Cermak Road Bridge District

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Cermak Road Bridge District..
Address: Cermak Road,
predominantly between Grove and Jefferson Sts.
Year Built: 1901-1924
Architect: Various
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: April 26, 2006..

The Cermak Road Bridge, built in 1906, is the City's last-remaining double leaf Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge... AND.. The four large industrial buildings, built between 1901 and 1924, framing the Cermak Road Bridge makes for the finest intact, early 20th-century riverfront industrial precinct in Chicago.
These four buildings are:
- Hoyt Building [Nimmons & Fellows, 1909]
- Thomson and Taylor Spice Building [Chatten & Hammond, 1911]
- Western Shade Cloth Building [Lockwood Green & Co., 1924]
- Wendnagel & Co. Warehouse [1901]

These buildings are stunning examples of industrial architecture during the 20th century and illustrates Chicago's importance as the transportation center of the country at that time.."
- Mayor Richard M. Daley.

The oldest building in the district, the Wendnagel & Co. Warehouse, 2120-36 S. Jefferson St. It is built in starkly utilitarian style with little ornamentation. The three later buildings, the Thomson & Taylor Spice Co, Western Shade Cloth Co., and W. H. Hoyt Building, show greater effort towards decorative embellishments.

The Chicago Landmarks website..
The District commemorates the importance of the Chicago River in the economic development of the City and conveys how the interconnected river and rail network made Chicago a national center of commerce. Individually, the buildings are fine examples of early 20th-century industrial architecture, and collectively they represent an almost vanished aspect of Chicago's historical industrial streetscapes...







Cermak Road Bridge - Scherzer Rolling Lift bridge..
In the City of Chicago, where majority of bridges built are trunnion bascule bridges, Scherzer Rolling Lift bridge becomes even more interesting. Designed in 1906 by WIlliam Scherzer, this double leaf rolling lift bascule bridge is the last of its kind in Chicago. In a trunnion bascule bridge, the bridge pivots around a trunnion, with the counterweight concealed below the street. But in a Scherzer rolling lift bridge the counterweight is suspended above the truss, and the bridge rocks backward away from the river.

Location of the above mentioned four buildings..
- W. M. Hoyt Co. bldg. - 465 W. Cermak, Chicago, IL 60616
- Thomson & Taylor Spice Co - 500 W. Cermak
- Western Shade Cloth Co - 2141 S. Jefferson St
- Wendnagel & Co. Warehouse - 2120-36 S. Jefferson St

Sydney Kent House

Sydney Kent House..
Address: 2944 S. Michigan Ave.
Year Built: 1883
Architect: Burnham & Root
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: March 18, 1987..

It's always a pleasure to see a beautiful building like this in an unexpected place.. And a bonus is to learn that it's by the firm Holabird and Root and that it's design is said to be a precursor to wide window openings in the firm's later works as Rookery and Monadonock!



The plaque reads..
Chicago Landmark..
Sidney A Kent House
Burnham & Root, architect
1883
The generous window openings and the sculpted qualities of the materials are a precursor to the firm's later works such as Rookery and Monadonock buildings. Built for one of the founders of the Chicago Union Stock Yard Company, this is one of the few remaining mansions on this section of South Michigan Avenue. The second owner was John "Bet A Million" Gates, who was as well known for his gambling exploits as for his business skills in the barbed wire industry.
Designated on March 18, 1987
Harold Washington, Mayor
Commission on Chicago Landmarks..

Wood-Maxey-Boyd House

Wood-Maxey-Boyd House..
Address: 2801 S. Prairie Avenue
Year Built: 1885
Architect: John C. Cochrane
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: October 1, 2003..

This Queen Anne-style mansion built for lumberman George E. Wood in 1885.. The house was once part of "Lower Prairie Avenue," a section of the City's most prestigious 19th-century residential street between 26th and 30th Streets that was almost completely redeveloped under urban renewal efforts in the 1950s and 60s.. The house's current owner, Dr. Alva Maxey-Boyd, bought the house with her husband, Charles Boyd, in 1948, and it was through their decades-long efforts that the house survives today.

Ida B. Wells - Barnett House

Ida B. Wells - Barnett House..
Address: 3624 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.
Year Built: 1889
Architect: Joseph A. Thain
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: October 2, 1995..

From 1919 to 1930, this was the home of journalist-civil rights activist Ida Bell Wells and her lawyer-journalist husband, Ferdinand Lee Barnett.








Chicago Tribute..
"We refuse to believe this country , so powerful to defend its citizens abroad, is unable to protect it's citizens here.."

Ida B.Wells Barnett spent her life crusading against lynching in America. An advocate for civil rights, woman's suffrage and economic justice, her anti-lynching campaign stirred the nation and brought international attention to racially motivated brutalities.

Born a slave in Mississippi, Wells became a teacher at the age 14. She was dismissed in 1891 for protesting segregation. In her 20's, she began writing for the Weekly Memphis Free Speech, focusing on social issues. Her column soon appeared in Negro newspapers across the country.

In 1893, Wells came to Chicago to report on the lack of African American representation at the World's Columbian Exposition. She moved here and in 1895, married Ferdinand Lee Barnett, founder of Chicago's first black newspaper, the Conservator. That same year, she published A Red Record, the first statistical report on lynching, and she lectured on the topic throughout the United States and the world.

Wells was a founder of several national organizations, including National Association for Advancement of Colored People [NAACP] in 1909, the Negro Fellowship in 1910, and the national first woman's suffrage organization. Locally, Wells helped open the first kindergarten in Chicago's black community.

Wells and her family lived at 3624 Grand Boulevard, now King Drive from 1919 to 1930..

Black Metropolis - Bronzeville Historic District - III

Some queries..
The nine structures and beyond..
in the Black Metropolis- Bronzeville District..
For the nine structures, I'm talking about, click here..

As I was researching on the Black Metropolis-Bronzeville Historic District, I have been left with a few questions.. One in particular I would like to bring out, relates to the use of language on the Chicago Landmarks website, [and also on the plaques on the site]..

I don't understand why has it been written..
These nine structures are what remain of the "Metropolis," one of the nation's most significant landmarks of African-American urban history...???
And why the plaques on the site read..
It is one of nine structures in the Black Metropolis-Bronzeville Historic District..???

When clearly these are not the only structures..
There are more than nine structures.. that have significant contribution in the African-American urban history, and are in the very same area, like..
- Pilgrim Baptist Church..
- Ida B Wells Barnett House ..

And some are in the vicinity..
- Quinn Chapel..
- Chess Record Office & Studio..
- The Illinois Automobile Club bldg.. from which the newspaper "Chicago Defender" operated between 1950-2006..

Each one of these has also been designated as Chicago Landmark.. And..
Each one of these structures are symbolic of the institutions that contributed to the growth of the African-American community and traces their rising influence in the religious-social-economic-&-political scene, specially during the period of The Great Migration..

While each of the above mentioned structures have close association with the African-American community.. There are other Chicago Landmarks in the same area, that have more to do with architecture..
- Roloson Houses ..
- Calumet, Giles and Prairie District..

Coming back to the question of why it has been written..
These nine structures are what remain of the "Metropolis"..???
The only answer I could find is, that these nine structures were designated as Chicago Landmarks on the same day.. Sep 9, 1998!!
But that is not a good enough answer!
Quite frankly, in the particular case, I find the official website misleading..
And I have seen people repeating verbatim, as these nine structures remain.. implying that these are the only nine structures symbolic of the institutions that contributed to the rising strength of African American community during the Great Migration.. [Which is so not true/accurate]..

By narrow definition,
- There are 11 structures, if we include, Pilgrim's Baptist Church and Ida B Wells Barnett House [Both Chicago Landmarks]
- 12 structures, if we include Olivet Baptist Church...[Not a designated landmark]
If we slightly enlarge the area to include the vicinity..
- There are 15 structures, if we include.. Quinn Chapel.. Chess Record Office & Studio... The Illinois Automobile Club bldg.. [All designated Chicago Landmarks].. [And even if I take out Chess Records and Illinois Automobile Club blg, from the list, as they became important institutions in the later phase, during the 1950's.. there are still 13 structures..]

While I am at it,
Despite the fact that no geographical boundaries has been defined while talking about the Black Metropolis-Bronzeville District, conventionally the term Bronzeville refers to a specific area in the Near South Side of Chicago, confined between.. S Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Dr [in the east], S State Street [in the west] and E 31st Street [in the north] and E 37th, some say it is to the 65th Street [in the south]..

If anyone has answers to my questions, or feels the same way as I do, or feels that I'm totally wrong, please feel free comment or write to me.. It doesn't matter if you read this after six months and still want to write. I still get mails on the Motor Row District click here.. which I had written in Sep, 2009.

Black Metropolis - Bronzeville Historic District - I

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The Black Metropolis District is a theme district, with no geographical boundaries.. It consists of 9 structures that have designated as Chicago Landmark on September 9, 1998.. Of these eight are individual buildings and one is a public monument. These properties are the tangible remains of what was once a booming "city-within-a-city", created in the early part of the 20th century, by the African-American community, which came to be known as the "Black Metropolis".

Location: Although it is maintained that the Black Metropolis District, is a theme district and does not have any geographical boundaries, one can easily locate all these nine structures within a well-defined area in the Near South Side of Chicago, confined between.. S Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Dr [on the east], S State Street [on the west] and E 31st Street [on the north] and E 37th Street [on the south]..

The nine structures, each designated a Chicago Landmark on September 9, 1998.. forming the Black Metropolis District, are..
# Overton Hygienic Building..
# Chicago Bee Building..
# Chicago Defender Building..
# Wabash Avenue YMCA..
# Unity Hall ..
# Supreme Life Building ...
# Sunset Cafe..
# Eighth Regiment Armory..
# Victory Monument..

The Black community grew during the Great Migration, especially during the period 1910-1920... However the black communities were not assimilated into the city-at-large, but were concentrated into small pockets throughout the city, the largest settlement being in the Near South Side. This was mainly because there were restrictions [unofficial] from renting and buying properties outside of the "Black Belt". By 1920, the Black Metropolis was firmly established. As the community grew, there emerged black-supported religious, social, economic and political organizations.. These above mentioned nine Chicago Landmarks from the Black Metropolis District are symbols of the growth of the community and their religious, economic, political and social institutions..

In 1908, Chicago's first black-owned bank was founded by Jesse Binga at 3633 S State Street.. The first Black owned and financed building was Jordan Building in 1916. It was followed by a spate of black owned-&-financed projects .. One of the most famous being the Overton Hygenic Bldg...

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Overton Hygienic Building
Address: 3619-27 S. State St.
Year Built: 1922-1923
Architect: Z. Erol Smith
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: September 9, 1998..
Built by noted entrepreneur Anthony Overton as the headquarters for the Overton Hygienic Company, which was one of the nation's foremost producers of African-American cosmetics. The building is a combination of store, offices and manufacturing facilities..

Chicago also emerged as a center of Black Journalism. Some black-owned newspapers are Chicago Whip, Chicago Bee, Broad Axe and Half Century Magazine. One of the most influential was Chicago Defender.. Two buildings that represent this institution of black-journalism are designated as Chicago Landmarks..
- Chicago Bee
- Chicago Defender

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Chicago Bee Building..
Address: 3647-55 S. State St.
Year Built: 1929-1931
Architect: Z. Erol Smith
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: September 9, 1998..
The building was constructed as the headquarters for the Chicago Bee newspaper, which was founded by noted African-American entrepreneur Anthony Overton..

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Chicago Defender Building..
Address: 3435 S. Indiana Ave.
Year Built: 1899
Architect: Henry L. Newhouse
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: September 9, 1998..
This former Jewish synagogue was home to the Chicago Defender from 1920 until 1960. Founded by Robert S. Abbott in 1905, the newspaper became nationally known for its outspoken editorial policies on behalf of civil rights issues. The "Great Migration" of the early-20th century was largely initiated by Defender editorials urging African-Americans to leave the poverty of the South for new opportunities in the North. It is one of nine structures in the Black Metropolis-Bronzeville Historic District.

Churches played an important role in the development of Black Metropolis..
- Olivet Baptist Church
- Pilgrim Baptist Church
- Wabash Avenue YMCA

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Wabash Avenue YMCA..
Address: 3763 S. Wabash Ave.
Year Built: 1911-1913
Architect: Robert C. Berlin
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: September 9, 1998..
An important center of community life, this Young Men's Christian Association facility also provided housing and job training for new arrivals from the South during the "Great Migration" of African-Americans in the first decades of the 20th century..

As the black community grew, so did their political strength.. A name stands out is of Oscar de Priest. he became the city's first alderman in 1915. In 1928, he became the first black from the North to be elected to a seat in US House of Representatives. He was closely associated with the People Movement Club, which had it's headquarters in the Unity Hall..

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Unity Hall..
Address: 3140 S. Indiana Ave.
Year Built: 1887
Architect: Laban B. Dixon
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: September 9, 1998
Originally built as the Lakeside Club, a Jewish social organization, this structure was renamed in 1917 when it became the headquarters of the Peoples Movement Club, a political organization headed by Oscar Stanton DePriest (1871-1951), the first African-American elected to the City Council and the first northern black elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. The building is a rare surviving 19th-century clubhouse structure, and is an excellent example of the type of architecture found in the community in the 1880's. Since the 1950's, it has been occupied by religious institutions..

This post includes 5 of the 9 structures,
the remaining 4 are in the post..
Black Metropolis Distict-II .. click here
Also check out..
Black Metropolis Distict-III [Nine structures and beyond]..

* The name Bronzeville was first used in 1930, by James J. Gentry, a local theater editor for the Chicago Bee publication. It refers to the brown skin color of African-Americans, who predominated that area. It has become common usage throughout the decades..

Black Metropolis - Bronzeville Historic District - II

Continued from the above post..
Black Metropolis Distict - I .. click here

"The Great Migration" brought many musicians to Chicago from the south, from places like Mississippi, New Orleans and St. Louis. They brought their musical styles with them. Soon these style merged and a distinctive Chicago style emerged..Chicago Blues! During 1920's many music-oriented clubs and cafes opened in Chicago, like, Dreamland Cafe, Royal Garden, Elite Club and Sunset Cafe..



Sunset Cafe..
Address: 315 E. 35th St.
Year Built: 1909, 1921, 1937
Architects: Alfred Schartz, Sobel & Drielsma
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: September 9, 1998..
Following a 1921 remodeling, this simple automobile garage was transformed into one of the city's earliest and most legendary jazz venues. Its house orchestra featured such famed musicians as Louis Armstrong, Johnny Dodds, and Earl "Fatha" Hines, while its floor shows introduced the latest dances to local audiences. Many promising young artists, including Bix Beiderbecke, Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, and Gene Krupa, got their start at late-night sessions here.
# For more.. click here..



Eighth Regiment Armory..
Address: 3533 S. Giles Ave.
Year Built: 1914-1915
Architect: James B. Dibelka
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: September 9, 1998
This was the first armory in the United States built for an African-American military regiment. The "Fighting 8th" traces its roots to the formation of the volunteer Hannibal Guard militia in 1871. It later became a division of the Illinois National Guard and during World War I was incorporated into the 370th U.S. Infantry..
# For more.. click here..



Victory Monument..
Address: 35th Street and King Drive
Year Built: 1926, 1936
Architects: Leonard Crunelle,John A. Nyden..
This structure was erected to honor the meritorious achievements of the Eighth Regiment of the Illinois National Guard, an African-American unit that served in France during World War I as part of the 370th U.S. Infantry ..
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: September 9, 1998.
# For more.. click here..



Supreme Life Building..
Address: 3501 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.
Year Built: 1921, remodeled 1950 and 2006
Architect: Albert Anis
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: September 9, 1998..
This was the longtime headquarters of the first African-American owned and operated insurance company in the northern United States. Founded in 1919 by Frank L. Gillespie (as the Liberty Life Insurance Company), the firm moved in 1921 into the second floor of this building, which had been constructed by the Roosevelt State Bank. Liberty Life bought the entire structure in 1924 and, in 1929, merged with two out-of-state firms to form the Supreme Life Insurance Company of America. In 1950, after becoming one of the few major businesses of "Black Metropolis" to survive the Great Depression, the company modernized the building by covering the original classical-style facade with porcelain-metal panels..
# For more.. click here..

For more..[Click on the link]
# Black Metropolis Distict-I ..
# Black Metropolis District-II..
# Black Metropolis Distict- III [Nine structures and beyond]..

References:
# Bronzeville: Encyclopedia of Chicago..
# Chicago's Black Metropolis..
# Chicago's Black Metropolis..

Overton Hygienic Building

Overton Hygienic Building..
Address: 3619-27 S. State St.
Year Built: 1922-1923
Architect: Z. Erol Smith
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: September 9, 1998..
Built by noted entrepreneur Anthony Overton as the headquarters for the Overton Hygienic Company ..



The plaque reads..
Chicago Landmark
Overton Hygienic Building
Built 1922-23
Built as the headquarters for the Overton Hygienic Company, one of the nation's foremost producers of African-American cosmetics,this structure also housed the Victory Life Insurance Company and Douglass National Bank, the first nationally chartered, African-American-owned bank. Offices on the second floor were rented to area physicians, lawyers, music producers, and architects. It is one of nine structures in the Black Metropolis-Bronzeville Historic District.
Designated on September 9, 1998
Richard M. Daley, Mayor
Commission on Chicago Landmarks..

Chicago Bee Building

Chicago Bee Building..
Address: 3647-55 S. State St.
Year Built: 1929-1931
Architect: Z. Erol Smith
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: September 9, 1998..

The Chicago Bee newspaper was founded by noted African-American entrepreneur Anthony Overton. This Art Deco-style building was constructed as the headquarters for the Chicago Bee newspaper. It originally featured upper-floor apartments. During the 1930's, it housed the offices of the Douglass National Bank and the Overton Hygienic Company, a nationally known cosmetics firm. The newspaper went out of business in the 1940s, although Overton Hygienic continued until the early 1980s. In the mid-1990's, the building was adapted for reuse as a branch of the Chicago Public Library. It is one of nine structures in the Black Metropolis-Bronzeville Historic District.



Left image, we see the Chicago Public Library sign..
Image below, shows how close are the two buildings..Chicago Bee Bldg and Overton Heiginic Bldg..

Chicago Defender Building

Chicago Defender Building..
Address: 3435 S. Indiana Ave.
Year Built: 1899
Architect: Henry L. Newhouse
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: September 9, 1998..

This former Jewish synagogue was home to the Chicago Defender from 1920 until 1960. Founded by Robert S. Abbott in 1905, the newspaper became nationally known for its outspoken editorial policies on behalf of civil rights issues. The "Great Migration" of the early-20th century was largely initiated by Defender editorials urging African-Americans to leave the poverty of the South for new opportunities in the North. It is one of nine structures in the Black Metropolis-Bronzeville Historic District.