Armour Square, Chicago
Encyclopedia
Armour Square is both the name of a Chicago
neighborhood on the city's South Side, as well as the larger, officially defined community area
that the neighborhood is located in. The Armour Square community area also includes Chinatown
and the CHA
Wentworth Gardens housing project. The Armour Square area is bordered by Bridgeport
to the west and Bronzeville to the east, with Pilsen
and the near South Side
bordering the area to the north and Fuller Park
bordering its southernmost boundary along Pershing Road.
railroad tracks on the west and the Dan Ryan Expressway
to the east, Armour Square has historically been the predominantly white
, working class
neighborhood with a particularly significant population of both Italian-Americans
and Croatian-Americans. With its location being immediately south of Chinatown, today the neighborhood also has a large Asian population as well. Armour Square's most recognizable landmarks are the historic Armour Square Park
and nearby US Cellular Field
, which sits at the southeast corner of W.35th and Shields Avenue, on the neighborhood's southernmost end. US Cellular is home to the Major League Baseball
franchise, the Chicago White Sox
. Comiskey Park
, the previous ballpark used by the White Sox from 1910 until 1990, was located in what is currently the site of a parking directly across 35th Street from what is US Cellular's main gate today. Comsikey Park was demolished in 1991, but a plaque embedded in the asphalt marks the spot where home plate
was on the original field. There are two Catholic
parishes in Armour Square: Santa Lucia and St. Jerome Croatian Catholic Church
.
Chinatown is in the near South Side (located in the Armour Square community area), centered on and around Cermak and Wentworth Avenues, and is an example of an American Chinatown
, or ethnic-Chinese neighborhood.
It is not to be confused with an area sometimes called "New Chinatown
", which is on the North Side around Argyle Street, and which has a larger number of Southeast Asians.
's Red Line
, with stops at Cermak-Chinatown and Sox-35th.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
neighborhood on the city's South Side, as well as the larger, officially defined community area
Community areas of Chicago
Community areas in Chicago refers to the work of the Social Science Research Committee at University of Chicago which has unofficially divided the City of Chicago into 77 community areas. These areas are well-defined and static...
that the neighborhood is located in. The Armour Square community area also includes Chinatown
Chinatown, Chicago
The Chinatown neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois, is on the South Side , centered on Cermak and Wentworth Avenues, and is an example of an American Chinatown, or ethnic-Chinese neighborhood. By the [ftp://ftp2.census.gov/census_2000/datasets/demographic_profile/Illinois/2kh17.pdf 2000 Census], has...
and the CHA
Chicago Housing Authority
The Chicago Housing Authority is a municipal corporation established by the State of Illinois in 1937 with jurisdiction for the administrative oversight of public housing within the City of Chicago...
Wentworth Gardens housing project. The Armour Square area is bordered by Bridgeport
Bridgeport, Chicago
Bridgeport, one of 77 community areas of Chicago, is a neighborhood located on the city's South Side. It is bounded, generally, on the west and north by the Chicago River, on the east by Canal Street, and on the south by Pershing Road.-History:...
to the west and Bronzeville to the east, with Pilsen
Lower West Side, Chicago
Lower West Side located on the west side of Chicago, Illinois, is one of 77 well-defined Chicago community areas.-Government and infrastructure:The United States Postal Service operates the Pilsen Post Office at 1859 South Ashland Avenue....
and the near South Side
Near South Side, Chicago
The Near South Side is a community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is located just south of the downtown central business district, the Loop, which is itself a community area...
bordering the area to the north and Fuller Park
Fuller Park, Chicago
Fuller Park, located on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas. It is named for Melville Weston Fuller, who was the Chief Justice of the United States between 1888 and 1910....
bordering its southernmost boundary along Pershing Road.
Armour Square neighborhood
Bounded by 26th Street to the north, 35th Street to the south, the Union PacificUnion Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
railroad tracks on the west and the Dan Ryan Expressway
Dan Ryan Expressway
The Dan Ryan is an expressway in the city of Chicago that runs from the Circle Interchange with I-290 near downtown Chicago through the South Side of the city. It is designated as both Interstate 94 and Interstate 90 south to 66th Street, a distance of...
to the east, Armour Square has historically been the predominantly white
Definitions of whiteness in the United States
The cultural boundaries separating White Americans from other racial or ethnic categories are contested and always changing.David R. Roediger argues that the construction of the white race in the United States was an effort to mentally distance slaveowners from slaves...
, working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
neighborhood with a particularly significant population of both Italian-Americans
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
and Croatian-Americans. With its location being immediately south of Chinatown, today the neighborhood also has a large Asian population as well. Armour Square's most recognizable landmarks are the historic Armour Square Park
Armour Square Park
Armour Square Park, also known as Armour Square or Park No. 3, is a park in Chicago, Illinois featuring Beaux Arts architecture, designed by D.H. Burnham and the Olmstead Brothers. The park was opened in March 1905, at a cost of $220,000. It was named after Philip Danforth Armour, philanthropist...
and nearby US Cellular Field
U.S. Cellular Field
U.S. Cellular Field is a baseball ballpark in Chicago, Illinois. Owned by the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, it is the home of the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball's American League. The park opened for the 1991 season, after the White Sox had spent 81 years at old Comiskey Park...
, which sits at the southeast corner of W.35th and Shields Avenue, on the neighborhood's southernmost end. US Cellular is home to the Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
franchise, the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
. Comiskey Park
Comiskey Park
Comiskey Park was the ballpark in which the Chicago White Sox played from 1910 to 1990. It was built by Charles Comiskey after a design by Zachary Taylor Davis, and was the site of four World Series and more than 6,000 major league games...
, the previous ballpark used by the White Sox from 1910 until 1990, was located in what is currently the site of a parking directly across 35th Street from what is US Cellular's main gate today. Comsikey Park was demolished in 1991, but a plaque embedded in the asphalt marks the spot where home plate
Home Plate
Home Plate is the fifth album by Bonnie Raitt, released in 1975 .-Track listing:#"What Do You Want the Boy to Do?" – 3:19#"Good Enough" – 2:56#"Run Like a Thief" – 3:02...
was on the original field. There are two Catholic
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago
The Archdiocese of Chicago was established as a diocese in 1843 and as an Archdiocese in 1880. It serves more than 2.3 million Catholics in Cook and Lake counties in Northeastern Illinois, a geographic area of 1,411 square miles. The Archdiocese is divided into six vicariates and 31 deaneries...
parishes in Armour Square: Santa Lucia and St. Jerome Croatian Catholic Church
St. Jerome Croatian Catholic Church
St. Jerome Croatian Catholic Church is an historic church that belongs to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. It is located in the Armour Square neighborhood on the city's South Side, at 2823 South Princeton Street. The church currently performs services in both Croatian and...
.
Chinatown
Chinatown
A Chinatown is an ethnic enclave of overseas Chinese people, although it is often generalized to include various Southeast Asian people. Chinatowns exist throughout the world, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and Europe. Binondo's Chinatown located in Manila,...
, or ethnic-Chinese neighborhood.
It is not to be confused with an area sometimes called "New Chinatown
West Argyle Street Historic District
The West Argyle Street Historic District is a historic district in the Uptown community area of Chicago, Illinois. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 3, 2010...
", which is on the North Side around Argyle Street, and which has a larger number of Southeast Asians.
Mass transit stations
Armour Square is served by the Dan Ryan branch of the Chicago Transit AuthorityChicago Transit Authority
Chicago Transit Authority, also known as CTA, is the operator of mass transit within the City of Chicago, Illinois and some of its surrounding suburbs....
's Red Line
Red Line (Chicago Transit Authority)
The northern terminus of the Red Line is Howard Street in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago , on the City Limits farthest north. The Red Line extends southeasterly on an elevated embankment structure about a half-mile west of the lakefront to Touhy Avenue then turns south along Glenwood...
, with stops at Cermak-Chinatown and Sox-35th.
External links