Archer Heights, Chicago

Archer Heights was originally inhabited by Native American tribes. Starting in the nineteenth-century, land speculators and farmers sparked interest in the swampy lands. The land became a primary focus for real-estate developers and manufacturers. It gained exceptional interest from William B. Archer, an Illinois & Michigan Canal commissioner and land speculator from whom Archer Heights gained its name.

After speculators came in in 1900 and developed the southern sections of Archer Heights for residential use, railroads sustained control of the north side real estate. Due to horse cars in the late 1890s, and electric streetcars gaining popularity in the early 1900s, immigrant laborers started to pour into Archer Heights. Starting in the 1920s and 1930s, Archer Heights had its largest population growth coming from the Polish, Italian, Czech, and Russian Jewish communities. During this time modern urban groundwork and two Catholic parishes, St. Bruno's (1925) and St. Richard's (1938), helped stimulate population growth.

After World War II population began to make a comeback; between 1930 and 1950, the Archer Heights community grew from 8,120 to 8,675. In the following years the population sprouted to 10,584, peaking by 1970 at 11,143. However, by 1980, the population fell off to 9,708, and continued to do so in 1990 falling to 9,227.

For over 90 years, the Archer Heights community has been predominantly white (96 percent in 1990), with a large contingent of foreign-born residents (27 percent in 1990), and a strong Polish cohort. In the 1990s, Hispanics, and primarily Mexicans, rose to 8 percent of the population. "While Archer Heights continues to be home to a large Polish community, since 2000 it became the latest swath of the Southwest Side bungalow belt where Hispanics have become the majority."{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/02/us/02cncshifts.html|title=Face of City Has Changed Dramatically, Census Estimates Show|last1=Mihalopoulos|first1=Dan|date=2011-01-01|last2=Little|first2=Darnell|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=2016-05-24}}

At the end of the twentieth century, approximately 60 percent of the area was dedicated to manufacturing and bulk transportation facilities, 30 percent to residences, and 10 percent to commerce.{{Cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/60.html|title=Archer Heights|website=www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org|access-date=2016-05-19}}{{US Census population

|1930=8120

|1940=8216

|1950=8675

|1960=10584

|1970=11158

|1980=9708

|1990=9227

|2000=12656

|2010=13393

|2020=14196

|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=2 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130318055428/http://www.robparal.com/downloads/ACS0509/HistoricalData/Chicago%20Community%20Areas%20Historical%20Data.htm |archive-date=18 March 2013 }}

}}

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has two district-run schools in Archer Heights:

• Curie Metropolitan High School

S Archer Ave, Chicago, IL 60632

File:Curie high school from the street.jpg

[https://web.archive.org/web/20040604035037/http://www.curiehs.org/]

• Edwards Elementary School

4815 South Karlov Avenue, Chicago, IL 60632

http://edwardsib.org

File:Edwards Elementary School.jpg

The United Neighborhood Organization operates the charter schools in Archer Heights"[http://www.uno-online.org/schools/charter-school-management UNO Charter Schools] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120430104627/http://www.uno-online.org/schools/charter-school-management |date=2012-04-30 }}." United Neighborhood Organization. Retrieved on June 16, 2012.

• UCSN Major Hector P. Garcia MD High School

4248 W 47th St, Chicago, IL 60632

http://www.ucsnschools.org

• UCSN PFC Omar E. Torres School

4248 W 47th St, Chicago, IL 60632

http://www.ucsnschools.org

• Academy for Global Citizenship (Elementary)

4647 W. 47th St. Chicago, IL 60632

http://schoolinfo.cps.edu/schoolprofile/schooldetails.aspx?SchoolId=400009

• SPC Daniel Zizumbo School

4248 W 47th St Chicago, IL 60632

https://web.archive.org/web/20160625180632/https://www.incschools.org/school/ucsn-spc-daniel-zizumbo/

• St. Richard School (Elementary)

5025 S. Kenneth Ave. Chicago, IL 60632

http://www.strichard.net

• St. Bruno School (Elementary)

4839 S. Harding Ave. Chicago, IL 60632

http://stbruno.com

Archer Heights Public Library

The Archer Heights public library is a 6 million dollar, 14,000 sq/ft building located at 5055 S. Archer Ave. Chicago Illinois. The library is home to over 49,000 materials ranging from books, magazines, book tapes, and newspapers.{{Cite news|title=ARCHER HEIGHTS FINDS MORE TO CHECK OUT AT NEW LIBRARY|last=Challos|first=Courtney|date=2000-09-06}}

File:Archer_Heights_Public_Library.jpg

Link

• http://www.chipublib.org/locations/4/

File:St.Bruno Church.jpg

File:Pulaski Station.jpg (May 2016)|left|370x370px]]Historically, transportation between downtown Chicago and the Southwest Side was limited to express buses that traveled down the Stevenson Expressway. The Orange Line was created in 1993 to solve this issue. Pulaski station was built as an Orange Line stop at the corner of Pulaski Road and 51st Street near Archer Avenue.{{Cite book|title=Local Community Fact Book Chicago Metropolitan Area|publisher=University of Illinois at Chicago|year=1995|pages=169}}

The Archer Heights community area has supported the Democratic Party in the past two presidential elections by overwhelming margins. In the 2016 presidential election, the Archer Heights cast 2,803 votes for Hillary Clinton and cast 527 votes for Donald Trump (81.22% to 15.27%).{{cite news|url=https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/numbers/president-vice-president-every-neighborhood-map-election-results-voting-general-primary-illinois/|last=Ali|first=Tanveer|title=How Every Chicago Neighborhood Voted In The 2016 Presidential Election|newspaper=DNAInfo|date=November 9, 2016|access-date=October 4, 2019|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190924090904/https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/numbers/president-vice-president-every-neighborhood-map-election-results-voting-general-primary-illinois/|archive-date=September 24, 2019}} In the 2012 presidential election, Archer Heights cast 2,140 votes for Barack Obama and cast 494 votes for Mitt Romney (80.03% to 18.47%).{{cite news|url=https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/numbers/obama-romney-president-vice-president-every-neighborhood-map-2012-election-results-voting-general-primary-illinois/|last=Ali|first=Tanveer|title=How Every Chicago Neighborhood Voted In The 2012 Presidential Election|newspaper=DNAInfo|date=November 9, 2012|access-date=October 4, 2019|url-status=dead|archive-url=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/|archive-date=February 3, 2019}}

{{anchor|Archer Heights Civic Association}}

Founded in 1938, Archer Heights Civic Association (AHCA) is the oldest active neighborhood organization in Southwest Chicago, serving the Archer Heights community. In 1968, AHCA had meetings with local aldermen and the Chicago Park District Superintendent to present a list of improvements needed at Archer Park, including a field house. The Archer Park field house eventually opened in 1970.{{Cite news | url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1968/09/01/page/231/article/action-promised-on-archer-park#text| title=Action Promised on Archer Park| date=1968-09-01| access-date=2016-05-25}} Originally formed as a homeowner's association, AHCA also functions as a community watchdog, for example, pressuring for enforcement of zoning laws.{{Cite web | url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1985/12/21/page/B1/article/communities-can-be-unheralded-but-good-places-to-live| title=Communities can be unheralded--but good places to live (December 21, 1985)| access-date=2016-05-25}}

• Greater Chicago Food Depository
• Chicago Electrical Trauma Rehabilitation Institute
• Polish Highlanders Alliance of North AmericaThe Almanac of American Politics, 2004, quote: "Even today, in Archer Heights you can scarcely go a block without hearing someone speaking Polish."

File:Omar E. Torres Way.jpg

• 48th Street and Harding Avenue dedicated an honorary street sign to recognize Henry J. "Hank" Rutkowski Sr. "Rutkowski is a decorated World War II veteran and former prisoner of war", he received the Good Conduct Medal, the Air Medal, the European Theatre of War Medal, and the Prisoner of War Medal. Following the war he worked for 40 years for Schulze & Birch, he retired in 1993.{{Cite web|url=http://swnewsherald.com/world-war-iipowfrom-archer-heights-is-recognized-with-honorar-p5410-126.htm|title=World War II POW from Archer Heights is recognized with honorary street sign|website=swnewsherald.com|access-date=2016-05-17}}
• 47th Street and Keeler Avenue dedicated a street sign for Omar Torres. "Private First Class Omar E. Torres died in combat in Iraq, 2007." Torres was one of three children, his sister Oralia and brother, Oscar Jr. Where raised by Doris and Oscar Torres Sr.{{Cite web|url=http://swnewsherald.com/honor-late-soldiers-memory-p3141-1.htm|title=Honor Late Soldier's Memory|last=Connolly|first=Dermot|date=2013-05-04|website=South West News Herald|access-date=2016-05-17}}

• St. Bruno Catholic Church Carnival
• St. Richard Family Fest and Carnival and Rocket Run 5k
• http://www.strichardrocketrun.com/
• https://web.archive.org/web/20151008061438/http://strichard.wix.com/carnival

Archer Heights is in the 4th Congressional District and is represented in the United States Congress by Jesús "Chuy" García.{{Cite web|url=http://ziplook.house.gov/htbin/findrep?ZIP=60632&Submit=FIND+YOUR+REP+BY+ZIP|title=Find Your Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives|website=ziplook.house.gov|access-date=2016-05-19}}

Alderman Edward M. Burke served the 14th ward of Chicago for over 50 years.{{Cite web|url=http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/about/wards/14/alderman_burke_sbiography.html|title=City of Chicago :: Alderman Edward M. Burke|website=www.cityofchicago.org|access-date=2016-05-19}}Jeylú Gutiérrez represents the eastern part of Archer Heights and was elected alderman for the 14th ward in the 2023 election and is currently serving 14th Ward.{{Cite web |last=Spielman |first=Fran |date=November 28, 2022 |title=End of an era in Chicago politics as Burke chooses retirement over uphill battle for a record 15th term |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2022/11/28/23482625/edward-burke-city-council-reelection |access-date=December 31, 2023 |website=Chicago Sun-Times}} Alderman Michael D. Rodriguez serves the 22nd ward on the Western part of Archer Heights.{{Cite web|url=http://www.cityofchicago.org|title=City of Chicago :: Alderman Ricardo Munoz|access-date=2016-05-19}} Michael R. Zalewski is the alderman for the 23rd ward.

Archer Heights is also represented in the 1st district of the Illinois Senate and House, their Senator is Democrat Javier Loera Cervantes and their House Rep. is Assistant Majority Leader, and 14th Ward Democratic Committeeman Aaron Ortiz. Alma Anaya is the Cook County Commissioner from the 7th District.

http://www.swchicagopost.com

http://swnewsherald.com

{{reflist}}

{{Portal|Chicago|Illinois}}

• [http://www.explorechicago.org/city/en/neighborhoods/archer_heights.html Archer Heights neighborhood map & guide on ExploreChicago.org]
• [http://www.cityofchicago.org/content/dam/city/depts/doit/general/GIS/Chicago_Maps/Community_Areas/CA_ARCHER_HEIGHTS.pdf Official City of Chicago Archer Heights Community Map]

{{Chicago}}

{{Community areas of Chicago}}

{{Neighborhoods in Chicago}}

{{Geographic Location 2

| Center = Archer Heights, Chicago

| North = South Lawndale, Chicago

| Northeast = Lower West Side, Chicago

| East = Brighton Park, Chicago

| Southeast = Gage Park, Chicago

| South = West Elsdon, Chicago

| WSW = Garfield Ridge, Chicago

| Northwest = Cicero, Illinois

}}

Category:Community areas of Chicago

Category:South Side, Chicago

Category:Ethnic enclaves in Illinois

Category:Polish communities in the United States

Category:Polish-American culture in Chicago