East Garfield Park

In its early days, East Garfield Park was home to mostly Irish, German, Italian, Russian and Jewish immigrants, anchored by factory jobs and the neighborhood's 184-acre namesake park. A succession of events—the Depression, World War II, displacement from the Eisenhower Expressway construction and the 1968 riots—upended Garfield Park. Much of Madison Street was devastated in the riots following Dr. King's assassination, and middle-class residents and businesses left in droves. From 1950 to the present, the population dropped by more than two-thirds. Groups like the Garfield Park Community Council are working to revitalize parts of their community, and new food business incubators, light manufacturing businesses, maker spaces and artist studios are breathing new life into abandoned structures. The neighborhood also features a remarkable collection of ornate 19th century greystones and the landmark Garfield Park Conservatory, a major year-round draw for Chicagoans and tourists alike.