About the Lincoln Park Architectural Photographs

The Photographs

The Lincoln Park Architectural Photographs of 200 historical buildings in Chicago's Lincoln Park Community include landmark domestic residences, commercial sites, and churches constructed in a variety of historical styles. Ms Harold, a sociologist in DePaul University's Sociology Department, supplied each photograph with identification as to architectural style and location. All photographs of the late 19th-early 20th century buildings were taken by Ms Harold in the year 2000. Her research project linking social ecology with urban architectural design was funded with a grant from the Lincoln Park Community Research Initiative, a collaborative effort between DePaul University and the community to build knowledge of their shared past. In 2002, the Lincoln Park Architectural Photographs were transferred to the Lincoln Park Neighborhood Collections in DePaul University's Special Collections, Archives.

The Neighborhood

Originally named Lake Park, Chicago's Lincoln Park Neighborhood consists of 3.161 square miles of real estate. It is located north of Chicago's downtown district between North Avenue and Diversey and from Lake Michigan west to the Chicago River. In 1871, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed homes in the area south of Fullerton Avenue and east of Clark Street. From 1874-1899, Lincoln Park experienced a population increase and an industrial expansion along the Chicago River resulting in an enormous construction boom. The census of 1890 revealed that 68% of the city's inhabitants were foreign born, the majority being German and Irish immigrants. It was at this time that German architects brought the popular Italianate style to neighborhood, while other buildings in the area were erected in the Romanesque or Queen Anne styles.

Many newcomers to Lincoln Park at the dawn of the 20th century were recruits of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), founded in 1905. In this first decade of the 20th century, Chicago's population doubled from one million to two million as Polish, Slovakian, Romanian, Hungarian and Italian immigrants came to labor in factories along the north branch of the river. The area declined in the 1950's as residents moved to the suburbs. Later, largely through efforts by individuals dedicated to preserving the neighborhood, Lincoln Park underwent a revival between the late 1960's and 1980.

This project was made possible in part through a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant, in association with the office of the Secretary of State Jesse White and the Illinois Digital Archives.