:Washington Park (community area), Chicago

{{stack|File:Washington Park Fountain.jpg}}

In the mid-to-late 19th century, a large number of Irish and German railroad workers and meatpackers made Washington Park home. There was a sprinkling of African American residents in the working-class district south of Garfield Boulevard/55th Street. Affluent American-born European Americans settled the wide north-south avenues that provided a direct route into the Loop {{convert|7|mi|km}} to the north. Cable cars, the Chicago 'L' and wide boulevards contributed to late 19th century prosperity. The wide avenues, especially Grand Boulevard (now named Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Drive), provided popular locations for mansions and grand apartments built by many wealthy Chicagoans.

The park in this community area was named for President George Washington in 1880.{{cite book|author=Graf, John|title=Chicago's Parks|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|year=2000|page=84|isbn=0-7385-0716-4}} In the 1920s, the University of Chicago created the community area system of city subdivision with the current names that continue to be used today.{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1760.html|title=Chicago's Community Areas|access-date=February 16, 2009|year=2005|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|encyclopedia=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago}} The community areas although not formally adopted by the United States Census Bureau are largely consistent with census tract boundaries. The Washington Park community area and its census tracts have been unchanged.{{cite web|url=https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/su/maps/censusinfo.html|title=Spatially Referenced Census Data for the City of Chicago: Sources Available at or through the University of Chicago Library|access-date=February 16, 2009|publisher=The University of Chicago Library}}

{{US Census population

|align=left

|1930=44016

|1940=52736

|1950=56856

|1960=43690

|1970=46024

|1980=31935

|1990=19425

|2000=14146

|2010=11717

|2020=12707

|footnote={{cite web|last=Paral|first=Rob|title=Chicago Community Areas Historical Data|url=http://www.robparal.com/downloads/ACS0509/HistoricalData/Chicago%20Community%20Areas%20Historical%20Data.htm|access-date=August 29, 2012|archive-date=March 18, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130318055428/http://www.robparal.com/downloads/ACS0509/HistoricalData/Chicago%20Community%20Areas%20Historical%20Data.htm|url-status=dead}}

}}

A turn-of-the-20th-century housing construction boom along with increases in the African American population of the midwest during the Great Migration resulted in the movement of lower-income and predominantly African American Chicagoans southward. Soon, the European-American inhabitants mostly left the area, in a phenomenon often termed "white flight". The transition was rapid and marked with conflicts such as the Race Riot of 1919. Some white Protestants left to form an exclusive residential community in the South Shore community area. In 1906 they formed the South Shore Country Club, which excluded Black people and Jews from membership.{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1176.html|access-date=October 22, 2007|encyclopedia=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|year=2005|author=Best, Wallace|title=South Shore}}

The area rapidly changed from European American to African-American in the 1920s. By 1930, the population was only 7.8% white. By 1960, the population was 0.5% white.Eds. Grossman, James R., Keating, Ann Durkin, and Reiff, Janice L., 2004 The Encyclopedia of Chicago, p. 1044. The University of Chicago Press, {{ISBN|0-226-31015-9}} From 1950 to 2000 the total population of the neighborhood declined from 57,000 to 14,146. This population decline is partly due to initiatives of the Chicago Land Clearance Commission, who acted under the 1955 Amendment to the Blighted Areas Redevelopment Act, which allowed redevelopment authorities that acquired land by condemnation or otherwise to redevelop such lands for non-residential uses.{{cite web|url=http://www.lib.niu.edu/ipo/1958/im5812287.html|access-date=October 26, 2007|publisher=Northern Illinois University Libraries|work=Illinois Periodicals Online|title=Recent Decisions Affecting Municipalities|author=Matthews, Thomas A.}} A good example of the Land Clearing commission activities is the Lake Meadows Park to the north of Washington Park.{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/parks.detail/object_id/EDF49563-448E-421D-84F2-616BFEFBECB2.cfm|title=Lake Meadows Park|publisher=Chicago Park District|access-date=October 26, 2007|year=2006}} The failure of the evolution of industry and commerce in the community, the above-mentioned white flight and land redevelopment for non-residential use combined lead to population decline.

{{multiple image

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|total_width=600

|image1=20070325 Washington Park St. Mary's.JPG

|caption1=St. Mary's African Methodist Episcopal Church, established in 1897, is Washington Park's oldest black congregation{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1321.html|access-date=October 22, 2007|encyclopedia=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|year=2005|author=Best, Wallace|title=Washington Park (community area)}}

|image2=WASHINGTON PARK ON CHICAGO'S SOUTH SIDE WHERE MANY BLACK FAMILIES ENJOY PICNICKING DURING THE SUMMER. FROM 1960 TO... - NARA - 556291.jpg

|caption2=Picnic in Washington Park, 1973. Photo by John H. White

}}

Religion and worship are cornerstones of the South Side communities. The nearby hub of Bronzeville at 47th and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive (known as King Drive and formerly Grand Boulevard) was a cultural hub of the neighborhood that fostered a cultural identity.{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1177.html|access-date=October 26, 2007|author=Pacyga, Dominic A.|encyclopedia=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|year=2005|title=South Side}} In keeping with the racial transformation, the cultural and religious institutions, including those of Irish Catholics, Greek Orthodoxy and the Jewish faith, converted to African American institutions.

The neighborhood once contained many public housing complexes including about a third of the nation's largest, the Robert Taylor Homes. The Taylor homes have been demolished because of the socioeconomic problems that they perpetuated. The area has minimal industry or commerce at the current time. The other property on the NRHP in the area is the Schulze Baking Company Plant.

The DuSable Museum of African American History, founded in 1961, moved to Washington Park in 1973. It is a Washington Park landmark and one of the largest African American museums in the country.

{{multiple image

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|total_width=600

|image1=1914-15 Schulze Baking Company Factory.jpg

|caption1=Schulze Baking Company Plant has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since November 12, 1982

|image2=The DuSable Museum.jpg

|caption2=DuSable Museum of African American History, located near 57th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue.

}}

Several nearby regions and institutions use Washington Park in their name. Immediately to the south, Washington Park Subdivision exists where Washington Park Race Track once stood.{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1320.html|title=Washington Park Subdivision|access-date=December 31, 2008|year=2005|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|encyclopedia=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|author=Seligman, Amanda}} One city block to the north, Washington Park Court District is a neighborhood that has become a Chicago Landmark.{{cite web|url=http://www.cityofchicago.org/Landmarks/W/WashingtonPark.html|title=Washington Park Court District|access-date=January 1, 2009|year=2003|publisher=City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development, Landmarks Division}}

The Washington Park neighborhood has been the setting for works of popular literature. James T. Farrell's Studs Lonigan trilogy is set in Washington Park. In Richard Wright's novel Native Son, Bigger Thomas drives the drunken Jan Erlone and Mary Dalton around Washington Park, as the two embrace. In addition to hosting the DuSable Museum, the park hosts Fountain of Time, the world's earliest concrete finished art work.{{cite web|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:CTRB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EB42A64CB3B0261&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D0CB579A3BDA420|title=Fountain Face-Lift Turns Back Clock - The Elements Have Been Hard On Lorado Taft's Fountain Of Time In Washington Park. But Crews Hope To Restore Its Splendor.|access-date=January 24, 2009|date=May 25, 1999|publisher=Newsbank|work=Chicago Tribune|author=Deering, Tara}}

Additionally, the aforementioned adjacent Washington Park Subdivision has been the subject of notable literature. The conditions of this neighborhood are described in a section of Black Metropolis by St. Clair Drake and Horace Roscoe Cayton.{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/blackmetropoliss0000drak_t9d8|url-access=registration|quote=Washington Park subdivision Chicago.|title=Black Metropolis|year=1993|author=Drake, St. Clair and Horace Roscoe Cayton|pages=[https://archive.org/details/blackmetropoliss0000drak_t9d8/page/184 184]|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-16234-8}}

The play Raisin in the Sun was inspired by Lorraine Hansberry's time in the neighborhood after her father won the repeal of restrictive covenants.{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/patc/raisin/|title=A Raisin in the Sun |access-date=February 16, 2009|date=March 11, 2002|publisher=NPR.org}} The Hansberry house, the red brick three-flat at 6140 S. Rhodes Avenue which they bought in 1937, is up for landmark status before the Chicago City Council's Committee on Historical Landmarks Preservation.[http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/2031043,CST-NWS-raisin05.article 'Raisin in the Sun' home for landmark?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100413234856/http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/2031043,CST-NWS-raisin05.article |date=April 13, 2010 }}, Maudlyne Ihejirika, The Chicago Sun-Times, February 5, 2010

{{wide image|Panorama of the Fountain of Time.JPG|1000px|alt=Fountain of Time is the world's earliest concrete finished art work|Fountain of Time is the world's earliest concrete finished art work}}

• Dayvon D. Bennett (1994–2020), alias "King Von", rapper and songwriter{{cite news|last=Evans|first=Maxwell|title=King Von Mural Near Parkway Gardens Sparked Debate, Threats And Harassment. Now, Neighbors To Vote On Its Fate|date=August 18, 2021|newspaper=Block Club Chicago|access-date=November 25, 2023|url=https://blockclubchicago.org/2021/08/18/king-von-mural-near-parkways-gardens-sparked-debate-threats-and-harassment-now-neighbors-to-vote-on-its-fate/}}
• Jesse Binga (1865–1950), founder of the first privately owned African American bank in Chicago. He moved to the then-white neighborhood in 1917.{{cite news|last=Rodkin|first=Dennis|newspaper=Chicago|title=This Washington Park Renovation Is the Next Chapter of a Great Chicago Housing Story|date=May 22, 2013|access-date=October 24, 2019|url=https://www.chicagomag.com/Radar/Deal-Estate/May-2013/Black-Pioneer-Jesse-Bingas-Home-Rehabbed-Revived/}}
• Chief Keef (born 1995), rapper and record producer.Rosemary Regina Sobol, [http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-chief-keef-20130730-story.html Chief Keef pays $531 to settle speeding ticket], Chicago Tribune (July 30, 2016): "his former home in the Parkway Gardens apartment complex on the South Side."
• Grover C. Nash (1911–1970), aviator and first Black pilot to fly mail for the United States Postal Service. He resided at 6109 South Calumet Avenue at the time of his feat.{{cite news|title=RACE AVIATOR FLIES U.S. AIR MAIL ROUTE: FLYER TESTS NEW 'FEEDER' SERVICE PLAN|last=Waterford|first=Janet|date=May 21, 1938|newspaper=Chicago Defender|via=ProQuest}}
• Cecil A. Partee (1921–1994), 31st and 33rd President of the Illinois Senate. He resided at 6032 South Michigan Avenue while serving as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives.[http://www.idaillinois.org/cdm/ref/collection/bb/id/16489 Illinois Blue Book 1965-1966] page 268
• Deval Patrick (born 1956), 71st Governor of Massachusetts (2007–2015). He was raised in Washington Park.{{cite news|author=DNAinfo Staff|title='Deval Patrick Way' Honors Chicago Roots of Massachusetts Governor|date=June 7, 2013|newspaper=DNAinfo Chicago|access-date=June 3, 2018|url=https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20130607/washington-park/deval-patrick-way-honors-chicago-roots-of-massachusetts-governor/|archive-date=November 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171112110915/https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20130607/washington-park/deval-patrick-way-honors-chicago-roots-of-massachusetts-governor|url-status=dead}}
• Harry Mark Petrakis (1923–2021), novelist known for depictions of Greek-American life. He was a childhood resident of Washington Park.{{cite book|last=Petrakis|first=Henry Mark|title=Song of My Life: A Memoir|year=2014|publisher=University of South Carolina Press|isbn=9781611175035|access-date=March 8, 2021|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4Ce6BwAAQBAJ}}
• Melvin Van Peebles (1932–2021), actor, filmmaker, playwright, novelist and composer. He was a childhood resident of the Washington Park community area at 58th and Calumet.{{cite interview|last=Van Peebles|first=Melvin|title=Artistic development, near-death experiences, and the power of persistence|interviewer=Lee Ann Norman|work=BOMB Magazine|access-date=July 30, 2021|url=https://bombmagazine.org/articles/melvin-van-peebles/}}

{{Portal|Chicago}}

• Washington Park (Chicago park)

{{reflist}}

{{commons category|Washington Park, Chicago}}

• [http://www.cityofchicago.org/content/dam/city/depts/doit/general/GIS/Chicago_Maps/Community_Areas/CA_WASHINGTON_PARK.pdf Official City of Chicago Washington Park Neighborhood Map]
• [http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/parks.detail/object_id/BC7A8166-64DC-4363-AC26-0A2375E14669.cfm Chicago Park District: Washington Park] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070203043023/http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/parks.detail/object_id/BC7A8166-64DC-4363-AC26-0A2375E14669.cfm |date=February 3, 2007 }}
• [http://www.washingtonparkncp.org/home.aspx Washington Park Quality-of-Life Neighborhood Planning] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011102252/http://www.washingtonparkncp.org/home.aspx |date=October 11, 2008 }}

{{Geographic Location 2

| Center = Washington Park, Chicago

| North = Grand Boulevard, Chicago

| Northeast = Kenwood, Chicago

| East = Hyde Park, Chicago

| Southeast = Woodlawn, Chicago

| South = Greater Grand Crossing, Chicago

| West = New City, Chicago

| WSW = Englewood, Chicago

| Northwest = Fuller Park, Chicago

}}

{{Washington Park, Chicago}}

{{Community areas of Chicago}}

{{Neighborhoods in Chicago}}

{{Chicago}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Washington Park, Chicago (Community Area)}}

Category:Community areas of Chicago

Category:South Side, Chicago

Category:Neighborhoods in Chicago

Category:Populated places established in 1880

Category:1880 establishments in Illinois