• IdentificationICU.SPCL.HPHS
  • TitleGuide to the Hyde Park Historical Society Collection1830-2009
  • PublisherUniversity of Chicago Library
  • LanguageEnglish
  • Date1830-2009
  • Physical Description189 linear feet (179 boxes)
  • RepositorySpecial Collections Research Center University of Chicago Library 1100 East 57th Street Chicago, Illinois 60637 U.S.A.
  • AbstractThe Hyde Park Historical Society was founded in 1977 to record and preserve the history of the Hyde Park-Kenwood neighborhood. Included are the Hyde Park Historical Society's administrative records, as well as its collection of historic materials. The collection contains architectural drawings, artifacts, audio material, clippings, correspondence, deeds, manuscripts, maps, memorabilia, oral histories, photographs, postcards, posters, publications, scrapbooks, and slides. These document the individuals, institutions, events, and projects that have shaped Hyde Park's urban and social landscape.

© The contents of this finding aid are the copyright of the University of Chicago Library

Hyde Park-Kenwood-Woodlawn Neighborhood

Chicago and Illinois

Series XII: Restricted, contains financial records of the Hyde Park Historical Society and names and addresses of members. Written permission from the Hyde Park Historical Society is required for access.

Series III: Subseries 5; Series IV: Subseries 1; and Series IX: Subseries 2-3 contain audio, video and digital materials. Access copies are not included for these materials. Researchers will need to consult with staff before requesting these materials.

Series III, Subseries 5 contains oral history interviews on cassette tape and transcripts of most of the interviews. They are sorted by subseries to indicate which transcripts are open for research.

The remainder of the collection is open for research.

When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Hyde Park Historical Society. Collection, [Box #, Folder #], Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library

The Hyde Park Historical Society was founded in 1977 to record and preserve the history of Hyde Park-Kenwood. It seeks to educate and foster appreciation of the neighborhood's heritage.

Hyde Park was founded by Paul Cornell (1822-1904), a lawyer and real estate speculator (and cousin of Ezra Cornell, founder of Cornell University). Cornell was an urban planner who envisioned a resort community of parks and hotels. In the 1850s he chose a township on Lake Michigan and the southern branch of the Illinois Central Railroad, incorporated in 1861 as the Hyde Park Township. Originally extending from 39th to 63rd Streets, Hyde Park’s boundaries were later redrawn to stretch south to 138th St. and west to State St. Hyde Park became a successful destination spot with its own rail depot on 53rd St. and a popular hotel, the Hyde Park House (now Hampton House condominium at 53rd St. and Lake Michigan). The Hyde Park Herald, Chicago’s oldest community newspaper, was established in 1882. The township was annexed by the city in 1889.

Hyde Park hosted the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893. In 1890 John D. Rockefeller founded the University of Chicago, which by the 1920s housed a business school, the Oriental Institute, and the Chicago Theological Seminary.

Hyde Park during this period was an affluent neighborhood governed by racially restrictive covenants which prevented African-Americans from buying or occupying property. The neighborhood’s demography began to change during the Depression when its hotels ceased to attract wealthy clientele. An artists’ colony was established on 57th St. The annual 57th Street Art Fair, started in 1948, continues as Chicago’s oldest juried art fair. With racial covenants lifted by the Supreme Court in 1940, Hyde Park’s now-cheap properties became home to large numbers of African-Americans arriving from the southern states.

Although Hyde Park by the 1950s was suffering from the same economic decline as the rest of Chicago’s South Side, it had powerful community advocates. These included Leon Despres, the lawyer and civil rights champion, elected alderman in 1955; Hyde Park Herald publisher Bruce Sagan; the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference, a residents’ organization who formed 20 block clubs in 1950; and the Hyde Park Cooperative Society, which opened Chicago’s largest grocery store in 1959. The University of Chicago’s urban renewal projects of the 1950s and 1960s razed and replaced entire city blocks. Though this “Fight Against Blight” aimed at creating a diverse and prosperous neighborhood, the displacement of African-Americans and removal of entertainment districts made the project controversial. The University’s re-imagination of Hyde Park and its continuous expansion are still debated.

Today Hyde Park-Kenwood is generally considered to be the area bounded by 47th and 60th Streets, and by Lake Michigan and Cottage Grove Avenue. Its heritage is preserved by the Hyde Park Historical Society, which began as the “Hyde Park-Kenwood Historical League” during 1975 and 1976. Through the collaborative efforts of Clyde Watkins, Tom Jensen, Leon Despres, Jean Block, Victoria Ranney, Thelma Dahlberg, Muriel Beadle, and others, the new organization acquired 5529 S. Lake Park Avenue. This building was originally a waiting room for cable cars. Hyde Park Historical Society was incorporated as an Illinois not-for-profit in 1978, and opened its renovated headquarters in 1980. The Society is active in the community and supported by some 300 members. It stages exhibits, runs programs, publishes a newsletter, and collects historical materials for its archives.

The collection includes Hyde Park Historical Society's administrative records, as well as historic materials documenting Hyde Park-Kenwood area from the mid-nineteenth through early twenty-first centuries. The collection contains architectural drawings, artifacts, audio material, clippings, correspondence, deeds, maps, memorabilia, oral histories, photographs, postcards, posters, publications, scrapbooks, and slides. These document the individuals, institutions, events, and projects that have shaped Hyde Park's urban and social landscape.

Series I: Administration, contains correspondence, histories, membership information, minutes, newsletters, notices, and photographs related to the administration of the Hyde Park Historical Society. It includes material for exhibits they staged. This series spans 1976-1999.

Series II: Organizations and Institutions, contains correspondence, records, reports, and publications generated by Chicago-area institutions and organizations and collected by the Hyde Park Historical Society. Material spans 1876-2009.

Series III: Individuals, contains the histories, memorabilia, and writings of influential and ordinary people who lived and live in Hyde Park and the greater South Side. Material spans 1830-2009.

Series IV: Architecture and Urban Planning, focuses on the architectural history of Hyde Park-Kenwood and the urban renewal projects pursued in the area. It includes architectural drawings, administrative records of housing developments, brochures, tour guides, legal documents, maps, photographs, and postcards. Material spans 1876-2007.

Series V: Parks and Landmarks, contains clippings, correspondence, maps, pamphlets, and photographs related to Chicago parks and sites of interest, particularly on the South Side. Material spans 1906-2005.

Series VI: Events, contains clippings, maps, photographs, and programs of Chicago-area exhibitions and events, with a focus on those staged on the South Side. Material spans 1893-2009.

Series VII: Transportation, contains histories of maps of Chicago transit. It includes passenger magazines and newsletters. Material spans 1901-2006.

Series VIII: Publications, contains books and periodicals collected by the Hyde Park Historical Society. Material spans 1886-2005.

Series IX: Audio-Visual, contains photographs, slides, records, cassette and VHS tapes, and microfilm, documenting urban planning and recreation in Hyde Park-Kenwood. Material spans 1859-2000.

Series X: Artifacts, contains memorabilia from Hyde Park and Chicago events, and other artifacts collected by the Hyde Park Historical Society. Material spans 1933-2007.

Series XI: Oversized, contains oversized material from Series I, II, III, IV, V, VI, and VIII.

Series XII: Restricted, contains financial records and grant information that is restricted.

The following related resources are located in the Department of Special Collections:

  • NamesHyde Park Historical Society (Chicago, Ill.)
  • Subject
    • History -- Societies, etc.
    • Urban renewal
  • Geographic Coverage
    • Hyde Park (Chicago, Ill.)
    • Kenwood (Chicago, Ill.)