H VoL. 3y2 d N0. 2 e PublishedPa by ther Hydek Park H istoricalH Society istoSPrINrg 2010y ANNuAL DINNEr: A TIME for CELEBratioN g 2010 g SPRIN AND rEfLECTIoN Permit No. 85 No. Permit IL Chicago, AID P HS 37 6 60 IL Chicago, U.S. Postage U.S. Avenue Park Lake S. 5529 HP Org. Non-Profit Society Historical Park yde H This Newsletter is published by the Hyde Park Historical Society, a Hyde Park Historical Society not-for-profit organization founded Collecting and PresErving Hyde PArk’S History in 1975 to record, preserve, and Time for you to join up or renew? promote public interest in the history HAN g Fill out the form below and return it to: NA of Hyde Park. Its headquarters, Mo C located in an 1893 restored cable car r The Hyde Park Historical Society A station at 5529 S. Lake Park Avenue, y M B 5529 S. Lake Park Avenue • Chicago, IL 60637 ✁ houses local exhibits. It is open to APHS Enclosed is my new renewal membership the public on Saturdays and Sundays ogr T o in the Hyde Park Historical Society. from 2 until 4pm. PH Top row, left to right: Caroline Cracraft thanks the Society for her Cornell Award for her chronicle of Leon and Marian Student $15 Sponsor $50 Web site: hydeparkhistory.org Despres; Lisa Oppenheim and Frank Valadez receive their Cornell Award for the Chicago Metro History Fair. Bottom row, Member $30 Benefactor $100 Telephone: HY3-1893 left to right: Peter Schoenmann, Elizabeth Kendall, and Lesa Dowd with their Despres Awards for restoring the Blackstone Library murals; Ishmael Smith, teacher Stacy Stewart, and Bryanna Stalling with their Despres Awards for successfully Name President: Ruth Knack advocating for the landmarking of the Carl Hansberry House. Editor: Frances S. Vandervoort Address Membership Coordinator: n Saturday, February 27, 2010, more than 160 of the 50th anniversary of the Gilbert and Sullivan Claude Weil Zip Oguests enjoyed food, music, and reflection at Opera Company of Hyde Park and a tribute to Robert Designer: Nickie Sage the Society’s annual dinner held at the Quadrangle Ashenhurst, long-time Society member and co-founder Club. Highlighting the program was a celebration of the G. and S. Company. Bob passed away ➤ 2 2 7 ➤ 1 in October, 2009, but his spirit lives on in his attention to housing segregation in cities. Issues Haydon—he’s the one who designed all those stained music, his professional accomplishments, and his surrounding the house became the basis of a 1940 U. glass windows for Rockefeller Chapel and then got UPCOMING EVENTS commitment to the community. S. Supreme Court ruling against racially restrictive someone to teach us Hyde Park volunteers how to cut Paul Cornell Awards were bestowed upon Caroline housing covenants. the glass and make the windows. For several decades Saturday, April 17, 2010 Lecture by Dr. Cracraft for chronicling the life and times of Leon and Elaine Smith’s piano playing provided pre-dinner Doug Anderson has led people on bird walks on Gregory Mueller of the University of Marian Despres, and upon the Chicago Metro History music and accompaniment for Noel Taylor’s songs from Wooded Island. One time a new young professor, a Chicago and Chicago Botanic Garden: Education Center for inspiring young people to learn G. and S. operas. She also accompanied Helen Bailey’s refugee from Russia, climbed a willow tree over the The Fungus Among Us: Nature and Man more about Chicago’s history, especially that of Hyde vocal tribute to Bob Ashenhurst. lagoon and sang Russian folk songs. in the Big City. The lecture will take Park. “Oh, come on,” I said. “Let’s go. It’s going to be place from 2-4 p.m. in the Community Marian and Leon Despres Preservation Awards were okay. Who’s going to attack two young mothers and Lounge of the University of Chicago’s granted to the group of experts involved in restoring their children?” So we set off. Center for Multicultural Affairs, 5710 and preserving the historic murals in the dome of the It was a beautiful day on the Island. Spring breezes South Woodlawn Avenue. Blackstone Library, and to students and their teacher New Society Members tossed the leaves of the willows and oak trees, planted Also on April 17, the 20th Annual Quilt from the Amelia Earhart School who advocated for at the time of the Columbian Exposition. Wild grasses Show and Sale will take place at the landmark status from the Chicago City Council for the The Hyde Park Historical Society welcomes the and flowers greeted us as we crossed over the arched United Church of Hyde Park, 1448 East Hansberry House in West Woodlawn. This modest following new members: David R. Ashenhurst, bridge to the Island. Birds sang of the beauty of the day. 53rd Street, from 10 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. home was the residence of Carl Hansberry and his Bruce Carroll, JoAnn Scurlock and Richard H. We hiked along the quiet path to a grassy plot far family, including his daughter, Lorraine Hansberry, Beal, Solvig and Harry Robertson, Mel Von H. from the rushing traffic on the nearby highway. We On Sunday, April 18, architectural whose 1959 play, Raisin in the Sun, called national Smith, Mary Silverstein and Deborah Wahid. spread our picnic and enjoyed a quiet lunch. Then the historian Sam Guard will lead his four children frolicked in the sunshine. My friend was second tour of Hyde Park buildings facing the willows that leaned over the lagoon in a designed by the Pond Brothers. The deep thicket of bushes—a favorite place of fishermen. tour will begin at the southeast corner “It is beautiful here,” my friend finally said. of 55th Street and Woodlawn Ave. at Suddenly a look of terror spread over her face. I 1:00 p.m. turned to see what had frightened her. An ancient man was coming slowly out of the bushes. He wore a ragged Saturday, May 15, 2010 Carol Bradford dark coat distinguished by its large, decorated brass will give a special talk commemorating buttons dangling, one missing. He carried a bucket, a the 150th anniversary of the United fish knife, a pole, and a few fish on a line. “He won’t Church of Hyde Park. She will illustrate hurt us,” I assured her. her talk with nearly 100 glass plate He came closer. He smiled at the children. “Would photographs taken during the first 50 you like to see what I have in my bucket?” he asked. years of the Hyde Park Presbyterian The children were timid. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. He Church, founded in May, 1860. dumped out several small crayfish. “Thought you kids Photography expert Joe Marlin will use might like to play with my left-over bait.” a special projector for these unusual Relieved, my friend said, “Sure. Thanks.” The baby images. was afraid of the crayfish. So the man reached into his pocket. “Here,” he said, handing the baby a large brass The major June event will be a showing button. His sister began to cry, seeing that her little of Hyde Park-related exhibits from the brother had been given a shiny button to play with. Chicago Metro History Fair. Watch for Suddenly the old man pulled out his long knife. the announcement of the date. My friend froze in horror. The old man calmly turned the knife toward himself, cut a second button from Details of these events will be provided his coat, and gave it to the crying child. She stopped by mail and on the Society’s website. HAN crying. g NA The old man walked quietly away. Mo Post script: I wrote this story many years ago. If C r A that old man is still around, I want to thank him for Answer to Mystery Quiz: y M restoring my faith in the kindness of human nature. B The previous two observatories of the University of APHS Vi Fogle Uretz was a longtime member of the Hyde Park Chicago were the Dearborn Observatory of the first ogr University of Chicago, built in the 1860s at 34th T Historical Society who passed away in May, 2007. This o Street and Cottage Grove Avenue, and the Kenwood PH article was made available to Hyde Park History by her Observatory, built in the early 1890s behind the Top row, left to right: Alta Blakely is designated an HPHS Board Member Emerita by Carol Bradford; Roland Bailey tells husband, Robert Uretz, and was first published in the Hyde the history of the Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company of Hyde Park. Bottom row, left to right: Helen Bailey sings a tribute Park Herald on December 24, 2003. It is published here with George Ellery Hale House at 4545 South Drexel to Robert Ashenhurst; Noel Taylor is the Pirate King of the Pirates of Penzance. the permission of the Hyde Park Herald. Boulevard. S p r i n g 2 0 1 0 S p r i n g 2 0 1 0 6 3 ➤ ➤ 5 sometimes spelled coigns or coins, are small slabs to remarks by Sam Guard and Tim Samuelson about Other professors arrived and built their homes up and of limestone or arrangements of offset bricks, placed Pond-designed houses on the east side of the street A Childhood down Woodlawn and Lexington Avenue (now University in the corners of buildings at regular intervals to add between 55th and 57th Streets. The final stop was for a Avenue), from 55th Street to the Midway.