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HOME > HISTORY > LITTLE ITALY |
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"Chicago’s
Little Italy : A Community Lingering to Last" |
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Continued |
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Chicago’s Little Italy, a tight knit neighborhood encompassed
within the streets of Morgan, Taylor, Ashland and Harrison is
a strong community with a long, diverse history whose vitality
and charm can still be found if you look deep into its changing
face. But today it is not what it once was. Somewhat obvious,
it is a feeling of many who live here, at least those who remember
a time when the area was almost completely Italian, up until the
war and through the late 1950’s. Ironically, it is the school
from which I earned my bachelor’s degree, that is the very same
school which lies in the web of this legend, and will continue
to spark debate in the history of this restructured neighborhood.
The separation of the community began with the establishment of
the University of Illinois’ Medical District, the Eisenhower Expressway
then followed and finally the University’s Circle Campus was built.
This development undoubtedly crippled the growth of the Italian-American
community, which had planted itself so deeply in this area. And
as many will tell you, it was the change that put not only political
opinions at the forefront but property value issues in the faces
of those who had worked so hard to earn the homes in which they
lived.
The once upon a time, “good ol’days” of the area had been crushed,
displacing many Italian-American families were to other parts
of the city. Places like Harlem Avenue, Melrose Park, 24th and
Oakley, Chicago Heights and Blue Island stand as other strong
Italian-American communities in Chicago who almost compete for
‘Little Italy’ status. Most agree however, there is only one original
and it’s the classic Taylor Street location that stands out among
the rest. Some say perhaps ‘Little Italy’ didn’t get a fair chance
to thrive as it should have, others say the University saved the
area entirely. But after countless buildings were demolished to
complete that construction, there were some demolished dreams
as well. Homes of distinct beauty, rowhouses of a time past were
suddenly gone. Had they been left to survive who knows what the
area might have looked like today. Lost but not forgotten the
homes were captured in time, through the eyes of Mario Angelini.
Now 78, and still a resident of the area, he used his camera lens
in the hopes of preserving a time gone by.
Throughout all of these changes, it was the parishes of the area
that tied the community together. But they too, went through changes
of their own. Thankfully, today, they are what seems to continually
unite this neighborhood and where you will find the hearts of
those people who are the true meaning of Chicago’s Little Italy.
Most Italians who came to the United States were Roman Catholics,
and Chicago’s near West Side saw this population’s growth from
the very beginning. continued
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