Maxwell Street Landmark Letter from:
July 8, 1994
To: Mr. William Wheeler, State Historic Preservation Officer, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, Old State Capitol, Plaza, Springfield, Illinois 62701
Re: Maxwell Street, Chicago
Dear Mr. Wheeler:
As someone who was raised in the Maxwell Street Market area, I can speak knowledgeably about its importance to the children of immigrants who grew up to be modest contributors to the City of Chicago and to this country. My parents owned a candy store in the neighborhood and I saw at close hand the struggle of immigrant parents to make a living and give their children educational and economic opportunities for upward mobility. I'm a product of that experience, as are many of my friends and acquaintances.
The Maxwell Street Market is part of Chicago's rich ethnic history, and Chicagoans of many different heritages can trace their roots to Maxwell Street. In its heyday, it was a true bazaar (as Ira Berkow calls it in his book), filled with shops and stalls and street vendors carrying on a vigorous commerce with crowds of shoppers, set in the middle of a poor immigrant neighborhood. Chicago is a dynamic, changing city, which makes it all the more important to preserve places which embody its history. I can think of no other site in Chicago that rivals Maxwell Street in that regard.
I urge you to put Maxwell Street Historic District on the National Register.
Sincerely,
Abraham Lincoln Marovitz
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