KENWOOD & OAKLAND — The City of Neighborhoods

Background

Non-indigenous settlement began in what is now Oakland in the 1840s. Proximity to Camp Douglas to the north and the development of a slaughterhouse and candle factory attracted a steady stream of early homesteaders. Just further south, Dr. John Kennicott purchased two parcels of land in the 1850s and coined the area Kenwood after his family’s “Kennicott Wood” property in Scotland. After the establishment of an Illinois Central station in 1859, Kenwood quickly filled in with lavish estates, eventually gaining the reputation as the “Lake Forest of the south”. While less pastoral, Oakland also became a fashionable neighborhood for Chicago’s professional class in the last three decades of the 19th century. By the early 1900s, Oakland had evolved into a working-class enclave, reaching its peak of racial and ethnic diversity in the 1930s with a mix of African-American, Jewish, German, English, Irish, and Japanese immigrants and migrants. Simultaneously, Jewish, Japanese, and African-American newcomers filled into Kenwood. Deteriorating conditions in the 40s in North Kenwood and Oakland were greatly exacerbated by a combination of white flight, urban renewal, and methodical segregation imposed by white neighborhood groups in conjunction with the University of Chicago. By the 1950s, 47th Street had essentially been divided between affluent “Kenwood”, which was considered an extension of Hyde Park to the south, from North Kenwood, which like Oakland had become predominately African-American. After considerable decline in the 70s through the early 80s, North Kenwood and Oakland experienced steady revitalization, mostly from an influx of middle-class African-American homeowners. In addition to the restoration of many historic single-family homes and the hard-fought establishment of two city landmark districts, the area gained impactful mixed-income housing developments as well as rehabbed CHA units such as the Lake Parc Place apartments. With the profound socioeconomic diversity, proud local businesses, exceptional historic architecture, and dynamic community organizations, Kenwood and Oakland make for compelling, contingent South Side lakefront exploration.

47th and Lake Park Ave from 1960, Chicago History Museum, ICHi-039003; J. Sherwin Murphy, photographer

A Great Day in Kenwood and Oakland

Morning

One way to begin an early morning visit to the area is stopping in the Bridgeport Coffeehouse just north of Kenwood’s southern border. The South Side roaster’s Kenwood location is bright, casual, and open to the welcoming Hyde Park Art Center. Founded in 1939 and housed in the expansive 32,000 sq. ft. facility since 2006, the art center’s inclusion, impact, and reach are felt broadly throughout the South Side and Chicago. With six galleries featuring rotating work from local, national, and international artists, free events, artist talks, and wide-ranging studio classes for all ages, the art center is a beloved and engaging community resource.

Bridgeport Coffee and Hyde Park Art Center

Upon stepping out of the Hyde Park Art Center, you can begin taking note of Kenwood’s architectural history and residential establishment of the South Side’s upper class. Just to the east, the highrise lakefront community that was developed as the Chicago Beach neighborhood, showcases two side by side art deco landmarks, the Powhatan and The Narragansett Apartments. Each of the buildings stand at 22-stories, are adorned in terra-cotta with Native American motif panels on the exterior, and were designed for the fashionable, luxury highrise living of the 20s.

Powhatan and The Narragansett Apartments

Heading north, the epicenter of the area’s prestige is on display in the historic Kenwood District. Built in 1873, the C.S. Bouton House at 4812 S. Woodlawn is the neighborhood’s oldest that hasn’t been significantly altered and is still standing. The owner of the Italianate home made his fortune as a partner in a foundry business during the city’s rebuild following the 1871 fire. Other notable homes of Chicago’s late 19th and early 20th century industry barons are Martin Ryerson’s (lumber) 1887 Romanesque mansion at 4851 S. Drexel Blvd., Dr. Jonathan McGill’s (medical patents) 1891 Chateauesque mansion at 4938 S. Drexel Blvd., Gustavus Swift’s (meat-packing) 1898 three-story mansion with a massive wrap-around porch at 4848 S. Ellis Ave, and Julius Rosenwald’s (Sears, Roebuck and Company) 1903 Prairie School mansion at 4901 S. Ellis Ave.

The southern section of Kenwood is also notable for its history of African-American prominence. One of Kenwood’s first Black residents was the celebrated lawyer Earl B. Dickerson who lived at 5027 S. Drexel Ave from 1947-1963. Dickerson was the first African-American graduate from the University of Chicago’s law school and integral in the groundbreaking Hansberry v. Lee case that legally struck down racial covenants. At the intersection of 49th and Woodlawn, Egyptian architect M. Momen designed five North-African style mansions for Nation of Islam founder Elijah Muhammad and his children and staff. In order to be closer to his Nation of Islam mentor, Muhammed Ali bought the brick mansion at 4944 S. Woodlawn, where he lived for several years in the 70s. Of course, Kenwood’s most famous site is the Obama’s Georgian rival mansion at 5046 S. Greenwood Ave., which they’ve owned since 2005.

Afternoon

For a great lunch option, you can cross 47th St. into North Kenwood and settle in at Carver 47. With its celebration of integrating nature and urban gardening and a reverence for its namesake agricultural and environmental pioneer Dr. George Washington Carver, the earthy art and plant adorned space is a nice backdrop as you sip your coffee, smoothie, or juice and wait for your food off the eclectic menu. The cafe is under the umbrella of and housed in the non-profit neighborhood staple Little Black Pearl. For 25 years, Little Black Pearl has been providing both youth and adults inclusive and impactful arts education. Though its extensive in-house and extensive outreach programming is centered around high-school age youth including functioning as a CPS public high school, there are also opportunities for adults to engage in art popups and workshops throughout the year.

Little Black Pearl, photo by Starsha Gill

A great post lunch activity is exploring the North Kenwood Multiple Resource District, which contains some of the South Side’s and Chicago’s best remaining late 19th century residential architecture. The historic district is centered around the intact attached row-house blocks of 4400 S. Berkeley Ave. and S. Ellis Ave., but also includes over 100 dispersed buildings including the former home of blues legend Muddy Waters at 4339 S. Lake Park Ave. Representative of fashionable building tastes of the era, the prevailing design motif is Romanesque Revival with rusticated stone facades. While what is now called North Kenwood was initially developed for Chicago’s burgeoning upper-middle class, the remaining patchwork of vacant lots are a reminder of the neighborhood’s midcentury through early 80s decline. Beginning in the late 80s, the revitalization, preservation of the historical character of North Kenwood-Oakland, and its emergence as a black middle-class enclave was thoroughly explored in sociologist Mary Patillo’s 2007 book Black on the Block.

While the remaining structures of the Oakland District survived within similar socioeconomic currents, they showcase their own unique architectural flourishes. In addition to over 50 surrounding structures, the core of the district are the rows of 1880s Queen-Anne cottages on the 4100 blocks S. Berkeley Ave. and S. Lake Park Ave. Complementing these quaint houses are the various sculptures that make up the Oakland Museum of Contemporary Art. Distributed among a few lots on E. 41st Pl., the organic arrangement of works of resident of the block and self-taught sculptor Milton Mizenberg helped transform this once blighted intersection in the 80s into an integrated urban sculpture park.

Adjacent to the Oakland Museum of Contemporary Art on the east side of Lake Park Ave. and 41st, a bronze Mizenberg sculpture welcomes visitors to the Williams-Davis Park and blue, twisting 41st St. Bridge. Completed in 2018, the pedestrian and bike bridge provides views of the downtown skyline and Burnham Park, and most importantly, direct access to the lakefront and Oakwood Beach.

Two other notable Kenwood parks worth visiting are Gwendolyn Brooks Park and Kenwood Park. In Brooks Park, The Oracle of Bronzeville memorial features a bust of the acclaimed South Side author and a wooden structure representing her childhood writing space. Another unique feature is the pickleball courts that are in heavy use in the warmer months. Kenwood park’s expansive lawn, ball fields, and playground is enclosed by 19th century rowhouses.

Gwendolyn Brooks Park, photo by Starsha Gill

Evening

Back on 47th St., Goree Cuisine is among the best West African restaurants in the city. Named after an island off the Sengalese coast, the restaurant specializes in fish and seafood dishes such as its tilapia, red snapper, and salmon plates. There’s also plenty of popular meat dishes like the Dibi Lamb or Brochette Chicken and vegetarian options like the Thiou Curry (carrots, potatoes, and yuca). For dessert, you can try the Sengalese staple thiakry, which is a light yogurt-millet pudding.

The best way to spend a late evening is to head down to the North Kenwood and Oakland border on 43rd St. Anchoring the commercial block that also includes Faie African Art Gallery and jewelry boutique Fort Smith, Norman’s Bistro is a great dinner option for its American creole/Brazilian fusion cuisine with popular items like the Shrimp, Chicken, and Lobster Gumbo and sides such as the corn pudding and the creole collard greens. It has also become a neighborhood institution for its live jazz events and other music acts.