Chicago Heights IL: The Rise and Fall of Chicago Heights

What happened to Chicago Heights?

These days the South Suburban Cook County city of Chicago Heights, about 25 miles from Chicago, is known mostly for empty store fronts, dilapidated neighborhoods, and empty space where factories once stood. It wasn’t always like this. Michael Volpe details what happened to Chicago Heights.

These days the South Suburban Cook County city of Chicago Heights, about 25 miles from Chicago, is known mostly for empty store fronts, dilapidated neighborhoods, and empty space where factories once stood. It wasn’t always like this. In fact, once Chicago Heights wound up in the Guinness Book of World records. It had nearly 90 factories during World War II, giving it the most factories per person in the world. (Chicago Heights population is about 30,000) In 1950, Ford Motors moved their plant right next door, and in the late 1970′s, the legendary controversial mayor of the Heights, as the natives call it, annexed the land where Ford had its plant and the town still receives about $1 million in tax receipts from that coup. Just twenty years ago, Chicago Heights was home to some of the best restaurants in all of Cook County. Names like Savoia’s, Alcazar, Ada’s, Tivlie’s, and the Ranch House gave its citizens the best in fine dining. All are now closed. Even the good looking commercial space is empty. For instance, this property, across the street from City Hall, has a completely empty lot, mid day on Wednesday.

The parking lot right next door is similarly empty.

What happened to this once thriving community? Residents have a variety of explanations. Long time resident Frank Enright says that mega malls in neighboring Park Forest and Orland Park drove businesses away. Another resident says that tearing down public housing like Cabrini Green migrated the wrong sort of folks into Chicago Heights. One other long time resident had a different explanation, “the stuff our factories made became obsolete.” That’s why there’s barely ten factories left from what was once a feat that Guinness recognized.

Chicago Heights is a working class town, rich in tradition and history, but it’s also a town on the brink. Some residents told me that they believe unless the course is reversed quickly the town will soon simply run out of money and file for bankruptcy. While folks will go to the polls in Chicago next February, the election, at the same time, in the Heights may be even more critical.

Chicago Heights is both unique and a cliche all rolled into one. Like most working class towns of its size, it’s broken up into neighborhoods set apart by ethnicity and class. For instance, Hungry Hills is where the Italian Americans live. Beacon Hills is where the African Americans live.

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The town even has railroad tracks that mark the unofficial line between the North and South side of the Heights.

The West Side used to be where the wealthy lived, but long time residents say that executives have moved out and there isn’t really a “wealthy area” in the Heights any more.

There’s no question who is Chicago Heights’ favorite son, Jerry Colangelo, owner of the Suns and Diamondbacks. Colangelo grew up in the Hungry Hills neighborhood of the Heights. In fact, 22nd Street, where Colangelo grew up, is now aptly named “Jerry Colangelo Way”.

Colangelo’s childhood home is now a city monument. Just down the street from Colangelo’s childhood home is another hallmark of the Heights, 3 Star Liquors.

Continue reading: The Rise and Fall of Chicago Heights

by Michael Volpe
image: Chicago Elections 2011

NOTE: Michael Volpe reports that “Jerry Colangelo was a Phi Psi at the University of Illinois, like me.”

Michael Volpe is an investigative journalist and regular DBKP contributor.

Michael writes regularly at The Provocateur and Chicago Elections 2011

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