Ashburn, Chicago
Encyclopedia
Ashburn, one of Chicago
's 77 community areas
, is located on the southwest side of the city. Greater Ashburn covers nearly five square miles. The approximate boundaries of Ashburn are 75th Street (N), Western Avenue (E), 87th Street (S) and Cicero Avenue (W).
. Ashburn opened the first airfield in Chicago in 1916, becoming the home to the E. M. Laird Airplane Company
. The marshy airfield closed in 1939. The post-World War II
economic boom, the industrial boom of Ford City, and the baby boom all contributed to a population boom in the 1950-'60s. Affordable home prices and close proximity to the Chicago Loop
helped the boom. Before Bogan High School was built, and before the area west of Pulaski Road was developed, ash 'heaps' were visible in the area south of Ford City but north of 79th Street. Also, the first food store in the area, north of the 87th & Pulaski "Hometown" Hi Lo food store which opened around 1954, was an Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company A&P store at the northwest corner of the 79th Street and Pulaski intersection. If you wanted more variety, you had to drive over to Kroger on Western Avenue, or further East on 63rd Street. The site of Bogan High School forced the 'house' move in 1955 of several brick homes which were re-located just east of Dawes Elementary School, from Springfield Avenue. Also, vast skating ponds in the winter were attractions for Dawes and St. Denis children, at the site of the current playgrounds for Bogan. Located adjacent Bogan High School is Bogan Park, which includes baseball fields, tennis courts, and some really tight basketball rims.
Along the southern edge of Ashburn, the square mile to the west is known as Scottsdale or St. Bede Parish. The center square mile is known as Ashburn or St. Denis Parish (which includes the now-defunct St. Denis Grammar School), and the easternmost square mile is known as Wrightwood, St. Thomas More Parish, or more affectionately as "Tommy More" (it too includes the now defunct St. Thomas More grammar school). The population of Greater Ashburn was predominantly Irish-Catholic until the 1990s when the area began to diversify. In the 1950s, St. Denis Grammar School was home to over 2,000 children, many of whom were in classrooms of 50+ students each. Classes during the 1959
White Sox
Go-Go Series
were held in the basement of the school due to overcrowding. There were also two shifts of school grades for grades 2 through 6. The pastors at St. Denis (Father Doyle, Father Hanley and Father Fullmer) were devoted to expanding the facilities and serving the Catholics, but could never have enough classrooms to house all the Catholic children in the classrooms in the mid to late 1950s. There was a satellite school at Springfield Avenue & 82nd Place in the early 1950s, and Dawes Elementary was filled, so much so that new schools, Carroll and Hancock, were built shortly after Dawes Elementary. Also, in the early days of St. Denis, the school had clear visibility looking east to Kedzie Avenue, as the Owen School was new and the housing was minimal to the east.
The Ashburn neighborhood was an attraction for certain carnivals, as it had vast tracts of land during the pre-construction boom. In 1953, at the corner of Springfield and 83rd Street, a carnival including elephants set up tents each year. Before the building boom in the mid-1950s, an army surplus store proudly sold "K-mart"-type items near the corner of Columbus and 85th Street; it saw its demise when a bowling alley was constructed nearby. The small white Methodist church at the corner of 83rd Place and Hamlin expanded into a great brick facility in the 1950s and was home to numerous Girl Scout, Brownie and Boy Scout meetings.
In 1999, The New York Times did an article on the Ashburn neighborhood as a case study in the difficulties of neighborhood integration in Chicago. Wrightwood, to the east, was the first section of the neighborhood to integrate, becoming dominately African-American. Ashburn experienced a significant transition to a largely blended African-American and Hispanic area. Scottsdale, to the west, has remained predominately white.
's SouthWest Service
provides Monday-Saturday rail service at the Ashburn
railroad station.
, Owens Scholastic Academy, and William J. Bogan High School.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
's 77 community areas
Community areas of Chicago
Community areas in Chicago refers to the work of the Social Science Research Committee at University of Chicago which has unofficially divided the City of Chicago into 77 community areas. These areas are well-defined and static...
, is located on the southwest side of the city. Greater Ashburn covers nearly five square miles. The approximate boundaries of Ashburn are 75th Street (N), Western Avenue (E), 87th Street (S) and Cicero Avenue (W).
History
Ashburn, which got its name as the dumping site for the city's ashes, was slow to experience growth at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1893, the "Clarkdale" subdivision was planned near 83rd and Central Park Avenue along the new Chicago & Grand Trunk Railway, with 19 homes in the first 50 years. The early residents were Dutch, Swedish and IrishSouth Side Irish
South Side Irish is the term that refers to the large Irish-American community on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois.-South Side Irish St. Patrick's Day Parade:...
. Ashburn opened the first airfield in Chicago in 1916, becoming the home to the E. M. Laird Airplane Company
E. M. Laird Airplane Company
E. M. Laird Airplane Company was a American aircraft manufacturer of commercial aircraft and custom race planes.- Wichita Airplane Company :...
. The marshy airfield closed in 1939. The post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
economic boom, the industrial boom of Ford City, and the baby boom all contributed to a population boom in the 1950-'60s. Affordable home prices and close proximity to the Chicago Loop
Chicago Loop
The Loop or Chicago Loop is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas located in the City of Chicago, Illinois. It is the historic commercial center of downtown Chicago...
helped the boom. Before Bogan High School was built, and before the area west of Pulaski Road was developed, ash 'heaps' were visible in the area south of Ford City but north of 79th Street. Also, the first food store in the area, north of the 87th & Pulaski "Hometown" Hi Lo food store which opened around 1954, was an Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company A&P store at the northwest corner of the 79th Street and Pulaski intersection. If you wanted more variety, you had to drive over to Kroger on Western Avenue, or further East on 63rd Street. The site of Bogan High School forced the 'house' move in 1955 of several brick homes which were re-located just east of Dawes Elementary School, from Springfield Avenue. Also, vast skating ponds in the winter were attractions for Dawes and St. Denis children, at the site of the current playgrounds for Bogan. Located adjacent Bogan High School is Bogan Park, which includes baseball fields, tennis courts, and some really tight basketball rims.
Along the southern edge of Ashburn, the square mile to the west is known as Scottsdale or St. Bede Parish. The center square mile is known as Ashburn or St. Denis Parish (which includes the now-defunct St. Denis Grammar School), and the easternmost square mile is known as Wrightwood, St. Thomas More Parish, or more affectionately as "Tommy More" (it too includes the now defunct St. Thomas More grammar school). The population of Greater Ashburn was predominantly Irish-Catholic until the 1990s when the area began to diversify. In the 1950s, St. Denis Grammar School was home to over 2,000 children, many of whom were in classrooms of 50+ students each. Classes during the 1959
1959 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers over Chicago White Sox ; Larry Sherry, MVP*All-Star Game , July 7 at Forbes Field: National League, 5-4*All-Star Game , August 3 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: American League, 5-3...
White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
Go-Go Series
1959 World Series
The 1959 World Series featured the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers beating the American League champion Chicago White Sox, four games to two. It was the first pennant for the White Sox in 40 years . They would have to wait until 2005 to win another championship...
were held in the basement of the school due to overcrowding. There were also two shifts of school grades for grades 2 through 6. The pastors at St. Denis (Father Doyle, Father Hanley and Father Fullmer) were devoted to expanding the facilities and serving the Catholics, but could never have enough classrooms to house all the Catholic children in the classrooms in the mid to late 1950s. There was a satellite school at Springfield Avenue & 82nd Place in the early 1950s, and Dawes Elementary was filled, so much so that new schools, Carroll and Hancock, were built shortly after Dawes Elementary. Also, in the early days of St. Denis, the school had clear visibility looking east to Kedzie Avenue, as the Owen School was new and the housing was minimal to the east.
The Ashburn neighborhood was an attraction for certain carnivals, as it had vast tracts of land during the pre-construction boom. In 1953, at the corner of Springfield and 83rd Street, a carnival including elephants set up tents each year. Before the building boom in the mid-1950s, an army surplus store proudly sold "K-mart"-type items near the corner of Columbus and 85th Street; it saw its demise when a bowling alley was constructed nearby. The small white Methodist church at the corner of 83rd Place and Hamlin expanded into a great brick facility in the 1950s and was home to numerous Girl Scout, Brownie and Boy Scout meetings.
In 1999, The New York Times did an article on the Ashburn neighborhood as a case study in the difficulties of neighborhood integration in Chicago. Wrightwood, to the east, was the first section of the neighborhood to integrate, becoming dominately African-American. Ashburn experienced a significant transition to a largely blended African-American and Hispanic area. Scottsdale, to the west, has remained predominately white.
Transportation
MetraMetra
Metra is the commuter rail division of the Illinois Regional Transportation Authority. The system serves Chicago and its metropolitan area through 240 stations on 11 different rail lines. Throughout the 21st century, Metra has been the second busiest commuter rail system in the United States by...
's SouthWest Service
SouthWest Service
The SouthWest Service is an American commuter rail line owned and operated by Metra, running southwest from Union Station in downtown Chicago, Illinois, to Manhattan, Illinois...
provides Monday-Saturday rail service at the Ashburn
Ashburn (Metra)
Ashburn is a station on Metra's SouthWest Service in the community area of Ashburn, Chicago, Illinois. The station is away from Union Station, the northern terminus of the line. In Metra's zone-based fare system, Ashburn is in zone C. There is an unstaffed shelter. There are no connecting bus...
railroad station.
Notable residents
Notable residents (current or former) include:- Ed FarmerEd FarmerEdward Joseph Farmer is a former Major League relief pitcher with an 11-year career from - and -. He played for the Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox and Oakland A's, all in the American League, and the Philadelphia Phillies...
- Timothy McCarthy
- Thomas M. TunneyThomas M. TunneyThomas M. Tunney is an American entrepreneur and politician from Chicago, Illinois. Since 2003, he has served as an alderman on the Chicago City Council. He represents the prominent 44th Ward of the city, which includes major tourist destinations, Boystown and Wrigleyville...
- Jim ZulevicJim ZulevicJim Zulevic was an American actor, improvisational comedian, television writer, and radio host. He died suddenly, possibly due to a heart attack, at age 40.- Early life :...
Schools
The Ashburn area serves as a home to many schools such as Carroll Elementary School, Dawes Elementary School, Durkin Park Elementary School, Stevenson Elementary School, Lionel Hampton Fine & Performing Arts SchoolLionel Hampton Fine & Performing Arts School
Lionel Hampton Fine & Performing Arts School is a public magnet school for grades K-8 in southwestern Chicago, Illinois, United States. This school was started in the fall of 2000. This school was formerly known as New Dawes.-History:...
, Owens Scholastic Academy, and William J. Bogan High School.