Princeton Park
Encyclopedia
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 boundary later extended to State Street (now the Dan Ryan Expressway). This area includes single family homes, classic bungalows, that were part of the Lilydale
community.
The project was the creation of banker/real estate developer Donald O'Toole. The land had previously been used for farming by the primarily Dutch settlers in the Roseland area. In the early 1900's, Roseland transitioned from a farming community to an urban residential neighborhood. As one of the last remaining open spaces it was primed for development. The low cost housing was marketed exclusively to the African-American community making it the first established black community in Roseland. It remains a segregated African-American community today.
Once established, Princeton Park was on the leading edge of the ensuing "panic peddling" that engulfed Roseland. Unscrupulous realtors used scare tactics such as Blockbusting
to frighten and intimidate white residents; churning the real estate market for quick profits. As suburban housing and commuting became more accessible in the 1960's and '70's, middle class whites left the Roseland area resulting in a total ethnic transformation.
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...
community of the City of 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...
, 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 boundary later extended to State Street (now the Dan Ryan Expressway). This area includes single family homes, classic bungalows, that were part of the Lilydale
Lilydale, Chicago
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"...
community.
The project was the creation of banker/real estate developer Donald O'Toole. The land had previously been used for farming by the primarily Dutch settlers in the Roseland area. In the early 1900's, Roseland transitioned from a farming community to an urban residential neighborhood. As one of the last remaining open spaces it was primed for development. The low cost housing was marketed exclusively to the African-American community making it the first established black community in Roseland. It remains a segregated African-American community today.
Once established, Princeton Park was on the leading edge of the ensuing "panic peddling" that engulfed Roseland. Unscrupulous realtors used scare tactics such as Blockbusting
Blockbusting
Blockbusting is a business practice of U.S. real estate agents and building developers meant to encourage white property owners to sell their houses at a loss, by implying that racial, ethnic, or religious minorities — Blacks, Hispanics, Jews et al. — were moving into their previously racially...
to frighten and intimidate white residents; churning the real estate market for quick profits. As suburban housing and commuting became more accessible in the 1960's and '70's, middle class whites left the Roseland area resulting in a total ethnic transformation.