Concentrated within a mile radius of the Division,
Ashland, and Milwaukee Avenue intersection is Chicago’s
earliest Polish settlement -- “Polish Downtown.” It was
the capital of American Polonia from the 1870s through
the first half of the 20th century. Nearly every Polish
undertaking of any consequence in the U.S. during that
time either started or was directed from this tight-knit
neighborhood.
Nearby are some of the most beautiful churches in
Chicago. St. Stanislaus Kostka, Holy Trinity, and St. John
Cantius are stunning examples of Renaissance and
Baroque Revival architecture that form part of the largest
concentration of Polish parishes in Chicago. The Catholic
schools these parishes founded are a tribute to the desire
of immigrant Poles to preserve Polish Catholic culture for
their children. The selfless dedication of Polish orders of
religious women in staffing these schools, as well as
founding hospitals, day nurseries, and homes for the aged is inspiring.
Some of the spirit of Chicago’s old Polonia lingers in the churches, institutions, and buildings still
standing here. Take a walk around and listen carefully—the spirit and energy of today’s Polonia all
began in Chicago’s Polish Downtown over 150 years ago.
History
The national headquarters of the Polish Roman
Catholic Union of America and The Polish Museum
of America are among the few remaining Polish
institutions in an area where once were clustered the
headquarters of almost every major Polish
organization in America. The fraternal organizations
provided economic security and social support for
Poles arriving in a strange new land. Four Polish language
daily newspapers were published in Polish
Downtown, and papers were delivered across the U.S.
and to a score of foreign countries. Polish-owned
businesses, which first opened in the old storefront
buildings that once lined Noble Street, later took over most of Milwaukee Avenue.
Perhaps the most significant Polish undertaking in the
early 20th century was the movement to create a free
Poland during World War I. Leaders of Chicago’s
Polonia, inspired by Polish exile statesman, Ignace
Paderewski, met in upstairs offices that overlook this
triangle, plotting the restoration of the Polish nation to
the map of Europe. 3000 Polish-American Chicagoans
were recruited to serve in the Polish Army in France,
and $50 million was raised in war relief funds, all from
this tiny corner of Chicago.
NOTE: The triangle itself once contained several commercial blocks, but they
were demolished when Ashland Avenue was widened as part of the
implementation of the 1909 Burnham Plan of Chicago.
Excerpted and adapted from Chicago’s Polish Downtown, by Victoria Granacki,
published by Arcadia publishing under the Images of America Series, 2004.
www.historicpreservationchicago.com
1. St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, Rectory, and Elementary School, 1351 W. Evergreen Street
2. Holy Trinity Church and Rectory, 1120 N Noble Street
3. Holy Trinity Elementary School, now Polish offices, 1135 N. Cleaver Street
4. Holy Trinity High School, 1443 W. Division Street
5. Holy Family Academy, now Near North Montessori School, 1434 W. Division Street
6. St. Stanislaus Gymnasium, now residential, 1521 W. Haddon Avenue
7. Polish Roman Catholic Union of America and Polish Museum of America, 984 N. Milwaukee Avenue
8. Polish National Alliance, now College of Office Technology, 1520 W. Division Street
9. Chopin Theater, 1543 W. Division Street
10. Polish Welfare Association, now other businesses, 1303 N. Ashland Avenue
11. Polish Women’s Alliance, now residential, 1309 N. Ashland Avenue
12. Northwestern Trust and Savings Bank, now other businesses, 1152 N. Milwaukee Avenue
13. Second Northwestern Trust and Savings Bank and later, Alliance Printers and Publishers, now retail store,
1201 N. Milwaukee Avenue
14. Home Bank, now Mb Financial, 1200 N. Ashland Avenue
15. Polish Veterans Home, now art gallery, 1239 N. Wood Street
16. Falcons Hall, now other uses, 1062 N. Ashland Avenue
