The UIC Library’s photographic materials in the James S. Parker Collection are featured in an upcoming CANTV program. The 30-minute program, African American History as Seen in Bronzeville Architecture, 1950s – 2001, is on CANTV Channel 19, on Friday, February 6, at 5 p.m., and Sunday, February 8, at noon. The program participants are host Dr. Bob Blackwood; Pia Hunter, UIC Library Specialist; Jim Parker, visiting archivist of the UIC Library James S. Parker Collection; and Dr. Christopher Reed, emeritus professor of history at Roosevelt University. Dr. Reed provides commentary on the historical significance of the buildings in the Bronzeville community.
The photos featured in the program are part of the Parker collection, a collection of nearly 1 million images of Chicago buildings, politicians, and events during the 20th century.
The Bronzeville photos were taken in the 1950s and 1960s for the City of Chicago’s Department of Law. The assignment was to document “fall down” cases prior to demolition. Some of the photos show the architecture, some show the living conditions or the remains of living conditions, and others show stores, theaters, hotels, churches, taverns, and other business in the Bronzeville community. In 2001, Parker re-shot the same locations where new buildings or other public works replaced the demolished buildings.
For more information on the Library’s photographic collections, contact the Special Collections department.
