T. Nicholas Realty | Chicago's Neighborhoods (Hyde Park)

Chicago's Neighborhoods
Hyde Park

Hyde Park
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Hyde Park, located on the South Side of the City of Chicago, in Cook County, Illinois, United States and seven miles (11 km) south of the Chicago Loop, is a Chicago neighborhood and one of 77 Chicago community areas. It is home to the University of Chicago, the Hyde Park Art Center, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Oriental Institute and the Renaissance Society. It is formerly the name of a Township that included numerous other neighborhoods that have all been annexed by the city of Chicago.

Hyde Park was founded by Paul Cornell in the 1850s near the Illinois Central Railroad south of Chicago. In 1861, the Hyde Park Township was incorporated, extending from 39th to 63rd Streets. The southern border was later extended as far as South 138th Street and as far west as State Street. The township was independent of Chicago until 1889, when it was annexed to the city.

As a neighborhood, Hyde Park's definition has shrunk to a core area grouped closely around Cornell's development on 53rd Street and the lakefront. Today, the name Hyde Park is officially applied to the neighborhood from 51st Street (Hyde Park Blvd.) to the neighborhood around the Midway Plaisance or simply The Midway (between 59th and 60th). The neighborhood's eastern boundary is Lake Michigan and its western boundary is Washington Park.

Some consider Hyde Park to include the area between 47th and 51st Streets (E. Hyde Park Blvd.), although this area is actually the south half of the Kenwood community area. The area encompassing Hyde Park and South Kenwood is also referred to as Hyde Park-Kenwood. It hosts two of the four Chicago Registered Historic Places from the original October 15, 1966 National Register of Historic Places list (Chicago Pile-1 & Robie House). A large part of the neighborhood is in the Hyde Park-Kenwood Historic District.

The Hyde Park Herald, a local newspaper, has covered neighborhood news since 1882. The neighborhood has gained particular fame as the home of President Barack Obama, who lived in Hyde Park for years and now owns a home in neighboring Kenwood.

Buildings in Hyde Park include:

    • 1000 E. 53rd St.
    • 1616 E. 56th St. (Solstice on the Park)
    • 5346 S. Cornell Ave. (Silver Cloud)
    • 5650 S. Dorchester Ave. (The Mews)
    • 5555 S. Everett Ave. (Jackson Towers)
    • 5400 S. Harper Ave. (Star Tower)
    • 5300 S. South Shore Ave. (Hampton House)
    • 5830 S. Stony Island Ave. (Vista Homes)
    • 6300 S. Woodlawn Ave. (6300 South Woodlawn)