About The Englewood Community
History of the Englewood commercial corridor:
The Englewood neighborhood is located 8 miles south of downtown Chicago. In the early to mid twentieth century, the 63rd and Halsted commercial corridor was the second busiest shopping district in Chicago, only outpaced by the downtown Loop shopping area. The corner was home to a Sears department store, a Kresge's department store, and numerous smaller retailers. However, the national trend of white flight and redlining hit Englewood particularly hard in the 1940s and 50s. The population eventually declined from nearly 100,000 residents at is peak to only 30,000 residents today. Most large, national retailers have left the Englewood neighborhood, and the heart of the commercial corridor remains partially vacant today.
Investment is beginning to return to the neighborhood. The City of Chicago invested over $250 million in a new, state of the art facility for Kennedy-King college, located directly across from the Englewood Square site on the east side Halsted. Kennedy-King boasts a comprehensive culinary training facility and restaurant test kitchen that will partner with the future Whole Foods site to bring innovative ideas, job training, and local cuisine to the neighborhood. The Englewood Square site is also conveniently located a couple blocks from the newly renovated CTA Red Line stop, which connects the south side of Chicago with downtown, and directly across the street from the CTA Green Line stop. This development will also help anchor future development on the 13 acre currently vacant parcel. The City of Chicago is considering additional development proposals for the balance of the parcel, including senior housing, education, farmer's market, and new sports fields on the adjacent 8 acre site.