Bronzeville - Chicago neighborhood
Now let's take a look at the popular Bronzeville neighborhood.
Most of this neighborhood information was contributed by
Wikipedia. The Wikipedia article may be viewed in its
entirety by clicking here.
Bronzeville is a neighborhood located in the Douglas and Grand Boulevard community areas
on the South Side of city of Chicago around the Illinois Institute of Technology and Illinois
College of Optometry. It is accessible via the Green, Red Lines of the Chicago Transit
Authority or the Metra Electric District Main Line.
In the early 20th century, Bronzeville was known as the “Black Metropolis,”
one of the nation’s most significant landmarks of African-American urban history. Between
1910 and 1920, during the peak of the “Great Migration,” the population of the area increased
dramatically when thousands of African-Americans fled the oppression of the south and
emigrated to Chicago in search of industrial jobs.
Many famous people were associated with the development of the area including: Andrew
“Rube” Foster, founder of the Negro National Baseball League; Ida B. Wells, a civil rights
activist, journalist and organizer of the NAACP; Bessie Coleman, the first African-
American woman pilot; Gwendolyn Brooks, famous author and first African-American
recipient of the Pulitzer Prize, actress Marla Gibbs, the legendary singers, Sam Cooke and
Lou Rawls, and Louis Armstrong, the legendary trumpet player and bandleader who
performed at many of the area’s night clubs.
47th Street was and remains the hub of the Bronzeville neighborhood and in recent years
has started to regain some of the former glory of years gone by.
Origins of the name
The name itself was first used in 1930, by James J. Gentry, a local theatre editor for the
Chicago Bee publication. It refers to the skin color of African-Americans, predominant in that
area at that time. It is also more accurate, because the skin tone of African-Americans is
more brown than black. It has become common usage throughout the decades.
Prairie Shores
Originally a housing project erected by Michael Reese Hospital in order to provide living
quarters for its employees, Prairie Shores is now simply a middle-class community.
Groveland Park
Out of all the portions of modern-day Douglas that were originally developed by Stephen
A. Douglas, only Groveland Park survived intact. Its design is somewhat unusual – all
homes were built around an oval-shaped park. It is located between Cottage Grove
Avenue, 33rd Street, 35th Street and Metra Electric railroad tracks.
Bronzeville is also home to the renowned Illinois Institute of Technology, which is
famous for its engineering and architecture programs. It also is home to the VanderCook
College of Music and the Illinois College of Optometry; in 2006 the Great Books liberal
arts school Shimer College moved into the neighborhood.
BRONZEVILLE DEMOGRAPHICS
Population (2000)
- Total 26,470
- Density 15,833/sq mi (6,113.2/km2)
Population down 13.64% from 1990
Please contact me for more information on buying, selling, or renting
Bronzeville Real Estate.
Now let's take a look at the popular Bronzeville neighborhood.
Most of this neighborhood information was contributed by
Wikipedia. The Wikipedia article may be viewed in its
entirety by clicking here.
Bronzeville is a neighborhood located in the Douglas and Grand Boulevard community areas
on the South Side of city of Chicago around the Illinois Institute of Technology and Illinois
College of Optometry. It is accessible via the Green, Red Lines of the Chicago Transit
Authority or the Metra Electric District Main Line.
In the early 20th century, Bronzeville was known as the “Black Metropolis,”
one of the nation’s most significant landmarks of African-American urban history. Between
1910 and 1920, during the peak of the “Great Migration,” the population of the area increased
dramatically when thousands of African-Americans fled the oppression of the south and
emigrated to Chicago in search of industrial jobs.
Many famous people were associated with the development of the area including: Andrew
“Rube” Foster, founder of the Negro National Baseball League; Ida B. Wells, a civil rights
activist, journalist and organizer of the NAACP; Bessie Coleman, the first African-
American woman pilot; Gwendolyn Brooks, famous author and first African-American
recipient of the Pulitzer Prize, actress Marla Gibbs, the legendary singers, Sam Cooke and
Lou Rawls, and Louis Armstrong, the legendary trumpet player and bandleader who
performed at many of the area’s night clubs.
47th Street was and remains the hub of the Bronzeville neighborhood and in recent years
has started to regain some of the former glory of years gone by.
Origins of the name
The name itself was first used in 1930, by James J. Gentry, a local theatre editor for the
Chicago Bee publication. It refers to the skin color of African-Americans, predominant in that
area at that time. It is also more accurate, because the skin tone of African-Americans is
more brown than black. It has become common usage throughout the decades.
Prairie Shores
Originally a housing project erected by Michael Reese Hospital in order to provide living
quarters for its employees, Prairie Shores is now simply a middle-class community.
Groveland Park
Out of all the portions of modern-day Douglas that were originally developed by Stephen
A. Douglas, only Groveland Park survived intact. Its design is somewhat unusual – all
homes were built around an oval-shaped park. It is located between Cottage Grove
Avenue, 33rd Street, 35th Street and Metra Electric railroad tracks.
Bronzeville is also home to the renowned Illinois Institute of Technology, which is
famous for its engineering and architecture programs. It also is home to the VanderCook
College of Music and the Illinois College of Optometry; in 2006 the Great Books liberal
arts school Shimer College moved into the neighborhood.
BRONZEVILLE DEMOGRAPHICS
Population (2000)
- Total 26,470
- Density 15,833/sq mi (6,113.2/km2)
Population down 13.64% from 1990
Please contact me for more information on buying, selling, or renting
Bronzeville Real Estate.
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