News
Maxwell Street Market Walking Tour
Join the South Loop Historical Society for a walking tour of the former site of the Maxwell Street Market on Tuesday, October 9, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. The tour will meet at the end of the Maxwell Street cul-de-sac, one half block west of Halsted Street. The tour will include discussion of the German, Jewish, and African American immigration waves, significant structures, and the sociological, cultural, and historical impact of the market through 150 plus years.
Registration is limited to 25 participants. Tickets are free to members of the South Loop Historical Society, $10 for adults, and $5 for students. Non-member registration fees include membership for the remainder of the year. To register, email your name and contact information to info@southloophistory.org or call (312) 939-0111 ext. 1820.
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Northerly Island Walking Tour
Join the South Loop Historical Society for a walking tour of Northerly Island on Tuesday, August 14, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. The tour will meet at the CTA bus stop for the Shedd Aquarium on the south side of Solidarity Drive (eastbound). The island is served by the 130 and 146 CTA busses to the Museum Campus. The tour will include Solidarity Drive, the Adler Planetarium, 12th St. Beach, Burnham Harbor, Burnham Yacht Club, and more. The 91-acre island was conceived in Daniel Burnham’s 1909 Plan of Chicago, and has served as the site of the 1933-34 World’s Fair, an airport, a park, and the prospective site of the United Nations.
Registration is limited to 25 participants. Tickets are free to members of the South Loop Historical Society, $10 for adults, and $5 for students. To register, email your name and contact information to info@southloophistory.org or call (312) 939-0111 ext. 1820.
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SOUTH LOOP HISTORICAL SOCIETY 2013 CALENDAR PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS ANNOUNCED
CHICAGO-- (May 25, 2012) Congratulations to Mr. Robert Sollors and Mr. John Slivka of the South Loop, winners of the 1st and 2nd prizes in the South Loop Historical Society’s 2013 Calendar Photo Contest. The theme for this year’s calendar was Public Art in the South Loop. The contest received more than 40 qualified photo entries from 14 individuals.
The 1st Prize winning entry by Columbia College graduate Robert Sollors is entitled “Alley 10th.” The photo depicts the Elevated structure in the alley between State and Wabash as a veritable sculpture filtering light and shadow on the surrounding pavement and structures.
The 2nd Prize winning photo by John Slivka, titled “Trees Taste Nice,” features the brontosaurus sculpture near the Field Museum in a vaguely prehistoric orange sunset. The two prize winning photos and several honorable mention entries will be featured in the 2013 South Loop Historical Society Calendar to be released this fall. The 1st prize winner will receive a check for $200 and the 2nd prize winner will receive $100.
The South Loop Historical Society is a non-profit virtual history museum on the Internet at SouthLoopHistory.org, focused on the area bounded by Congress Parkway on the north, the South Branch of the Chicago River on the west, the Stevenson Expressway on the south, and Lake Michigan on the east. The mission of the organization is to connect area residents to the rich and vibrant history of Chicago’s South Loop and serve as a framework to provide area students an opportunity for scholarship, research, and management experience.
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1968 Democratic Convention Walking Tour on May 9
CHICAGO-- (April 20, 2012) Activist and entrepreneur Michael James will lead a walking tour for the South Loop Historical Society recounting his experiences at the 1968 Democratic National Convention on Wed., May 9, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. The tour will begin at the corner of Michigan and Balbo, the center of the explosive violence broke out while the whole world was watching.
The tour centers on several blocks surrounding the Hilton Chicago. It will include the Balbo bridge, the site of the band shell, the Logan Statue, and other landmarks. Registration is limited to 25. Tickets are free to members of the South Loop Historical Society, $10 for adults, and $5 for students. To register, email your name and contact information to info@southloophistory.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (312) 939-0111 ext. 1820.
Michael James is an activist entrepreneur: an activist, businessman, actor, writer, photographer, and speaker. Mr. James is a veteran on the 1968 Democratic Convention demonstrations, and the political and cultural struggles of that era. He has received considerable notoriety regarding 1968 having been photographed rocking a police paddy wagon during events at Michigan and Balbo.
Mr. James came to the Chicago area from his native Connecticut to study at Lake Forest College. He did graduate work in sociology at the University of California Berkeley 1964-66, where he was active in the Free Speech Movement and became a member of Students for a Democratic Society, later becoming a national officer of SDS. After entering community organizing in West Oakland, he moved back to Chicago to work with Uptown residents via JOIN (Jobs or Income Now) Community Union. In 1976 Mr. James co-founded the Heartland Cafe, a restaurant and community institution that serves "good wholesome food for mind and body" and continues to this day to be an inspirational community institution.
Mr. James is co host of the weekly radio show, The Live from the Heartland Show on WLUW 88.7 FM / www.wluw.org (Saturday's 9-10 am), is a member of the board of directors of Athletes United for Peace, The Rainbow Council of Elders, is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Cornucopia Institute (and organic food and farm watchdog organization), is the President of the 49th Ward Democratic Party Organization, and a member of the Screen Actors Guild, having worked in films including Stony Island, The Package, Above the Law, Code of Silence, Under Siege, The Fugitive, Chain Reaction, and The Guardian.
He is currently working on two photo books : Mexico 1962, and The Heartland Cafe: The First Thirty-five Years, is getting a new photo show ready, and was recently featured recounting activities during the 1968 Convention in a History Detective episode: www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/investigation/hot-town-poster He is featured in a new book, Hillbilly Nationalists, Urban Race Rebels and Black Power.
The South Loop Historical Society is a non-profit virtual history museum on the Internet at SouthLoopHistory.org, focused on the area bounded by Congress Parkway on the north, the South Branch of the Chicago River on the west, the Stevenson Expressway on the south, and Lake Michigan on the east. The mission of the organization is to connect area residents to the rich and vibrant history of Chicago’s South Loop and serve as a framework to provide area students an opportunity for scholarship, research, and management experience.
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Chinatown Walking Tour on March 7
Wednesday, March 7, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. – Chinatown Centennial Tour, conducted by Anita Hsueh Luk, Executive Director of the Chinese-American Museum of Chicago – Raymond B. & Jean T. Lee Center. The tour group meets in the lobby of the Cermak Red Line station. The tour begins with the Nine Dragon Wall, continues down Wentworth Avenue through Chinatown’s Gateway Arch to the On Leong Building/Pui Tak Center, Won Kow Restaurant, and concludes with the Chicago Chinatown Centennial: A Community Blossoms Exhibit at the Museum.
Registration is limited to 20. To register, email your name, address, and phone number to info@southloophistory.org with “Centennial Chinatown Tour” in the Subject Line or call Hassaan Khan at 312.939.0111 x 1824. The tour is $10 for adults and $5 for students; payment will be collected at the beginning of the tour. The ticket includes a one-year complimentary membership in the South Loop Historical Society. Free for members of sponsoring organizations: the South Loop Historical Society, South Loop Neighbors, and Chinese-American Museum of Chicago – Raymond B. & Jean T. Lee Center.
This tour is jointly sponsored by the South Loop Historical Society, the South Loop Neighbors, and the Chinese-American Museum of Chicago – Raymond B. & Jean T. Lee Center.
2nd Presbyterian Church Walking Tour
Join the South Loop Historical Society and Holabird and Root architect Jeff Case for a tour of historic 2nd Presbyterian Church, 1936 S. Michigan Ave., on Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 5:00 p.m. Built in 1874, 2nd Presbyterian has amazing ornamentation and stained glass windows from the 19th Century, and one of the finest examples of an early 20th Century Arts and Crafts interior-- built after a 1900 fire. Primarily built for congregants in Chicago’s Prairie Avenue mansions, the church survived the decline of the neighborhood and is now being slowly restored thanks to the dedication of its small but loyal congregation, committed historians, and civic-minded benefactors. The tour is free to SLHS members, and a $10 fee includes a one-year membership to SLHS for non-members. To reserve your place for this tour, contact Judy Bacon at (312) 939-0111 ext. 1819 or e-mail Judith@eastwest.edu.
2011 South Loop Historical Society Walking Tours
Prairie Avenue and Motor Row Walking Tour
Tuesday, May 10 · 5:00pm - 6:30pm
National Veterans Museum
1801 S. Indiana
Chicago, IL
National Veterans Museum
1801 S. Indiana
Chicago, IL
Join the South Loop Historical Society and Near South Planning Board for a walking tour of “Prairie Avenue and Motor Row” on Tuesday, May 10, at 5:00 PM. Meet tour guides William Tyre of Glessner House Museum and Dennis McClendon of Chicago Cartographics at 5:00 p.m. at 1801 S. Indiana, outside the National Veterans Museum. The tour will include Glessner House Museum, the Prairie Avenue Historic District, Bank Note Place/Engraver’s Lofts, Second Presbyterian Church, Quinn Chapel, and Motor Row buildings. Registration is limited to 20. RSVP judith@eastwest.edu. Tickets are free to members, $10 for adults, and $5 for students (includes one year membership).
Historic Palmer House Walking Tour
Tuesday, August 9 · 5:00pm - 6:30pm
Palmer House Hotel Lobby
17 E. Monroe St.
Chicago, Illinois
Walking tour of the Historic Palmer House Hotel conducted by Ken Price, Director of Public Relations for the Palmer House Hilton, and his staff. They'll give an overview of the history of the Palmer House and Bertha and Potter Palmer. They will take a look at three ballrooms which hosted many famous people, and the penthouse, rated among the top 100 suites in the world by Elite Traveler. Tour begins at 5:00 PM in the lobby of the Palmer House at 17 East Monroe. Registration is limited to 20.RSVP with Judy Bacon at judith@eastwest.edu. Tickets are free to SLHS members, $10 for adults, and $5 for students (includes one year membership).
South Loop Walking Tour
Tuesday, October 11 TBA
To Be Announced.
Lecture on Early Chicago Settlement
“Early History of the South Loop: Settlement and Development Up to the Columbian Exposition, 1893” on Wed., March 8, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. in the Fourth Floor Auditorium at East-West University
CHICAGO-- (Jan. 31, 2011) The South Loop Historical Society will present a lecture by Dr. Christopher Reed, entitled “Early History of the South Loop: Settlement and Development Up to the Columbian Exposition, 1893” on Wed., March 8, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. in the Fourth Floor Auditorium at East-West University. Admission is free to South Loop Historical Society members and East-West University students with ID, and $5 for non-members.
Dr. Christopher Reed is a Chicago native who has combined a love of the city with a particular academic interest in the first 100 years of African American history and culture in Chicago. This scholarly interest is coupled with study of comparative urban landscapes elsewhere in the nation during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
He holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in American history from Roosevelt University, a Ph.D. in American history from Kent State University. His publications include The Rise of Chicago’s Black Metropolis, 1920-1929 (University of Illinois Press, April 15, 2011); The Depression Comes to the South Side: Protest and Politics in Chicago’s Black Metropolis, 1930-1933 (Indiana University Press, Summer 2011); Black Chicago’s First Century, Volume I, 1833-1900 (University of Missouri Press, 2005); All The World Is Here: The Black Presence At White City (Indiana University Press, 2000); and The Chicago NAACP and The Rise Of Black Professional Leadership, 1910-1966 (Indiana University Press, 1997). His works in progress are “The Chicago Revolt”: A Case of Ideological Extremism within the NAACP, 1933-1934 and “Discovering the Documented Jean Baptiste Pointe Du Sable.” He is currently Professor Emeritus of History in the Department of History and Philosophy at Roosevelt University.
The South Loop Historical Society is a non-profit virtual history museum on the Internet at SouthLoopHistory.org, focused on the area bounded by Congress Parkway on the north, the South Branch of the Chicago River on the west, the Stevenson Expressway on the south, and Lake Michigan on the east. The mission of the organization is to connect area residents to the rich and vibrant history of Chicago’s South Loop and serve as a framework to provide area students an opportunity for scholarship, research, and management experience.
For more information, contact the South Loop Historical Society at (312) 939-0111 or at info@SouthLoopHistory.org
2010 South Loop Historical Society Walking Tours
“Prairie Avenue to Motor Row” on Wednesday, September 22, 2010 from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.
William Tyre of Glessner House Museum and Dennis McClendon of Chicago CartoGraphics will be your tour guides. The tour group will meet at the National Vietnam Veteran's Museum, 1801 S. Indiana Avenue, at 5:00 p.m. The tour includes Glessner House Museum, the Prairie Avenue Historic District, Bank Note Place/Engraver's Lofts, Second Presbyterian Church, the Quinn Chapel, and Motor Row buildings. The tour will end at Marmon Grand Ballroom, 2230 S. Michigan Avenue, where you are welcome to stop for appetizers, music, and dancing. A cash bar and $5.00 appetizers will be available. Register by September 21.
Click here to see photos from this event.
“A Look at the South Loop Railroad Stations” on Friday, October 15, 2010 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Bruce Moffat of Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) will be your tour guide. The tour group will meet in the Conference Room on the lower level of the Dearborn Station at 47 W. Polk Street. Mr. Moffat will start with a slide lecture on South Loop railroad stations from the past to the present. The tour includes the Dearborn Station and a walk to the sites of Grand Central, Illinois Central, and LaSalle Stations. Register by October 14.
To register online,
Click Here
Registration is limited to 20 for each tour. For further information call Judy Bacon at 312.939.0111 x 1819 or email judy@eastwest.edu.
The tour is jointly sponsored by the South Loop Historical Society, the South Loop Neighbors, and the Near South Planning Board. Tickets are free for members of the sponsoring organizations; tickets for all others are $10 per adult or $5 per student with ID. Paid tickets include a one year complimentary membership.
2009 South Loop Walking Tour
Join Jeff Case and Mary Brush of the legendary architectural firm of Holabird & Root for a walking tour of historic buildings in the South Loop on Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 5:00 p.m. The tour is free to South Loop Historical Society members ($10 suggested donation for non-members) and co-sponsored by South Loop Neighbors. Click here for more information.
South Loop Historical Society Receives Grant for New Exhibits
CHICAGO (Feb. 25, 2009)-- The South Loop Historical Society at East-West University has received a generous $1000 grant from the M.R. Bauer Foundation to support new exhibits for the virtual museum, it was announced today.
Recent Donations
CHICAGO (Feb. 1, 2009)-- In the past six months, the South Loop Historical Society has received 13 donations of books, maps, postcards, photos, and artifacts worth an estimated $175. If you would like to donate historical items for our archives, please contact the South Loop Historical Society at info@southloophistory.org or call John Thomas at (312) 939-0111 ext. 1818.
Past Events
South Loop Historical Society Walking Tour
From Balbo Avenue to Roosevelt Road
Between Wabash and Michigan Avenue
Wednesday, September 17, 2008, 3:00 p.m.
Members Free, Non-Members $10.00
Guide: John C. Thomas, South Loop Historical Society
John C. Thomas
John C. Thomas is a member of the South Loop Historical Society Advisory Board and Director of Public Relations at East-West University. Mr. Thomas is a former Chicago radio personality at WLS, WFYR, WCLR, and WBBM. He studied Urban Planning at UIC's College of Urban Planning and Policy specializing in Economic Development, and earned his BA in Journalism at Loyola University Chicago.
Thomas served as acting Communications Director at the Chicago Area Transportation Study from 1998-2000 and Communications and Regional Development Intern at the Metropolitan Planning Council from 1997-1998. He has been at East-West University since 2004, and co-founded the South Loop Historical Society in 2007.
Click here for South Loop Historical Society membership information.
For more information, call (312) 939-0111 or email info@southloophistory.org.
South Loop Historical Society, Inaugural Lecture
Thursday, June 26, 2008, 7:00 p.m.
East-West University Fourth Floor Auditorium, 816 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago
Free Admission
Dennis McClendon
Dennis McClendon is the self-appointed neighborhood historian for Chicago's South Loop. He has lived in the area since 1983 and serves on the board of South Loop Neighbors. He frequently organizes tours related to Chicago history or geography.
His small business, Chicago CartoGraphics, is a graphic design firm specializing in maps. He produced all the maps for (and contributed several articles to) the Encyclopedia of Chicago. He holds a BS in Urban Studies from the University of Tulsa and a law degree from the University of Texas.
For more information, call (312) 939-0111 or email info@southloophistory.org.
