Guide to the Hyde Park Historical Society Collection 1830-2009
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
University of Chicago Library Guide to the Hyde Park Historical Society Collection 1830-2009 © 2010 University of Chicago Library Table of Contents Acknowledgments 4 Descriptive Summary 4 Information on Use 4 Access 4 Citation 5 Historical Note 5 Scope Note 6 Related Resources 7 Subject Headings 8 INVENTORY 8 Series I: Administration 8 Series II: Organizations and Institutions 10 Subseries 1: Harvard School 10 Subseries 2: Hyde Park High School 11 Subseries 3: Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference 13 Subseries 4: University Colony Club 15 Subseries 5: University of Chicago 18 Subseries 6: General 23 Series III: Individuals 45 Subseries 1: Paul Cornell 46 Subseries 2: Paul Hazard 48 Subseries 3: Hal Higdon 51 Subseries 4: Lorado Taft 52 Subseries 5: Oral Histories 54 Sub-subseries 1: Administrative 54 Sub-subseries 2: Transcripts, open for research 54 Sub-subseries 3: Transcripts, permission required 55 Sub-subseries 4: Interview Cassettes 56 Subseries 6: General 58 Series IV: Architecture and Urban Planning 71 Subseries 1: Hyde Park Modern Townhomes Project 72 Subseries 2: Hyde Park Center Project 75 Subseries 3: Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference 79 Subseries 4: The Uses of Gothic 82 Subseries 5: Postcards 85 Subseries 6: General 85 Series V: Parks and Landmarks 105 Series VI: Events 108 Series VII: Transportation 111 Series VIII: Publications 113 Subseries 1: Books 114 Subseries 2: Periodicals 121 Series IX: Audio-Visual 125 Subseries 1: Photographs and Slides 125 Subseries 2: Audio 149 Subseries 3: Film and Microfilm 150 Series X: Artifacts 151 Series XI: Oversize 151 Subseries 1: Administrative 152 Subseries 2: Organizations and Institutions 152 Subseries 3: Individuals 153 Subseries 4: Architecture and Urban Planning 154 Subseries 5: Parks and Landmarks 156 Subseries 6: Events 156 Subseries 7: Publications 158 Series XII: Restricted 158 Descriptive Summary Identifier ICU.SPCL.HPHS Title Hyde Park Historical Society. Collection Date 1830-2009 Size 189 linear feet (179 boxes) Repository Special Collections Research Center University of Chicago Library 1100 East 57th Street Chicago, Illinois 60637 U.S.A. Abstract The Hyde Park Historical Society was founded in 1977 to record and preserve the history of the Hyde Park-Kenwood neighborhood. Included are the Hyde Park Historical Society's administrative records, as well as its collection of historic materials. The collection contains architectural drawings, artifacts, audio material, clippings, correspondence, deeds, manuscripts, maps, memorabilia, oral histories, photographs, postcards, posters, publications, scrapbooks, and slides. These document the individuals, institutions, events, and projects that have shaped Hyde Park's urban and social landscape. Acknowledgments The Hyde Park Historical Society Collection was processed and preserved through generous support from the Hyde Park Historical Society. Information on Use Access Series XII: Restricted, contains financial records of the Hyde Park Historical Society and names and addresses of members. Written permission from the Hyde Park Historical Society is required for access. Series III: Subseries 5; Series IV: Subseries 1; and Series IX: Subseries 2-3 contain audio, video and digital materials. Access copies are not included for these materials. Researchers will need to consult with staff before requesting these materials. Series III, Subseries 5 contains oral history interviews on cassette tape and transcripts of most of the interviews. The subseries is sorted to indicate which transcripts are open for research. Three 4 interviews, on cassette, but untranscribed, are open for research, but require reformatting before access can be granted: Shigeru and Kiyu Hashimoto, Nathan Sugarman, and Meyer Weinberg. The remainder of the collection is open for research. Citation When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Hyde Park Historical Society. Collection, [Box #, Folder #], Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library Historical Note The Hyde Park Historical Society was founded in 1977 to record and preserve the history of Hyde Park-Kenwood. It seeks to educate and foster appreciation of the neighborhood's heritage. Hyde Park was founded by Paul Cornell (1822-1904), a lawyer and real estate speculator (and cousin of Ezra Cornell, founder of Cornell University). Cornell was an urban planner who envisioned a resort community of parks and hotels. In the 1850s he chose a township on Lake Michigan and the southern branch of the Illinois Central Railroad, incorporated in 1861 as the Hyde Park Township. Originally extending from 39th to 63rd Streets, Hyde Park’s boundaries were later redrawn to stretch south to 138th St. and west to State St. Hyde Park became a successful destination spot with its own rail depot on 53rd St. and a popular hotel, the Hyde Park House (now Hampton House condominium at 53rd St. and Lake Michigan). The Hyde Park Herald, Chicago’s oldest community newspaper, was established in 1882. The township was annexed by the city in 1889. Hyde Park hosted the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893. In 1890 John D. Rockefeller founded the University of Chicago, which by the 1920s housed a business school, the Oriental Institute, and the Chicago Theological Seminary. Hyde Park during this period was an affluent neighborhood governed by racially restrictive covenants which prevented African-Americans from buying or occupying property. The neighborhood’s demography began to change during the Depression when its hotels ceased to attract wealthy clientele. An artists’ colony was established on 57th St. The annual 57th Street Art Fair, started in 1948, continues as Chicago’s oldest juried art fair. With racial covenants lifted by the Supreme Court in 1940, Hyde Park’s now-cheap properties became home to large numbers of African-Americans arriving from the southern states. Although Hyde Park by the 1950s was suffering from the same economic decline as the rest of Chicago’s South Side, it had powerful community advocates. These included Leon Despres, the lawyer and civil rights champion, elected alderman in 1955; Hyde Park Herald publisher Bruce Sagan; the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference, a residents’ organization 5 who formed 20 block clubs in 1950; and the Hyde Park Cooperative Society, which opened Chicago’s largest grocery store in 1959. The University of Chicago’s urban renewal projects of the 1950s and 1960s razed and replaced entire city blocks. Though this “Fight Against Blight” aimed at creating a diverse and prosperous neighborhood, the displacement of African-Americans and removal of entertainment districts made the project controversial. The University’s re- imagination of Hyde Park and its continuous expansion are still debated. Today Hyde Park-Kenwood is generally considered to be the area bounded by 47th and 60th Streets, and by Lake Michigan and Cottage Grove Avenue. Its heritage is preserved by the Hyde Park Historical Society, which began as the “Hyde Park-Kenwood Historical League” during 1975 and 1976. Through the collaborative efforts of Clyde Watkins, Tom Jensen, Leon Despres, Jean Block, Victoria Ranney, Thelma Dahlberg, Muriel Beadle, and others, the new organization acquired 5529 S. Lake Park Avenue. This building was originally a waiting room for cable cars. Hyde Park Historical Society was incorporated as an Illinois not-for-profit in 1978, and opened its renovated headquarters in 1980. The Society is active in the community and supported by some 300 members. It stages exhibits, runs programs, publishes a newsletter, and collects historical materials for its archives. Scope Note The collection includes Hyde Park Historical Society's administrative records, as well as historic materials documenting Hyde Park-Kenwood area from the mid-nineteenth through early twenty-first centuries. The collection contains architectural drawings, artifacts, audio material, clippings, correspondence, deeds, maps, memorabilia, oral histories, photographs, postcards, posters, publications, scrapbooks, and slides. These document the individuals, institutions, events, and projects that have shaped Hyde Park's urban and social landscape. Series I: Administration, contains correspondence, histories, membership information, minutes, newsletters, notices, and photographs related to the administration of the Hyde Park Historical Society. It includes material for exhibits they staged. This series spans 1976-1999. Series II: Organizations and Institutions, contains correspondence, records, reports, and publications generated by Chicago-area institutions and organizations and collected by the Hyde Park Historical Society. Material spans 1876-2009. Series III: Individuals, contains the histories, memorabilia, and writings of influential and ordinary people who lived and live in Hyde Park and the greater South Side. Material spans 1830-2009. Series IV: Architecture and Urban Planning, focuses on the architectural history of Hyde Park- Kenwood and the urban renewal projects pursued in the area. It includes architectural drawings, 6 administrative records of housing developments, brochures, tour guides, legal documents, maps, photographs, and postcards. Material spans 1876-2007. Series V: Parks and Landmarks, contains clippings, correspondence, maps, pamphlets, and photographs related to Chicago parks and sites of interest, particularly on the South Side. Material spans 1906-2005. Series VI: Events, contains clippings, maps, photographs, and programs of Chicago-area exhibitions