Pilsen ExplorationBy: Jacob DeRosier, Sofia Mazich, Perri Brinkmeier

and Chandne Dev

How to navigate to Pilsen

The complete itinerary to Pilsen

First

Walk to the Loyola or Granville “EL” stop. You may encounter

an art street fair.

Second

Then take the Red Line to the Lake stop,

which is on State St.

Third

Transfer from the Red Line to the Pink Line

(which is elevated) stop, State/Lake, by walking

north two blocks on State St.

Fourth

Then take the Pink Line towards

54th/Cermak and get off at

the 18th St. stop.

Then you are at Pilsen!

History of Pilsen

Who Lived in Pilsen?

● In the 1800s it was mainly Germans and Irish

● Then in the 1900s Czech immigrants replaced the Germans and Irish, along with some Polish.

Many of the immigrants could get work because of the stockyards and factories that surround

Pilsen

● World War 1 also affected who lived in Pilsen because dozens of immigrant groups came after

World War 1

● Because of the building of UIC in the 1950s and 1960s, many hispanics were uprooted and

relocated to Pilsen, which made it mostly hispanic.

● Hispanic art then became very popular in the neighborhood

after the Hispanics were uprooted and relocated to Pilsen

Demographics of Pilsen Today● Area: 2.944 square miles

● Population: 44,337

● Primarily Hispanic population,

92.2%

Style and Location of Pilsen

● Pilsen has a rich Neo-Bohemian Baroque

architectural heritage which has a very

European feel to it, using the exaggerated

paintings and architecture. The

architecture caused Chicago to reinvest

into Pilsen and try to recuperate the run

down neighborhood

● Also since Pilsen is so close to the Loop, it

helped strengthen the neighborhood

because it is easier to get to by public

transportation

The Development

● Development north of Pilson grew after Chicago decided to reinvest

● some of the new construction is restoration of National Historic Register properties

South Water Market, Cold Storage Warehouse

What Pilsen is Known For

● East of Pilsen has Chicago’s largest art

districts

● Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum

● Famous for its murals

● Mexican bakeries, restaurants, grocery

stores, and vintage shops

● St. Adalbert

Work Cited

● "History of Pilsen and Little Village." — San Jose Obrero Mission. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2014.

● "Pilsen." Pilsen. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2014. <http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/2477.html>.

● "Lower West Side (Pilsen) Neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois (IL), 60608, 60616 Detailed Profile." Lower West Side (Pilsen)

Neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois (IL), 60608, 60616 Subdivision Profile. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2014.