Urban Hike: A Century on 55th Street

5500 South University Ave,Chicago IL 60637

15 May, 2023

Description

Between 1920 and 2020, 55th Street in Hyde Park, Chicago saw enormous changes. Some of these were driven by national movements; some by citywide trends; some by actions taken by our University, as it embarked upon a then-groundbreaking experiment in social engineering it labeled “urban renewal.” How did these changes play out on a thoroughfare that many of us use every day? What was gained? What (and who) was lost along the way? A Century on 55th Street (1920-2020) is an ongoing undergraduate research project sponsored by Chicago Studies. The project's goal is to gain granular insight into ten decades of changes in the Hyde Park and Washington Park neighborhoods, including those due to the Great Migration, redlining, White flight, urban renewal, and civic (dis)investment. Our research will contribute to an open-access resource and digital archive that will serve as a stepping-off point for future classes, public programming, and further investigation, as well as more thematic and/or creative projects and exhibition(s). Join us on Monday, May 15th, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. for a guided tour and walk down 55th Street with the team of student researchers. We will meet outside Campus North Residential Commons at 5500 South University Ave.