author of The Jews of Chicago: From Shtetl to Suburb, (U. of Illinois Press, 1996)
Date: Tue, 17 Dec 1996
Dear Chancellor,
I am writing to strongly urge you to help in the establishment
of a Maxwell Street National Historic District.
I am a retired University professor who now annually gives dozens of tours of Ethnic Chicago and Jewish Chicago, and I am also the author of The Jews of Chicago: From Shtetl to Suburb published in 1996 by the University of Illinois Press. My many years of experience has shown me that of all the neighborhoods in Chicago, the people are most interested and fascinated by the Maxwell Street area - its history, peoples and sights. I devote about fifty pages of my book to the Maxwell Street area and I am told that it is the most popular part of the book.
To have this most colorful, vibrant, memorable part of Chicago's
history (and at one time the city's third largest retail area)
completely obliterated with no cognizance of the role it played,
especially for various immigrant groups who lived there or utilized
its unique market, would be a great disservice to the city. The
city has rightly spent much preserving Prairie Avenue where Chicago's
wealthiest once lived; surely, the much better known, extraordinary
Maxwell Street area should also be remembered for its significance
and contributions. Furthermore, what other community in Chicago
can claim such a distinguished and varied group of residents that
included Benny Goodman, Arthur Goldberg, Admiral hyman Rickover,
Barney Balaban, Paul Muni, William Paley, Abraham Lincoln Marovitz,
Jacob Arvey, Barney Ross, Meyer Levin, and Saul Alinsky, among
others.
The Maxwell Street area has played a very important role in Chicago's
history and certainly deserves recognition and preservation as
a National Historic District.
Sincerely,
Dr. Irving Cutler
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