Hyde Park (IL) (Images of America) [Paperback]

Max Grinnell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2, 2001

Since the early twentieth century, Hyde Park has been known as a refuge and incubator for intellectuals, artists, novelists, poets, and free thinkers. Its best known institution, the University of Chicago, drew many of these persons close to its boundaries with the promise of a steady diet of conflicting ideas and lofty conversations. ÝÝThroughout the first few decades of the twentieth century, Hyde Park went through a steady period of growth, both in residents and the construction of a dense network of walk-up apartment buildings and commercial facilities that offered a stark contrast to the more bucolic atmosphere of Hyde Park before the Columbian Exposition of 1893. By the late 1940s, parts of Hyde Park were showing signs of blight, as the area continued to house larger numbers of migrants from other depressed areas of the United States and programs of deferred or nonexistent maintenance began to have irreversible effects on the built environment. Images of America: Hyde Park, Illinois, focuses most of its attention on the period after World War II, all the way through the creation of the Hyde Park-Kenwood Urban Renewal Project, the first major urban renewal project in the United States. Ý

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

While studying at the University of Chicago, author Max Grinnell developed a passion for the social sciences and the pursuit of knowledge of all things urban and historical. Join him on this fascinating journey through years past in Hyde Park.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing (December 2, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 073851893X
• ISBN-13: 978-0738518930
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,036,178 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a traveler, a writer, and I teach at Boston University and the University of Chicago. Please take a look at my professional homepage for more updates, etc:

www.theurbanologist.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fascinating Neighborhood Brought to Life, December 14, 2001

By 

Seth E Kolloen (Brooklyn Heights, NY) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hyde Park (IL) (Images of America) (Paperback)

Hyde Park is one of the unique neighborhoods of our nation--it's where nuclear fission first happened, and where Mel Torme went to high school. Max Grinnell brings the history of this neighborhood to life with hundreds of well-chosen pictures, captioned with verve, and a few short essays on the development of the neighborhood. It would make a great Christmas gift for Hyde Park oldtimers, newcomers, and anyone interested in urban development in America.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'd give it six stars if I could..., April 17, 2004

By 

C. D. Luebke "skullandcrossbones95" (Madison, WI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hyde Park (IL) (Images of America) (Paperback)

Well written and full of information, Hyde Park, Illinois, is a perfect book for anyone interested in History, Chicago, Urban development, or our American society. Difficult to put down and highly readable, I've been recommending it to all of my history-loving friends.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great History of a Neighborhood, February 16, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Hyde Park (IL) (Images of America) (Paperback)

Hyde Park is an incredibly interesting neighborhood due to its history as a covenant community to deny African Americans residence, as the intellectual haven of the University of Chicago, and as an example of urban planning and subsidized housing. The author makes an academic analysis of the dynamics of history and urban planning readable for a layman, making this book a must-buy for neighborhood activists, city planners and those interested in the history of Chicago.