Grand Boulevard, Chicago
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Grand Boulevard on the South Side of
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
, is one of the city's Community Areas. The boulevard from which it takes its name is now Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The area is bounded by 39th to the north, 51st Street to the south, Cottage Grove Avenue to the east, and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad tracks to the west.


Bronzeville

This is one of the two community areas that encompass the Bronzeville neighborhood, with the other being
Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...
. Grand Boulevard also includes the Washington Park Court District neighborhood that was declared a
Chicago Landmark Chicago Landmark is a designation by the Mayor and the City Council of Chicago for historic sites in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Listed sites are selected after meeting a combination of criteria, including historical, economic, archite ...
on October 2, 1991. The Harold Washington Cultural Center is one of its newer and more famous buildings. It arose on the site that from the 1920s through the 1970s housed a famous center of African American cultural life, the Regal Theater. Among the other notable properties in this neighborhood are the Daniel Hale Williams House, the
Robert S. Abbott House The Robert S. Abbott House is a historic house in the Grand Boulevard community area of Chicago, Illinois. Built about 1900, it was home from 1926 until his death of Robert S. Abbott (1870-1940), founder and publisher of the ''Chicago Defen ...
, and the Oscar Stanton De Priest House.


Demographics

According to a 2018 US Census American Community Survey, there were 22,784 people and 10,383 households in Grand Boulevard. The racial makeup of the area was 92.56%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 2.70%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 0.70%
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, and 2.26% from
other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
residents of any race were 1.77% of the population. In the area, the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 19, 19.4% from 20 to 34, 22.6% from 35 to 49, 16.4% from 50 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.9 years.


Education

Grand Boulevard is part of City of Chicago School District #299 and City Colleges of Chicago District #508. The nearest City Colleges campus was
Kennedy–King College Kennedy–King College (KKC) part of City Colleges of Chicago, is a public two-year community college in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Kennedy–King is a part of the City Colleges of Chicago, a system of two-year education that has existed ...
in Englewood. A high school diploma had been earned by 85.5% of Grand Boulevard residents and a bachelor's degree or greater had been earned by 31.31% of residents compared to citywide figures of 82.3% and 35.6% respectively.


Transportation

The
Chicago Transit Authority The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is the operator of mass transit in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and some of its surrounding suburbs, including the trains of the Chicago 'L' and CTA bus service. In , the system had a ridership of , o ...
operates the
Chicago "L" The Chicago "L" (short for "elevated") is the rapid transit system serving the city of Chicago and some of its surrounding suburbs in the U.S. state of Illinois. Operated by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), it is the fourth-largest rapid tr ...
system in the Grand Boulevard community area. The Green Line provides rapid transit at four stations:
Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
, 43rd Street, 47th Street and 51st Street stations.


Politics

The Grand Boulevard community area has supported the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...
in the past two presidential elections by overwhelming margins. In the 2016 presidential election, Grand Boulevard cast 10,081 votes for
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
and cast 171 votes for
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
. In the 2012 presidential election, Grand Boulevard cast 10,646 votes for
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
and cast 81 votes for
Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts f ...
.


Notable people

*
Robert Sengstacke Abbott Robert Sengstacke Abbott (December 24, 1870 – February 29, 1940) was an American lawyer, newspaper publisher and editor. Abbott founded ''The Chicago Defender'' in 1905, which grew to have the highest circulation of any black-owned newspaper i ...
(1870–1940), founder of ''
The Chicago Defender ''The Chicago Defender'' is a Chicago-based online African-American newspaper. It was founded in 1905 by Robert S. Abbott and was once considered the "most important" newspaper of its kind. Abbott's newspaper reported and campaigned against Jim ...
''. He lived in Grand Boulevard from 1926 until his death in 1940. *
Noble Drew Ali Timothy Drew, better known as Noble Drew Ali (January 8, 1886 – July 20, 1929) founded the Moorish Science Temple of America. Considered a prophet by his followers, in 1913 he founded the Canaanite Temple in Newark, New Jersey, before re ...
(1886–1929), founder of the
Moorish Science Temple of America The Moorish Science Temple of America is an American national and religious organization founded by Noble Drew Ali (born as Timothy Drew) in the early twentieth century. He based it on the premise that African Americans are descendants of the Moa ...
. He resided at 3613 South Indiana Avenue at the time of his death. *
Sol Bloom Sol Bloom (March 9, 1870March 7, 1949) was an American song-writer and politician from New York City who began his career as an entertainment impresario and sheet music publisher in Chicago. He served fourteen terms in the United States House of ...
(1870–1949),
Congressman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...
from
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
from 1923 until 1949. He resided at 4736 South Prairie Avenue between 1897 and 1903. *
Floy Clements Floy Mae Clements (née Stephens November 20, 1891 – September 29, 1973) was an American politician in Illinois notable for being the first African American woman to serve in the Illinois General Assembly upon her election to the Illinois Ho ...
(1891–1973), first African American woman to serve in the
Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...
. She moved to Grand Boulevard in the 1920s and lived there during her political career. *
Bessie Coleman Bessie Coleman (January 26, 1892April 30, 1926) was an early American civil aviator. She was the first African-American woman and first Native American to hold a pilot license. She earned her license from the '' Fédération Aéronautique In ...
(1892–1926), first African-American woman and first Native American to hold a pilot's license. She resided at 4533 South Indiana Avenue prior to leaving for
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
to earn her pilot's license. *
Michael Colyar Michael K. Colyar (born February 9, 1957) is an American actor, comedian, entertainer, voiceover artist, television/radio personality, and author. Early life and education Born in Chicago, Illinois, Colyar was raised in the Robert Taylor Home ...
(born 1957), comedian and actor. He was raised at 4352 South State Street before his family moved to Morgan Park. *
Clarence Darrow Clarence Seward Darrow (; April 18, 1857 – March 13, 1938) was an American lawyer who became famous in the early 20th century for his involvement in the Leopold and Loeb murder trial and the Scopes "Monkey" Trial. He was a leading member of t ...
(1857–1938), attorney famous for his involvement in, among others, the Leopold and Loeb murder trial and the Scopes "Monkey" Trial. He resided at 4219 South Vincennes Avenue during his first marriage. *
Oscar Stanton De Priest Oscar Stanton De Priest (March 9, 1871 – May 12, 1951) was an American politician and civil rights advocate from Chicago. A member of the Illinois Republican Party, he was the first African American to be elected to Congress in the 20th centu ...
(1871–1951), first African-American member of the United States House of Representatives elected after the end of
Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *'' Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...
. The apartment building in which he lived from 1929 to 1951 was designated a
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
in 1975. *
Michael Clarke Duncan Michael Clarke Duncan (December 10, 1957September 3, 2012) was an American actor. He was best known for his breakout role as John Coffey in '' The Green Mile'' (1999), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor a ...
(1957–2012), actor. He was raised in the Robert Taylor Homes. *
Open Mike Eagle Michael W. Eagle II (born November 14, 1980), better known by his stage name Open Mike Eagle, is an American hip hop artist and comedian. Originally from Chicago, Illinois, he is now based in Los Angeles, California, where he is a member of the h ...
(born 1980), hip hop artist. He lived in the Robert Taylor Homes until the age of 13. *
Rube Foster Andrew "Rube" Foster (September 17, 1879 – December 9, 1930) was an American baseball player, manager, and executive in the Negro leagues. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981. Foster, considered by historians to have been per ...
(1879–1930), baseball player, manager, and founder of the Negro National League. He resided at 4131 South Michigan Avenue from 1907 until 1926. * Mittie Gordon (1889–1961), founder of the
Peace Movement of Ethiopia The Peace Movement of Ethiopia was an African-American organization based in Chicago, Illinois. It was active in the 1930s and 1940s, and promoted the repatriation of African Americans to the African continent, especially Liberia. They were affili ...
. At the time of her trial for conspiring with the Japanese in relation to the work of the P.M.E. she resided at 4451 South State Street. *
John R. Lynch John Roy Lynch (September 10, 1847 – November 2, 1939) was an American writer, attorney, military officer, author, and Republican politician who served as Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives and represented Mississippi in th ...
(1847–1939), Congressman from
Mississippi's 6th congressional district Mississippi's 6th congressional district existed from 1873 to 1963. It was created after the United States 1870 census and abolished following the 1960 census, due to changes in population. Boundaries The 6th congressional district boundaries i ...
from 1873 to 1877 and 1882 to 1883. Lynch moved to Chicago in 1912 and resided at what is now 4028 S. Martin Luther King Dr. at the time of his death. *
The Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act that was successful in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in motion pictures from 1905 to 1949. Five of the Marx Brothers' thirteen feature films were selected by the American Film Institute (AFI) ...
, comedians. During their early career, the family moved from
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
to an apartment at 4649 South Calumet Avenue. The family bought a house at 4512 South King Drive. **
Chico Marx Leonard Joseph "Chico" Marx (; March 22, 1887 – October 11, 1961) was an American comedian, actor and pianist. He was the oldest brother in the Marx Brothers comedy troupe, alongside his brothers Adolph ("Harpo"), Julius ("Groucho"), Milton ...
(1887–1961) **
Harpo Marx Arthur "Harpo" Marx (born Adolph Marx; November 23, 1888 – September 28, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, mime artist, and harpist, and the second-oldest of the Marx Brothers. In contrast to the mainly verbal comedy of his brothers Grou ...
(1888–1964) **
Groucho Marx Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, stage, film, radio, singer, television star and vaudeville performer. He is generally considered to have been a master of quick wit an ...
(1890–1977) **
Gummo Marx Milton "Gummo" Marx (October 23, 1892 – April 21, 1977) was an American vaudevillian performer, actor, comedian, and theatrical agent. He was the second youngest of the five Marx Brothers. Born in Manhattan, he worked with his brothers on th ...
(1892–1977) **
Zeppo Marx Herbert Manfred "Zeppo" Marx (February 25, 1901 – November 30, 1979) was an American comedic actor, theatrical agent, and engineer. He was the youngest and last survivor of the five Marx Brothers. He appeared in the first five Marx Brothers f ...
(1901–1979) * Edward Morris (1866–1913), President of Morris & Company, a meatpacking company. In 1892, he and his wife moved to a house at 4500 South Michigan Avenue. * Helen Swift Morris (1869–1945), wife of Edward Morris. She and her husband resided at a house at 4500 South Michigan Avenue *
George W. Murray George Washington Murray (September 22, 1853 – April 21, 1926), born into slavery in South Carolina, gained education and worked as a teacher, farmer and politician. After serving as chairman of the Sumter County Republican Party, he was ele ...
(1853–1926), Congressman from
South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...
from 1893 to 1897. He fled South Carolina after a racially motivated conviction and moved to Chicago in 1905. At the time of his death, he resided at 4752 S. Evans Ave. *
Kirby Puckett Kirby Puckett (March 14, 1960 – March 6, 2006) was an American professional baseball player. He played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career as a center fielder for the Minnesota Twins (1984–1995). Puckett is the Twins' all- ...
(1960–2006), professional baseball player. * Earl W. Renfroe (1907–2000), aviator and one of the first Black
orthodontists Orthodontics is a dentistry specialty that addresses the diagnosis, prevention, management, and correction of mal-positioned teeth and jaws, and misaligned bite patterns. It may also address the modification of facial growth, known as dentofacial ...
in Illinois. In 1939, he resided at 4646 South Michigan Avenue. *
Mr. T Mr. T (born Laurence Tureaud, May 21, 1952), is an American actor. He is known for his roles as B. A. Baracus in the 1980s television series ''The A-Team'' and as boxer Clubber Lang in the 1982 film ''Rocky III''. He is also known for his ...
(born 1952), actor known for his roles as
B. A. Baracus Sergeant Bosco Albert "B.A." (Bad Attitude) Baracus , played by Mr. T, is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists of the 1980s action-adventure television series ''The A-Team''. B. A. Baracus appeared on ''The A-Team'' from the s ...
in ''
The A-Team ''The A-Team'' is an American action-adventure television series that ran on NBC from January 1983 to March 1987 about former members of a fictitious United States Army Special Forces unit. The four members of the team were tried by court marti ...
'' and
Clubber Lang A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...
in ''
Rocky III ''Rocky III'' is a 1982 American sports drama film written, directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the sequel to ''Rocky II'' (1979) and is the third installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise. Along with Stallone reprising the title rol ...
''. He was raised in the Robert Taylor Homes. *
Daniel Hale Williams Daniel Hale Williams (January 18, 1856 – August 4, 1931) was an African-American surgeon, who in 1893 performed what is referred to as "the first successful heart surgery". It was performed at Chicago's Provident Hospital, which he founded in ...
(1856–1931), surgeon who performed the first documented, successful pericardium surgery in the United States to repair a wound. His residence at 445 East 42nd Street was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1975. * Richard Wright (1908–1960), author of novels, short stories, poems, and non-fiction. He resided at a second floor apartment at 4831 South Vincennes Avenue from 1929 until 1932.


External links


Official City of Chicago Grand Boulevard Community Map
*


References

{{Chicago Community areas of Chicago South Side, Chicago