Visit a vanished world on Chicago’s southeast side

Wrapped in Steel is an hour-and-a-half look at South Chicago, South Deering, East Side and Hegewisch. Jim Martin shot the Emmy-nominated documentary in 1983 and it was broadcast nationally on PBS in 1984.

The video begins with a look at the East Side Parade, then-Governor Thompson and 10th Ward Alderman Vrdolyak, and the Washington High School band:

In spite of the harshness of mill work, the economic uncertainties, the isolation, there are people here who will not surrender the spirit, the energy and the traditions that tie them to the community.

The community that existed then has vanished, and one of the mills that defined it, US Steel’s South Works, is now being re-imagined as “the ultimate urban experience.”

Related posts:

1. A view of Lincoln Park’s five vanished hospitals
2. Side by side Wright bootleg homes sound an alarm
3. Tour a Southeast Evanston architectural masterpiece
4. Can you imagine the South Side as home to a game-changing urban ideal?

Tagged as: East Side, Hegewisch, James R Martin, Lakeside Development, McCaffery Interests, South Chicago, South Deering, South Side, US Steel South Works, Video, Wrapped in Steel