Chicago: THE VALLEY

ardecila · #1 Posted **Apr 1, 2011, 10:24 AM**

I recently discovered a series of photos on Flickr, courtesy of Lee Bey. Taken by a University of Chicago student named Lou Fourcher in 1971, these photos are beautiful, and they capture a sort of street life that just isn't present in poor neighborhoods these days, for better or worse. Real Jane Jacobs-type stuff.

Plus, they're totally funkadelic.

The full set can be found on flickr HERE.

A little history

The Valley today (Google Maps)

"The Valley", as it was known, is today part of the Illinois Medical District. A state law gave the IMD the power to initiate eminent domain proceedings against any properties within the district boundaries, for any reason.

As they started tearing down buildings for expansion of the medical facilities, the intact areas nearby started to deteriorate. The IMD then used their powers to target abandoned properties in a misguided attempt to "amputate" the problematic buildings in order to save the neighborhood. It didn't work, and soon there wasn't anything left to save.

Today, the Valley is the biggest urban prairie in the city - block after block of emptiness, but the streets are all still there. Ironically, the city still has meters on the streets. Development has been slow to come - the FBI built a new headquarters, but it's straight out of a suburban office park. Most recently, the IMD gave the green light to Costco to build a new store here, only furthering the suburbanization of the neighborhood.

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ardecila · #2 Posted **Apr 10, 2011, 7:06 AM**

Man, this got buried fast.

emathias · #3 Posted **Apr 10, 2011, 7:40 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ardecila

Man, this got buried fast.

Yeah, I looked at it when it first was posted and I liked it, but I didn't comment. I love seeing the city back then. This is a nice collection of shots.

ColDayMan · #4 Posted **Apr 11, 2011, 1:50 AM**

The American Slum.

Centropolis · #5 Posted **Apr 11, 2011, 2:01 AM**

Whoa, reminds me of the more distant photos I've seen of the Mill Creek Valley in St. Louis, except these are RIGHT there. Man, I guess people arent bothering to use the meters., but one time I didn't do that in North St. Louis, and I got a ticket on an empty block!

Looking at streetview, there are a number people parked along these blocks at the meters.

i_am_hydrogen · #6 Posted **Apr 11, 2011, 2:50 AM**

This track provides a good soundtrack to these shots.

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ardecila · #7 Posted **Apr 11, 2011, 5:35 AM**

I like the Common track... whenever I hear him rap, I always think of the excellent video for "The Corner". South Side at its finest.

I was trying to be contemporary with the Meters track I posted above, but this works pretty well too.

ChiTownCity · #8 Posted **Apr 11, 2011, 2:23 PM**

^I love that song. And real nice find Ardecila...

Segun · #9 Posted **Apr 12, 2011, 6:44 AM**

Its like Hill Street Blues.

ardecila · #10 Posted **Apr 12, 2011, 7:32 AM**

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i_am_hydrogen · #11 Posted **Apr 12, 2011, 7:26 PM**

^That's nice, too. Really can't go wrong with any Common.

Nowhereman1280 · #12 Posted **Apr 12, 2011, 8:04 PM**

It literally makes me sick to see the building stock that has been leveled for no good reason in this city over the years...

ChiTownCity · #13 Posted **Apr 12, 2011, 8:32 PM**

Exactly why I'm going to be a future developer...

johnbriner · #14 Posted **Apr 13, 2011, 4:48 AM**

Very informative post. Good thing you shared it here; this photo series is a piece of Chicago's history. Thanks for posting this.

diskojoe · #15 Posted **Apr 13, 2011, 2:11 PM**

nice

10023 · #16 Posted **Apr 13, 2011, 6:34 PM**

Interesting photos. I don't get the connection with Jane Jacobs though. Greenwich Village was a lot grittier back then than it is today, which is not at all, but it was never really impoverished or a ghetto.

Coldrsx · #17 Posted **Apr 13, 2011, 10:20 PM**

smokin man, real smokin

Beta_Magellan · #18 Posted **Apr 13, 2011, 11:41 PM**

Great find, great photos, great sountracks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 10023

Interesting photos. I don't get the connection with Jane Jacobs though. Greenwich Village was a lot grittier back then than it is today, which is not at all, but it was never really impoverished or a ghetto.

I think he meant more in terms of the fact that there was an active street life, community and urban form rather than anything specifically referring to Greenwich Village

NYguy · #19 Posted **Apr 14, 2011, 5:33 AM**

Reminds me of this...

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ardecila · #20 Posted **Apr 15, 2011, 6:26 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beta_Magellan

I think he meant more in terms of the fact that there was an active street life, community and urban form rather than anything specifically referring to Greenwich Village

+1

In Death and Life, Jacobs talks about public characters, children playing in the street, and all sorts of other characteristics of vibrant neighborhoods (at least, these were their characteristics in the 1960s and 70s, if not today).

She's taken a lot of flak lately, which is totally valid, but you can't deny that Greenwich Village back then was a place you wanna be at.

The shot of the two guys tending the garden in a vacant lot is a good one, too - urban farming is neither a new concept, nor did it die out as long ago as most people assume.