Kenwood, Chicago

Kenwood, one of Chicago's 77 community areas, is on the shore of Lake Michigan on the South Side of the city. Its boundaries are 43rd Street, 51st Street, Cottage Grove Avenue, and the lake. Kenwood was originally part of Hyde Park Township, which was annexed to the city of Chicago in 1889. Kenwood was once one of Chicago's most affluent neighborhoods, and it still has some of the largest single-family homes in the city. It contains two Chicago Landmark districts, Kenwood and North Kenwood. A large part of the southern half of the community area is in the Hyde Park-Kenwood Historic District. In recent years, Kenwood has received national attention as the home of former U.S. President Barack Obama.

Kenwood
Community area
Community Area 39 - Kenwood
Obama Family Home
Obama Family Home
Streetmap
Streetmap
Location within the city of Chicago
Location within the city of Chicago
Coordinates: 41°48.6′N 87°36.0′W
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
CountyCook
CityChicago
Neighborhoods
List
Area
 • Total1.09 sq mi (2.82 km2)
Population
 (2020)[1]
 • Total19,116
 • Density18,000/sq mi (6,800/km2)
Demographics 2020[1]
 • White20.9%
 • Black66.0%
 • Hispanic2.2%
 • Asian6.0%
 • Other4.8%
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes
parts of 60615 and 60653
Median household income 2020$52,336[1]
Source: U.S. Census, Record Information Services

Description

Kenwood was settled in the 1850s by wealthy Chicagoans seeking respite from the increasing congestion of the city. The first of these residents was John A. Kennicott, who built his home near the Illinois Central Railroad at 48th Street. He named the home Kenwood after his ancestral land in Scotland, and when the Illinois Central Railroad built a small depot near 47th Street, they named the station Kenwood as well. Shortly afterwards, the name Kenwood began to be applied to the whole area.[2]

The southeastern portion of Kenwood contains the Indian Village neighborhood, which features the Chicago Landmark Powhatan Apartments and the National Register of Historic Places Narragansett. The 1902 Blackstone Library is another well-known landmark in the neighborhood. It continues to be part of the Chicago Public Library system. The recently reopened Hyde Park Art Center, located on Cornell Avenue just north of 51st Street and East Hyde Park Boulevard, is Chicago's oldest alternative exhibition space, with an on-site school and studio.

The Hyde Park community area is to the south of Kenwood and the southern half of Kenwood (south of 47th Street) is sometimes referred to as Hyde Park-Kenwood.[3]

In the 1890s, the Kenwood Astrophysical Observatory, established by astronomer George Ellery Hale, was located in Kenwood close to the new (at that time) University of Chicago.

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
193026,942—
194029,6119.9%
195035,70520.6%
196041,53316.3%
197026,890−35.3%
198021,974−18.3%
199018,178−17.3%
200018,3631.0%
201017,841−2.8%
202019,1167.1%
[1][4]

Politics

The Kenwood community area has supported the Democratic Party in the past two presidential elections by overwhelming margins. In the 2016 presidential election, Kenwood cast 7,639 votes for Hillary Clinton and cast 251 votes for Donald Trump (94.19% to 3.09%).[5] In the 2012 presidential election, Kenwood cast 8,712 votes for Barack Obama and cast 331 votes for Mitt Romney (95.63% to 3.63%).[6]

Schools

The public schools in Kenwood are Kenwood Academy, Canter Middle School, King College Prep High School, Ariel Community Academy, William C. Reavis Math and Science Specialty School and Beulah Shoesmith Elementary School. Private Schools in Kenwood include the Ancona Montessori School, Cambridge School of Chicago, Akiba-Schechter Jewish Day School, and Hales Franciscan High School.

Notable residents

The infamous murderers Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, and their victim Bobby Franks, were all residents of Kenwood.

Notes
  1. "Community Data Snapshot - Kenwood" (PDF). cmap.illinois.gov. MetroPulse. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  2. "Encyclopedia of Chicago - Kenwood". The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago Historical Society. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  3. "Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference".
  4. Paral, Rob. "Chicago Community Areas Historical Data". Archived from the original on March 18, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
  5. Ali, Tanveer (November 9, 2016). "How Every Chicago Neighborhood Voted In The 2016 Presidential Election". DNAInfo. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  6. Ali, Tanveer (November 9, 2012). "How Every Chicago Neighborhood Voted In The 2012 Presidential Election". DNAInfo. Archived from the original on February 3, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  7. "Sey Hersh on his rough-and-tumble Chicago past: 'At some point I realized I was in a tyranny' | Bleader". www.chicagoreader.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2018.
  8. Miraldi, Robert (October 2013). Seymour Hersh. Potomac Books. ISBN 9781612344751. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  9. Greer, Ronald L. (2015). Only a Look : A Historical Look at the Career of Mrs. Roberta Martin and the Roberta Martin Gospel Singers of Chicago, Illinois. Bloomington, IN: Westbow Press. p. 116. ISBN 9781512708981. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
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