From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Wicker Park, Chicago
Wicker Park, Chicago
Wicker Park is a Chicago neighborhood northwest of the ment of Poland met in Wicker Park during World War I.
Loop, south of Bucktown and west of Pulaski Park within The near Northwest Side is home to many of the most op-
West Town. Charles and Joel Wicker purchased 80 acres ulent churches in the Archdiocese of Chicago, built in the
(32 ha) of land along Milwaukee Avenue in 1870 and laid so-called ’Polish Cathedral style’.
out a subdivision with a mix of lot sizes surrounding
a 4-acre (1.6 ha) park. The Great Chicago Fire of 1871
spurred the first wave of development, as homeless
Chicagoans looked to build new houses. The intersections of North Ave, Damen and Milwaukee in 2010
in Panorama
Polish immigration into the area accelerated during and
after World War II when as many as 150,000 Poles are es-
timated to have arrived between 1939 and 1959 as Dis-
placed Persons (DPs). Like the Ukrainians in neighboring
Ukrainian Village, they clustered in established ethnic
enclaves like this one that offered shops, restaurants, and
banks where people spoke their language. Division Street
was referred to as Polish Broadway.[5] Poet John Guzlows-
ki whose parents first came to the area as DPs comment-
ed on growing up in the area in the 1950s that "it felt like
everyone was a Pole", a place where the local store own-
ers, priests, cops, trash men, teachers, librarians all ei-
North Avenue in Wicker Park ther spoke Polish or had family that did.[6]
Nelson Algren’s literary output lionized the Division
History Street strip in his books such as "The Man With The Gold-
en Arm" and "Never Come Morning" focusing on the sto-
ries of junkies, gamblers, hookers, and drunks in the Pol-
Origins ish ghetto.[5] Writing about the area’s Polish American
Before the turn of the twentieth century, Germans and underclass against the background of prevalent anti-im-
Scandinavians tended to live in the area’s north and migrant xenophobia was taken by Poles as blatant Anti-
northwestern sections. Wicker Park became the abode of Polonism.[7] and resulted in the book Never Come Morning
Chicago’s wealthy Northern European immigrants. The being banned for decades from the Chicago Public Li-
district proved especially popular with merchants, who brary system over the massive outcry by Chicago Polo-
built large mansions along the neighborhood’s choicest nia.[7] Later controversies to commemorate Algren
streets—particularly on Hoyne and Pierce, just southwest would bring these old wounds back to surface, most re-
of North & Damen, known then as Robey. Hoyne was cently when Polonia Triangle was to be renamed to hon-
known as "Beer Baron Row," as many of Chicago’s wealthi- or the deceased author.[7]
est brewers built mansions there.[1][2]
With the end of the 19th century the area was sub- 1960s and 1970s
sumed into the surrounding Polish Downtown and the Beginning in the 1960s, Wicker Park began to change rad-
area adjacent to the park which gave the neighborhood ically. Completion of the Kennedy Expressway in 1960,
its name became known as "the Polish Gold Coast" [3] In
Coast". whose construction had displaced many residents and
the 1890s and 1900s, immigration from Poland and the torn holes in the sustaining network of Polish-American
completion of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Lines churches, settlement houses, and neighborhood
greatly boosted the population density of West Town, es- groups.[5] Additionally Puerto Ricans and other Latinos
pecially in areas east of Wicker Park. The area around displaced by urban renewal in Old Town and Lincoln Park
Division, Milwaukee, and Ashland was once known as began moving in. In 1960 Latinos comprised less than
’Kostkaville’,[4] and the intersection retains the moniker 1 percent of West Town’s population, but by 1970 that
"Polish Triangle" to this day. The provisional govern- number was up to 39 percent.[5] Split from the Lincoln
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Wicker Park, Chicago
Park neighborhood only by the Kennedy Expressway in
the late 1950s and 60s, it contained the second largest
concentration of Puerto Ricans in Chicago. It was the
original home to the largest Latino gang at the time,
the Latin Kings. The Young Lords, a human rights move-
ment, held sit-ins with L.A.D.O. at the Wicker Park Wel-
fare Office and large nonviolent marches to city hall. Ur-
ban renewal projects were undertaken to combat "urban
blight" in some parts of the neighborhood, but disinvest-
ment continued at a rapid clip as downtown banks red-
lined West Town for much of the mid-20th century.[5]
Wicker Park was also promoted by the city’s urban re-
newal plans, as a good "suburb within the city" because
of its easy access to downtown, via Milwaukee and the el-
evated train (via Damen and Division stations). Chicago View of North Avenue in Wicker Park
and Wicker Park reached a nadir in the 1970s, a decade
when the city overall lost 11% of its population. During being restored. This has led to increased business activi-
the 1970s, hundreds of cases of insurance-motivated ar- ty, with many new bars, restaurants, and stores opening
son were reported in Wicker Park, near St. Elizabeth to serve these individuals. The neighborhood is known
Hospital. Many small factories near the area (many in for hosting local art stores and independent business-
woodworking) also closed or moved away. es.[10] [11] Property values have gone up, increasing the
wealth of property owners and making the neighborhood
1980s to present attractive to real estate investors.
Efforts by community development groups like North-
west Community Organization (NCO) to stabilize the Geography
community through new affordable-housing construc-
tion in the 1980s coincided with the arrival of artists at- The borders of the neighborhood are generally currently
tracted by the neighborhood’s easy access to the Loop, accepted to be North Avenue (at 1600 N) or Bloomingdale
cheap loft space in the abandoned factories, and distinct- Avenue (at 1800 N) to the north although historically it
ly urban feel. has ranged as far north as Armitage (2000 N) at times,[12]
In 1989, the "Around the Coyote" festival was and the Chicago River south of North Avenue, Division to
launched to help the hundreds of working artists and the south (at 1200 N), and Western Avenue to the west
micro-galleries in the neighborhood to gain a level of (2400 W). Both the East Village and Ukrainian Village are
local and international prominence. This 501(c)3 non- to the south, Humboldt Park is to the west, and Bucktown
profit was established with the mission to "bring to the is to the north.
art community a professional organization that will help
artists network and exhibit their art."[8] For decades, the Residents
festival centered around the Flatiron Arts Building and
Notable past and current residents include Nelson Al-
was typically held during the month of October, Chica-
gren, who lived on the third floor at 1958 W. Evergreen
go’s Artist Month.[9] As of 2008 "Around the Coyote" re-
Ave between 1959–1975, Liz Phair, who penned her first
vised its preferred locations for the annual festival,
album Exile in Guyville in and about Wicker Park, James
which in 2008 was held coincidentally with Looptopia in
Iha, former guitarist of the band Smashing Pumpkins, Pro
May in Chicago’s Loop.
Wrestler Colt Cabana who can be seen on WWE Smack-
down as Scotty Goldman, and singer/guitarist Matt Skiba
Features of The Alkaline Trio. Pro wrestler CM Punk of World
Today, the neighborhood is best known for its numerous Wrestling Entertainment currently resides in Wicker
commercial and entertainment establishments and being Park. Much of Wicker Park was designated as a Chicago
a convenient place to live for downtown workers due to Landmark District in 1991.[13]
its proximity to public transportation and the Loop. Gen-
trification has made the area much more attractive to Film
college-educated white-collar workers, although it faced
Wicker Park is the setting of a 2004 film by the same
considerable resistance from the working-class Puerto
name. However, the filming of this movie was done on
Rican community it displaced. Crime has decreased and
location in Montreal, Quebec. Another film of note that
many new homes have been built as well as older homes
uses Wicker Park as its background is High Fidelity (2000)
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Wicker Park, Chicago
directed by Stephen Frears and starring Evanston-born http://www1.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/
John Cusack. It is also a primary source of inspiration for ukv/history/. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
the Skinny Puppy album Too Dark Park. [6] "DPs in the Polish Triangle, Chicago, 1950s".
Lightning and Ashes Blogspot. 14 September 2007.
See also http://lightning-and-ashes.blogspot.com/2007/09/
dps-in-polish-triangle-chicago-1950s.html.
• West Town, Chicago Retrieved 2011-07-02.
• Wicker Park (Chicago park) [7] ^ Reader Archive-Extract: 1998/981120/ALGREN
• Wicker Park (film) [8] "around the coyote : about".
http://www.aroundthecoyote.org/about/.
[9] "City of Chicago – Chicago Artists Month".
References http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/
portalEntityHomeAction.do?entityName=Chicago+Artists+Month&
[1] Odd S. Lovoll, A Century of Urban Life: the Norwegians [10] Casillas, Ofelia (September 25, 2009). "Wicker
in Chicago before 1930 (Northfield, MN: Norwegian- Park’s artsy reputation proves a good fit for
American Historical Association, 1988) vintage clothing sales". Chicago Tribune.
[2] A. E. Strand, A History of the Norwegians of Illinois http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-09-25/
(Chicago: J. Anderson, 1905) news/0909230316_1_wicker-park-vintage-
[3] Wallace Best (2005). "Wicker Park". Encyclopedia of clothing-artistic-traditions. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
Chicago. Chicago History Museum. [11] Belsha, Kalyn (April 22, 2011). "Could Wicker
http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/ Parkers’ app be the next big thing". Chicago Redeye.
pages/2159.html. Retrieved 2011-07-02. http://neighborhoods.redeyechicago.com/
[4] The Ways and Means Chief of Kostkaville : Politics: bucktown-wicker-park/trending-topic/2011/04/
It’s all the little things that ’Danny’ Rostenkowski 22/wicker-park-duo-launch-social-networking-
does for the 5th District that make his app/. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
neighborhood so loyal. - Los A... [12] http://www.wickerparkbucktown.com/play/
[5] ^ Martha Byrne (8 May 2008). "A Tale of Two history/
Villages". Chicago Reader (ChicagoReader.com). [13] Chicago Landmarks | Wicker Park District
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wicker_Park,_Chicago&oldid=459515712"
Categories:
• Neighborhoods in Chicago, Illinois
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