Footsteps to the Past
Chicago’s Historic Bronzeville Neighborhood
Fall/Winter 2010
Chicago’s near south side Bronzeville neighborhood is a vibrant and exciting living lesson in African-American history. Once the home of such greats as Gwendolyn Brooks, Louis Armstrong, Bessie Coleman and scores of other influential residents, it is now booming with community-based revitalization that highlights its rich history.
Start your day with a visit to the DuSable Museum of African American History, a unique museum named after Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable, the first permanent settler in Chicago. Pack a picnic to enjoy on the grassy fields of Washington Park, adjacent to the DuSable Museum, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and his partner Calvert Vaux. Or hop on over to Soul Vegetarian and enjoy collard greens, cornbread and vegan barbecue. The meat lovers in your family will adore takeout from Wings Around the World.
Take a book-browsing break at the Chicago Bee Library, housed in a historic Art Deco building that was once the home of a thriving Bronzeville newspaper. Peek inside the Gallery Guichard, which features the art of the African Diaspora.
Strolling down Martin Luther King Drive, from 24th to 35th streets, you’ll see examples of outstanding Chicago-style architecture dotted with plaques and statues, including Gregg LeFevre’s 14-foot bronze map of the neighborhood’s history (Martin Luther King Drive at 35th Street) and Alison Saar’s Monument to the Great Northern Migration statue (Martin Luther King Drive at 26th Street), which commemorates the thousands of African-Americans who came to Chicago in the early 20th century in search of freedom and opportunity.
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