Fuller Park: Small Neighborhood with a Big Story

Fuller Park, Community Area 37, is the smallest of Chicago’s 77 community areas less than one square mile but its history and struggles make it one of the city’s most fascinating. Bounded by Pershing Road to the north, 55th Street to the south, the Dan Ryan Expressway to the east, and the Rock Island Railroad tracks to the west, Fuller Park sits tucked between larger, more well-known neighborhoods. Despite its small size, it carries a legacy tied to railroads, migration, environmental challenges, and a tight-knit community identity.

Trivia Question:

What Civil War-era abolitionist minister is Fuller Park named after?
(Answer at the end of this post.)

Fuller Park by the Numbers

Origins and Early History

Fuller Park’s roots lie in the late 19th century when the railroads dominated the South Side landscape. The Rock Island and Pennsylvania rail lines carved through the area, bringing industrial jobs and making it a natural settlement zone for laborers. Small wooden-frame houses and boarding homes sprang up near the tracks, housing European immigrant families, many of whom worked in nearby factories or in the Union Stockyards just to the west.

Many Irish Americans, many of whom worked for the railroads or stockyards, lived in Fuller Park after the American Civil War. In 1871, the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway built a railroad roundhouse in the area.

After the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, Chicago adopted stronger building codes, and developers evaded the codes by building beyond the city limits, including what is now Fuller Park. This resulted in an increase in population in the area. Fuller Park was part of Lake Township until it was annexed by Chicago in 1889

Transformation and Evolution

The early 20th century brought waves of African American families to Fuller Park during the Great Migration. Many came seeking jobs in nearby railroads, packinghouses, and industrial corridors, reshaping the demographic character of the neighborhood. Churches became central gathering places, offering spiritual support and social organization for a community often excluded from other South Side institutions.

But the second half of the 20th century was less kind. As industrial jobs declined, and especially after the closure of the Union Stockyards in 1971, Fuller Park faced economic collapse, depopulation, and disinvestment. The construction of the Dan Ryan Expressway in the 1960s further isolated the area, cutting it off from neighboring communities and shrinking its already limited footprint.

Historical Landmarks and Structures

• Fuller Park (331 W. 45th St.)
  The namesake park, part of the original South Park Commission network, provided residents with ball fields, green space, and a community center.
• Rock Island Railroad Corridor
  Once the economic lifeline of the neighborhood, it linked Fuller Park residents to jobs in factories and rail yards across Chicago.
• First Church of Deliverance (nearby on Michigan Ave.)
  While just beyond Fuller Park’s small boundaries, churches like this highlight the importance of Black religious and cultural life in the area.

Little-Known Historical Fact

In the early 20th century, the South Park Commission designed Fuller Park’s fieldhouse as part of a system of small urban parks meant to bring recreation to working-class neighborhoods. Today, it remains one of the few constants in a neighborhood that has lost much of its housing stock and population.

Historical Events

• Great Migration (1916–1940s)
  Thousands of Black families moved into Fuller Park, making it a key part of Chicago’s evolving African American South Side.
• Dan Ryan Construction (1950s–60s)
  The expressway sliced through the eastern side of the neighborhood, further reducing its size and deepening its economic isolation.
• Stockyards Closure (1971)
  With the loss of nearby jobs, Fuller Park saw its population plummet, and many blocks became marked by vacant lots and abandoned houses.

Current Trends and Redevelopment

Today, Fuller Park remains one of the most sparsely populated community areas in Chicago, but efforts are underway to stabilize and revive it. Fuller Park Community Development Corporation has pushed for affordable housing, youth programs, and environmental cleanup. A striking feature is the Eden Place Nature Center, an environmental education hub built on a former illegal dumpsite that now serves as a symbol of grassroots resilience and renewal.

Demographically, Fuller Park is overwhelmingly African American, with a median income far below the citywide average. Despite economic challenges, the community continues to fight for recognition and resources, embodying a spirit of survival and hope.

Conclusion

Fuller Park may be Chicago’s smallest neighborhood, but its story is anything but small. From immigrant rail workers to Great Migration families, from industrial decline to grassroots renewal, it tells the story of resilience against the odds. With its historic park, churches, and new green spaces like Eden Place, Fuller Park reminds us that even the smallest places can carry some of the biggest lessons about community, survival, and hope.

Trivia Answer:

Fuller Park is named after Melville Weston Fuller, the Illinois-born Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1888 to 1910.