Bridgeport, Chicago
Encyclopedia
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.
enclave. In the 1830s, large numbers of immigrants from Ireland started settling in this working-class neighborhood. Many of the same Irish immigrants who helped build the Erie Canal
later came to Chicago to work on the Illinois and Michigan Canal
. Because of inadequate funding for the project, the State of Illinois
began issuing "Land Scrip
" to the workers rather than paying them with money. A large number of those Irish-Americans who received the scrip used it to purchase canal-owned land at the northern end of the canal where it meets the south branch of the Chicago River
. The original Bridgeport village, named "Hardscrabble," centered here on what is now the diagonal section of Throop Street on the northwest side of the Bridgeport community area. The area later became known as Bridgeport because of its proximity to a bridge on the Chicago River that was too low to allow safe passage for boats, so cargo had to be unloaded there. Finley Peter Dunne
later wrote about this area in popular sketches around the turn of the 20th century. His Mr. Dooley character lived on "Archey Road" (present day Archer Avenue, Chicago
) in Bridgeport. See also South Side Irish
. Bridgeport is also home to many Italian-Americans, as is its smaller neighbor to the east, Armour Square
.
Although the Irish are Bridgeport's oldest and arguably most famous ethnic group, Bridgeport has also been home to a large number of other groups. Many Lithuanian-Americans settled along Lituanica Avenue, which runs between 31st Street and 38th Place one block west of Halsted Street
in what was once called "Lithuanian Downtown" and the center of Lithuanian settlement in Chicago . Today, there are also large numbers of first and second generation Mexican-Americans and Chinese-American who, like the Irish immigrants of the 19th century, have settled in the Bridgeport area due to its affordable housing and proximity to their work.
Bridgeport's Polish history is most visibly represented in its two churches in the Polish Cathedral style
: St. Mary of Perpetual Help, and St. Barbara
. The Art Institute of Chicago
has done restoration work on the paintings in the Shrine
Altars at St. Mary of Perpetual Help
which date back to 1890, with further plans calling for restoration of the stained glass
windows and to complete the painting of the interior ceilings and rotunda
.
The Chinese influence in Bridgeport has also followed in the tradition of ethnic groups in the neighborhood establishing places of worship, with the Ling Shen Ching Tze (真佛宗美) Buddhist Temple on West 31st Street being established in 1992.
Bridgeport has long been one of the city's political hotbeds, having been home to five of Chicago's 45 mayors. They are, in order of service: Edward Kelly
, Martin Kennelly, Richard J. Daley
, Michael Bilandic, and Richard M. Daley
. The most prominent example of the neighborhood's influence on Chicago politics is illustrated by a 46-year long stretch (1933–1979) in which a Bridgeport native held the city's highest office.
operates several primary schools in Bridgeport, including Mark Sheridan Academy, Philip D. Armour School, Robert Healy School, Charles N. Holden School, and George B. McClellan School. Residents are zoned to Tilden High School in the New City
community.
Parochial
elementary schools in Bridgeport operating under supervision of the The Archdiocese of Chicago include Bridgeport Catholic Academy, St. Mary School and St. Barbara School.
Richard J. Daley Branch is located at 3400 South Halsted Street.
listed Bridgeport as one of the four most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in Chicago, alongside Albany Park
, West Ridge
, and Rogers Park
. A traditionally working class
neighborhood, with a diverse ethnic heritage, Bridgeport's cultural history has left an indelible mark on Chicago cuisine. While pizza is well represented in Bridgeport, it is the breaded-steak sandwich served by most of the neighborhood's pizzerias, that the neighborhood can claim as an original. Chinese and Mexican fare are also well represented, particularly along 31st Street as well as Archer Avenue. While it may potentially be a sign of gentrification
, Bridgeport in the early 21st century has also begun to experience an upswing in new restaurants, with a few recent additions serving items ranging from British
-style pies to organic offerings.
The neighborhood in is served by the Bridgeport News
, a community newspaper delivered weekly on Wednesdays to homes throughout the neighborhood.
train stations, although one of them is technically a few blocks outside of the neighborhood.
Kelly, Kennelly, and the elder Daley followed each other (in that order), thus making Bridgeport the home of the city's mayors for one continuous period lasting 43 years from 1933 to 1976. When the younger Daley left office in 2011 after serving as Mayor of Chicago for 22 years, this means that the mayor's office has been occupied by a Bridgeport native or resident for a total of 65 years from 1933 through 2011, with the 13-year period from 1976 through 1989 being the only period in this time span when a non-Bridgeport resident was mayor of Chicago.
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...
of Chicago, is a neighborhood located on the city's South Side
South Side (Chicago)
The South Side is a major part of the City of Chicago, which is located in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Much of it has evolved from the city's incorporation of independent townships, such as Hyde Park Township which voted along with several other townships to be annexed in the June 29,...
. 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
Historically, much of the neighborhood was an Irish-AmericanSouth Side Irish
South Side Irish is the term that refers to the large Irish-American community on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois.-South Side Irish St. Patrick's Day Parade:...
enclave. In the 1830s, large numbers of immigrants from Ireland started settling in this working-class neighborhood. Many of the same Irish immigrants who helped build the Erie Canal
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
later came to Chicago to work on the Illinois and Michigan Canal
Illinois and Michigan Canal
The Illinois and Michigan Canal ran from the Bridgeport neighborhood in Chicago on the Chicago River to LaSalle-Peru, Illinois, on the Illinois River. It was finished in 1848 when Chicago Mayor James Hutchinson Woodworth presided over its opening; and it allowed boat transportation from the Great...
. Because of inadequate funding for the project, the State of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
began issuing "Land Scrip
Scrip
Scrip is an American term for any substitute for currency which is not legal tender and is often a form of credit. Scrips were created as company payment of employees and also as a means of payment in times where regular money is unavailable, such as remote coal towns, military bases, ships on long...
" to the workers rather than paying them with money. A large number of those Irish-Americans who received the scrip used it to purchase canal-owned land at the northern end of the canal where it meets the south branch of the Chicago River
Chicago River
The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of the same name, including its center . Though not especially long, the river is notable for being the reason why Chicago became an important location, as the link between the Great Lakes and...
. The original Bridgeport village, named "Hardscrabble," centered here on what is now the diagonal section of Throop Street on the northwest side of the Bridgeport community area. The area later became known as Bridgeport because of its proximity to a bridge on the Chicago River that was too low to allow safe passage for boats, so cargo had to be unloaded there. Finley Peter Dunne
Finley Peter Dunne
Finley Peter Dunne was a Chicago-based U.S. author, writer and humorist. He published Mr. Dooley in Peace and War, a collection of his nationally syndicated Mr. Dooley sketches, in 1898. The fictional Mr...
later wrote about this area in popular sketches around the turn of the 20th century. His Mr. Dooley character lived on "Archey Road" (present day Archer Avenue, Chicago
Archer Avenue, Chicago
Archer Avenue, also known as Archer Road outside the Chicago, Illinois city limits, is a diagonal thoroughfare running northeast-to-southwest between Chicago's Chinatown and Lockport, Illinois...
) in Bridgeport. See also South Side Irish
South Side Irish
South Side Irish is the term that refers to the large Irish-American community on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois.-South Side Irish St. Patrick's Day Parade:...
. Bridgeport is also home to many Italian-Americans, as is its smaller neighbor to the east, Armour Square
Armour Square, Chicago
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...
.
Although the Irish are Bridgeport's oldest and arguably most famous ethnic group, Bridgeport has also been home to a large number of other groups. Many Lithuanian-Americans settled along Lituanica Avenue, which runs between 31st Street and 38th Place one block west of Halsted Street
Halsted Street
Halsted Street is a major north-south street in the American city of Chicago, Illinois.-Location:In Chicago's grid system, Halsted street marks 800 West, one mile west of State Street, from Grace Street in Lakeview south to the city limits at the Little Calumet River in West Pullman...
in what was once called "Lithuanian Downtown" and the center of Lithuanian settlement in Chicago . Today, there are also large numbers of first and second generation Mexican-Americans and Chinese-American who, like the Irish immigrants of the 19th century, have settled in the Bridgeport area due to its affordable housing and proximity to their work.
Polish Cathedral style
The Polish Cathedral architectural style is a North American genre of Catholic church architecture found throughout the Great Lakes and Middle Atlantic regions as well as in parts of New England...
: St. Mary of Perpetual Help, and St. Barbara
St. Barbara in Chicago
St. Barbara's in Chicago - historic church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago located in Chicago, Illinois, at 2859 South Throop St....
. The Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
has done restoration work on the paintings in the Shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
Altars at St. Mary of Perpetual Help
St. Mary of Perpetual Help
St. Mary of Perpetual Help - historic church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago located in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois....
which date back to 1890, with further plans calling for restoration of the stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
windows and to complete the painting of the interior ceilings and rotunda
Rotunda (architecture)
A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, sometimes covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building . The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome...
.
The Chinese influence in Bridgeport has also followed in the tradition of ethnic groups in the neighborhood establishing places of worship, with the Ling Shen Ching Tze (真佛宗美) Buddhist Temple on West 31st Street being established in 1992.
Bridgeport has long been one of the city's political hotbeds, having been home to five of Chicago's 45 mayors. They are, in order of service: Edward Kelly
Edward Joseph Kelly
Edward Joseph Kelly served as chief engineer of the Chicago sanitary district in the 1920s, and later as mayor of Chicago, Illinois for the Democratic Party....
, Martin Kennelly, Richard J. Daley
Richard J. Daley
Richard Joseph Daley served for 21 years as the mayor and undisputed Democratic boss of Chicago and is considered by historians to be the "last of the big city bosses." He played a major role in the history of the Democratic Party, especially with his support of John F...
, Michael Bilandic, and Richard M. Daley
Richard M. Daley
Richard Michael Daley is a United States politician, member of the national and local Democratic Party, and former Mayor of Chicago, Illinois. He was elected mayor in 1989 and reelected in 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007. He was the longest serving Chicago mayor, surpassing the tenure of his...
. The most prominent example of the neighborhood's influence on Chicago politics is illustrated by a 46-year long stretch (1933–1979) in which a Bridgeport native held the city's highest office.
Primary and secondary schools
The Chicago Public School DistrictChicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools, commonly abbreviated as CPS by local residents and politicians and officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, is a large school district that manages over 600 public elementary and high schools in Chicago, Illinois...
operates several primary schools in Bridgeport, including Mark Sheridan Academy, Philip D. Armour School, Robert Healy School, Charles N. Holden School, and George B. McClellan School. Residents are zoned to Tilden High School in the New City
New City, Chicago
New City is one of Chicago's 77 official community areas, located on the southwest side of the city. The area is divided into It is a blend of predominantly Irish-Americans in Canaryville, Mexican-Americans in Back Of The Yards, and African-Americans south of 49th Street...
community.
Parochial
Parochial school
A parochial school is a school that provides religious education in addition to conventional education. In a narrower sense, a parochial school is a Christian grammar school or high school which is part of, and run by, a parish.-United Kingdom:...
elementary schools in Bridgeport operating under supervision of the The Archdiocese of Chicago include Bridgeport Catholic Academy, St. Mary School and St. Barbara School.
Public libraries
The Chicago Public LibraryChicago Public Library
The Chicago Public Library is the public library system that serves the City of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 79 branches, including a central library, two regional libraries, and branches distributed throughout the city....
Richard J. Daley Branch is located at 3400 South Halsted Street.
Culture
In 2008 the Chicago Sun-TimesChicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
listed Bridgeport as one of the four most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in Chicago, alongside Albany Park
Albany Park, Chicago
Albany Park is one of 77 well-defined Chicago, Illinois, community areas on the Northwest Side of the City of Chicago. It includes the Albany Park neighborhood, one of the most ethnically diverse in the United States...
, West Ridge
West Ridge, Chicago
West Ridge is one of 77 Chicago community areas. It is a middle class neighborhood located on the far North Side of the City of Chicago. It is located in the 50th Ward...
, and Rogers Park
Rogers Park, Chicago
Rogers Park is one of the 77 Chicago community areas on the far north side of Chicago, Illinois, and is also the name of the Chicago neighborhood that constitutes most of the community area...
. A traditionally 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 diverse ethnic heritage, Bridgeport's cultural history has left an indelible mark on Chicago cuisine. While pizza is well represented in Bridgeport, it is the breaded-steak sandwich served by most of the neighborhood's pizzerias, that the neighborhood can claim as an original. Chinese and Mexican fare are also well represented, particularly along 31st Street as well as Archer Avenue. While it may potentially be a sign of gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
, Bridgeport in the early 21st century has also begun to experience an upswing in new restaurants, with a few recent additions serving items ranging from British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-style pies to organic offerings.
The neighborhood in is served by the Bridgeport News
Bridgeport News
The Bridgeport News is a weekly newspaper that serves the Bridgeport and McKinley Park neighborhoods of Chicago, Illinois.The newspaper was founded in 1938, and claims on its masthead to be A Non-Partisan Independent Newspaper Serving Bridgeport, Canaryville, Armour Square, Chinatown, McKinley...
, a community newspaper delivered weekly on Wednesdays to homes throughout the neighborhood.
Public Transit
The area is also served by two 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....
train stations, although one of them is technically a few blocks outside of the neighborhood.
Politics
Bridgeport has been the home or birthplace of 4 mayors of Chicago:- Richard M. DaleyRichard M. DaleyRichard Michael Daley is a United States politician, member of the national and local Democratic Party, and former Mayor of Chicago, Illinois. He was elected mayor in 1989 and reelected in 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007. He was the longest serving Chicago mayor, surpassing the tenure of his...
, mayor of Chicago from 1989 until 2011 (son of Richard J. Daley). - Richard J. DaleyRichard J. DaleyRichard Joseph Daley served for 21 years as the mayor and undisputed Democratic boss of Chicago and is considered by historians to be the "last of the big city bosses." He played a major role in the history of the Democratic Party, especially with his support of John F...
, mayor of Chicago from 1955 until his death in 1976. - Martin H. KennellyMartin H. KennellyMartin H. Kennelly served as mayor of Chicago, Illinois for the Democratic Party.-Early Life:...
, mayor of Chicago from 1947 to 1955. - Edward Joseph KellyEdward Joseph KellyEdward Joseph Kelly served as chief engineer of the Chicago sanitary district in the 1920s, and later as mayor of Chicago, Illinois for the Democratic Party....
, mayor of Chicago from from 1933 to 1947.
Kelly, Kennelly, and the elder Daley followed each other (in that order), thus making Bridgeport the home of the city's mayors for one continuous period lasting 43 years from 1933 to 1976. When the younger Daley left office in 2011 after serving as Mayor of Chicago for 22 years, this means that the mayor's office has been occupied by a Bridgeport native or resident for a total of 65 years from 1933 through 2011, with the 13-year period from 1976 through 1989 being the only period in this time span when a non-Bridgeport resident was mayor of Chicago.
External links
- City of Chicago Bridgeport Community Map
- Bridgeport's History
- Chicago Neighborhood Reveals an Ugly Side
- http://www.stjeromecroatian.org/eng/bridgeport.html