University Village Chicago
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[edit] University Village
University Village is a renamed near west Chicago neighborhood consisting of newly constructed residential and retail properties and is home to mostly middle and upper classes. University Village, along with other major developments such as University Commons, University Station and Roosevelt Square is located south of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Illinois Medical District, and near downtown Chicago. The University of Illinois Chicago borders the neighborhood on the north, the neighborhood of Pilsen borders the south, the Dan Ryan expressway I-94 borders the neighborhood on the east and Ashland Avenue borders the neighborhood on the west.
Politically, University Village is currently served by the the 25th Ward Alderman, Daniel Solis, for the City of Chicago. The neighborhood also is served by the Illinois 7th Congressional District seat in the U.S. congress, currently filled by democrat Danny K. Davis.
[edit] University Village History
University Village is a late 1990s and early 2000s housing redevelopment in the shadows of the University of Illinois at Chicago. The neighborhood encompasses the old Maxwell Street neighborhood. From the late 19th century until the 1920s, the Maxwell Street neighborhood was an important Jewish neighborhood for many Jews who had escaped government organized "pogroms" in their countries of origin. They established an outdoor market both to replicate many of the traditional markets from their countries of origin, but also as a way to make a living when starting out in the United States with very little. Once the "Great Migration" of African Americans from the south began in 1919, the neighborhood became increasingly African American though many of the businesses remained in Jewish hands. It is at this time that the music known as "Chicago Blues" originated and was performed on Maxwell Street.
The motto of Maxwell street was "we cheat you fair" and it was widely known that people should get to the market early so that they could be the first customer of the day because vendors would go down to any price so they could sell something to the first customer of the day, thinking that it would bring them luck. Nate's Deli which was previously Lyon's deli was an important landmark in the neighborhood. Opened by Ben Lyon, a Jewish man in the neighborhood, in the 1920's, he eventually sold the deli to his devoted employee, Nate Duncan, an African American child of the "Great Migration." Nate kept all of the original recipes until the deli was torn down by the University Village development in the 1990s. The famous scene from the "Blues Brothers" where Aretha Franklin sings "Think" was filmed in Nates Deli.
It was at University Village's Maxwell Street where Abe "Fluky" Drexler first began to sell the Chicago style hot dog in 1929, and where Jim Stefanovic created the Maxwell Street Polish at Jim's Hot Dog Stand. (Chicagoans believe that this is where the hot dog itself was invented....) The Original Jim's was torn down around 2002 and relocated to nearby Union Street, just off the Roosevelt road on-ramp to the 90/94 expressway, still in the neighborhood. The Maxwell street market continues today on Canal Street between Taylor and 16th streets, east of University Village. It is largely a Mexican street market today, and is still a wonderful place to find interesting things and great bargains.
The retail heart of University Village today still is Maxwell Street and Halsted, but the old buildings have been razed to make way for new construction. Restaurants and upscale services that cater to middle to high income residents and college students now reside there.
[edit] University Commons History
University Commons stands on five city blocks that for 78 years was the home of Chicago’s South Water Market. Originally, south Water market sprawled along the Chicago River on South Water Street. It stretched westward from what is now Michigan Ave. It was fairly assessable to the rail yards; and most of all, it was backed up to the docks where incoming vessels could bring fruits and vegetables from the states located around the Great Lakes. Michigan was a big supplier during the warm months. Cherries, celery, apples, plums and other fresh commodities were put on boats in Benton Harbor, St. Joe, Ludington, Traverse City and other Michigan port cities and shipped to the South Water Market.
Around 1925, the City of Chicago began the construction of new streets parallel to the Chicago River and the market was in the way. As a result, the market was moved to the location that is University Commons today. The displacement of the market was hailed as a good move since the market was now close to modernizing transportation infrastructure such as trucks and railroads. To make room for the new South Water Maret, deteriorated existing houses were bulldosed down in this high crime neighborhood, then called the Village. In 1925, the cost for the approximate 13 acres of land and buildings was around 17 million dollars.
On July 10, 2003, The Chicago Planning Commission granted their approval on the sale of the 78 year old produce market for a cost of approximately 36 million dollars to Enterprise Companies of Chicago. Enterprise turned the South Water Market's six buildings of 4 levels into 824, one, two and three bedroom loft apartments with 4500 sq. ft. of retail property. The cost of this redevelopment was in the range of 200 million dollars in August/September 2003.
The market was auctioned off to a few other interested developers taking in all intentions of the 5 highest bidders, Enterprise Companies, was offered the deal because of their interest to not tear down the 78 year old units. Other bidders had intentions of demolition rather than saving and restoring the terra cotta facades, as Chicago University Commons plans to do.
The three-story buildings were originally designed by the architects Fugard & Knapp. They were adorned with intricately carved terra-cotta façades reminiscent of the acclaimed Wrigley Building, which dates to the same era. Terra-cotta carvings and floral ornaments were cleaned, repaired or replaced by the firm Pappageorge/Haymes Ltd., a leading urban residential architecture firm.
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