Week Four: Visit to the Chicago History Museum pt.2

Namaskar (greetings) everyone!

Last week I took on two tasks. First, I was instructed to come up with a set of ten questions that I will be able to use when I begin interviewing store-owners and residents of Devon Ave. Second, I was able to visit the Chicago History Museum and take a look at their archives pertaining to Devon Ave.

When I was coming up with questions I had to take several factors into consideration. I did not want to include anything pertaining to one's immigration status or religious affiliation. I want to stay away from such "heated" questions and focus more on the economic and migration patterns of the interviewee. Below are the questions I would like to ask a store-owner on Devon Ave.

1. Where are you from? If you are from India, which region are you from?
2. How many languages do you and your employees speak?
3. Do you live near the Rogers Park, West Rogers Park or West Ridge area? If so, why have you chosen this location?
4. Why did you choose to open up a business on Devon Ave. in particular?
5. How long has your establishment been open?
6. Are there stores that sell similar products as you nearby? Does this affect your competition?
7. Are your customers local residents or mostly people out of town?
8. What have you learned from your experiences as a shop owner and do you have any advice for new business owners?
9.Do you think you will pass on the business to your children or another family member?
10. Do you think the diversity on Devon Ave. is beneficial to your business?

My visit to the Chicago History Museum's archives was a great success. I was able to find census data dating all the way back to 1938 and pictures dating back to the 1980's pertaining to Devon Ave. I was able to document census data information from the Chicago Local Community Fact Book from 1938 to 1960 so far. The Chicago Local Community Fact Book gives a description of every neighborhood and includes a geographic and demographic synopsis. It also highlights some of the neighborhood's landmarks and local cultural specialties. Not only was I able to extract numerical data, but gain a cultural understanding of the neighborhood during that time period. It was also interesting to read the changing narratives over decades. I hope to retrieve the census data from 1960 to the present when I visit the museum this week. Using this census information I want to construct a chart that maps the growth in the immigrant population over a eighty year arc. I would also be interested in looking at any economic or demographic patterns within the census data.

The second set of information I came across was a plethora of pictures taken by Mukil Roy in 1984/1985. The pictures were taken as part of the Columbia College Project of Family History. They not only show the exterior of Devon Ave. such as the store signs and people walking down the street dressed in traditional clothing, but there are numerous pictures of people inside the stores as well.

This week I will be attending a Rogers Park Chamber of Commerce Meeting and taking more pictures between Damen and Western Ave.

Week Three: Visit to the Chicago History Museum pt.1

Namaskar (greetings) everyone!

This week I went to visit the archival section at the Chicago History Museum. Unfortunately, the archives were occupied to capacity and I was not allowed to enter. I had to make an appointment for next week. I let them know that I was interested in pictures and artifacts pertaining to the West Rogers Park and West Ridge neighborhood because Devon Ave. covers all of these neighborhoods. My visit was not in vain though. As I was leaving, I noticed a mural or pictures taken from different neighborhoods in Chicago. As my eyes scanned through the colorful pictures, I came across two taken on Devon Ave. in 1999. I quickly took the pictures and scurried out of the museum before the security guard could decipher what I had done. Below are the two pictures and a little background information. I apologize for the blurry quality, but I was attempting to not get caught.

This is a picture of the annual Indian Independence Day Parade in 1999. The parade is always held on a Saturday around the Indian Independence Day which is August 15 and still continues to this day. It is organized by the Federation of Indian Associations.  The parade procession usually begins near Warren Park on Devon and Western and goes west and ends on Devon and California. The parade is not only attended by the Indian community, but notable politicians and community members from Chicago. Notable Indian celebrities also make guest appearances. President Barack Obama even visited when he was a Senator! After the parade, there is always a cultural show and festival at Warren Park. The parade continues to this day, but the amount of parade floats have decreased in size over the years. For example, the Bengali Association of Greater Chicago can not afford to rent a float for the increasing prices. Now most of the floats are organized by banks, large businesses and religious organizations. A great deal or pride swept over me when I saw this picture because I have taken part in this parade since I was two years old with my parents. I no longer ride on the float, but my mom and aunts continue the tradition. Even though the floats have decreased in number the parade continues and hundreds of people visit and take part in it. Indian residents who have moved, come back to partake in the celebrations. It is encouraging that the tradition has not changed in the last two decades.

Right next to the Indian Independence Parade picture was a picture of a Russian bookstore taken in 1999. This shows that Devon Ave is not merely home to one ethnic group, but several. The bookstore represents the Russian community in the neighborhood. The bookstore is still there today, but there are several other Russian stores that have closed down in recent years. This may be because there has been increasing emigration to the suburbs. In 1999, there was a significant Russian population because the local elementary school I attended had bilingual Hindi and Russian classes. There was no longer a Russian bilingual class when I graduated in 2006. In less than a decade there was a significant change in demographics and this shows in the closing of several Russian shops. I wonder if the mural was updated, if there would be a picture representing the Russian community at all on Devon Ave.

Next week, I will finally be able to begin my research in archives, so please stay tuned!

Week Two: Storefronts

Namaskar (greetings) Everyone!

My task for my second week in the internship was to begin taking pictures of storefronts that had the following signs or appearance: sale, closing, grand opening, coming soon, or an empty store. Many may not be familiar with Devon Ave so I will give a brief introduction to the types of stores that are available. There is a plethora of restaurants, clothing boutiques, and video rental stores that cater to the Indo-Pak community. Since there is such a large quantity of stores, there is a lot of competition! There are always stores closing down and similar ones opening up in their place. It was extremely cold when I went out to take pictures, but it was eventful nonetheless. I was able to take several pictures from Campbell Ave to Talman Ave and even grab some chai and somosas from a restaurant called Annapurna with a friend! This is only one block, but I found several storefronts that had recently opened, had been remodeled or closed down. I pass by these stores often, but it had never occurred to me at the unusual amount of new and closing stores that could be found in such as small section of Devon Ave. Below are some of the pictures I took and a short description about the history of the store.

This is the newly opened restaurant Urban India. The restaurant caters to an upscale dining experience and serves dishes mostly from the northern regions of India. The Gandhi restaurant was here prior to Urban India. Gandhi restaurant is known to have been the first Indian restaurant on Devon Ave. 

Pita Xpress Grill is another new restaurant that opened a month ago and is merely a couple blocks down. The owners are Muslim and would like to cater to the Muslim population and therefore offer halal meat dishes.This is a fairly large restaurant and actually takes up the space of two stores that were previously closed down. The restaurant offers Indian, Pakistani and Middle Eastern cuisine. Some of their entrees combine seasonings from all three regions!

 

Taj Sari Palace is not a new store, but it recently went through renovations on the interior and exterior. Since the renovation the prices of the outfits have gone up as well. The store is known for selling traditional Indian and Pakistani outfits and accessories.

This was a video rental store that went out of business a couple of months ago. There are two other video stores right next door to this one, so it is understandable as to why this one closed down. Also online movie databases such as Netflix and even YouTube have started to offer Bollywood movies, so there is less of a demand for movie stores such as this one. 

 I hope everyone enjoyed the pictures and there will be more to come! For my next assignment I will take a trip to the Chicago History Museum, so stay tuned!

 

Introduction

Namaskar (greetings) everyone!

This is my first post regarding my research for the DADHA Project. The project is a digital historical and contemporary archive of the stretch of Devon Ave east-west from N. Broadway to Kedzie Ave. DADHA essentially traces the histories of the experiences, past and present, of the individuals and communities of Devon Ave. This project is not only a research experience for me, it is also an opportunity for me to show the beauty of this developing neighborhood. I would also like to bring the experiences of the people within the community to light because they are unique and show the hardships and triumphs of immigrants in a large metropolis. I am Indian and Bangladeshi and actually grew up in the Devon area and have very close ties to the Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi community. Within two decades of living in this neighborhood, I have witnessed not only changes in the physical landscape of the area, but also the demographic changes with the migration of many Indo-Pak families to the suburbs of Chicago. The project has several parts and jobs pertaining to it. The tasks that I am assigned to for the following month are to take pictures within the Rogers Park neighborhood, specifically on Devon Avenue and visit the Chicago History Museum. I am also going to attend alderman and chamber of commerce meetings in the following weeks as well.  During my first week, I completed the CITI course. The course took me roughly four hours to complete, but it was well worth it because now I will be able to conduct interviews! I am really looking forward to this aspect of the project. This will enable me to conduct interviews within the Rogers Park neighborhood in the near future.

The picture above was taken by me and it is the north-east corner of Devon Ave and Campbell. This is the typical scene of  Devon with neon signs, posters of the newly-opened stores and remnants of closed down stores. Since one of my tasks is to take pictures of store fronts and people within the community, there will be tons of pictures to come in the future. So please stay tuned!