Industry, and Jackson Park.

History

Like all of what is now the City of Chicago, the South Shore community area was originally inhabited by a number of Algonquian peoples, including the Mascouten and Miami.[3] After the expulsion of Native Americans by white settlers in the nineteenth century, it became characterized by small settlements including Essex, Bryn Mawr, Parkside, Cheltenham Beach, and Windsor Park.[4] The area is bounded by 67th and 79th streets to the north and south and by Stony Island Avenue and Lake Michigan to the west and east. In 1861, the Illinois General Assembly incorporated Hyde Park Township, which included South Shore.[5] The area's population grew as workers in the nearby steel industry settled in the area.[4] Following the June 29, 1889 elections, the South Shore community area was annexed into the City of Chicago with the entirety of Hyde Park Township.[6] The location of the World's Columbian Exposition in nearby Jackson Park prompted the sale of land and building lots. As in other parts of Chicago, the desire for affordable housing at the start of the twentieth century led to the large scale construction of bungalows. Unlike other areas in which bungalows were built en masse, South Shore's bungalow residents were largely affluent. Additionally, South Shore was the destination for white flight from Washington Park as immigrants and African Americans moved there.[4]

After racially restrictive covenants were declared unconstitutional by Shelley v. Kraemer, African American families began to move into historically white neighborhoods such as South Shore.[4] The South Shore Commission initiated a program they called "managed integration", designed to check the physical decline of the community and to achieve racial balance. The initiative was largely unsuccessful on both counts. Per the 1950 census, South Shore had 79,000 residents and was 96% white. A 1951 University of Chicago study estimated that over 20% of the neighborhood’s residents were Jewish. In 1960, the population had dropped to 73,000 residents and was 90% white and 10% black.[7] Like many other urban neighborhoods across the United States undergoing racial change and tensions, many of the white residents began to choose to move to new locations.[4] By 1970, the population had risen to 81,000 and was 69% black and 28% white as South Shore itself became a victim of white flight. By 1980, the population had fallen slightly to 78,000, but was 94% black.[4]

By the late 1990s South Shore had developed into a middle-class African American community. The Chicago Park District purchased the waning South Shore Country Club in 1972, converting it into a cultural center.[8]

Neighborhoods and sub-areas

Jackson Park Highlands

See main article: Jackson Park Highlands District. The Jackson Park Highlands District is a sixteen block area bounded by East 67th Street on the north. East 71st Street on the south, South Cregier Avenue on the west, and South Jeffrey Boulevard on the east.[9]

The Jackson Park Highlands District is a historic district in the South Shore community area of Chicago. The district was built in 1905 by various architects. It was designated a Chicago Landmark on October 25, 1989.[9]

Jeffery–Cyril Historic District

See main article: Jeffery–Cyril Historic District. The Jeffery–Cyril Historic District is a national historic district in the South Shore neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The district comprises a cluster of six apartment buildings on Jeffery Boulevard, 71st Place, and Cyril Avenue. All six buildings were built between 1927 and 1929.[10] The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 5, 1986.

South Shore Bungalow Historic District

See main article: South Shore Bungalow Historic District. The South Shore Bungalow Historic District is a residential historic district in the South Shore neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The district contains 229 Chicago bungalows and twenty other residential buildings built between 1911 and 1930. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 10, 2008.[11] In the 2012 presidential election, South Shore cast 22,515 votes for Barack Obama and cast 222 votes for Mitt Romney (98.77% to 0.97%).[13]

Crime and policing

On July 14, 2018, the community clashed with the Chicago Police Department after a local barber, Harith Augustus, was shot multiple times by a police officer at 71st Street and Chappel Avenue. Body camera footage without audio was released immediately contrary to past practices of months-long waits for video in other police shootings. Footage taken by body cameras of other officers has not been released.[14] [15] [16]

Culture and religion

The Nation of Islam National Center and Mosque Maryam are at 7351 South Stony Island Avenue.[17] The National Black United Front has its headquarters in the community.[18]

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago operates Catholic churches. On July 1, 2020, Our Lady of Peace, St. Bride, and St. Philip Neri in South Shore and Our Lady Gate of Heaven Church in Jeffery Manor will merge.[19]

Transportation

The South Shore community area has five stations along the South Chicago Branch of the Metra Electric District. In South Shore, the South Chicago Branch runs the median of along East 71st Street, making stops at Stony Island, Bryn Mawr, and South Shore stations before turning southeast along South Exchange Avenue to make stops at Windsor Park and Cheltenham stations. In addition, the 75th Street station is on the Greater Grand Crossing side of the border between that area and South Shore.[20]

Education

Chicago Public Schools operates district public schools.

Urban Prep Academies has a South Shore Campus.[21]

Muhammad University of Islam, a Nation of Islam-affiliated primary and secondary school, is adjacent to the Mosque Maryam.[17]

Notable people

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Community Data Snapshot – South Shore. MetroPulse. April 15, 2017.
  2. Web site: Chicago's Most Depopulated Neighborhoods – NBC Chicago. 3 May 2013 .
  3. Book: Quaife, Milo M.. Checagou: From Indian Wigwam to Modern City, 1673–1835. 1933. University of Chicago Press. Chicago, Ill. 1865758.
  4. Web site: Ramsey. Emily. for the Historic Chicago Bungalow Association. NRHP Registration Form: South Shore Bungalow Historic District. March 19, 2008. National Park Service. Washington, D.C.. October 23, 2021.
  5. Encyclopedia: Governing the Metropolis. July 19, 2007. 2005. The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago Historical Society. Orum, Anthony.
  6. Encyclopedia: Annexation. The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago Historical Society. September 8, 2008. 2005. Cain, Louis P..
  7. Web site: Best . Wallace . South Shore . Encyclopedia of Chicago . 9 January 2024.
  8. Web site: 2016-02-15 . South Shore Country Club — The Story of a House . 2023-09-29 . Glessner House . en-US.
  9. Web site: McLenahan. William. Designation of Jackson Park Highlands District as Chicago Landmark. October 25, 1989. November 29, 2019. Chicago City Council Journal of Proceedings. 5929–5934.
  10. Web site: Rathbun . Peter . Kirchner . Charles . National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form: Jeffery-Cyril Historic District . . October 5, 2019 . December 9, 1985.
  11. News: How Every Chicago Neighborhood Voted In The 2016 Presidential Election. Ali. Tanveer. DNAInfo. November 9, 2016. October 4, 2019. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20190924090904/https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/numbers/president-vice-president-every-neighborhood-map-election-results-voting-general-primary-illinois/. September 24, 2019.
  12. Architecture

    The South Shore Cultural Center, previously the South Shore Country Club, began as a lakefront retreat for the wealthiest of Chicago's movers and shakers. The firm of Marshall and Fox, architects of the Drake, Blackstone, and Edgewater Beach hotels, were hired to design an opulent, Mediterranean-style clubhouse for a membership that included some of Chicago's most prominent families. The grounds provided private stables and members-only beach, and golf course. Tennis, horseback riding, and skeet shooting were enjoyed by guests the likes of Jean Harlow, Will Rogers, and Amelia Earhart. Between the first and second World Wars, a housing boom brought a development of luxury cooperative apartments and mansions to the neighborhood surrounding the club. In 1974 the club held its last members-only event. Today, the Chicago Park District owns the property. It has been restored to its original design and is now open to the public. A major drawback to the South Shore and surrounding South Chicago neighborhoods is that they are one of the few remaining Chicago lakefront neighborhoods that lack a fully publicly accessible neighborhood shoreline. There are lakefront gaps between the existing South Shore Cultural Center and Rainbow Beach to its south. Even larger masses of lakefront land along the South Chicago neighborhood (at the abandoned USX steel mill) with their beautiful vistas of the city's lakefront and Chicago skyline are undergoing development as parks and not completely available for recreational enjoyment by the adjacent neighborhood residents. Presently, Chicago Lakeside Development has proposed plans that call for the completion of this southern portion of lakefront with the development of new parklands, beaches, and a continuous waterfront bicycle and jogging path that will link Calumet Park and Beach in the East Side neighborhood to the South Shore Cultural Center in South Shore. Completion of such a project would result in improved access to Chicago's southern lakefront and connect it to neighborhoods such as Hyde Park and Bronzeville to the north.

    At the northern end of South Shore is the historic district Jackson Park Highlands, one of Chicago's greatest examples of structural history and 19th-century architecture, with an abundance of homes in the style of American Foursquare, Colonial Revival, and Renaissance Revival on suburban-sized lots.

    Located in the Bryn Mawr section of South Shore is the Allan Miller House at 7121 South Paxton Avenue. Commissioned by advertising executive Allan Miller, this home is an excellent example of Prairie-style architecture. Built in 1915, it is Chicago's only surviving building designed by John Van Bergen, a former member of Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture firm.

    Politics

    The South Shore community area has supported the Democratic Party in the past two presidential elections by overwhelming margins. In the 2016 presidential election, the South Shore cast 18,130 votes for Hillary Clinton and cast 373 votes for Donald Trump (96.07% to 1.98%).[11]

  13. News: How Every Chicago Neighborhood Voted In The 2012 Presidential Election. Ali. Tanveer. DNAInfo. November 9, 2012. October 4, 2019. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20190203045330/https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/numbers/obama-romney-president-vice-president-every-neighborhood-map-2012-election-results-voting-general-primary-illinois/. February 3, 2019.
  14. Web site: Chicago police release body camera footage of man killed by officers . . 15 July 2018 .
  15. Web site: South Shore 'family' honors barber killed by police — 'one of the quiet ones' . 20 July 2018 .
  16. Web site: Johnson says no audio on two video recordings of the fatal police shooting of Harith Augustus - Chicago Tribune. Chicago Tribune. 18 July 2018.
  17. Web site: Home page. Nation of Islam. February 26, 2009.
  18. "National Office ." National Black United Front. Retrieved on September 28, 2011. "1809 East 71st, Suite 211 Chicago, Illinois 60649"
  19. Web site: Anderson, Javonte . 2020-02-07 . 23 Chicago-area Roman Catholic parishes to close, merge in latest round of restructuring . 2020-05-08 . Chicago Tribune.
  20. News: Lane. Laura. Map: South Shore Line, Metra Electric Line. January 19, 2014. The Times of Northwest Indiana. June 11, 2020.
  21. http://www.urbanprep.org/southshore/index.asp South Shore
  22. News: Dudek. Mitch . Marshall Bennett helped develop the industrial real estate market in Chicago . Chicago Sun-Times. October 14, 2018 .
  23. Book: Spangenburg, Ray. Carl Sagan: A Biography. 44. Greenwood Publishing Group. Santa Barbara, California. 9780313322655. December 15, 2021. 2004.
  24. Year: 1940; Census Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Roll: m-t0627-00935; Page: 62A; Enumeration District: 103-458
  25. Book: Taub. Michael. Shatzky. Joel. Contemporary Jewish-American Novelists: A Bio-critical Sourcebook. 1997. Greenwood Publishing Group. Santa Barbara, California. 64. March 8, 2021. 9780313294624.
  26. News: . 10 self-made American billionaires. Business Insider. January 14, 2017. March 31, 2019.
  27. News: Heimer. Matt. The Shrinking Middle Class: How We Got Here, And Why. December 24, 2018. March 31, 2019.
  28. Web site: History in South Shore. November 29, 2019. Domu.
  29. News: Chicagoan Commands Flight of B-36s to Africa. December 3, 1951. Chicago Tribune.
  30. News: It's Mother's Day for Americans Thruout the World: Son in Australia After Retreat from Bataan. May 10, 1942. Chicago Tribune.
  31. News: Third Life of Goetz Revealed; 'Wife' Is Hunted: Find So. Shore Home of College Gangster. March 23, 1934. 3. Chicago Tribune.
  32. United States Census: Year: 1940; Census Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Roll: m-t0627-00934; Page: 11B; Enumeration District: 103-436 via HeritageQuest
  33. News: Van Matre. Lynn. Reliving Old Times at Earl of Old Town. July 15, 1999. Chicago Tribune. April 11, 2019.
  34. Book: Lewis, Gerald. South Shore Days 1940's & '50's. 209. May 15, 2009. Lulu.com . 978-0578024776. March 31, 2019.
  35. News: Mascarello. Heather. America's Got Talent Semi-Finalist to Visit Clarendon Hills. February 8, 2016. Patch. October 15, 2021.
  36. News: Zengerle. Jason. Jr.. November 3, 2012. New York. October 12, 2021.
  37. News: Rhodes. Steve. What Does Junior Want?. June 28, 2007. Chicago. October 12, 2021.
  38. News: Jassen. Kim. Jesse Jackson Jr. to judge: Let me sell the home where my wife and kids live. Chicago Tribune. March 1, 2018. October 12, 2021.
  39. Jae. Jeremiah. Jeremiah Jae. Justin Staple. Vice. The Good Times Are Here To Stay: Jeremiah Jae brings "The Heat". July 14, 2014. March 8, 2021.
  40. News: NBC Sports Chicago Staff. Glenn Beckert's death, '69 Cubs underscore value of sports in a crisis. April 13, 2020. NBC 5 Chicago. September 14, 2021.
  41. Book: Lewis, Gerald. South Shore Days 1940's & '50's. Gerald Lewis. May 15, 2009. 66. 9780578024776. October 11, 2021.
  42. Web site: Greenberg . Steve. At 93, Marv Levy no longer defined by Super Bowl losses. juf.com . 13 July 2019.
  43. News: Amer. Robin. David Mamet's Chicago roots. February 23, 2013. WBEZ. December 29, 2019.
  44. http://www.idaillinois.org/cdm/ref/collection/bb/id/22027 Illinois Blue Book 1935-1936
  45. News: Nordgren. Sarah. Senate Candidate Battles the Odds in Illinois. August 2, 1992. Los Angeles Times. October 9, 2019.
  46. News: January 22, 2008 . The woman behind Obama . Rossi, Rosalind . . January 20, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080215230648/http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/221458%2CCST-NWS-mich21.article . February 15, 2008 . dead .
  47. News: Eli . Saslow . From the Second City, An Extended First Family . The Washington Post . February 1, 2009 . July 24, 2010.
  48. January 22, 2008 . The Candidate: How the Son of a Kenyan Economist Became an Illinois Everyman . Finnegan, William. The New Yorker. May 31, 2004.
  49. Michelle Obama, A Life . https://web.archive.org/web/20081014224908/http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1849421,00.html. dead. October 14, 2008. January 8, 2009 . October 13, 2008 . Time. Pickert, Kate.
  50. Web site: Author is rooted to the South Side . . 14 January 2007 .
  51. News: Lavin. Cheryl. The Metafiscal Guru. July 11, 1999. Chicago Tribune. March 31, 2019.
  52. Web site: The Prayerful Young Man Can Also Nail a Jumper. December 12, 2011. December 8, 2011. The New York Times. Strauss, Ben.
  53. News: Myers. Marc. The Theater Granted Mandy Patinkin an Escape From Reality. February 4, 2020. Wall Street Journal. August 11, 2020.
  54. News: . Elia W. Peattie, Former Tribune Writer Is Dead: Literary Critic and City's Second Girl Reporter. July 13, 1935. Chicago Tribune. 10.
  55. News: Petrakis Signs Contract. Southeast Economist. 14. December 22, 1957.
  56. Book: Petrakis, Henry Mark. Song of My Life: A Memoir. 2014. University of South Carolina Press. 9781611175035. March 8, 2021.
  57. News: Kening. Dan. Breakfast champion WNUA morning man Dean Richards avoids the usual 'deejay' stuff. March 16, 1993. Chicago Tribune. ProQuest.
  58. News: Belanger. Christian. Documenting a Divide in South Shore. May 10, 2019. Chicago. December 29, 2019.
  59. Book: Rotella, Carlo. The World Is Always Coming to an End: Pulling Together and Apart in a Chicago Neighborhood. April 26, 2019. University of Chicago Press. Chicago. 9780226624037 . October 18, 2021.
  60. News: Smith. Bryan. Stuck on the South Side. January 20, 2021. Chicago. January 20, 2021.
  61. Book: Illinois Blue Book 1915-1916. 716. April 10, 2022.
  62. News: Burne. Tom. Chicago a dirty word in Seattle political feud: Washington state GOP paints ex-Illinoisan as power hungry. September 11, 1995. Chicago Tribune. ProQuest.
  63. News: McKinlay. Archibald. Burnham gangster Torrio laid plans for supermob. May 11, 1999. Times of Northwest Indiana. March 8, 2021.
  64. Book: Barnett. Edward. Illinois Blue Book 1947-1948. Illinois Members of the 80th Congress. 98. March 13, 2023.
  65. News: Miss Mary Lake and Chas. R. Walgreen Jr. to Wed This Evening. Chicago Tribune. June 28, 1928.
  66. News: Watson. James D.. Avoid Boring People: Lessons from a Life in Science. 2007. Alfred A. Knopf. 9780375412844. November 30, 2019.
  67. News: Jackson. Malik. The Road There Is A Battlefield. October 14, 2020. South Side Weekly. November 18, 2020.
  68. News: Cholke. Sam. Kanye West's Boyhood Home To Be Torn Down To Become South Side Arts Center. October 5, 2017. DNAinfo. November 30, 2019. April 30, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200430044539/https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20171005/south-shore/kanye-west-boyhood-home-south-side-music-museum-rhymefest-che-smith-dondas-mom-lite-houses/. dead.
  69. Book: Castle, George. Jackie Robinson West: The Triumph and Tragedy of America's Favorite Little League Team. 53. April 1, 2016. Lyons Press. Lanham, Maryland. 9781630761264. September 14, 2021.
  70. News: Vorva. Jeff. Cubs to honor Glen Ellyn's Billy Williams with statue. March 31, 2010. Chicago Tribune. September 14, 2021.