0
0
Feature Story
Photo Essay
Video
Data Map
CHICAGO - History and modernity converge in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village. On a walk through the neighborhood, you will be greeted a vibrant scene: hip clothing stores, a craft art gallery with a hand-hewn wooden sign, a Ukrainian modern art museum, cultural heritage center, and various bars, restaurants, and grocers line either side of West Chicago Avenue, the neighborhood’s de facto Main Street. Several Ukrainian churches sit on side streets, their spires and greened-bronze and golden domes are visible in almost every direction. The #66 bus ambles along the Avenue; to the east, a row of Chicago skyscrapers rise up along Lake Michigan.
Ukrainian immigrant Basil Muzyka opened Muzyka Funeral Home at 2157 West Chicago Avenue in 1915, the same year that St. Nicholas Catholic Cathedral was erected on North Oakley Boulevard. Beginning at the end of the 19th century, masses of Ukrainian citizens left Ukraining, seeking opportunity and political asylum in Chicago. On the city’s west side, Ukrainian families established businesses and churches, forming an arterial hub at what is today known as the Ukrainian Village neighborhood.
Geographically, the neighborhood today follows the patterns of settlement and commerce established more than a century ago. Framed roughly by North Western Avenue to the west, West Division Street to the north, North Damen Avenue to the east, and West Chicago Avenue to the south, Ukrainian Village is home to more than 57,000 residents, many of whom still claim Ukrainian heritage.
Chicago’s neighborhoods are fluid and dynamic, continuously changing their shape and character. Gentrification, development, and loss of community century threaten many ethnic neighborhoods. The Ukrainian Village is no exception. Though the footprint of the neighborhood has remained relatively unchanged, the Ukrainian Village has been reborn many times over the span of its lifetime. During the past decade, the neighborhood has become home to a business community characterized by small, independent shops and restaurants that have cropped up among the more established businesses.
The Hottest Village in America
By Jenny Montagne
Signs designating the Ukrainian Village hang from posts throughout the neighborhood. Photo: Jenny Montagne