Pilsen lies in the crook which is created by the Chicago River and the railroad lines which run along West 16th Street. Historically it has been a first stop neighbourhood for American immigrants from Bohemia first and later from Mexico. Pilsen has amazing architectural as well as urban landscape which has been developed for its newly arrived settlers.
It was inhabited by the Czech Republic and the population included other ethnic groups from the Austro-Hungarian Empire comprising of Slovaks, Slovenes, Croats and Austrians together with immigrants of Polish and Lithuanian heritage. Several of the immigrants’ worked in the stockyards as well as the surrounding factories and like many early 20th Century American urban neighbourhoods, Pilsen became home to the wealthy and the working class and doctors lived in the same vicinity of maids and labourers.
Pilsen’s rich Neo-Bohemian Baroque architectural heritage together with its proximity to the Loop remains to strengthen its position as a neighbourhood which is set for revival as reinvestment in Chicago’s inner city neighbourhood. Though these developments have turned out to have a positive impact on the local economy, the negative side was that some lower income locals and families in the community were forced to move to other neighbourhoods due to the rise in housing cost.
Famous for Its Murals
Development in the north of Pilsen has grown significantly over the past few decades which include construction and restoration of the National Historic Register properties like the 800+ unit south Water Market, CHA’s transformation of the ABLA project and an old concrete Cold Storage Warehouse. Development has now spread over into proper Pilsen.
The East Side of Pilsen is Chicago’s largest art districts as well as the neighbourhood which is home to the Mexican Fine Arts Centre Museum. Moreover it is also famous for its murals and the original mural is in Pilsen along 16th Street which started as a cooperative attempt between Slavs and Mexicans when the neighbourhood was going through a change.
On close observations of the murals, one will find images which include storks, scenic European farms as well as Lipizzaner Horses. Cultural landscape of the neighbourhood changed as Mexican artist and business owners made the neighbourhood more appealing with painting, murals and statues which depicted the Mexican culture.
Pilsen – Glorified Community with Strong Hispanic Enclave
Towards the 21st century, the locals of Pilsen resisted attempts to gentrify their neighbourhood and preserved the community as a getaway for Hispanic immigrants. The Fiesta del Sol festival demonstrated their pride and determination of the people of Pilsen in continuing its rich working class legacy which is held during the first weekend of August.
There were several industries that started to thrive; warehouses and transportation began hiring Hispanic residents in Pilsen while small groceries, restaurants as well as other non-basic industries too employed locals of Pilsen. Rent and property tax being low then, the limits of certain businesses were low and less people were needed in order to make a profit.
On the whole, Pilsen is a community which is glorified due to its strong Hispanic enclave and amazing ethnic landscape and Pilsen will continue to remain a community which will serve and strengthen the culture and protect the heritage from Latinos.
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