Historical Analysis
West Town’s 100 Years of History
Introductions
Over the past 100 years, Chicago’s West Town neighborhood has undergone a lot of changes. The influx of Eastern European immigrants from the 1870s to the 1950s was followed by the migration of Puerto Ricans in the 1950s, but since the early 2000s, these communities have undergone severe gentrification. The original settlers created a unique culture of West Town by establishing ethnic neighborhoods. These ethnic enclaves are instrumental to sustaining immigrants’ cultural identity against the oppression of mainstream American society that attempts to assimilate them.
Eastern European Immigration
West Town’s cultural identity was originally influenced by two waves of Eastern European immigration. The first wave consisted of serfs freed by the Emancipation Reform of 1861, who moved to the US in search of work. During the 1920s, new US immigration quotas and the closure of the USSR border ended the first wave of newcomers. The second wave consisted of politically oppressed intellectuals --university graduates and middle-class citizens-- that escaped political oppression, arriving in the US under the Displaced Persons Act of 1948. These immigrants formed ethnic clusters where they could express their culture and manage common struggles. Polish immigrants predominantly resided within West Town in Wicker Park and Pulaski Park, while Ukrainians formed the Ukrainian Village.
Because Eastern Europeans were rejected in other communities of Chicago and their needs were not met there, they clustered together to form a dialogical response to this oppression. Eastern Europeans built cultural centers like the Polish Museum of America on Noble Square, St. Volodymyr and Olha Catholic Church, and the St. Nicholas cathedral. Paulo Freire, a Brazilian educator and theorist, in his book Pedagogy of the Oppressed, identifies constructive dialogue as “correspond[ing] to another radical need: that of women and men as beings who cannot be truly human apart from communication” (Freire 128). By providing a platform for collaboration and communication, these cultural centers humanized the residents of the neighborhood.
Because Eastern Europeans were rejected in other communities of Chicago and their needs were not met there, they clustered together to form a dialogical response to this oppression. Eastern Europeans built cultural centers like the Polish Museum of America on Noble Square, St. Volodymyr and Olha Catholic Church, and the St. Nicholas cathedral. Paulo Freire, a Brazilian educator and theorist, in his book Pedagogy of the Oppressed, identifies constructive dialogue as “correspond[ing] to another radical need: that of women and men as beings who cannot be truly human apart from communication” (Freire 128). By providing a platform for collaboration and communication, these cultural centers humanized the residents of the neighborhood.
Puerto Rican Immigration
In the 1950’s, West Town’s affordable housing attracted a large population of Puerto Ricans, who greatly contributed to the neighborhood culture. Puerto Ricans started arriving in the US mostly in the 1930s, when the Jones Act of 1917 granted them US citizenship. Originally residing in Lincoln Park, they were forced to relocate due to gentrification (Pérez). Their new home became West Town, whose population consisted of low-income immigrants and could thus provide Puerto Ricans with affordable housing. New residents contributed to the flavor of the neighborhood with murals, flags and parades similar to those on the island. One annual tradition within the community is the Puerto Rican heritage parade, which has occurred every June since 1966. Similar to the cultural centers of Eastern Europeans, the function of Puerto Rican ethnic parades and establishments has been to promote dialogue within the community. This, in turn, helps to meet the needs of Puerto Ricans to sustain their cultural identity in the face of a mainland culture that refuses to recognize their language, traditions, and national heritage.
Gentrification and displacement
Starting at the end of the 20th century, the unique historical identity of West Town has been in danger because of gentrification. This process occurs when the real estate developers, trying to profit of the unique atmosphere of the area, invest in its property, raising the rent prices and displacing the original residents. The process started with rich people buying mansions at a low price. In a Chicago Reader article that dates back to 1988, when gentrification of Wicker Park was already happening, a reporter points out that “Victorian mansion on Hoyne Street that went for $80,000 in 1983, when it was practically falling apart, and sold last year [1987] for $330,000.” (Joravsky). In 2013, the same mansion was sold for $1,995,000 (Zillow.com). Right after upperclass residents moved in, the real estate companies started to invest into neighborhood property. As a result, the rent in Wicker Park went up even more. For example, Flat Iron Arts Building, a non-profit arts organization, has raised the rent from $1 per square foot per month in 1985 to $838 in 2015 (trulia.com). Following the real estate developers, higher income residents replaced the previous residents who established the neighborhood.
Gentrification and destruction of cultural identity
Once the original residents of West Town began to relocate, the culture they had brought began to dissipate as well. Along with new residents, businesses that did not embrace the culture of Wicker Park moved in too. Explaining the role of new businesses in West Town, Genno Moreno, a board member of the Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation, a nonprofit development group, explains: "When you take from a community, you also have to give something back. You can't just take and take and take. We’re not going to let it happen; we're going to fight back" (Joravsky). Unfortunately, a lot of the Polish organizations could not resist and were forced to move out. The Polish triangle, a three street intersection that once housed many major Polish organizations, has changed from the center of Polish life in Chicago to a transit hub with modern businesses. Back in the mid 20th century, it had the Polish National Alliance, one of the oldest and largest Polish fraternal organizations, the Polish Daily News, and the Polish Alma Mater offices. Polish Alma Mater was one of the last Polish organizations to move out in 2014 and was sold for 5.05 million dollars to LG Development Group (Hauser). With the closing of these establishments, gentrification not only displaced the original residents but also destroyed the ethnic culture of the neighborhood.
Freire’s theory of antidialogical action can effectively explain the results and origins of gentrification in West Town. Gentrification is a form of “cultural invasion” that becomes both an “instrument of domination” and a “result of domination” (Freire 154). Higher income outsiders are attracted to unique atmosphere of the neighborhood, and appropriate it, buying up property in West Town. This draws in businesses who provide resources for the gentrifiers. Cultural invasion takes place when ethnic organizations, restaurants, shops, etc. are forced to move out to make room for these larger chains. Without their ethnic organizations, the original residents don’t have the tools to sustain their cultural identity. Thus, while gentrification is fueled by local culture, it has also become a tool to suppress the cultural identity of local residents.
Freire’s theory of antidialogical action can effectively explain the results and origins of gentrification in West Town. Gentrification is a form of “cultural invasion” that becomes both an “instrument of domination” and a “result of domination” (Freire 154). Higher income outsiders are attracted to unique atmosphere of the neighborhood, and appropriate it, buying up property in West Town. This draws in businesses who provide resources for the gentrifiers. Cultural invasion takes place when ethnic organizations, restaurants, shops, etc. are forced to move out to make room for these larger chains. Without their ethnic organizations, the original residents don’t have the tools to sustain their cultural identity. Thus, while gentrification is fueled by local culture, it has also become a tool to suppress the cultural identity of local residents.
Conclusion
Ethnic neighborhoods help to preserve culture. By contrast, when gentrification occurs, the ethnic culture is replaced with a homogenous mainstream culture. This process occurs not only in West Town but throughout the world, as hundreds of years of art and music and history are discarded in favor of Starbucks, McDonalds, and Burger King. Analyzing the experiences of the West Town gentrification can help explain how the process occurs in other ethnic communities throughout the US and other globalized societies.
Work Cited
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Freire, Paulo. "Chapter 4." Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Continuum, 1970. 125-81. Print.
Hauser, Alisa. "Wicker Park Polish Alma Mater Sells for $5 Mil. in Seven-Lot Deal Near Hub." DNAinfo Chicago. 28 Aug. 2014. Web. 27 May 2016.
Joravsky, Ben. "New Lines in an Old Battle: The Gentrification of Wicker Park." Chicago Reader. 28 July 1988. Web. 27 May 2016.
Pérez, Gina M. "Puerto Ricans." Encyclopedia of Chicago. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2016.
"West Town Neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois (IL), 60612, 60622, 60647 Detailed Profile." City-Data. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2016.
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"Wicker Park Home." Zillow.com. Web. 27 May 2016.
Essig, Steven. "West Town." Encyclopedia of Chicago. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2016.
Freire, Paulo. "Chapter 4." Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Continuum, 1970. 125-81. Print.
Hauser, Alisa. "Wicker Park Polish Alma Mater Sells for $5 Mil. in Seven-Lot Deal Near Hub." DNAinfo Chicago. 28 Aug. 2014. Web. 27 May 2016.
Joravsky, Ben. "New Lines in an Old Battle: The Gentrification of Wicker Park." Chicago Reader. 28 July 1988. Web. 27 May 2016.
Pérez, Gina M. "Puerto Ricans." Encyclopedia of Chicago. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2016.
"West Town Neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois (IL), 60612, 60622, 60647 Detailed Profile." City-Data. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2016.
"Wicker Park Real Estate Market Overview." Trulia.com. Web. 27 May 2016.
"Wicker Park Home." Zillow.com. Web. 27 May 2016.