Lilydale, Chicago
Encyclopedia
Lilydale was a small enclave of modest homes in the northwest corner of Roseland
that represents a microcosm of African-American self determination. In the 1920s and '30s the thinly populated area was referred to as little more than a "cabbage patch". It consisted of mostly vacant land between 91st and 95th Streets and between State Street and the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad tracks (then, the Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad
). The 1940s saw a peak in the Second Migration
of Black workers from the South seeking jobs and a better life in the industrialized North. Affordable housing for Blacks was limited and generally restricted to the "Black Belt" on the south side of Chicago. Housing shortages grew more severe with the onset of World War II
as defense workers moved into the city to aid the war effort.
Lilydale became an attractive area due to its proximity to the steel mills and other defense industries on the south side. It was centrally located and convenient to railroads and streetcars. Beginning in 1942, Black contractors Matthew Goodwin and "Duke" Hodges began building simple, low cost single family homes and duplexes for a growing working-class black neighborhood. To Black trades workers, Lilydale represented an all-too-rare opportunity to use their skills and help resolve their own housing problem.
While the homes were modest, they were made of brick and many still stand today. They were originally intended to be rented to defense workers and sold to veterans after the War. The homes were dramatically more affordable than similar homes in the area making them attractive to workers and veterans alike.
In 1944, the western half of Lilydale was purchased and developed by a local banker/realtor named Donald O'Toole who constructed low cost row houses in a development called Princeton Park
. In the 1950s the Dan Ryan Expressway
cut a wide swath through the eastern section. Today, only about 12 city blocks remain of the original settlement and the area is generally referred to as Princeton Park. It remains a working-class neighborhood which has withstood the test of time and radical urban change that afflicted other communities in the area. It is adjacent to the Dan Ryan and the Red Line
'L' train
to downtown Chicago
. 95th Street is a major thoroughfare lined with retail shops and churches. The community stands as a lasting success story of African-American achievements.
Roseland, Chicago
Roseland, located on the far south side of the city, is one of the 77 official community areas of Chicago, Illinois. It includes the neighborhoods of Fernwood, Princeton Park, Lilydale, West Chesterfield, Rosemoor, Sheldon Heights and West Roseland...
that represents a microcosm of African-American self determination. In the 1920s and '30s the thinly populated area was referred to as little more than a "cabbage patch". It consisted of mostly vacant land between 91st and 95th Streets and between State Street and the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad tracks (then, the Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad
Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad
The Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad was the owner of Dearborn Station in Chicago and the trackage leading to it. It was owned equally by five of the railroads using it to reach the terminal, and kept those companies from needing their own lines into the city...
). The 1940s saw a peak in the Second Migration
Great Migration (African American)
The Great Migration was the movement of 6 million blacks out of the Southern United States to the Northeast, Midwest, and West from 1910 to 1970. Some historians differentiate between a Great Migration , numbering about 1.6 million migrants, and a Second Great Migration , in which 5 million or more...
of Black workers from the South seeking jobs and a better life in the industrialized North. Affordable housing for Blacks was limited and generally restricted to the "Black Belt" on the south side of Chicago. Housing shortages grew more severe with the onset of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as defense workers moved into the city to aid the war effort.
Lilydale became an attractive area due to its proximity to the steel mills and other defense industries on the south side. It was centrally located and convenient to railroads and streetcars. Beginning in 1942, Black contractors Matthew Goodwin and "Duke" Hodges began building simple, low cost single family homes and duplexes for a growing working-class black neighborhood. To Black trades workers, Lilydale represented an all-too-rare opportunity to use their skills and help resolve their own housing problem.
While the homes were modest, they were made of brick and many still stand today. They were originally intended to be rented to defense workers and sold to veterans after the War. The homes were dramatically more affordable than similar homes in the area making them attractive to workers and veterans alike.
In 1944, the western half of Lilydale was purchased and developed by a local banker/realtor named Donald O'Toole who constructed low cost row houses in a development called Princeton Park
Princeton Park
Located in the Northwest corner of Roseland community of the City of Chicago, Princeton Park is a community of single family homes built in 1944. Originally, it was a subdivision of low cost multi-family row houses between 91st and 95th streets and Wentworth and Harvard streets. The eastern...
. In the 1950s 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...
cut a wide swath through the eastern section. Today, only about 12 city blocks remain of the original settlement and the area is generally referred to as Princeton Park. It remains a working-class neighborhood which has withstood the test of time and radical urban change that afflicted other communities in the area. It is adjacent to the Dan Ryan and the 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...
'L' train
Chicago 'L'
The L is the rapid transit system serving the city of Chicago and some of its surrounding suburbs. It is operated by the Chicago Transit Authority...
to downtown Chicago
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...
. 95th Street is a major thoroughfare lined with retail shops and churches. The community stands as a lasting success story of African-American achievements.