Burnside, Chicago
Encyclopedia
Burnside is one of the 77 official community areas
of Chicago, Illinois, and is located on the city's south side. This area is also called by locals, "The Triangle", as it is bordered by railroad tracks on every side; the Illinois Central
on the west, the Rock Island on the south and the New York Central
on the east.
Originally considered part of Roseland
and the Chatham
communities, it was distinguished as one of the 77 Chicago communities when the University of Chicago established its official map of Chicago communities. The area was mostly undeveloped swamp land north of Lake Calumet
until after the American Civil War
. The Illinois Central Railroad (ICRR) built the Burnside Station at 95th street and named it after Ambrose Burnside
, a Civil War general and official of the ICRR.
By the 1890s, the ICRR began construction of a roundhouse
and repair shop at 95th and South Park Boulevard on what is now the site of Chicago State University
. Developer W. V. Jacobs purchased the land in the triangle and began building residential homes. The area was settled by predominantly Hungarian
, Polish
, Italian
and Ukrainian
immigrants. Factory jobs were plentiful at the nearby Burnside Shops as well as Pullman Company
, Burnside Steel Mill and other nearby factories.
Following World War II
, the area's population makeup included a growing number of African-Americans. This was one of several transformations that this working class neighborhood would undergo. Burnside's fortunes began to change in the 1960s when industry patterns lead to economic decline. Nearby steel mills were shuttered. The Pullman Company scaled back production and eventually closed for good in 1981. Skyrocketing crime rates, gang violence and urban decay
forced long time residents and businesses to move away, a phenomenon referred to locally as white flight
.
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...
of Chicago, Illinois, and is located on the city's south side. This area is also called by locals, "The Triangle", as it is bordered by railroad tracks on every side; the Illinois Central
Illinois Central Railroad
The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama. A line also connected Chicago with Sioux City, Iowa...
on the west, the Rock Island on the south and the New York Central
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
on the east.
Originally considered part of Roseland
Roseland, Chicago
Roseland, located on the far south side of the city, is one of the 77 official community areas of Chicago, Illinois. It includes the neighborhoods of Fernwood, Princeton Park, Lilydale, West Chesterfield, Rosemoor, Sheldon Heights and West Roseland...
and the Chatham
Chatham, Chicago
Chatham, located on the south side, is one of the 77 official community areas of South Side of the city of Chicago, Illinois. It includes the neighborhoods of Chatham and West Chesterfield...
communities, it was distinguished as one of the 77 Chicago communities when the University of Chicago established its official map of Chicago communities. The area was mostly undeveloped swamp land north of Lake Calumet
Lake Calumet
Lake Calumet is the largest body of water within the city of Chicago. Formerly a shallow, postglacial lake draining into Lake Michigan, it has been changed beyond recognition by industrial redevelopment and decay...
until after the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The Illinois Central Railroad (ICRR) built the Burnside Station at 95th street and named it after Ambrose Burnside
Ambrose Burnside
Ambrose Everett Burnside was an American soldier, railroad executive, inventor, industrialist, and politician from Rhode Island, serving as governor and a U.S. Senator...
, a Civil War general and official of the ICRR.
By the 1890s, the ICRR began construction of a roundhouse
Roundhouse
A roundhouse is a building used by railroads for servicing locomotives. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables...
and repair shop at 95th and South Park Boulevard on what is now the site of Chicago State University
Chicago State University
Chicago State University is a state university of the U.S. state of Illinois, located in Chicago.-History:Cook County Normal School was founded in 1867, largely through the initiative of John F. Eberhart, the Commissioner of Schools for Cook County...
. Developer W. V. Jacobs purchased the land in the triangle and began building residential homes. The area was settled by predominantly Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
immigrants. Factory jobs were plentiful at the nearby Burnside Shops as well as Pullman Company
Pullman Company
The Pullman Palace Car Company, founded by George Pullman, manufactured railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the early decades of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Pullman developed the sleeping car which carried his name into the 1980s...
, Burnside Steel Mill and other nearby factories.
Following 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...
, the area's population makeup included a growing number of African-Americans. This was one of several transformations that this working class neighborhood would undergo. Burnside's fortunes began to change in the 1960s when industry patterns lead to economic decline. Nearby steel mills were shuttered. The Pullman Company scaled back production and eventually closed for good in 1981. Skyrocketing crime rates, gang violence and urban decay
Urban decay
Urban decay is the process whereby a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude...
forced long time residents and businesses to move away, a phenomenon referred to locally as white flight
White flight
White flight has been a term that originated in the United States, starting in the mid-20th century, and applied to the large-scale migration of whites of various European ancestries from racially mixed urban regions to more racially homogeneous suburban or exurban regions. It was first seen as...
.
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