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Community Assessment: Chatham/ Greater-Grand Crossing
Ashley Kennedy
Northern Illinois University
PHHE 315
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Abstract
Community Area 44, 10 miles S of the Loop. Since the mid-1950s, Chatham has been a
stronghold of Chicago's African American middle class. Defined by a jagged boundary lying
within 79th and 95th Streets, the Illinois Central Railroad and the Dan Ryan Expressway,
Chatham contains one of the most solidly middle-class African American populations in the city,
and is home to several of the most successful black businesses in the country.
Historically, Chatham was comprised of three neighborhoods. Avalon Highlands was first settled
between 1884 and 1895 by Italian stonemasons; Dauphin Park, later called Chesterfield, was
settled predominantly by Hungarian and Irish railroad workers; and the area known as Chatham
Fields was used in the 1880s as a picnic ground. In 1914, a development calling itself Chatham
Fields was built on the land, enforcing strict zoning codes (before the citywide 1923 zoning
ordinance) and property and behavior standards for its residents that became a defining
characteristic for the entire community. The southern portion of the Chatham-Greater Grand
Crossing Commercial District, south of 79th St., is located in the former Avalon Highlands and
Chatham Fields neighborhoods.
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Table of Contents
Part 1………………………………………………………………………………………..Pg.4
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Community Description……………………………………………………………..Pg.4
Community Geographic……………………………………………………………Pg.5
Part 2………………………………………………………………………………………..Pg.6
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Community Gate Keepers…..……………………………………………………….Pg.6
The current health crisis……………………………………………………………..Pg.7
Part 3………………………………………………………………………………………..Pg.8
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Data Collected………………………………………………………………………Pg.8
Suggestions to Program developers………………………………………………...Pg.8
Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………..Pg.9
References…………………………………………………………………………………...Pg.10
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Chatham-Greater Grand Crossing Community Description
The Chatham-Greater Grand Crossing is labeled as the commercial district in the
Chicagoland area. According to the Land Mark Designation Report, “The Chatham-Greater
Grand Crossing Commercial District, named for its location in two of Chicago’s South-Side
community areas, possesses one of the finest-surviving groupings of terracotta-clad
neighborhood commercial buildings in Chicago. The District’s development dates from the
1910s and 20s, during which time commercial buildings were built along Cottage Grove and the
major intersecting arterial streets of 75th and 79th Streets. This handsome collection of 19
buildings retains a strong visual prominence today and is a reminder of the days when streetcar
“transfer corners,” including 75th/Cottage Grove and 79th /Cottage Grove, encouraged the
development of neighborhood shopping districts where residents could find a wide variety of
retail offerings and services.”
“During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as the city experienced tremendous
expansion and population growth, Chicago developed as a series of tightly organized and built
neighborhoods. Although the major downtown shopping district along State Street and Wabash
Avenue in the Loop served the entire city, most Chicagoans shopped on a daily basis near their
homes in small stores located along neighborhood shopping streets. Here the daily necessities of
food, medicines, clothing, banking and other goods and services could be handled conveniently
without leaving the neighborhood,” according to the 2007 landmark report.
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Community Geographic
Reflecting higher land values and commercial activity, these neighborhood commercial
districts were typically characterized by taller (3- to 4-story) buildings located at the corners of
the principal intersecting streets, with sizes tapering off down the adjacent blocks.
Present-day streetscape views of the Chatham-Greater
Grand Crossing Commercial District. The buildings display an overall visual unity based on a
cohesive scale, design and use of materials, especially the use of architectural terra cotta. The
image above is looking west on the corner of 79th and Cottage Grove.
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The image above displays an up to date transportation schedule for the Chatham- Greater
Crossing neighborhood. “In the early twentieth century, commercial areas especially developed
where streetcar lines crossed, creating “nodes” of commerce that capitalized on passengers
transferring between different lines. At these “transfer corners,” streetcar riders did convenience
and impulse buying; and a variety of stores—increasingly including early chain stores—found
enough sales to justify the high rents that occurred because of rising land values and demands for
retail space.”(2007, Landmark Report)
Community Gate Keepers
Francinze A. Caldwell was such a pleasant to speak with. She has been a part of the
Chatham- Grand Crossing area for over forty years now. She is the president of her block club
for over a decade and sadly to say that she is thinking about moving out the neighborhood. “I
remember when they use to label this area for the middle class; now look at it. It’s depressing.”
During my interview with Ms. Caldwell she expressed to me how the neighborhood is deaerating
and declining rapidly because of the new generation mindsets. “They will rather stand around on
the corner and do nothing, then go to school and get an education.” Surprisingly she expressed to
me that the truancy laws have changed over the years because this kids are not going to school
and know is making them go. There was a time that if a child was not present in school for a
number of days; the parents will be arrested. Not in this day in age. The young men in this area
are trying to survive the wars between the locals that going to school is the last thing on their
minds.
The safety in this area is the biggest issue that came from the gatekeepers I interviewed.
LaSheda Malsups is another lady I interviewed in the Chatham neighborhood. During our
interview she completely blew over my questions concerning health clinics or nearby health
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faculties. Instead we talked about the violence that has completely taken the neighborhood by
storm for at least an hour.
Current Health Crisis
According to the South Central Community Services, Inc. mental health is the leading
health crisis in the Chatham-Greater grand Crossing neighborhood. The south Central
Community Services was founded in 1970 by residents of the Chatham and Avalon Park
communities, in response to a lack of mental health services for a growing number of children
with emotional and behavioral disorders. These children were being excluded from the public
schools on the South side of Chicago. To meet the needs of this unique population, the South
Central Community Health Service Organization (SCCHSO) was formed and a special education
school established. “Operating from a storefront, SCCHSO expanded its services and purchased
the closed Chatham YMCA, which was turned into a community center. By 1981, deteriorating
economic conditions and in-creasing community problems and needs fueled a call for additional
programs and services. That call was answered by SCCHSO. So numerous, diverse, and varied
were the requests from the residents that SCCHSO had to increase its services and expand its
mission. To reflect its evolution, in 1981, SCCHSO was renamed South Central Community
Services, Inc.” (SCCS).
When I spoke with the few gatekeepers from this neighborhood, the children was a huge
part of the conversation. Questions that were asked:
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In your opinion, how can we refocus the up and coming generation to live a healthier
lives?
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Why are there more liquor stores than community centers for the children?
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How do you feel about the truancy laws? Why are children not forced to go to school?
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How can the neighborhood leaders give the new generation a different outlook on life
other than killing each other?
The answers I received surrounded the matter of their mentality. If some of these children
comes from broken homes, than the neighborhood has to try to show them something different to
mend their broken state of mind. This can include community centers such the South Central
Community Services. They are one out of two centers in the neighborhood that can provide
different mental services. Such as, Mental Health Assessments, Treatment Plan Development,
Individual Therapy, Family Therapy, Group Therapy, Crisis Intervention Services, Case
Management, Community Supports, Psychiatric Evaluations, Medication Management,
Emergency Medication, Advocacy.
Data Collected
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The graph above is age statistics in the Chatham-Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood.
As it states that the highest age group is from the ages 15-20 years old. This was worthy
information for my assessment seeing that my target population was the adolescent. The second
highest was around 50-55 years old, during my observations this is the group of the elderly that
have been in the neighborhood their entire lives. The neighborhood is all they know and these
individuals are usually the gatekeepers and the community leaders. The adolescent on the other
hand is the up and coming generation that lacks enormously of resources and knowledge. This
generation doesn’t have the same resources and those that have been in the neighborhood for
over thirty years. The neighborhood was designed for the middle-class, but is now labeled as one
of Chicago’s poverty areas. With poverty comes violence and the image below displays that the
greater grand crossing is the leading Chicagoland area in murder as of 2006.
The South Central Community Services has programs that can assist those teenagers can
possibly learn something from the information that they are providing. Such as, The programs
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and services offered by South Central are: a Head Start Program; Day Treatment Elementary
School; Day Treatment High School; Post Adoption; Project S.T.R.I.V.E., educational advocacy
services; Advocacy Center, community support services; Continuity of Care, psychiatric
assessment services; Outpatient Mental Health Program; Biddy Basketball League; A’s & B’s
After-School Tutoring; Brag Club for Senior Citizens; Senior Recreation Services; BeBe
P.H.A.T (Positive, Hip, and Trim); Youth On The Move; Sports & Recreation; Choices, social
responsibility program; Summer Enrichment Camp; Mentor Plus Jobs; and the Wellness Center.
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Conclusion
The District’s development dates from the 1910s and 20s, during which time commercial
buildings were built along Cottage Grove and the major intersecting arterial streets of 75th and
79th Streets. Community Area 44, 10 miles S of the Loop. Since the mid-1950s, Chatham has
been a stronghold of Chicago's African American middle class. “This collection of buildings is a
handsome example of the architectural styles important to early twentieth-century neighborhood
commercial development, with the majority richly clad with terra-cotta ornament, and several
completely clad with terra cotta. Together they form a striking ensemble of buildings that convey
the character and “sense of place” of Chicago’s early twentieth-century neighborhood
commercial development and are some of the best-surviving terra-cotta commercial buildings
remaining along Chicago neighborhood commercial streets,”(2007, Landmark Report).
Mental health is the leading health crisis in the Chatham-Greater grand Crossing neighborhood.
The South Central Community Services was founded in 1970 by residents of the Chatham and
Avalon Park communities, in response to a lack of mental health services for a growing number
of children with emotional and behavioral disorders. They have programs for emotionally
disturbed youth, ages 15 to 21 years old, provides a full range of educational and therapeutic
services to 70 teenagers and young adults. Positive behavior and attitudinal changes are
promoted through the provision of therapy, instruction and individualized personal attention in a
small classroom setting.
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References
Chatham-Greater Grand Crossing Commercial District. (n.d.). Retrieved November 24, 2014,
fromhttp://www.cityofchicago.org/dam/city/depts/zlup/Historic_Preservation/Publication
s/Chatham-Greater_Grand_Crossing_Dist.pdf
Welcome to South Central Community Services | Educational. (n.d.). Retrieved November 24,
2014, from http://www.sccsinc.org/educational.html