Armour Square | |
|---|---|
| Community Area 34 - Armour Square | |
 Chinatown neighborhood within Armour Square. | |
 Map of Armour Square | |
 Location within the city of Chicago | |
| Coordinates:41°50′24″N87°37′59″W / 41.8400333°N 87.6331070°W /41.8400333; -87.6331070[1] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Cook |
| City | Chicago |
| Neighborhoods | |
| Area | |
• Total | 0.99 sq mi (2.56 km2) |
| Elevation | 587 ft (179 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 13,890 |
| • Density | 14,100/sq mi (5,430/km2) |
| Demographics 2020[2] | |
| • White | 14.0% |
| • Black | 8.9% |
| • Hispanic | 5.6% |
| • Asian | 70.7% |
| • Other | 0.9% |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP codes | parts of 60609 and 60616 |
| Median household income 2020[2] | $37,123 |
| Source: U.S. Census, Record Information Services | |
Armour Square is aChicago neighborhood on the city'sSouth Side, as well as a larger, officially definedcommunity area, which also includesChinatown and theCHAWentworth Gardens housing project. Armour Square is bordered byBridgeport to the west,Pilsen to the northwest,Douglas andGrand Boulevard to the east and southeast, and with theNear South Side bordering the area to the north, andFuller Park bordering its southernmost boundary, along Pershing Road.
Armour Square is bounded by 18th Street to the north, Pershing Road to the south, theUnion Pacific railroad tracks on the west and theDan Ryan Expressway to the east.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | 21,450 | — | |
| 1940 | 18,472 | −13.9% | |
| 1950 | 23,294 | 26.1% | |
| 1960 | 15,783 | −32.2% | |
| 1970 | 13,063 | −17.2% | |
| 1980 | 12,475 | −4.5% | |
| 1990 | 10,801 | −13.4% | |
| 2000 | 12,032 | 11.4% | |
| 2010 | 13,391 | 11.3% | |
| 2020 | 13,890 | 3.7% | |
| [2] | |||
Armour Square has historically been a predominantlywhite,working-class neighborhood with a particularly significant population of bothItalian-Americans andCroatian-Americans.[3] With its location being immediately south of Chinatown, today the neighborhood also has a largeAsian population as well.[4] A 2014 survey found that 46.6% of the neighborhood speaks Chinese at home.[5] The 3406census tract in the south of Armour Square is 99% black or African American.[6]
Armour Square's most recognizable landmarks are the historicArmour Square Park and nearbyRate Field, which sits at the southeast corner of W.35th and Shields Avenue, on the neighborhood's southernmost end. Guaranteed Rate is home to theMajor League Baseball franchise, theChicago White Sox. There are threeCatholic parishes in Armour Square: Santa Lucia, St. Therese Catholic Community at 218 W. Alexander St., andSt. Jerome Croatian Catholic Church.
Historical images of Armour Square can be found in Explore Chicago Collections,[7] a digital repository made available byChicago Collections archives, libraries and other cultural institutions in the city.[8]
In September 2022, theChicago Plan Commission approved a plan to renovate a vacant Armour Square warehouse building into 47solar-powered apartments.[9]
TheChicago Housing Authority operates a 392-unit residential building for seniors age 62 and up in Armour Square on Wentworth Avenue.[10]
In 1900,Charles Comiskey moved his St. Paul Saints to Chicago, where they became the team now known as theChicago White Sox. They began play at theSouth Side Park on 39th Street in Armour Square, and have remained in the neighborhood ever since. No other major professional sports franchise has played in the same neighborhood longer than the White Sox.[11] In 1910,Comiskey Park opened just 4 blocks north of South Side Park on a site that was formerly a junkyard.[12] The Park remained the home of the Sox until 1990, when it was the oldest park inMajor League Baseball.[13] The new Comiskey Park, currently known asRate Field, opened in 1991 across 35th Street from the old ballpark.[14] Comiskey Park was then demolished in 1991 and converted into a parking lot. Aplaque embedded in the asphalt marks the spot wherehome plate was on the original field.[15]
Chicago's Chinatown is located in the Armour Square community area centered on and around Cermak and Wentworth Avenues, and is an example of an AmericanChinatown, or ethnic-Chinese neighborhood.
The Chinatown in the Armour Square community area is not to be confused with theWest Argyle Street Historic District, sometimes called "New Chinatown", which is on the North Side of Chicago in and around Argyle Street and hosts Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipino, Thai and otherSoutheast Asian homes and businesses.
The Armour Square community area has supported theDemocratic Party in the past two presidential elections. In the2016 presidential election, Armour Square cast 2,892 votes forHillary Clinton and cast 761 votes forDonald Trump (76.67% to 20.17%).[16] In the2012 presidential election, Armour Square cast 2,581 votes forBarack Obama and cast 575 votes forMitt Romney (81.01% to 18.05%).[17]
Armour Square is served by the Dan Ryan branch of theChicago Transit Authority'sRed Line, with stops atCermak-Chinatown andSox-35th. It is also served byMetra on theRock Island Line via the35th Street station.
Chicago Public Schools serves residents of the community area;[18]K-8 schools serving Armour Square include Haines and James Ward.[19] Ward Elementary opened as Garibaldi Street Primary School in 1874, and became the Ward School in 1875, before receiving its current name in 1908.[20] Residents are zoned toPhillips Academy High School.[21]
Places adjacent to Armour Square, Chicago | |
|---|---|
