1. Pilsen Exploration
By: Jacob DeRosier, Sofia Mazich, Perri Brinkmeier
and Chandne Dev

2. How to navigate to Pilsen
The complete itinerary to Pilsen

3. First
Walk to the Loyola or Granville “EL” stop. You may encounter
an art street fair.

4. Second
Then take the Red Line to the Lake stop,
which is on State St.

5. Third
Transfer from the Red Line to the Pink Line
(which is elevated) stop, State/Lake, by walking
north two blocks on State St.

6. Fourth
Then take the Pink Line towards
54th/Cermak and get off at
the 18th St. stop.

7. Then you are at Pilsen!

8. History of Pilsen

9. Who Lived in Pilsen?
● In the 1800s it was mainly Germans and Irish
● Then in the 1900s Czech immigrants replaced the Germans and Irish, along with some Polish.
Many of the immigrants could get work because of the stockyards and factories that surround
Pilsen
● World War 1 also affected who lived in Pilsen because dozens of immigrant groups came after
World War 1
● Because of the building of UIC in the 1950s and 1960s, many hispanics were uprooted and
relocated to Pilsen, which made it mostly hispanic.
● Hispanic art then became very popular in the neighborhood
after the Hispanics were uprooted and relocated to Pilsen

10. Demographics of Pilsen Today
● Area: 2.944 square miles
● Population: 44,337
● Primarily Hispanic population,
92.2%

11. Style and Location of Pilsen
● Pilsen has a rich Neo-Bohemian Baroque
architectural heritage which has a very
European feel to it, using the exaggerated
paintings and architecture. The
architecture caused Chicago to reinvest
into Pilsen and try to recuperate the run
down neighborhood
● Also since Pilsen is so close to the Loop, it
helped strengthen the neighborhood
because it is easier to get to by public
transportation

12. The Development
● Development north of Pilson grew after Chicago decided to reinvest
● some of the new construction is restoration of National Historic Register properties
 South Water Market, Cold Storage Warehouse

13. What Pilsen is Known For
● East of Pilsen has Chicago’s largest art
districts
● Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum
● Famous for its murals
● Mexican bakeries, restaurants, grocery
stores, and vintage shops
● St. Adalbert

16. Work Cited
● "History of Pilsen and Little Village." — San Jose Obrero Mission. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2014.
● "Pilsen." Pilsen. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2014. <http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/2477.html>.
● "Lower West Side (Pilsen) Neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois (IL), 60608, 60616 Detailed Profile." Lower West Side (Pilsen)
Neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois (IL), 60608, 60616 Subdivision Profile. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2014.