provided by OPENAIR-MARKET NET
As you can see, this is a perfect area for an open air public street market. This was Chicago's port-of-entry neighborhood for many of its immigrant and ethnic groups. Each group left their mark, for example: media: William Paley and CBS, music: Muddy Waters and Benny Goodman, law: Arthur Goldberg, and sports: Barney Ross.
This historic area is just southwest of the Loop, by the University of Illinois at Chicago campus. Its center is at South Halsted Street and Maxwell Street. Halsted is a main (North-South) arterial street and Maxwell is two blocks south of Roosevelt Road, a main East-West street. The Greektown and Little Italy neighborhoods are nearby. The Maxwell street area is a short cab ride from the Loop or you can take the Congress subway, get off at Halsted and walk about a mile south or switch to a Halsted bus at the subway stop. See map.
There are no clubs yet in the old Maxwell Street area so tours here are a day time activity.
Eat at Jim's Hot Dog Stand1320 South Halsted (312-666-0533) - with that special grilled onion smell - is open 24 hours. It is located at the corner of South Halsted Street and Maxwell Street. If you are lucky, you will get to meet Judge Hightower a blind pencil vendor and Rose Kennedy's former golf caddy. He has a lot of good stories.
Next door is Reverend John Johnson's Heritage Blues Bus Music. He has a good selection of Chicago Blues greats and is building a gospel wall of fame in his store. In the old days he sold blues tapes nearby out of an blue painted school bus. Jimmy Rogers ( Muddy Water's guitar player) used to buy tapes at this bus.
There are still a few young men who hawk things (CD's, Tapes, socks, perfume) on Halsted Street in the old peddler tradition. They are sometimes a bit forward but they are friendly and do understand a polite no-thank-you.
St. Francis of Assisi of Church 813 West Roosevelt (312- 850-1448) - is Chicago's oldest Mexican-American Church. People are living in the church 24 hours a day to protect the church until the archdiocese fully restores it. This is a landmark church and the multi-generation parishioners are very friendly. There are six masses on Sunday.
Roosevelt/Halsted Commercial Strip still has a few shops left. Meet the (Korean, Arab, Black, and Jewish) business owners that remain. Buy some cool clothes and learn something about the history of the area and their neighbor, the neighborhood destroying University of Illinois at Chicago -- which receives money from the federal government.
Maxwell Street, just East of Halsted. This is the last one block strip of the original Maxwell Street area. Though currently run down, it can still be preserved and restored. There are a few stores left. The famous "cheat you fair" sign is still there. Many prominent blues musicians played in front of this place. Through the magic of cyberspace, you can see blues musicians playing there when the market was still alive before the University of Illinois destroyed it.
Meet Tyner White, street visionary, artist, inventor, and environmentalist, who lives in the middle of the block, on the north side of the Maxwell. Tyner loves to discuss his ideas and has been featured on Wild Chicago, a local travel show on public television. Maxworks, home of the Chicago Greens newsletter is across the street.
Creative Reuse Warehouse, located at 721 W. OBrien (2 blocks south of Roosevelt between the Dan Ryan and Halsted) (312- 421-3640), puts unwanted materials from business, industry and individual donors into the hands of non-profit, educational, cultural and community organizations. One of their efforts is The Chicago Computer Reclamation Project. This diverts computers from landfills and matches them with kids who would otherwise not have access to such equipment. These computers enable students to take an active part in helping to create their learning environments and allow for building community with one another and within their schools.
On Sundays, visit the New Maxwell Street Market at Canal and Roosevelt Road, from 7:00AM to 2:00PM. Canal Street runs parallel to Halsted and is about a half/mile east of it. Gourmet Mexican street food abounds and in good weather the blues musicians still play. This is the biggest market in Chicago but it still is only a third the size of the old market. This market is definitely worth a visit. Rail fans will enjoy its proximity to the Amtrak yards.
For more information contact: Professor Steve Balkin at Roosevelt University in Chicago <mar@interaccess.com>. Phone: 312-341-3696
return to Preserve Maxwell Street
return to the Maxwell Street Cyber Trilogy
return to Maxwell Street Theology Home Page
