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52-689: The Cermak Road Bridge Historic District is a national historic district in the Lower West Side neighborhood of Chicago , Illinois . The district includes the Cermak Road Bridge, which carries Cermak Road across the Chicago River , and four buildings clustered around the bridge. The bridge opened in 1906 and is a rare surviving example of a Scherzer rolling lift bridge in Chicago. The four buildings, all originally factories or warehouses, represent

104-521: A stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Lower West Side, Chicago In the late 19th century, it was inhabited by German , Polish , Italian , and Czech immigrants. Czech immigrants were the most prominent and named the district after Pilsen (German for Plzeň ), the fourth largest city of the Czech Republic . They replaced the Germans and Irish who had settled there before them, in

156-584: A transgender Latina, with the goal of representing women of all demographics and promote acceptance of others. Robb Walsh of the Houston Press wrote that the Mexican restaurants in Pilsen are "unconsciously authentic" to original Mexican cuisine . According to Rick Bayless , the chef and owner of Frontera Grill , this is because Mexican-Americans in Chicago do not encounter a substantial Chicano community in

208-506: A Chicago public housing development is made up of: 69% African-American , 27% Latino , and 4% White and Other. In 1966, Dorothy Gautreaux and other CHA residents brought a suit against the CHA in Gautreaux v. Chicago Housing Authority. The suit charged racial discrimination by the housing authority for concentrating 10,000 public housing units in isolated Black neighborhoods. It claimed that

260-631: A jointly-proposed Amendment to the 2019 Settlement Agreement between the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) and Impact for Equity (IFE) in the landmark 1966 Gautreaux v. Chicago Housing Authority federal lawsuit. With this joint Amendment, CHA and IFE have agreed and acknowledged that CHA has completed nearly all commitments from the 2019 Settlement Agreement. The amendment outlines the remaining requirements at six CHA developments: Altgeld Gardens, Lakefront Properties, Madden/Wells, Rockwell Gardens, Stateway Gardens, and Robert Taylor Homes. At each of

312-462: A paid transatlantic ship ticket. The community grew as workers paid for relatives to join them. St. Michael's parish on 25th street was their community center. The archdiocese closed that parish in 2000. Restaurants opened by these families that remain, as of 2019, include on Oakley Boulevard: Bruna's (1933), Bacchanalia's (1971), La Fontanella (closed in 2020), Ignotz's (1999) and on Western Avenue Il Vicinato (closed in 2024). The Pilsen neighborhood

364-566: A single mother in 1993 and received an approval letter almost thirty years later in May 2022. More than 20 years after the initial plan was announced, then-Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot announced in June 2021 that finishing the redevelopment of Cabrini-Green alone will take at least another 12 years and could total upwards of $ 1 billion. From its beginning until the late-1950s, most families that lived in Chicago housing projects were Italian immigrants. By

416-555: A single station, Ashland station , on the Lower West Side, but its ridership is primarily from neighboring Bridgeport and McKinley Park . The BNSF Railway has two stations on the Lower West Side; Halsted Street/U.I.C. station and Western Avenue station . The CTA also operates 8 bus routes that go through the neighborhood; 9 Ashland, X9 Ashland express, 18 16th/18th, 21 Cermak, 50 Damen, 49 Western, X49 Western Express, and 60 Blue Island/26th. Routes 8 Halsted and 12 Roosevelt skirt

468-442: Is a municipal corporation that oversees public housing within the city of Chicago. The agency's Board of Commissioners is appointed by the city's mayor , and has a budget independent from that of the city of Chicago. CHA is the largest rental landlord in Chicago, with more than 50,000 households. CHA owns over 21,000 apartments (9,200 units reserved for seniors and over 11,400 units in family and other housing types). It also oversees

520-496: Is a historically working class, residential neighborhood initially settled by Czech Americans . According to the results of a 1978 survey which asked residents the name of their neighborhood and its boundaries, the approximate borders for Pilsen neighborhood are West 16th Street to the north, the Dan Ryan Expressway to the east, Interstate 55 to the south, and South Ashland Avenue to the west. In 2006, Pilsen Historic District

572-613: Is also home to the National Museum of Mexican Art . St. Adalbert's dominates the skyline with the opulence typical of churches in the Polish Cathedral style . Pilsen is home to a multitude of murals and other forms of street art. With an initiative from the Chicago Urban Art Society and support from the National Museum of Mexican Art artists have been able to construct murals around the Pilsen neighborhood, adding to

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624-448: Is located in the Pilsen neighborhood. Podmajersky incorporated is a major property owner in the Pilsen area . The Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago has become a hub for muralists and street artists to convey their identity, passion, and activism. Murals are historically connected to Mayan and Aztec cultures which have influenced Mexican artists from the 1920s-present day. Mario Castillo painted Peace or Metafisico in 1968. This piece

676-510: Is still a minority as of the 2020 Census . The Chicago Housing Authority 's plan for transformation of the ABLA projects has spilled over into Pilsen proper, with the now nearly complete Chantico Loft development, Union Row Townhomes, as well as the defunct Centro 18 on 18th Street in East Pilsen. Infill construction of condominiums and single-family homes is now in full force on the east side of

728-510: The 2012 presidential election , the Lower West Side cast 14,028 votes for Democrat Barack Obama and 4,989 votes for Republican Mitt Romney . At the local level, the Lower West Side is located in the 25th ward, which is represented on the Chicago City Council by Alderman Daniel Solis . Solis is also the ward's Democratic Committeemen . His Republican counterpart is Martin Ozinga. In

780-475: The Austro-Hungarian Empire , such as Slovaks , Slovenes , Croats and Austrians , as well as immigrants of Polish and Lithuanian heritage. Many of the immigrants worked in the stockyards and surrounding factories. Like many early 20th century American urban neighborhoods, however, Pilsen was home to both wealthy professionals and the working class , with the whole area knitted together based on

832-810: The United States House of Representatives , the Lower West Side is located in Illinois's 4th congressional district represented by Democrat Chuy García . In the Illinois General Assembly , the Lower West Side is in the 1st Legislative District, represented by Democrat Tony Munoz in the Illinois Senate , and the 2nd House district, represented by Democrat Theresa Mah in the Illinois House of Representatives . Residents are zoned to Chicago Public Schools . Benito Juarez Community Academy , located in

884-478: The 1990s. During that decade 40% of the Mexican-origin population in Pilsen had migrated directly there from Mexico, and about 33% of the Mexican-origin population in the Chicago area lived in Pilsen. As of 2005, many of the newer residents of the neighborhood were not Latino, and it is projected that the neighborhood will continue to become more diversified in the years ahead. The non-Latino population in Pilsen

936-623: The CHA and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) had violated the U.S. Constitution and the 1964 Civil Rights Act . It was a long-running case that in 1987 resulted in HUD taking over the CHA for over 20 years and the formation of the Gautreaux Project in which public housing families were relocated to the suburbs. The lawsuit was noted as the nation's first major public housing desegregation lawsuit. On July 31, 2024 U.S. District Judge Marvin Aspen approved

988-525: The CHA board, notably exceeds the federal salary cap for public housing authority executives, which is set at $ 176,300 according to the 2022 Appropriations Act. Lori Lightfoot, who had appointed Scott to the CEO position, was also involved in the decision. The approval of this substantial salary boost attracted considerable scrutiny due to its deviation from federal guidelines designed to regulate executive compensation within public agencies. The controversy surrounding

1040-468: The CHA has been selling, leasing, or trading land in gentrifying neighborhoods to other government agencies and the private sector for less than market value. Land owned by the CHA has been used to build two Target stores, a private tennis complex, and government facilities at a time when over 30,000 people are awaiting housing assistance from the CHA. One notable resident, Chicago alderwoman Jeanette Taylor , revealed that she applied for housing assistance as

1092-481: The CHA was returned to a new board of commissioners, including three residents appointed by resident groups, in 1999. The previously ordered receivership ended in 2010. In 2000, the CHA began its Plan For Transformation , which called for the demolition of all of its gallery high-rise buildings and proposed a renovated housing portfolio totaling 25,000 units. The Plan for Transformation has also been plagued with problems. While demolition began almost immediately, CHA

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1144-647: The Chicago Housing Initiative and the Lugenia Burns Hope Center sued CHA of illegally planning to lease public housing land at the former ABLA Homes to Joe Mansueto, one of then-Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot's campaign donors to build a training complex for his professional soccer team Chicago Fire . In the summer of 2023, the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) board approved a significant salary increase for its CEO, Tracey Scott, raising her annual compensation to $ 300,000. This raise, supported by

1196-514: The Lower West Side, serves much of it. Other parts are zoned to Thomas Kelly High School . Lower West Side is home to the following educational institutions: Prior to the 1970s, Pilsen residents attended Jungman Elementary School for grades 1–6; Cooper School, adjacent to Jungman, for grades 7–8; Froebel School for grades 9-10, and Harrison Technical High School in South Lawndale for grades 11–12. Jungman opened in 1903. In 1914 an addition

1248-852: The Schoenhofen Brewery Historic District, part of the Cermak Road Bridge Historic District, and part of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal Historic District, and the South Water Market . The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal Historic District is part of the Illinois Waterway Navigation System Facilities multiple property submission ; extends through Cook County west of Chicago , DuPage County and Will County to Lockport The Cermak Road Bridge Historic District

1300-507: The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development criticized the Chicago Housing Authority for accumulating a cash reserve of $ 440 million at a time when more than a quarter million people were on the agency's waiting list for affordable housing, and a large number of units (16%) remained vacant. By March 2017, only 8% of the 17,000 demolished households had been replaced with mixed-income units. Many lots remain vacant decades after demolition, and

1352-750: The United States that prefers a Tex Mex -style of cuisine, so the immigrants use the same frame of reference that they had in Mexico. Public transit on the Lower West Side is provided by the Chicago Transit Authority and Metra . The Pink Line , part of the CTA's Chicago "L" train system, has three stops on the Lower West Side; the Western station , the Damen station , and the 18th Street station . The Orange Line has

1404-559: The University Commons condominiums. According to a 2015 analysis by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning , there were 34,410 people and 11,958 households on the Lower West Side. The racial makeup of the area was 13.4% White , 3.2% African American , 1.7% Asian , 1.1% from other races . Hispanic or Latino of any race were 80.5% of the population. In the area, the population was spread out, with 27.4% under

1456-430: The administration of 37,000 Section 8 vouchers. The current acting CEO of the Chicago Housing Authority is Tracey Scott. The CHA was created in 1937 to own and operate housing built by the federal government's Public Works Administration . In addition to providing affordable housing for low-income families and combating blight, it also provided housing for industry workers during World War II and returning veterans after

1508-502: The age of 19, 30.8% from 20 to 34, 20.6% from 35 to 49, 12.9% from 50 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was ~30 years which is younger than the citywide median of ~34 years. Figures from the United States Census Bureau demonstrate a level of gentrification from 2000 to 2010. The Mexican American population, constant between 1970 and 1999, decreased significantly from 2000 to 2010. This loss

1560-517: The ethnicities, mostly of Slavic descent, who were not readily welcome in other areas of the city. Although there was some increase in the Hispanic presence in the late 1930s, it was until the late 1960s that there was a great spurt in the numbers of Latinos in Pilsen. This was due to the displacement of Latinos from the neighborhood UIC currently occupies, south of Hull House , and from other urban revitalization projects. In 1970, Latinos became

1612-572: The growth of industry along the river in the early twentieth century. Sites along the river provided access not only to transportation on the river itself but also to the many railroads in the area. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 1, 2012. This article about a property in Cook County, Illinois on the National Register of Historic Places is

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1664-549: The history, culture, and community of the area. West 18th Street is an active commercial corridor, with Mexican bakeries, restaurants, and groceries, though the principal district for Mexican shopping is W 26th Street in Little Village, Chicago's other formerly majority Pan-Slavic community. The United States Postal Service operates the Pilsen Post Office on 1859 S Ashland Avenue. The National Museum of Mexican Art

1716-519: The majority population in Pilsen, with about 25,000 people out of the community's 43,341 people surpassing the population of people of Eastern European descent. In particular, Mexicans made up about 36% of the residents of Pilsen in 1973. In the 1980s, the Mexican-origin population grew. During that decade 95% of the people in Pilsen had some Mexican descent, and 80% of the overall population of Pilsen were first or second generation immigrants from Mexico and Mexican-Americans. Mexican growth continued into

1768-444: The mid-1970s, 65% of the agency's housing projects were made up of African Americans . In 1975, a study showed that traditional mother and father families in CHA housing projects were almost non-existent and 93% of the households were headed by single females. In 2010, the head of households demographics were 88% African American and 12% White. The population of children in CHA decreased from 50% in 2000 to 35% by 2010. Today on average,

1820-473: The mid-nineteenth century. These German and Irish residents lived in poor conditions throughout the 1850s and ‘60s. The Pilsen area was overcrowded and suffered from flooding, lack of indoor plumbing, and illness. A cholera outbreak that killed hundreds, eventually led the German and Irish residents to move in search of better living conditions. The population also included smaller numbers of other ethnic groups from

1872-431: The neighborhood after redevelopment. The suit claimed that the housing authority at the time had only renovated a quarter of the remaining row-houses, making only a small percentage of them public housing. In September 2015, four residents sued the housing authority over utility allowances. Residents claimed the CHA overcharged them for rent and didn't credit them for utility costs. In June 2023, Several groups including

1924-448: The neighborhood too. The Stevenson Expressway has exits at Damen Avenue and Ashland Avenue on the Lower West Side. The Canal Street railroad bridge , a Chicago landmark, is located on the Lower West Side. There are also bikeways on Blue Island Avenue, 18th, and Halsted Streets. In the 2016 presidential election , the Lower West Side cast 9,792 votes for Democrat Hillary Clinton and cast 715 votes for Republican Donald Trump . In

1976-469: The neighborhood, as Pilsen becomes one of the next major development areas for infill construction. Some local advocacy groups have formed, urging the neighborhood's alderman to curtail gentrification to preserve the Mexican-American culture. The Lower West Side includes two neighborhoods; Pilsen and Heart of Chicago. It also contains several areas considered to have historic significance including

2028-561: The raise was compounded by a related issue involving the Chicago Fire's lease of 23 acres on the Near West Side. The land, long reserved for housing by federal regulations, was leased to the Fire, which is owned by billionaire business leader and Lightfoot campaign donor Joe Mansueto, for at least 40 years to build a new training facility. Federal law mandates that any such lease or sale must serve

2080-483: The six sites, certain terms of the 2019 Settlement Agreement will remain in place up to three additional years, or less time if the parties agree that CHA has completed the requirements sooner. All other terms expired on July 31, 2024. In May 2013, The Cabrini–Green Local Advisory Council and former residents of the Cabrini–Green Homes sued the housing authority for reneging on promises for the residents to return

2132-448: The three founding mothers of Benito Juarez Community High School . In the late 1960s, the three mothers shared concerns for their own children when the only public high school available was Harrison High school. Harrison High School was located in a neighborhood plagued with gang violence and racial tension between African Americans and Mexican Americans. The mothers wanted a safe and conducive school for Spanish speaking students. The school

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2184-498: The turn of the century in the United States. The facility also manufactured Green River . The brewery district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 27, 1978, and the Administration Building and Powerhouse were later designated Chicago Landmarks on July 13, 1988. The South Water Market relocated to the Lower West Side in 1925. As of 2014, the five block facility had been redeveloped into

2236-506: The war. By 1960, it was the largest landlord in Chicago. In 1965, a group of residents sued the CHA for racial discrimination. After the landmark court decision Gautreaux v. Chicago Housing Authority (see below), the CHA was placed in receivership , which would last for more than 20 years. Things continued to deteriorate for the agency and its residents, and by the 1980s, the high concentrations of poverty and neglected infrastructure were severe. The Chicago Housing Authority Police Department

2288-527: The west. Along Oakley Boulevard, from 24th Street to 25th Street, is found a group of restaurants which remain as a residue of a previously large pocket of Northern Italians. In 1890, the McCormick Reaper factory at Western Avenue and the south branch of the river recruited skilled machine operators from Northern Provinces of Italy (Tuscany, Torino, Milano), offering them salaries twice that available in Italy and

2340-628: Was added to the N.R.H.P. in May 2012. It consists of Cermak Road and the South Branch of the Chicago River. According to the results of a 1978 survey which asked residents the name of their neighborhood and its boundaries, the approximate borders for the Heart of Chicago neighborhood are the BNSF Railway to the north, South Ashland Avenue to the east, Interstate 55 to the south, and South Western Avenue to

2392-405: Was created in 1989 to provide dedicated policing for what had become one of the most impoverished and crime-ridden housing developments in the country, and was dissolved only ten years later. The situation was so dire that the entire CHA board of commissioners resigned in 1995, effectively handing over control of the agency to Housing and Urban Development . After an extensive overhaul, management of

2444-460: Was installed. The building was converted into a junior high school in 1933 due to a decision by the Chicago Board of Education . It later became a branch of Harrison Tech, and then in 1947 a branch of Walsh Elementary. Froebel served as a branch for Harrison Tech due to overcrowding on the main campus; it was originally an elementary school. Teresa Fraga , Mary Gonzales and Raquel Guerrero are

2496-502: Was listed on the National Register of Historic Places . The Schoenhofen Brewery Historic District is centered on the former site of the Peter Schoenhofen Brewing Company at 18th and Canalport Avenue. Seventeen buildings once occupied the site when the brewery reached maximum capacity in 1910 at 1,200,000 barrels a year. Two of the remaining buildings demonstrate the change in architectural styles that occurred at

2548-411: Was primarily in the Pilsen neighborhood. This change corresponded with a simultaneous decline of families and an increase in one person households. Families decreased by 20.4% and families with children decreased 40.9%. During the same period, single person households increased 17.8% The east side of the neighborhood, along Halsted Street , is one of Chicago's largest art districts, and the neighborhood

2600-574: Was proposed to Chicago's Board of Education multiple times but ultimately rejected. This led to protests and boycotts from many Mexican students and families. Finally, in June 1974, Chicago's Board of Education approved $ 8.9 million in funding to build a high school in Pilsen. Benito Juarez Community Academy opened in 1977 and now has a 94 percent Latino student body. The school is decorated with murals and statues that portray Mexican culture and famous leaders such as Benito Juárez . Chicago Housing Authority The Chicago Housing Authority ( CHA )

2652-466: Was slow to develop mixed-income units or provide Section 8 vouchers as planned. In April 2013, CHA created Plan Forward , the next phase of redeveloping public housing in Chicago. The plan includes the rehabilitation of other scattered-site, senior, and lower-density properties; construction of mixed-income housing; increasing economic sales around CHA developments; and providing educational and job training to residents with Section 8 vouchers. In 2015,

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2704-807: Was the first Mexican and anti-Vietnam War murals in Pilsen. In 1969, he painted The Wall of Brotherhood which was inspired by an artwork located in the Bronzeville neighborhood. Some murals have remained the same or have been updated throughout the years and others have been modified to portray current events. In 1980, Marcos Raya created Fallen Dictator which portrays an anti-war and anti-imperialist message. This particular mural has been redone three times. The most recent update has images of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton drawn as snakes and battling each other. In 2016, Sam Kirk and Sandra Atongiori created Weaving Cultures to highlight women of different backgrounds. The mural paints five different women, including

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