Pilsen Historic District | |
 Pilsen Historic District, 21st and Wood, Chicago IL | |
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| Location | Chicago,Illinois,United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°51′14″N87°39′28″W / 41.85389°N 87.65778°W /41.85389; -87.65778 |
| NRHP reference No. | 05001609[1] |
| Added to NRHP | February 1, 2006 |
ThePilsen Historic District is located in theLower West Side community area ofChicago and is among the few neighborhoods with buildings that survived theGreat Chicago Fire of 1871.[2]
Pilsen was formally founded in 1878, making the neighborhood a factor in the political and economic change planned in Chicago.[2] In the late 19th century Pilsen was inhabited byCzech immigrants who named the district afterPlzeň (German:Pilsen), the fourth largest city in today'sCzech Republic. The population also included in smaller numbers other ethnic groups fromAustria-Hungary includingSlovaks,Slovenes,Croats andAustrians, as well as immigrants ofPolish andLithuanian heritage. In 1934 majority of Czechs, Croatians, Poles, and Slovaks sustained Pilsen, making it an ethnicworking-class neighborhood.[2]
In 1945, the Committee on Minority Groups established a Subcommittee on Social Services for Mexican Migratory Workers due to the increasing migration of Mexican migrant contract workers (braceros).[3] TheCzechs had replaced theGermans, who had settled there first with theIrish in the mid-19th century. Although there was a growingMexican American presence in the late 1950s, it was not until 1962-63 when there was a significant increase in the numbers of Mexican Americans in Pilsen due to the destruction of the neighborhood west ofHalsted Street between Roosevelt and Taylor Streets to create room for the construction of theUniversity of Illinois at Chicago. The destruction closed nearby factories where Mexican migrants worked. Other contributing factors to the increasing numbers include the state-sponsored mass labor importation programs in the United States of majority Mexican and Puerto Rican migrants.[3]
Although this area was predominantlyCzech American, it was also an important entry point forMexican immigrants for several decades. Latinos became the majority in 1970 when they surpassed the Slavic population. The neighborhood continued to serve as port of entry for immigrants, both documented and undocumented, mostly from Mexico. In a 2003 case study, Mexican residents remember the early experience of living in early Pilsen.[4] Signs that read ‘No dogs or Mexicans’ were put up all around businesses from the 1950s to 1960s, during the major influx of Mexican immigrants.[4] Other experiences included banks refusing to givemortgages because Pilsen had the largest population of Mexican immigrants.[4]
Since 2000, the Mexican population in Pilsen has decreased somewhat.[5] In 2003, Pilsen was 93% Mexican-American, and theChicagoland Chamber of Commerce identified Pilsen as "an authentically Mexican neighborhood” and “a true Chicago Barrio”.[2]
On February 1, 2006, Pilsen was selected for theNational Register of Historic Places.[6]
Pilsen is home to Chicago's largest migrant shelter,[7] located between Cermak Road and the southern branch of theChicago River, opened in fall 2023. People living at the shelter have described it as having "harsh shelter conditions, including cramped living quarters, mistreatment from workers, freezing temperatures, and unsanitary bathrooms," with an analysis byBorderless Magazine concluding that the shelter "fails to meet the basic standards for emergency shelter laid out by the U.N. Refugee Agency."[7] In December 2023, several children staying at the shelter became ill, with one of them dying.[8]
As early as 1985, Pilsen's proximity to the downtown area and its low-value property became an ideal neighborhood forgentrification.[2] Pilsen residents and community institutions mobilized against two major redevelopmentsChicago 21 Plan (the mid-1970s) andChicago 1992 World's Fair (early to mid-1980s).[2] The neighborhood's long-lasting defense is prompted by its alliance of local developers, Pilsen homeowners, and the city.[2] As of 2014 growing community activists like The Pilsen Alliance, an organization from 1998 that mobilized against the expansion of theUniversity of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) in Pilsen, continued to display an extensive stronghold againstreal estate developer and city plans.[5]
In 2016 increasinggentrification led to the displacement of residents, the shutting down of businesses, and a cultural change in the historically Mexican neighborhood.[2] According to theChicago Sun-Times as of 2023 Pilsen community organizations are protesting the increasingproperty taxes that continue to force residents out of their homes.[9][10]