Story by Jefferey Steele

Conjure an image of the ideal urban neighborhood, and you might visualize Hyde Park on a recent warm Sunday morning. On sun-dappled 53rd Street west of Lake Park Avenue, throngs have converged on the tree-lined sidewalks, strolling, window shopping, sipping coffee at an outdoor cafe.

Near the University of Chicago, a soccer game consumes the energies of players from across the globe, and on Hyde Park Boulevard, dog walkers amble past the stately, ivy-covered apartment buildings that line the street.

Every neighborhood likes to think it’s unique, but in Chicago, none fits the bill like Hyde Park, bounded roughly by Hyde Park Boulevard, Cottage Grove, 60th and the lake, and neighboring South Kenwood, which stretches north to 47th and is in many ways an extension of Hyde Park.

The distinction can be sensed immediately on 53rd Street, the neighborhood’s main commercial strip. For one thing, in a city that’s among the most segregated in the U.S., the crowd here is incredibly diverse – African American, white, Asian and Latino. Well-off and poor. Jewish, Muslim, Christian. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, Hyde Park is about 46 percent white, 38 percent African American, 11 percent Asian and 4 percent Latino, making it one of the few truly integrated communities in the city.

Physically, the neighborhood is nestled in a stunning pocket of parks – Jackson Park and a beautiful stretch of lakefront on the east, Washington Park on the west and the grassy Midway Plaisance on the south, connecting the two. The architecture is nearly as varied as the population. There are the vintage brick apartment buildings, many of them former hotels, that house rambling, gracious apartments and condos, and stately single-families with wide lawns. Some gems, such as Frank Lloyd Wright’s breathtaking Robie House, are known the world over.

But perhaps the most distinctive neighborhood trait is also the most intangible. Words like culture, recalcitrance and optimism hint at this quality, but they don’t adequately explain it. The neighborhood character has been evolving ever since the two formative events that shaped a young Hyde Park: the birth of the University of Chicago in the early 1890s and the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893.

The Columbian Exposition spurred massive development, including the creation of an elevated train line extending from the Loop to Jackson Park, and the community was elevated to a world stage as Daniel H. Burnham oversaw creation of the “White City.” The University of Chicago brought an intellectual and cultural powerhouse to the neighborhood and though its role in Hyde Park has not been without controversy, the school proved to be an important anchor and stabilizing force when white flight scarred so much of the South Side.

This is a neighborhood that has had its share of problems, but it’s also an incredibly activist community that generally believes, even in the face of much evidence to the contrary, that it can overcome them. Take an outdoor seat at the Starbucks on 53rd, and your neighbors might be arguing over the controversial rehab of Promontory Point (the historic beach at 55th and South Shore Drive neighbors are adamant about controlling), the financial trouble of the Hyde Park Cooperative Society (which operates two co-op markets in the neighborhood) or the new memoir by Hyde Park resident Leon Despres (for 20 years the staunchest foe – and often the lone independent voice – battling the old Machine of former Mayor Richard J. Daley).

Troubled neighbors

In the neighborhoods that frame Hyde Park to the north and south, however, the picture is very different. Here, sidewalks are far less populated and stores virtually non-existent. Empty lots dot the vintage streetscapes like missing teeth.

Though they are Hyde Park’s closest neighbors, North Kenwood-Oakland to the north (bounded roughly by the lake, Cottage Grove, 35th and 47th) and Woodlawn to the south (bounded by the lake, 60th, King Drive and 67th) seem light years away from Hyde Park. But that view is deceptive – and swiftly changing.

The avenues to the north and south of Hyde Park may lack street life, but not construction activity. Everywhere one looks, jackhammers stutter, bulldozers shift earth and hammers pound roofs under construction. North Kenwood-Oakland and Woodlawn are being built anew, many of the single-family homes, condominium buildings and townhome developments rising on lots long devoid of anything but weeds.

What’s driving the boom in neighborhoods around Hyde Park? Prices that are significantly lower than those in Hyde Park-South Kenwood, a convenient lakefront location close to downtown as well as Hyde Park shopping and amenities, and the availability of prime comparatively affordable land in a super-heated real estate market.

Few observers have a better perspective on the changes than Jerome Wade. As president of Wade Enterprise & Associates, a South Side development company, Wade remembers building on Oakenwald Avenue in North Kenwood in 1994, when lots could be purchased from the city of Chicago for one dollar each.

Today the city sells lots for $30 a square foot, he says. “Now, it’s a whole different ballgame. We have developers coming down from the North Side, and they believe lots at $30 a square foot are cheap.”

David Chase can relate. As president and CEO of Chicago-based Thrush Companies, he recalls the days seven or eight years ago when his company sold new townhouses and condos in the North Kenwood-Oakland area for $105 to $110 a square foot. Today, new units range from $180 to $200 a square a foot.

“From a residential standpoint, that’s a significant acceleration,” Chase says. “It’s been a virtual explosion in terms of market value and land value, and not just over the last 10 years but over the last five. And particularly the last 18 months.”

Among the beneficiaries are long-time residents like Gregory Newsome. The owner of Loop-based CNI&M, a mortgage and real estate brokerage, he lives in the vintage house he bought at 40th and Ellis in 1984. “When I first bought my house, there were a lot of issues and problems, because of the projects being there,” he recalls. “Now those are gone. And while it’s not utopia . . . it’s considerably more livable. I love the neighborhood.”

Much to like

The lure of North Kenwood-Oakland and Woodlawn for developers is certainly understandable. Land is still available and affordable, especially compared with the much pricier, much denser North Side. The neighborhoods are within walking distance of the lakefront, the most sought-after amenity in Chicago. The cultural, commercial and educational attractions of Hyde Park are close at hand, and the South Loop is less than a 10-minute trip up Lake Shore or King Drive.

Developers enjoy an added incentive in North Kenwood-Oakland, as in other South Side neighborhoods where the Chicago Housing Authority’s plan for transforming public housing is “turning a negative into a positive,” says Brian Moore, asset manager with Draper & Kramer, a full-service real estate firm with a long history on Chicago’s South Side.

The former CHA sites in North Kenwood-Oakland offer large blocks of land close to the lake and downtown and in return for taking a mixed-income approach that includes new housing for CHA residents, developers receive a much better deal than they would trying to piece land together on the private market.

Buyers converging on the area are drawn by the prospect of city living at a fraction of the cost of Lincoln Park, Lakeview and other Near North and Northwest Side enclaves, says Mark Sutherland, a partner with Alex Pearsall in Sutherland Pearsall Development Corp., a builder active on the South Side. “People are not afraid to pay top dollar for quality new housing,” he says. “It’s still literally a bargain compared with North Side housing prices.”

Where are buyers coming from? Identifying where they’re not coming from might be easier. Many buyers grew up near these communities in the 1960s, moved to the suburbs as the area deteriorated and now wish to return with their families, Moore says. Others work in Hyde Park, many for the university or the hospitals. Renters from Hyde Park-Kenwood who can’t afford a first home in the neighborhood are moving north or south for a discount. And there are the converts from the North Side and Evanston, where lots of would-be buyers have been priced out of the housing market.

Wade, whose firm is building 10 single-family homes on South Berkeley, finds that his buyers include émigrés from the North Side and South Loop. Having reaped sizable windfalls on their condos, they salivate at the $365,000 price tags on Wade’s single-family homes. For that price, they gain three-story, eight-room homes with all-brick exteriors on a landmark street – and have money left for upgrades.

Lake Park Crescent, Draper & Kramer’s ambitious mixed-income development on Lake Park, between 41st and 42nd, is large enough to have an impact on surrounding blocks in Oakland. Standing on land once occupied by Chicago Housing Authority buildings, Lake Park Crescent’s 480 units will be about evenly divided between for-sale and rental housing. About a third of the total units will be market-rate, a third affordable or “workforce” housing and a third public housing.

The development features two eight-story mid-rise buildings flanking a three-acre, crescent-shaped park. A 14-story condominium tower will come later, as will three-story row homes, city homes and six-flats. Prices range from $200 a square foot for condominiums to more than $500,000 for three-story row homes, according to Moore.

A major selling point for Lake Park Crescent, Moore says, is the planned pedestrian bridge over Lake Shore Drive to a new beach under construction between 40th and 42nd. The subject of an international design competition held by the city of Chicago, the bridge is being designed by Cordogan Clark & Associates, which has produced an innovative serpentine design. Draper & Kramer is also attempting to convince Metra to reopen its shuttered station at 39th.

A tribute to area’s heritage

One of the main perks at Jazz on the Boulevard, another mixed-income community on former CHA land, is Drexel Boulevard itself, a grassy thoroughfare with a landscaped median that at 100 feet, is wider than many parks. The Thrush Companies, which is building Jazz along Drexel between 41st and 42nd, paid tribute to Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and the other jazz greats who once performed at the nearby Regal Theater and other legendary venues in the area in naming the project.

When complete, Jazz on the Boulevard will feature 137 housing units – 39 rentals and 98 for sale – Chase says. The rental component includes 30 CHA apartments that are being built with joint-venture partner Heartland Alliance, which will own and operate the units once they’re complete. These apartments will be interspersed among the for-sale units, about one-quarter of which will be “workforce housing” priced to be affordable for teachers, city workers and others increasingly priced out of the expensive city market.

“We have a great constituency from Chicago Public Schools, the fire department, police department and the University of Chicago buying these units,” Chase says.

The workforce housing is discounted by 10 percent to 50 percent over market rate. For instance, a market-rate one-bedroom, one-bath condominium with a garage is $175,000 to $185,000, while the same workforce unit is $110,000. At the other end of the spectrum, two market-rate “Morton” duplexes will sell for $400,000, while their workforce counterparts are $210,000.

Based on sales figures, the formula seems to be working. At press time, the first phase of construction was nearly sold out, 29 of 36 condos were sold in phase II, and in phase III, only one townhouse and about half of the 24 condos remained for sale.

Demand has also been robust for the South Side homes of Sutherland Pearsall, according to Sutherland. Long known for its residential developments on the North Side, Sutherland Pearsall has become one of the South Side’s most prolific builders, with seven projects underway on Drexel Boulevard in North Kenwood-Oakland, Hyde Park and Woodlawn. They include both new construction and condo conversions in historic buildings, Sutherland says.

The company’s largest current project is a 59-unit condo conversion called Drexel Parc Lofts, at 4537 S. Drexel. More than 60 percent sold, the seven-story building will feature lofts with one to three bedrooms and one or two baths, priced from $156,900 to $279,900.

Community Organizations Spearheaded Change

Just as community-based organizations played a central role in stabilizing Hyde Park, homegrown groups have shaped the rebirth of North Kenwood-Oakland and Woodlawn. The North Kenwood-Oakland Conservation Community Council, founded in 1991, has been the dominant force in spurring change in the community.

After the devastating effects of white flight in the early 1960s and the creation of troubled public housing highrises, North Kenwood-Oakland suffered rising crime, deteriorating housing and a complete lack of investment.

At one point, Newsome says, the 4th Ward, which includes all of North Kenwood-Oakland, was the poorest ward in Chicago, and one of the poorest in the nation. Beautiful old houses were abandoned, vandalized, then razed by the city, which held title to endless vacant lots.

Since its inception, the North Kenwood-Oakland CCC’s goal has been to bring private developers into the neighborhood and guide redevelopment. It has been aided in that mission by the Fund for Community Development and Revitalization, which Newsome now chairs. The fund tries to attract commercial investment and large-scale redevelopment of vacant apartment buildings, and is majority partner in Lake Park Pointe Plaza, the area’s six-year-old shopping center on 47th just west of Lake Park.

Newsome’s aunt, Shirley Newsome, since 1992 has served as chairman of the CCC, which now is also involved in improving schools, beaches and parks.

“There are lots of things going on in the neighborhood,” she said. “We’re taking a holistic approach. It’s not just about houses, it’s about everything in the community, including people.”

In Woodlawn, it’s the Woodlawn Preservation and Investment Corporation (WPIC) that has battled to stimulate real estate investment in the community.

Once overwhelmingly white, Woodlawn changed almost overnight to 99 percent African American in the mid-1960s. During the following years, the area suffered from wholesale disinvestment, widespread arson and a crumbling economy. The population, which had swelled to 80,000 in the early 1960s as the neighborhood’s large old buildings were subdivided into apartments, plummeted by three-quarters. Its current level is 24,000.

WPIC started working to develop additional rental housing in the 1980s, then pushed for the development of for-sale housing in the early 1990s. That led to a trickle, then a steady flow of private developers by the late 1990s. Today, approximately 30 new single-family houses line both sides of 63rd between Kenwood and Woodlawn carrying price tags that start at $275,000. Rampant condo conversion is ongoing east of Cottage Grove Avenue from 61st south to 67th, and townhouses are being built throughout the community.

An enhanced level of safety and improving retail and cultural environments are attracting newcomers to North Kenwood-Oakland and Woodlawn. Both neighborhoods have been extended the protection of the University of Chicago Police, which now patrol as far south as 64th in Woodlawn and north of 39th, in North Kenwood-Oakland.

So far, North Kenwood-Oakland is outstripping Woodlawn in spurring retail and cultural amenities. Lake Park Pointe Plaza houses a drugstore, an athletic footwear store, a cellular phone store and myriad other shops, and stands right across the street from a Bally’s Fitness, and Cottage Grove, from 39th to 47th, has been designated a tax-increment financing district to spur retail development.

The limited number of existing businesses also are preparing for an influx of new customers as the base of new housing grows, according to Draper & Kramer’s Moore. When the company began looking at the site of its Lake Park Crescent development five years ago, Draper & Kramer officials huddled with the owners of a store just south of the site called the One Stop. “We met with them about revitalizing the store, cleaning it up and making it more attractive,” Moore recalls. “The owner said, ‘I’ll wait till the people are here, so I know I have a market.’ Just in the last two months, that renovation has been completed.”

The community has seen significant investment in culture and education, says the Thrush Companies’ Chase. The Little Black Pearl Workshop, an arts and culture organization, is based at 47th and Greenwood Avenue. Across the street, Muntu Dance Theatre, which focuses on African Dance, is building a new space. Ariel community Academy and the North Kenwood-Oakland Charter School are housed in the rehabbed Shakespeare School building, at 46th and Greenwood.

Along with the cultural, educational and housing assets that are bringing North Kenwood-Oakland and Woodlawn closer to Hyde Park, the established community’s less affluent neighbors now rival the hosting grounds of the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 in another category – optimism.

“I’ve always felt that, just from a business assessment standpoint – looking at the location, and proximity to downtown and Hyde Park – (North Kenwood-Oakland) was a natural for redevelopment, for upper-end or high-end redevelopment,” says Gregory Newsome, who predicts the area might one day rival Lincoln Park. “Ahead, I see nothing but expansion. Wild expansion.”