Located in the once primarily Lithuanian neighborhood of Chicago Lawn, Marquette Park is one of 14 parks designed in 1903 by the Olmsted Brothers landscape design firm.
Marquette Park has a long history of racial tension. My grandmother lived over on 63rd and Artesian, and I often spent part of my summers with her playing in Marquette Park.
That was then…
Martin Luther King, Jr.
On Aug. 5, 1966 a march led by Martin Luther King, Jr., into Marquette Park met a violent reaction. Dr. King, with about 700 supporters, gathered to protest housing segregation. During the march, King was hit in the head by a rock that shot out from the hostile crowd. In the end, King reached an agreement with local real-estate agents who agreed to abide by the city’s fair-housing ordinance in exchange for an end to protest marches.
American Nazis: “They Shall Not Pass.”
“They shall not pass” was a slogan in reference to Western Ave., which at the time served as the racial line-in-the-sand between Black and White Chicagoans. I remember seeing stickers on the lampposts when I was a kid playing at the park that read, “If you see a nigger call this number 312-…” with the number to neo-Nazi headquarters in bold print. The National Socialist Party of America, led by Chicagoan Frank Collin, often held marches in the park back in the mid 70s. From what I remember, the Nazis had general support from the local White population.
This is now…
Darius and Girenas Memorial, Marquette Park
This memorial (located on the Northeast corner of the park) is one of the few Art Deco style monuments in Chicago’s Parks, installed in 1935, by sculptor Raoul Jossett, and architect, Charles Koncevec.
The monument honors Captain Stephen Darius and Lieutenant Stanley Girenas, two Lithuanian-American pilots who died during an attempt to fly from New York to Lithuania back in 1933.
Marquette Park, Lagoon
Demolition and repairs are underway on two of the 80-year-old bridges that cross over the North and South lagoons. I remember my uncle taking me to catch bluegills off this South lagoon foot-bridge. Today there’s a splatter of trash across the moss covered lagoon. Overall, the park is far more rundown from when I was a kid.
Super Sub & Gyro – California Ave & Marquette Rd
One thing I love about Chicago is the food. Back in the late 60s and early 70s, this little building on the corner of California & 67th St (Marquette Rd.), was originally a hotdog stand where my grandmother and I would often stop for lunch after playing in the park. It became a pizza joint for a while during the 80s, and then went back to a hotdog stand, and now for the past 15 years this has been the home of Super Sub & Gyro. Today I had their Italian Beef, and boy-oh-boy, it was just out of this world! Anyone remember the name of the original hotdog stand?
Kid Playing, Marquette Park
