Black, Brilliant, and Resilient: The Untold Story of West Garfield Park

Located about five miles west of downtown, West Garfield Park is a large, historically rich, and under-recognized neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side. Bordered by Kinzie Street to the north, Hamlin Boulevard to the east, Taylor and 5th Avenue to the south, and Kolmar/Kenton to the west, it’s a community shaped by industry, migration, civic pride, and enduring spirit.

Trivia Question:
Which legendary Chicago sports figure once lived on West Washington Boulevard in West Garfield Park?

(Answer at the end of this post)

Origins and Early History

The area developed around Garfield Park, originally called Central Park and renamed after President Garfield’s assassination in 1881. Industrial growth quickly followed the establishment of the Chicago & North Western Railway near Kinzie Street. In 1878, St. Mel Parish opened to serve local German immigrant families, and Madison Street emerged as a commercial hub filled with department stores, hotels, and movie palaces. By 1920, about 40,000 residents lived in West Garfield Park

West Garfield Park by the Numbers

Transformation and Evolution

West Garfield Park prospered through the early 20th century with a strong Irish, Russian Jewish, and German presence. The 1893 Lake Street Elevated and the Garfield Park branch extended access to the Loop, accelerating residential growth and commercial vitality, especially along Madison Avenue. Movie palaces like the Marbro Theater and Paradise Theater anchored Madison’s bustling scene.

The Great Depression and WWII brought challenges, but postwar optimism remained—until the 1950s when panic peddling, redlining, and the construction of the Eisenhower Expressway disrupted residential stability. By the late 1960s, West Garfield Park shifted from majority white to majority Black in under a decade.

By the mid-1960s, West Garfield Park had become a predominantly Black community, but city institutions didn’t reflect that shift. Firehouses, in particular, remained entirely white-staffed — despite widespread complaints from residents about mistreatment, neglect, and racial bias.

On August 12, 1965, tragedy struck when a fire truck responding to a call accidentally killed 22-year-old Dessie May Williams. Witnesses reported that the fireman operating the ladder was intoxicated, and the equipment was handled recklessly. The incident confirmed long-standing fears among residents that their lives were treated as less valuable.

Tensions boiled over. The community erupted into days of unrest, with much of the violence centered around the Madison and Crawford shopping corridor. The neighborhood’s economic engine—already under pressure—suffered a major blow as white-owned businesses rapidly fled. In the wake of the uprising, disinvestment deepened, and a once-thriving commercial district was left hollowed out.

This moment became a turning point, not only for West Garfield Park but for the West Side as a whole. It marked the beginning of a long struggle to reclaim local control, demand respect, and rebuild what was lost.

Historical Landmarks and Structures

• Garfield Park Conservatory (300 N. Central Park Ave.)
  Built in 1906–07 and opened in 1908, this Prairie-style glasshouse is one of the largest conservatories in the world, designed by Jens Jensen and collaborators
• Midwest Athletic Club (6 N. Hamlin Ave.)
  Completed in 1928, this 13-story Club offered a swimming pool, gymnasium, courts, library, and ballroom. Now a landmark, it reflected the area’s 1920s affluence.
• Henry E. Legler Regional Library (115 S. Pulaski Rd.)
  Opened in 1920, designed by Alfred Alschuler in Beaux-Arts style. It served a Jewish community before shifting to mostly African American patrons and was renovated and revived as a regional library in 2019.

Historical Figures from West Garfield Park

• George Halas
  Founder and long-time coach of the Chicago Bears. Halas lived at 4356 W. Washington Blvd. in the mid-1920s and narrowly missed boarding the ill-fated SS Eastland disaster in 1915.
• Marva Collins
  The renowned educator founded Westside Preparatory School in Garfield Park in 1975. Though her school served the broader Garfield Park area, her work had a profound impact on West Garfield Park’s Black students and educational reforms.

Little-Known Historical Fact

A now-obscured chapter: In the early 1900s, the community around Madison and Pulaski hosted a thriving jazz and performance district, anchored by the Golden Pumpkin, a giant Chinese-themed cafe and nightclub at 3829 W. Madison. The venue hosted national acts like Gene Krupa and Bud Freeman and was integral to the neighborhood's vibrant entertainment culture—for a time rivaling downtown clubs.

Historical Events

• Madison-Pulaski Race Riots (1965 & 1968)
  Sparked by local tension and national unrest, these riots devastated retail land and accelerated white flight in West Garfield Park.
• The Opening and Closure of Kostner Blue Line Station
  Added in 1961 to serve the Congress Expressway median, the station closed within two decades due to declining ridership—symbolic of the area’s waning connectivity and investment.
• Jimmy Carter’s Habitat Build (1986)
  The former U.S. President participated in a public home-building project at Maypole and Kildare, highlighting early revitalization efforts—although those homes later fell into disrepair

Current Trends and Redevelopment

West Garfield Park is rebuilding through collective action rather than gentrification:

• West Side United & WUSCC
  These local coalitions secured a $10 million investment from the Pritzker Traubert Foundation in 2023 to support arts, health, business development, and education in the neighborhood
• The Madison–Pulaski Business District
  Though looted during the 2020 protests, many legacy businesses remain, and residents are actively rebuilding this historic mini-downtown corridor along Madison Avenue
• Educational & Cultural Revitalization
  Legler Library hosts an artist-in-residence program. The Garfield Park Conservatory exhibition, Meeting History: A Garfield Park Citizen Archive, spotlights stories from longtime families, now through June 2025.
• Housing and architecture
  The area retains a stunning concentration of pre‑1940s architecture, with 85% of buildings being small multi-family units — higher than in 96% of U.S. neighborhoods

Conclusion

West Garfield Park may not be on every tourist map—but it's a neighborhood layered in history, resilience, and cultural pride. From the majesty of the conservatory to the legacy of Madison-Pulaski shopping, from jazz-era dance halls to civil rights struggles, this community reflects the complex narrative of Chicago.

Take a walk through its historic streets, explore its landmarks, and consider the power of a neighborhood that has endured—and continues to build—on its own terms.

Trivia Answer:
The sports legend was George Halas, founder and longtime coach of the Chicago Bears. He lived at 4356 W. Washington Blvd. and narrowly missed boarding the doomed SS Eastland in 1915.