Commercial Avenue: South Chicago's "little downtown"
Vložit
- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- Angela Hurlock of Claretian Associates shows Joe Askins around Commercial Avene, a retail corridor in the South Chicago neighborhood with an old-town Main Street feel.
It's not the same like the 1970s 80s and early 90s fun and stuff the side walk packed with shoppers of all colors of people. Lots of stores like goldblatts, Woolworth, Walgreen's, when they had restaurant in it. Also toys are us Good times.
I was thinking the same thing..
yes indeed, I use to go to Saint Peter and Paul grammar school on 91st/Escanaba back in the 70's. We use to go to woolworth's and goldblats afterschool.
I was born and raised at 96th & Houston in the 60's and 70's. It felt like living in a small town to me at the time even though we were only about 10 miles from downtown. Everyone knew each other and on the hot summer nights we all sat out on our front porches, usually until midnight or later, with occassional trips to Gayety's Ice Cream shop for sundays and milkshakes. Whenever it was too hot, we were within walking / bike riding distance to Cal Park for a nice cool dip into Lake Michigan. When I was old enough, I'd ride my bike north along the beautiful lakefront bike path, sometimes all the way to Evanston. Winter was just as fun, playing ice hockey at Vet's Park, where the park district always kept a nice sheet of ice for us. I wouldn't change my upbringing there in those days for anything. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how safe I would feel there today, sadly. Thanks for highlighting the area that will always be my hometown.🏒🥅⛸🚴⛹♂🏊♀🍕🌭🍻
I was born in Advocate Trinity Hospital in Calumet Heights, but I was raised mostly in East Side. I lived far northwest in that neighborhood on Avenue M and (eventually) Avenue N. East 96th Street was only a few meters away from my home. I would always walk with my mother and 2 younger siblings to Commercial Avenue for everything. I wish my childhood experience could've been like yours, but unfortunately, it was the exact opposite. Just thinking back to those times makes my heart ache. I'm relieved those times are behind me now. My childhood there was very painful. We also weren't financially stable and with the rise of gang warfare in that area, it was practically a death sentence to go out (especially at night). I almost got shot twice living there. The early-to-mid 2000's in Chicago were not fun at all. My family and I eventually moved out of Chicago a few months after (in December) this video was posted. We now live in Houston.
@@Enoxificatti I'm sorry for your circumstances back then. Hopefully things are much better for you and your family and friends these days.
It's still very cool to find videos like this about the south side. You never know what you'll find!
South Chicago Ain’t been the same since they moved Walgreens... lol
mvp9092 word! I remember when it was on the corner on 91st & Commercial.
That was a small ass Walgreen's 😂
@jimmysudar
I think you're talking about Woolworth's lol. I used to live around here way back in the day. People forget commercial used to be a nice place.
Both Goldblatt's & Woolworth's were there, right across the street from one another. I was a kid there and we would play inside Goldblatt's and then get big slices of pizza from the counter at Woolworth's. And down the block from Goldblatt's was Certified where we got our groceries (though the delivery guys came back and broke into our house one day!)
This is my neighborhood!! I really hope this neighborhood improves. I always felt that this neighborhood has had potential. The buildings are beautiful, but deteriorating. It is so close to the lake, but no parks to speak of. Hopefully the Chicago Lakeside project (from McCaffery Interests) will attract more money, but not just rich people
I grew up in South Chicago, and played all the time at Bessemer and Russell Square parks. Plenty of parks, really beautiful ones. There's even Cal Park in what we called the "East Side" when I was a kid (and I was back at Cal Park years ago at as a young adult working with kids to paint a mural during the summer). It's a community of hard working people who care about their community and work hard to keep it safe
@@ianwartistMy summers were always spent by me going to Calumet Park during the 2000's. It was the closest thing we had to a beach. I went to Douglas Taylor Elementary School in East Side.
Why didn't you mention Centro Communitario Juan Diego when you passed it by? The center has been open for several years and has been a huge benefit to the community. I assumed this video was an introduction to a lesser known community but I see it more as gentrification at it's best.
WOW!! I Didn't realize how DEPRESSING that neighborhood really is!! i had a cousin who lived in 88th and Houston Ave. i don't know how it is now but that whole area was Very Dangerous.
My dad used to stay around 91st and Commercial about 9 years ago
The means streets of South Chicago. Where only the strong and the street smart can survive. If you've never been here, don't come, you won't make it out.
yo
I just moved here lol.. its fine
@@static6787 let’s go see Kanye’s house 🏚
I would say its very diverse! Latin Kings, Black Gangster Disciples, Vice Lords, P-Stones etc. etc.
dont forget the latin dragons, latin counts, sgd's and the ambrose
GDK & SGDK though.
According to Chicago Gang maps it's a mix of gangs
Very bustling Commercial district?! This is a ghost town compared to the preceding decades when the mill was open.
My dad lived on 96th and Ave N in the 80s East side neighborhood til 93. I should ask him what was neighboring South Chicago like back then was it like it is today
I raised exactly there during the 2000's. East 96th Street was only a few meters from my home. I also lived in Avenue M before I moved to Avenue N.
Oh man COCULA! I used to go there with my mom all the time.
I can remember some great years on this Ave my dad worked there for a long time, but times have changed have they not?
Royal Bank on that location has NOT been a location since the 1800s. Such BS. Do your research.
i'm old enough to remember goldblatt's and gassmans and angels, the weird 'toy store.'
is st. peter and paul's still there?
Angel's, outstanding, down the block from where I went to school at Immaculate Conception. Angels was the first place I ever got art supplies from, and now I am a professional artist.
WOW! i was just about to ask if Saint Peter and Paul is still around the corner on 91st. I use to go to grammar school there.
I remember buying all my model paints at angels and my drawing and drafting stuff at gitters and sovick in the old bank building on 92nd street. Going to the Jupiter's and the store next to Fannie may's before they divided the interior up for smaller stores
Suburbanites think the city is bad, not only that they dont know what the city's boundaries are. So it depends on the local you ask.
Not like the early 90's , nothing like going to the 3 reyes Mexican dance club till 5am and hit the taco resteraunts open after and being there until 7 am , those were some great fun week
You see all walks of life in South Chicago which is a beautiful thing BUT the neighborhood that's a whole different story
They just installed these in Philadelphia neighborhoods, I love them!
I do not understand? This neighborhood looks very clean and diverse! Chicago once had the reputation of being polarized! It looks very stable, I am sure there are rough spots, you need to come East if you want to see real urban blight!
That is really cool especially having no starbucks and the trash compacters were sweet as well
sure has changed from the 1960s
@agbz yes, isn't it funny how we never saw their faces yet could tell that the female voice was black and the male voice was white? why is that?
@kjetil297 lol yup. that's tnt's mexican restaurant!
I don't think I've been over there in 35 years. #RobertHall
O! M! G! i can go for some coculas right now
mmm mmm mmm horchata
What's not funny is that some have tried to turn it into that. It's not.
My barrio
@chudog1977 Not really lol my cousin is from naperville and she survived for a month when she stayed with us...even though she was with me the whole time lol
i herd not to go to South Chicago unless i want to get shot lol
shoutout to the croatians
I love that you are trying to be the greenest neighborhood in Chicago. All neighborhoods need to think green!
wtf i think i se a sign with tnt on it
when I drive thru this area I make sure I have my shotgun in my truck I haven't got messed with yet but you never know Chicago is wild
Did you grow up here? I did. I've been back from time to time and have never had the need to pack heat. You either suffer from paranoia or like being dramatic.
This is certainly not an historic tour.
Its not da same...
How is it now?
@@gookawild5543 south shore is getting gentrified so I'm cool with living there
He's looking for a starbucks outside the wik center! What a joke
LMAO
loooks pretty dead to me
@DORITO773 Regarding the gentrification thing. I think I disagree. Slowly but surely there are more white people moving in. I bet that in 15 years this neighborhood's ethnic makeup will change. I bet more middle-class white people and middle-class latinos will move in.
It's been 8 years. Are you still living there? Has the neighborhood changed?
As of the 2020 Census, it shows that the majority demographic is Hispanic/Latino. That's only for the East Side Community Area/Neighborhood. Are you still living around there?
Back in the 70s 80s it was Latinos around the the early 80s or early 70s that's when the black stones moved in and kicked out the Latin kings and so on
Kings Stones and Vicelords run that area.
South C becomes more Latino once you cross 83rd east of Colfax
LOL
She means all the whites been gone .......65% black 30% Mexican = 95% minorities 5% white sounds diverse to me 😉
sounds based
She said 30% of the population there was Hispanic/Latino, with the majority being Mexican. There's still other Hispanic/Latino communities residing there.
It's changed even more now 👀
The all new Chicago zombie gangsters- Zero personality. All yes, yes, yes- we brown nose you the best : )
I can't believe you were able to drive down here without dying- i am black and live in south chicago and i get shot at almost every day
Goddamn 😂
one of da most dangerous neighborhoods in chicago!!! dont act like u dont know!!!
@SVLN108th not funny
you can definetly tell that she's black and he isn't.