Bronzeville

By:
Barbara Szynal
Rachel Harbut
Maddie Sullivan

Directions

Get on red line at Loyola

Transfer to green line at
Roosevelt, southbound
Get off at 35th-IIT
Walk about two blocks east
to Martin Luther King Jr.
Drive

Brief History

1910s-1920s: Great Migration hot spot

Significant developments: civil rights, jazz, blues,
gospel music
Architecture: from modern to Victorian, Gothic,
Romanesque, and Queen-Ann styles
Notorious for street art

Speedy Demographics

Male 54.1%
Female 45.9%
Median age: 35
Education above high school: 77%
African American pop.: 87%
Median household income: $35,993
Average household income: $60,560

ACE Hardware

1920s Sunset Cafe,

black and tan
nightclub, later the
Grand Terrace
nightclub
Louis Armstrong played
(and owned for a time,
as did Al Capone), Ella
Fitzgerald, Benny
Goodman performed

Victory Monument
The Victory Monument was sculpted by Leonard
Crunelle in 1927. It is dedicated to the Eighth
Regiment of Illinois National Guard which was an
African-American unit that served in World War I.
There are three panels around the monument
depicting different aspects of the war. The first is
an African-American woman holding a branch that
symbolizes victory. Next, another female AfricanAmerican hold a tablet inscribed with all the
battles the Regiment fought. And the third is a
depiction of an African-American soldier. The 137
members who lost their lives in the war have their
names inscribed on a bronze panel on the
monument.

Stephen Douglas Tomb

The figure of Douglas is

actually 10 feet tall and
stands atop a 46 foot column
of white marble.
It was
designed and built by
Leonard
Volk
with
construction beginning in
1861 and ending in 1881.
Douglas died of typhoid
fever on June 3, 1861.
Douglas originally endorsed
the 1857 Dred Scott Decision
(which, if you dont recall,
basically said that African
Americans
couldnt
be
citizens regardless of their
slave/freemen status). He
also briefly courted Mary
Todd (Lincoln), and lost to
Abraham Lincoln in the
1860 presidential election.

Ida B. Wells House

Ida B. Wells lived from 1862 to

1931 and died in Chicago. During her
life she was a prominent journalist in
the civil rights and womens rights
movements. She wrote pamphlets
like Southern Horrors: Lynch Law
in All of its Phases and The Red
Record. She also founded the
National Association of Colored
Womens Clubs.
She moved to Chicago after
marrying her husband Ferdinand
Barnett. She lived there with her
husband and four children, Charles,
Herman, Ida, and Alfreda.

Nat King Cole House

Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17,
1919 - February 15, 1965) was a
leading jazz pianist and prominent
vocalist.
He was born in
Montgomery, Alabama (his family
moved to Chicago when he was
four), and died of lung cancer. The
Nat King Cole Show, Coles own
variety show, was the first to be
hosted by an African American,
premiering on November 6, 1956
and running through December 17,
1957.

Louis Armstrong House

Louis Armstrong (19011971) was a very famous

American jazz trumpeter and
singer. Armstrong built the
foundation of jazz, shifting
the focus from collective
improvisation to solo
performance. He was also one
of the first colored performers
where his color was secondary
to his music and
performance.
Armstrong started his
jazz career in New Orleans
before his mentor, Joe King
Oliver, convinced him to
move to Chicago. In Chicago
he switched from playing
cornet to trumpet and helped
establish the South side as a
jazz mecca. He lived in
Chicago from 1925-1929.

Marx Brothers House

There were 5 Marx

brothers,
born
on
Manhattan to Jewish
immigrants in the late
1800s. The brothers
were a family comedy
act that was successful
on
Broadway,
in
vaudeville,
and
in
movies from 1905-1949.
Their mother, Minnie,
managed their act, and
encouraged
creativity
from a young age (her
own parents being a
yodeling harpist and a
ventriloquist). Each of
the brothers eventually
split off into separate
areas
of
interest
(television,
business,
and music).

Chicken and Waffles

Chicken and waffles has

become an American soul food
tradition, combining fried chicken
with waffles topped with butter and
maple syrup. It is particularly
popular in the South and up the
eastern coast of the US.
Chicagos Home of Chicken
and Waffles was established in
2008. It prides itself on using the
fresh ingredients and making
delicious comfort food. They serve
not only their famous chicken and
waffles but southern fried catfish,
grits, sweet potato pie, and much
more!

Public Art

Reflections

Ethan

What was it like being in the neighborhood

you visited?
How has this experience shaped your
opinion of the Second City?
Was this an authentic Chicago experience?
Why or why not?
What did you learn about yourself doing
this activity?
Did anything surprise you?

Barbara: I enjoyed visiting Bronzeville for many reasons. The first being that I had
heard things about the South side, and I was ready to dispel what I thought were
mostly rumors about that part of town. Secondly, I have a few friends who go to
IIT, and I wanted to explore the neighborhood they learn and live in. During the
visit, I realized a few things. I noticed immediately that it was not how I imagined
the South side to look at all. The neighborhood was well kept and much more
historical than I first expected it to be. I also realized that its safer than what
people say. I feel that this was overall an authentic Chicago experience. We got to
see important landmarks as well as enjoy some local food at the end of the
evening. I learned that I enjoy taking day trips from this excursion. As exhausting
as it may be to plan and execute something like this, it was well worth the effort,
and I enjoyed myself. I was surprised at how many historical homes and
landmarks we visited and didnt get to. This is but one neighborhood of Chicago,
so I can imagine how many more landmarks this city has to offer.

Maddie: Being in the neighborhood was a new experience for me but also seemed
familiar. I just recently moved to Detroit and Bronzeville seemed to hold the same
character. In terms of being an authentic Chicago experience I dont think its
what someone typically thinks of when they think Chicago. Its not the modern,
sleek part of the city but part of the historical neighborhoods. I still think it was
authentic to Chicago and I got a feel for what Chicago was like in the past. Through
this experience, I learned that I know very little about Chicagos very diverse
population and heritage. Bronzeville holds a very rich history and has the
numerous historical landmarks to prove it. I was surprised by how many, you
could walk down practically any street and find a historic landmark. It was so
fascinating to learn about the history behind just one neighborhood in Chicago. I
would love to get to know more about Chicagos history and continue to explore
neighborhoods that hold a lot of history.

Rachel: Bronzeville was an experience. I did not fear for my life the entire time we
were there, which was a nice surprise, as my parents would have me believe that
everywhere is terrible and the only safe place is Campion. It might not be the
safest area, with murder and robbery risk rates high above the national average,
but it does have some things going for it, namely, history and the strange
abundance of monuments. Bronzeville provides an almost-glimpse into Chicagos
past: townhouses, parks, and roads wide enough for traffic to flow in a somewhattimely manner. Visiting the infamous south side was probably a good thing, as I
learned that being terrified of rumors isnt always super conducive to positive and
varied life experiences. Getting there, though, is a bit of a trek -- about 54 minutes
by train, assuming that everything is running on schedule. However, the ride is
worth it if you like history and soul food, and just want to say that you survived the
south side of Chicago.

Sources
Chicagos Home of Chicken and Waffles. Chicagos Home of Chicken and Waffles. 2011. Web. 18 October 2015.
Ida B. Wells. Wikipedia. 7 October 2015. Web. 18 October 2015.
Louis Armstrong. Wikipedia. 15 October 2014. Web. 18 October 2015.
Louis Armstrong House. Chicago 101. Nathan L.K. Bierma. Web. 18 October 2015.
Victory Monument (Chicago). Wikipedia. 21 September 2015. Web. 18 October 2015.
Chicago Jazz History chicagopatterns.com. November 3, 2013. Web. 19 October 2015.
Stephen A. Douglas. Wikipedia. 13 October 2015. Web. 19 October 2015.
Nat King Cole. Wikipedia. 19 October 2015. Web. 19 October 2015.
Marx Brothers. Wikipedia. 17 October 2015. Web. 19 October 2015.