Lower West Side Community Collection

Abstract

The Lower West Side in Chicago has served as an entry point for several immigrant groups over the years including Bohemians, Germans, Poles and Mexicans. The bulk of the collection documents the Pilsen area and the predominately Mexican American residents in that community. The topics include arts and culture, schools, social organizations and religious organizations. The Gads Hill Center settlement house folders cover several of the earlier immigrant groups to this area.

Biographical/Historical

The Lower West Side community area is three miles southwest of Chicago’s Loop. This community is bounded by the Chicago River on the south and east and by the Burlington Northern Railroad tracks on the north and west. The northeast sections of the neighborhood were included in the city's boundaries when it incorporated in 1837. The remaining sections were annexed in 1853. It is number 31 of the 77 official communities that make up Chicago.

The Lower West Side has served as an entry point for several immigrant groups over the years including Bohemians, Germans, Poles and Mexicans. The area was settled by Germans and Irish in the 1860s and 1870s. By the turn of the century, the population was largely Polish, but included Slovenian and Italian communities. In fact, the area of the Lower West Side known as “Pilsen,” referenced a city in the Czech Republic where many of the early residents came from. As the meatpacking houses of the nearby stockyards district shut down in the 1950s, many Mexican American families moved into the Pilsen and Little Village areas. This was soon followed by an influx of Mexican and other Latinx groups into the area over the next few decades.

Each subsequent community left its imprint on local schools, religious institutions and newspapers, often adapting existing organizations to the new community preferences. For the Latinx community, Howell Neighborhood House was transformed into Casa Aztlán. Fiesta del Sol celebrations have been held since 1973, the Benito Juárez High School was created in 1977, murals celebrating Mexican culture abound and the Mexican Fine Arts Center (National Museum of Mexican Art) opened in 1987.

Scope and Contents

The bulk of the collection documents the Pilsen area and the predominately Mexican American residents in that community from 1976 to 2015. The topics include arts and culture, schools, social organizations and religious organizations. The Gads Hill Center settlement house folders cover several of the earlier immigrant groups to this area.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into 8 series by topic:

• Series 1: Arts and Culture, 1976-2022, undated
• Series 2: Biographical Materials, circa 1940-2009, undated
• Series 3: Businesses, 1892-2017
• Series 4: Clubs and Organizations, 1924-2010, undated
• Series 5: Historical Sketches and Guidebooks, 1929-2011, undated
• Series 6: Municipal and Government Agencies, 1911-circa 2015
• Series 7: Religious Institutions, 1902-2003, undated
• Series 8: Schools, 1891-circa 2008

Subject Headings

• Gads Hill Center (Chicago, Ill.) -- Archives
• Trinity Evangelical Church (Chicago, Ill.) -- Archives
• Czechs -- Illinois -- Chicago -- History -- Sources
• Germans -- Illinois -- Chicago -- History -- Sources
• Lower West Side (Chicago, Ill.) -- History -- Sources
• Mexican Fine Arts Center--Museum (Chicago, Ill.)
• Mexicans -- Illinois -- Chicago -- History -- Sources
• Mural painting and decoration - Illinois -- Chicago
• National Museum of Mexican Art

Related Collections

• Chicago Department of Urban Renewal Records
• Gads Hill Collection
• David Gremp Photographs
• Humboldt Park Community Collection
• Kircher Family Papers
• Akito Tsuda Photographs
• West Side Community Collection

Collection Inventory

Series 1: Arts and Culture, 1976-2022, undated

Scope and Contents

Series 1 contains a variety of items about Pilsen’s art and cultural activities. The materials include artist biographies, museum and gallery brochures and announcements and the Chicago Public Library Lozano Branch reference files on Pilsen neighborhood murals.

Arrangement

Series 1 is arranged alphabetically by organization name or subject.

Series 2: Biographical Materials, circa 1940-2009, undated

Scope and Contents

Series 2 contains biographical materials related to Lower West Side residents, including Rudy Lozano, the Mexican American labor activist and community organizer for whom the Chicago Public Library Lozano Branch library was named. The materials include biographical accounts, aldermanic campaign flyers, news clippings and photographs. Series 2 also includes an unpublished autobiography (Box 1, Folder 13) of Emma Rouse King, who was born in the Lower West Side neighborhood in 1879. The manuscript was written in the 1950s and includes King’s girlhood years in Chicago. Photographs and biographical information about King can be found in Box 1, Folders 14.

Arrangement

Series 2 is arranged alphabetically by the person’s last name.

Series 3: Businesses, 1892-2017

Scope and Contents

Series 3 contains documents created by neighborhood businesses or business organizations. The types of materials include a business directory, flyers, newsletters and photographs.

Arrangement

Series 3 is arranged alphabetically by business or organization name.

Series 4: Clubs and Organizations, 1924-2010, undated

Scope and Contents

Series 4 contains a variety of printed items on neighborhood organizations, private social service organizations and professional associations. The documentation includes brochures, correspondence, flyers, newsletters, programs and reports.

Arrangement

Series 4 is arranged alphabetically by organization name or subject.

Series 5: Historical Sketches and Guidebooks, 1939-2011, undated

Scope and Contents

Series 5 contains manuscript and printed materials related to the history of Pilsen and the Lower West Side. The materials span changing demographics and include articles, booklets, interviews, news clippings and reports, some of which are written in Spanish.

Arrangement

Series 5 is arranged alphabetically by author, title or topic.

Series 6: Municipal and Government Agencies, 1911-circa 2015

Scope and Contents

Series 6 contains materials related to 26th Ward municipal projects, aldermanic elections and the Mexican consulate as it relates to residents in that district. The materials include articles, brochures, correspondence, flyers, plans and reports.

Arrangement

Series 6 is arranged alphabetically by topic or name.

Series 7: Religious Institutions, 1902-2003, undated

Scope and Contents

Series 7 brings together various items from a range of religious organizations on the Lower West Side. The materials include articles, booklets, news clippings, newsletters and programs.

Arrangement

Series 7 is arranged alphabetically by religious organization or event.

Series 8: Schools, 1891-circa 2008, undated

Scope and Contents

Series 8 contains documents related to educational organizations in the Lower West Side community. The materials include brochures, flyers, news clippings, photographs, programs and reports.

Arrangement

Series 8 is arranged alphabetically by the name of the educational organization or paper title.