Bronzeville Awakens
(photos by Lee Bey)
The Bronzeville community on the city's South Side is one of the nation's cultural treasures.
The area, roughly bounded by the Lake, 55th Street, 23rd Street and the Dan Ryan Expressway, is experiencing a reawakening as its architecture, culture and history are being rediscovered. Read more here and here. And here. The building above is the former Mammoth Life Insurance company, once a major black-owned insurer at 46th and King Drive. Now lets take a brief walk around.
Above: Shuttered store at 43rd and Michigan heralds the neighborhood.
Above: A six-flat on east 46th Street with an ornate, Sullivanesque entrance
Above: A bit of modernism--in the form of a dry cleaners--along King Drive.
Above: Sunday morning @ 35th and King Drive
Above: An 1870s cottage I photographed about two years ago. I wonder if its demolished or refurbished now?
Above is the Rem Koolhaas-designed IIT student center located across State Street. This side of State Street was nothing but surface parking for decades. Koolhaas took advantage of advances in sound-dampening materials build a student center with this tube that deadens the sound of the passing train.
Comments
Have you heard anything new on the Rosenwald Apartment complex? It is an incredible city block of building!! I shot it a few months back: Photos. I have to say that some of the changes in Bronzeville are destroying it's classic feeling. I need to get back down there and take some pictures!!
Posted by: Chuck | September 12, 2007 11:29 AM
Once I went down to 47th just west of Michigan to photograph an old courtyard building for an exercise in studio where I was proposing a rehabilitation and landscape design. I forget the name now - anyway across the street are some homes, and a man came out to ask me what I was doing - he was alot older and told me how he grew up in this building which in its hayday was a really nice place to live with plenty of shops and a pretty interior courtyard. He told me about Tillman and her work in the district, kindof cynically, and the types of things politically and culturally that were happening. I guess the plan is to kindof build it up as an "African American neighborhood" kindof like Little Italy?? It was a streetside history lesson that was both inspiring and saddening because of how the place and culture of it had been so undermined and undermaintained for so long. Now years later, I have some yuppie friends coming the area for good deals on condos - it will be interesting to see how that area, and if that area will gentrify and if the community which has existed there be able to maintain the sense and cultural history. Personally if there was an area in town to highlight the qualities which make AfricanAmerican culture so appealing and wonderful maybe it would break down more people's biases as well as inspire dignity and remind the people the aspect for which to be proud..
Ill have to pass this, along with your pop media site on to my fiance's mom - she was a founder of the DuSable Leadership Academy.. You're doing quite the service Lee!
Posted by: Paulina | September 12, 2007 11:47 AM
Thats what it was - the Rosenwald apartments!! I went and shot that building too!!!!
Posted by: Paulina | September 14, 2007 07:02 AM
The building at 3240 Prairie has been renovated and is now on the market.
Posted by: Marilyn Shivers | December 13, 2007 10:53 AM
I love your website. I'm going to use it!
Posted by: Marilyn Shivers | December 13, 2007 10:55 AM