Building the South Side

"Building the South Side" explores the struggle for influence that dominated the planning and development of Chicago's South Side during the Progressive Era. Robin Bachin examines the early days of the University of Chicago, Chicago's public parks, Comiskey Park, and the Black Belt to consider how community leaders looked to the physical design of the city to shape its culture and promote civic interaction.
The built environment created in these spaces compels us to rethink the significance of Progressivism by framing the era's political history within the context of broader cultural conflicts of the period. The creation of the University of Chicago, for instance, was intended to help the city overcome its reputation for greed and materialism. Yet the school was deeply indebted to Chicago businessmen and real estate developers for financial backing. Comiskey Park, meanwhile, was meant to be an emblem of the legitimacy of commercial leisure and mass amusement in the culture of big cities. But in the wake of the ruinous 1919 Black Sox scandal, it became the inspiration for debates over Americanism, democracy, and loyalty.
Bachin highlights how the creation of a local terrain of civic culture was a contested process, with the battle for cultural authority transforming urban politics and blurring the line between private and public space. In the process, universities, parks and playgrounds, and commercial entertainment districts emerged as alternative arenas of civic engagement.