A visit to Schorsch Village

Schorsch Village Chicago streetscape

As I wandered Schorsch Village several weeks ago I was struck by three things: the diversity among the styles of workers’ cottages, the lack of diversity among the people, and wonder that I wasn’t run over. Schorsch Village is a place where a STOP sign has no more meaning than any other street sign, where Poles are the predominant.nationality, and where the roof-line seems fixed at one-and-a-half stories.

Schorsch Village spans the area from Belmont Ave (3200 N) north to Addison St (3600 N), and from Naragansett Ave (6400 W) west to Harlem Ave (7200 W). It’s part of Dunning, which is one of the city’s official 77 neighborhood names.

Does anyone remember the old marketing slogan for Ivory Snow, “99 and 44/100% pure?” We hope it’s purely a coincidence, but that’s exactly the percentage of the population of Schorsch Village that’s not Black or African-American, according to the most recent Census estimate.

Only a third of the housing stock in Schorsch Village dates back before 1940, and much of it was built in the 40s and 50s. Seventy-percent of the housing units are single-families that typically range in price from the low $300s to the low $400s. There are a modest number of infill new construction condos along Belmont Ave.

The Georgian-style brick fieldhouse at Shabbona Park on Addison Street is a center for neighborhood activities, and the “Home of the Sharks” community swim team.

Cafe Prague, a friendly Internet café at 6710 W. Belmont Ave, is a popular neighborhood hangout. If you visit, don’t say “Czech, please” or you might find one growling at you.

The nearest public rail transportation is Metra’s Milwaukee District West Line. The sparse commercial development lies almost exclusively along the perimeter streets of Schorsch Village, where you’ll also find some small apartment buildings.

You can view Yo’s more than 100 photos of Schorsch Village in Flickr album or slideshow format. And, if you’re up for more of a ramble around Chicago, we have over 7,000 photos of more than 140 neighborhoods at Flickr.

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