Connections to Community

Ukrainian VillageJasmine Lara, Victoria Nguyen, Linda Chanthavong, and Janina Perez

Location

✦ In West Town next to Wicker Park✦ Takes about one hour on public

transportation✦ Directions:

✦ 1. Take the CTA Red Line towards 95th

✦ 2. Get off at Clark/Division✦ 3. Transfer to CTA Bus 70 ✦ 4. Get off at Division &

Oakley

History

✦ Heart of Ukrainian Village- St. Nicholas Cathedral built from 1913-1915

✦ First settled by Polish and Slovak immigrants

✦ Influx of Ukrainians due to WWI, the area then assumed this identity

✦ Post WWII- Ukrainian freedom crusade, wave in immigration of highly skilled, professional Ukrainians due to Soviet onslaught

✦ After WWII, thousands of political refugees came to this area, in opposition of Stalinist regime

Landmarks

✦ St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral○ Built 100 years ago, it is modeled after the multi-domed eleventh century

Cathedral of St. Sophia in Kyiv, Ukraine, whose famous mosaics and frescos are mimicked in the Chicago landmark

✦ Fatso’s Last Stand○ Known for char dogs, fried shrimp, homemade macaroni and cheese

✦ Kasia’s Deli & Catering ○ Kazimiera Bober immigrated to Chicago from Poland in the 1970’s and

opened the bakery which soon soared in sales for her famous pierogi.✦ Racine Bakery

○ Family owned and operated since 1984 and offers a variety of Eastern European ethnic food

○ Specializes in Lithuanian and Polish bakery and deli items

Demographics✦ In Chicago, there are about 46,000 Ukrainian

immigrants, with the majority residing in Ukrainian Village

✦ In the 1930s, there were already 5 Ukrainian parishes in the neighborhoods of Chicago. Today there are 3 major Ukrainian churches, two Ukrainian banks, a Ukrainian school, a Ukrainian museum, and many Ukrainian restaurants and stores surrounding the area

✦ Ukrainians outnumbered other ethnic groups in the neighborhood

✦ But by 1990, only 2,500 people living in these neighborhoods claimed to be of Ukrainian descent, due to emigration

Pictures

Reflection

This experience to Ukrainian Village allowed us as a group to bond and get to know one another while enjoying a part of Chicago that none of us has ever been to. We became aware of the diversity Chicago embraces through neighborhoods such as Ukrainian Village. We were able to see the beautiful St. Nicholas Cathedral, and even explore different grocery stores with foods we’ve never heard of. It showed us a side of Chicago that made us feel like we were immersed in Eastern European culture with the languages we heard, the Ukrainian flags proudly hanging from each house, and the amount of cultural dishes sold at the corner market.

Sources

"Fatso's Last Stand." Http://www.fatsoslaststand.com. Fatso's Last Stand, 2014. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.

"Kasia's Deli :: About Us." Kasia's Deli :: About Us. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.

"Loyola University Chicago to Ukrainian Village." Google Maps. Google, n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.

"Traditional European Style." .:: Racine Bakery ::. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.

"Ukrainian National Museum of Chicago -." Ukrainian National Museum of Chicago -. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.

"Ukrainian Village." Chicago Metro Area Real Estate. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2014

"Ukrainian Village." Encyclopedia of Chicago. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.