Maxwell Street Landmark Letter from:
<fax#312-266-2077>
August 1, 1994
TO: Mr. Jerry Rogers, Keeper of the National Register, Department of the Interior, 800 N. Capitol Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20240
Dear Mr. Rogers:
I am writing on behalf of the Chicago Historical Society in support of the nomination of the Maxwell Street market area to the National Register of Historic Places.
Chicago is rich in historic sites, but few have endured as long as the Maxwell Street Market has or played such a critical role in the histories of as many Chicaagoans. A major point of entry for Jews, Italians, African-Americans, and Mexicans during the years 1890-1944, the Maxwell Street Market exemplifies life in a pluralistic urban society.
As a public historian, I am mindful of the responsibility to present a more inclusive history of Chicago that tells the stories of all the city's diverse citizens. Maxwell Street Market is an important thread in that history. Achieving historic landmark status for the market will attract a broader public audience to the history of the city and its people.
This nomination is only part of a broader effort to save the history of the Maxwell Street Market. That history is also one of the subjects of an exhibition the Chicago Historical Society is organizing in 1995 as part of its "Neighborhoods: Keepers of Culture" project. The project will gather oral histories of the area and locate new artifacts that will help further our appreciation of the rich history of the Maxwell Street Market area.
I urge you to support this nomination. The Maxwell Street area is a historically significant part of Chicago that should be preserved and interpreted for all of its citizens and for their future generations.
Yours sincerely,
Douglas Greenberg
President and Director, Chicago Historical Society
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