Site L
Continue four blocks east on 61st Street to King Drive.
The 61st Street shopping strip is typical of the small commercial
centers which grew up around stations of the Jackson Park line of
the South Side Elevated Railroad. The "L" played an important
role in the development of the modern urban neighborhood with its
characteristic "flat" buildings and its concentrated population.
Like earlier suburban developments established along commuter railroad
lines, neighborhoods like Washington Park were attractive to Loop
workers as well as to office workers in the stockyards district
to the west. In contrast to the bungalow belts where residents owned
their homes, the apartment district near the "L" experienced
continual turnover. This pattern of mobility, which was set by Irish
and Jewish newcomers in the 1910s, was continued by the black families
who moved into Grand Boulevard and Washington Park.
The above photograph shows The Du Sable Museum of African-American
History, 740 E. 56th Place and a premier attraction of Washington
Park, in 1985. Founded by Dr. Margaret Burroughs, the museum documents
the experience of American blacks with special emphasis on art
and music.
«
previous 9
of 10 next
»
|
