South Shore

In the 1880s, several wealthy Chicagoans were asked to literally move their homes to make way for the 1893 World’s Fair in (what is today’s) Jackson Park. Beautiful homes and apartment buildings were constructed along South Shore Drive and in the Jackson Park Highlands, some taking cues from the luxurious South Shore Country Club. That institution’s policy of racial discrimination resulted in its closure, but community activists rallied to preserve it into a neighborhood anchor for all. Since 1975, it’s been owned by the Chicago Park District and is known as the South Shore Cultural Center. The community is currently at a crossroads, with plans for major developments to the north and south promising significant change in the coming decades.