Auburn Gresham

The once underappreciated Far South Side neighborhood of Auburn Gresham has been revitalized by the work of involved community leaders and an influx of new housing and businesses in recent years. The area’s residential makeup of primarily bungalows and two- and three-flat apartment buildings dates back to a time when Auburn Gresham was predominantly Irish. In fact, the now defunct South Side Irish Parade had its roots in this very neighborhood.

Auburn Gresham: An Urbanologist's Dream

Written by Alan Solomon, with research assistance from the Chicago Neighborhood Tourism Project.

This is an urbanologist's dream.

Let's begin with Auburn Park. It is at once a natural oasis, a string of small lagoons meandering beneath picturesque bridges, lined by greenery and naturalistic grasses -- and a symbol of a historic city neighborhood in slow yet positive transition.

"It's only 200 feet away from 79th Street," says Carlos Nelson, executive director of the Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation. "Millions of people drive by over the years and never even know that it's there."

Throughout the neighborhood is a concentration of classic Chicago bungalows and two-flats in great shape. Drive the blocks from Halsted to Morgan Streets between 79th and 83rd Streets, behind Leo High School, and you'll see them – evidence of a solid middle-class African-American community.

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