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A Personal Memoir of Early Historical Society
by Carol Bradford.
It was the winter of 1976 when I first attended a public meeting of the newly organized Hyde Park Historical Society. At the time, I didn't realize how new the Society was. The meeting was held at one of the University of Chicago buildings, and the program was about Charles Hitchcock and his contributions to the university. Attendees were invited to join the Society, which I immediately did. I was quite surprised when, not too long after that, Ted Anderson called to ask me to join the Board of Directors. Ted knew me as a member of the United Church of Hyde Park. I didn't personally know anyone else on the new board. My husband, Jesse, and I had only lived here for four years. I knew little or nothing about the history of the neighborhood. About the only thing I did know was that across the street from us, on Woodlawn Avenue, was a landmark home--Frank Lloyd Wright's Heller House. In any case, as an amateur history buff, I was pleased to be invited to join the board. At the time, we had a 1 year-old son, and I was working in my husband s new trucking business, which allowed me to be a full-time mother while helping with the family enterprise. Breaks away from our busy toddler were few, so the Society gave me a welcome outlet for adult interests and activity. I learned that Clyde Watkins had called together a small group of people, including Vicky Ranney, Dev Bowly and Jean Block, to begin the organizing process. About a year later, Muriel Beadle joined the initial group and got things underway in earnest. In addition to Ted Anderson (owner of Anderson s Ace Hardware then located in Kimbark Plaza, other early board members included Rory Shanley, Randi Holgate, Bea Boehm, Michael and Kathleen Conzen, Betty Davey, then-Alderman Leon Despres, and Dr. Albert and Thelma Dahlberg. Thelma and I were soon good friends when we learned that we shared a unique connection--having been raised in South Dakota. Getting acquainted with Jean inspired me to prepare a history of our family farm there. In the course of doing some of her research, Jean happened to find an article in one of the architectural magazines about our own home, built in 1913, with photograph and details about its construction and cost. It was information I would never have found on my own. Not long after the founding of the Society, Jean published her book Hyde Park Houses. At our first annual meeting in the dining room of the Windermere Hotel, Helen Bailey and Mary Shulman did a humorous skit portraying two women gossiping on the phone about whose house did and did not make it into the book. During those first years before we had a headquarters building, all board meetings were held in the homes of members. This was an opportunity for us to see some of the fine old homes of the neighborhood. Clyde Watkins lived in the Queen Anne at 4752 S. Kimbark; a former Society treasurer, Gary Hustad, lived in the Benjamin Marshall-designed home at 4900 S. Ellis; the Dahlbergs had a house on Rosalie Court (5700 and 5800 blocks of S. Harper) as did Betty Davey; the Conzens were in a row house on East 50th Street, across from Farmer s Field (Kenwood Park); Ted Anderson had a fine old Victorian on Kenwood Ave., across from the Ray School playground. One of the interesting historical items at his home was a book containing the recordings of title on that piece of land, predating even Paul Cornell s early developments. Fortunately, Ted passed on that book to the present owners when he sold the house after his retirement. Some of our early activities included the publication of two volumes on Hyde Park history. One focused exclusively on the annexation into Chicago; the other had several articles on a variety of topics. A project that didn't come to fruition was the publication of an historic map of the neighborhood. Our goal was to prepare a high quality map which would pinpoint places of historic and architectural interest, comparable to the maps published by National Geographic Society. We had numerous lists of sites to be included. Many of the board members did detailed research to document each site or person associated with the location. Preliminary talks were held with possible printers and publishers. The map was on the agenda of monthly meetings for several years, but there always seemed to be some insurmountable problem that held it up. Finally, the idea was put to rest. It had become a running inside joke among some long-time board members. I don t remember why it died--maybe Dev Bowly knows. Perhaps it s due for a revival by now. After a few years, the possibility of having our own headquarters was drawing the attention of the Board. The boarded-up former cable car comfort station at 5529 S. Lake Park Avenue became available, and a major fund-raising drive was undertaken for its renovation. Ted Anderson was a leader in the effort. He suggested selling Charter Memberships at $100 each. This was a successful campaign. Dev Bowly took charge of the actual renovation. He was able to engage the services of the noted restoration architect, John Vinci. When the task was completed, Vinci won an award from the Chicago chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Dev says Vinci regards the award as one of the most prized honors he has received. A big parade and open house were planned. Thelma Dahlberg was chair of the committee. I'm proud to say that I suggested my good friend, Alta Blakely, who at the time had recently retired from teaching English at Kenwood Academy, as a person who would be helpful as a committee member. From that time on, Alta has been an active board member and coordinator of the volunteers at the headquarters. The Grand Opening Parade was a big success. Many people marched in period costume, school children decorated their bikes, and local political figures were present, notably Barbara Flynn Currie, who presided. From then on, the building has been an asset to the community, as a meeting place, exhibition space, and a repository for books and other publications about Hyde Park. . September 2003 |