The Hyde Park neighborhood is located on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. The neighborhood is the home of the University of Chicago, Hyde Park Art Center, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Renaissance Society and the Oriental Institute. Hyde Park is the former name of a Township that included many other neighborhoods that had been annexed by the City of Chicago.
Founded by Paul Cornell in the 1850's, Hyde Park is near the Illinois Central Railroad, located south of Chicago. The Hyde Park Township was formed in 1861, and extended from 39th to 63rd Streets. The south border of Hyde Park later extended as far as South 138th Street and west to State Street. The township was annexed to the City of Chicago in 1889, and up until that time had been independent of Chicago.
During the 1920's, the University of Chicago lured the Chicago Theological Seminary to relocate to Hyde Park. Since that time, four other theological schools and the Divinity School of the seminary have joined the Hyde Park location, making it home to nearly 50% of Chicago's theological schools.
In the 1930's, Hyde Park was a prosperous hotel and resort destination with more than 100 hotels, and a dozen elaborate structures located along the lakefront. During the 1940's, following the Great Depression and during the war, some of the hotels began catering to the transient population. Many of these hotels were later converted into apartment and condominium buildings. Because of a thriving artist community, the 57th Street Art Fair began in 1948, still continuing to the present day.
Hyde Park has more than 30 playgrounds located in the neighborhood; all of them are located in within residential areas and are maintained by the Chicago Park District. The parks and playgrounds are designed for children of all ages when the park does not have a playground area, it does still have park benches and open fields.
The even numbered streets in the Hyde Park neighborhood are almost all residential areas, while the odd numbers and particularly 51st, 53rd, 55th and 57th streets contain a large number of businesses. 53rd Street is Hyde Park's oldest shopping area and is lined with many wallet-friendly restaurants featuring take-out, and smaller businesses located between Woodlawn and Lake Park. A Farmer's Market, open air outdoor market is held on Harper Court during the summer months.
Hyde Park is home to a number of places listed on the National Registry of Historical Places such as the Chicago Beach Hotel, the Arthur M. Compton House, the Isadore H. Heller House, the Shoreland Hotel, Charles Hitchcock Hall and many others.
With the dining options, churches, diverse cultural history and architectural structures, Hyde Park is one of the most interesting neighborhoods in Chicago, Illinois. Whether shopping, dining, exploring or looking for an upbeat nightlife, the Hyde Park Neighborhood has something to suit the tastes and interests of everyone.
I remember my classroom was up a set of outside wooden stairs above the "coachhouse",
To this day, I still remember our daily prayer that we had to recite.