In the city with the greatest number of theological schools in America, the neighborhood with the biggest fraction of these is Hyde Park. Besides the University of Chicago’s Divinity School, it is home to five of the eleven members of the Association of Chicago Theological Seminary (ACTS), a consortium of seminaries whose students can cross-register and share academic resources. Within ACTS, the Hyde Park Cluster of Theological Schools forms an even closer community, fostering collaboration and dialogue among its six member schools. Hyde Park may be dominated by the UofC in terms of educational institutions, but its theological seminaries deserve just as much renown.

In the coming years, though, the neighborhood’s high concentration of seminaries will drop, as two of them move a few blocks south to the community of Woodlawn. The Meadville Lombard Theological School plans to move to 62nd Street and Ellis Avenue in 2011, and the Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS) will relocate to 60th Street and Dorchester Avenue in 2012. Read the rest of this entry »

On November 4, a small group of Hyde Parkers voted the 5th Ward’s 39th precinct dry, effectively canceling plans to replace the decrepit Doctors Hospital with Hyde Park’s first real hotel. Fortunately, a host of alternative lodging options exist around the neighborhood. Why stay at the boring old Ramada at 49th and Lake Shore when you can relax in the comfort of someone else’s home, in an old-fashioned bed & breakfast? Read the rest of this entry »

In 1893, the World’s Columbian Exposition brought economic prosperity to Woodlawn. Unfortunately, it left economic hardship in its wake that would persist for much of the next century, especially as a sudden racial succession turned the neighborhood from 87% white in 1930 to 89% black in 1960. Racial issues and class tensions, particularly with its northern neighbor the University of Chicago, only exacerbated its economic problems, and admittedly they’re far from resolved, even today. With the school’s continued expansion south of the Midway Plaisance, these issues will only continue to influence the identity of the neighborhood. But whatever its future may hold, there’s much to appreciate in this historic area. Read the rest of this entry »

Last Thursday, Kevin Walsh awoke to discover a discarded pair of pants on the lawn of his Woodlawn home. They had been taken from a stolen car that had been abandoned on his block for four days. Raided again and again by various passersby, everything valuable had already been taken. Though it was parked directly in front of a fire hydrant, the car had yet to receive a ticket. Walsh likes his block and has great neighbors, but he has some complaints about his neighborhood. The roads are bad, public transportation stinks, and the police don’t stop for anything. Read the rest of this entry »

In the 1960s, the University of Chicago was subjecting Hyde Park and South Kenwood to a harsh regimen of urban renewal. It invoked eminent domain to take control of property in areas of “blight” and redevelop them, displacing many low-income residents and businesses. When it turned its gaze southward, however, it met far greater resistance to its gentrifying influence. The Temporary Woodlawn Organization (now The Woodlawn Organization, or TWO) united Woodlawn residents, activists, and religious leaders in opposition to the University’s agenda and the neighborhood’s decline. Led by then-president Arthur M. Brazier and helped by renowned community organizer Saul Alinsky, TWO protested against the unresponsive, underhanded practices of local businesses, landlords, and city officials. Its members called for an end to landlords’ neglect of their buildings and the sale of inferior products at inflated prices. On both counts they won small victories, but 1964 marked a major triumph: TWO extracted a promise from the University not to expand south of 61st Street. Read the rest of this entry »

Art in Action is an annual festival launched by the Southside Solidarity Network, a University of Chicago student group; now in its third year, the event has blossomed into a full day of music, hands-on art, and community discussions where both students and the local community can “have a good time in a safe place,” according to UofC third-year Caroline Weiss. Numerous stands were scattered across the backyard of the First Presbyterian Church at 64th and Kimbark last Saturday, with everything from face painting and T-shirt spray painting to encouraging students registered in the state of Illinois to go out and vote. There was also an eclectic array of activities organized by students and local residents, such as a discussion titled “Hip Hop & Youth,” in which festival organizer Reola Avant and South Side hip-hop artist H.B. Sol led a conversational seminar on the differences between hip-hop culture and the music industry. Student volunteers played with and entertained neighborhood children, and at least for this day there were attempts to breach the wall that often separates the campus from the rest of the neighborhood. Read the rest of this entry »

Imagine a bright, summery Saturday morning in Chicago. The humidity settles uncomfortably on your skin, but temperatures still hover around the mid-70s. An empty lot stands on 61st Street between Dorchester and Blackstone Avenues. Although it’s currently littered by the occasional fast food bag, beginning Saturday, May 17, the lot will be filled with slower food: locally-grown fresh produce. The 61st Street Farmers Market will be open every Saturday from 9am to 2pm between the months of May and October. Ten to twelve vendors will sell produce grown mostly on small-scale farms Illinois and its surrounding states. In a neighborhood that lacks easy access to affordable produce, the project of bringing the food to the neighborhood is tremendous. Read the rest of this entry »

In the third part of this issue’s feature, we look at some larger apartment buildings and lesser-known realtors. Read the rest of this entry »