Clark Street (Chicago)

History

Clark Street is named for George Rogers Clark, an American Revolutionary War soldier who captured much of the Northwest Territory from the British. Within the Chicago Loop Clark Street is one of the original streets laid out by James Thompson in his 1830 plat of Chicago. North of the Loop, from North Avenue, it roughly follows part of the path of an Indian trail called Green Bay trail (later Green Bay Road) that ran all the way to Green Bay, Wisconsin.

In the 1950s Clark Street between Ohio and Armitage Streets was a substantial neighborhood barrio home to the first Puerto Ricans in Chicago. It was unofficially known as La Clark by the Puerto Ricans that lived there arriving from the steel mills of Indiana and rural migrant camps. This was primarily during the Great Migration and war effort during and after World War II. They worked at the downtown hotels, the meat packing plants and the nearby factories then located near downtown industrial areas. Many original members of the Young Lords, a former street gang that transformed into a Latino civil and human rights movement, were sons and daughters of these immigrants and grew up in La Clark. The City of Chicago orchestrated the gentrification of the Old Town and, in turn, the Lincoln Park areas, ultimately leading to the relocation of the Latin community to lower-cost neighborhoods.

The eastern stretch of Clark Street between Winnemac Avenue and Ainslie Avenue was home to many of Chuck Renslow’s businesses, including the Gold Coast and Man's Country. On May 25, 2018, the Chicago City Council voted to honorarily designate that part of the street as "Chuck Renslow Way."

Points of interest

From the intersection with Ashland Avenue south to Ainslie Street, Clark Street passes through the Andersonville Commercial Historic District. Graceland Cemetery is on the east side of Clark Street from Montrose Avenue to its entrance at Irving Park Road. The Metro concert hall is located at 3730 North Clark Street, 1 blocks north of Addison Street. At the intersection of Clark and Addison is Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs baseball team and also occasionally used as a concert venue. Another commercial strip on Clark Street stretches from Diversey Parkway south to Armitage Avenue. 2122 North Clark Street was the site of the Saint Valentine's Day massacre, although the building no longer stands. Further to the south, Clark Street borders Lincoln Park for 0.6 miles until it reaches North Avenue and the Chicago History Museum. The street then passes through the Near North Side, where in the River North neighborhood it passes the Rock N Roll McDonald's. Then it continues over the Chicago River at the Clark Street Bridge and through the Loop, where it passes the Thompson Center and its Monument with Standing Beast. Clark Street continues between the City Hall-County Building and the Daley Center and on to its termination at Cermak Road.

Transportation

The CTA's 22 Clark bus route offers 24/7 service down Clark Street from Howard Street to Harrison Street; northbound buses travel along Dearborn Street from Polk Street to Walton Street (Washington Square Park). The route also provides connections to the "L" at Howard, Addison, Belmont, Clark/Division, Clark/Lake, LaSalle/Van Buren, and LaSalle.

South of Polk Street, CTA bus route 24 is the sole CTA bus route along Clark Street (along with Pace bus routes 850, 851, and 855) before leaving at Archer Avenue east of Cermak–Chinatown station.

Major intersections

Gallery

File:Clark & Halsted (3471573791).jpg|the intersection of Clark and Halsted in 2009, Clark is on the left File:1884 Chicago - Clark and South Water Streets.jpg|Clark and South Water Streets in 1865 File:Huge crowd waiting (3642348944).jpg|Clark Street passes by Wrigley Field File:Andersonville, Chicago.JPG|A view of Clark Street in Andersonville File:Chicago 2007-13.jpg|Clark Street bridge in 2007 File:Wieners Circle.jpg|The Wieners Circle hot dog stand is on 2622 North Clark File:Germania Chicago.JPG|Germania Club Building File:19690200 11 CTA 9627 North Ave. @ Clark St. (6968370779).jpg| North and Clark in 1969

References

Notes

Bibliography

References

1. {{Harvnb. Hayner. McNamee. 1988
2. (April 1, 1927). "George Rogers Clark and Clark Street". Chicago Daily Tribune.
3. {{Harvnb. Quaife. 1923
4. {{Harvnb. Quaife. 1923
5. (September 26, 2024). "The Young Lords Battle Against Displacement in Lincoln Park".
6. "Record No. O2018-3236 - Office of the City Clerk".
7. (2010-03-26). "National Register of Historic Places Listings". National Park Service.
8. (February 15, 1929). "How Moran Gang Was Wiped Out". Chicago Daily Tribune.
9. "RTA System Map". Regional Transportation Authority.
10. "Chicago Avenue & West Howard Street to South Clark Street & West Cermak Road".