University Village is an area on the Near West Side of Chicago, west of the South Loop, north of Pilsen,_Chicago#Pilsen, south of Eisenhower Expressway and east of the Illinois Medical District. The community is made up of diverse ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds as a result of immigration, urban renewal, gentrification and the growth of the resident student and faculty population of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).

The recent history of the neighborhood waves of urban renewal, starting with the construction of expressways in the 1950s, the development of UIC in the 1960s, the demolition of public housing in the 1990s and 2000s, and redevelopment of Maxwell Street in the 2000s. Along with these changes, housing prices in the area have risen.^[1]

Historically, the neighborhood encompassed the old Maxwell Street neighborhood. From the late 19th century until the 1920s, the Maxwell Street neighborhood was home to many immigrant Eastern-European Jews. They established an outdoor market in along Maxwell and adjacent streets.

Once the Great Migration of African Americans from the South began in 1919, the neighborhood became increasingly African American, though many of the businesses remained in Jewish hands. It is at this time that the music known as Chicago Blues originated and was performed on Maxwell Street. Maxwell Street is widely recognized as the birthplace of the modern blues and artists such as Bo Diddley, Junior Wells and Little Walter were once regulars at the market, playing for tips in the street.^[2]

Nate's Deli, previously Lyon's Deli, was an important landmark in the neighborhood and an example of the many partnerships between blacks and Jews at Maxwell Street. Opened by Ben Lyon, a Jewish man in the neighborhood, in the 1920s, he eventually sold the deli to his employee, Nate Duncan, an African American. The scene in the Blues Brothers where Aretha Franklin sings Think was filmed in Nate's Deli. The deli was taken over and demolished by the University Village development in the 1990s.

It was at Maxwell Street where Abe "Fluky" Drexler first began to sell the Chicago style hot dog in 1929^{[citation needed]}, and where Jim Stefanovic created the Maxwell Street Polish at Jim's Hot Dog Stand.^{[citation needed]} The Original Jim's was torn down around 2002 and relocated to nearby Union Street. The Maxwell street market continues today on Des Plaines Street between Harrison and Roosevelt streets, east of University Village. It is largely a Mexican street market today, and is still a popular place to find bargains and unique merchandise.

By the late 1990s, the retail corridor in the neighborhood had declined, and the neighborhood was market by many vacant lots. UIC initiated a redevelopment, demolishing most of the remaining building and building dormitories and parking garages. A few buildings and facades were saved and rehabilitated. Restaurants and services in the area now cater college students and residents of adjacent developments.

Little Italy is located in the Near West Side community area of the city of Chicago. It encompasses a 12-block stretch of Taylor Street east of Ashland Avenue and the streets to the north and south for several blocks in each direction. The neighborhood lies between the Illinois Medical District to the west and the University of Illinois at Chicago to the east.

Other ethnic groups have always been present in the area known as "Little Italy."^[3]

In fact, Italian Americans never constituted a majority in the district.^[4] Nonetheless, the neighborhood was given its name due to the strong influence of Italians and Italian culture on the neighborhood throughout the 19th and 20th century.

Though the Italian population declined throughout the late 20th century, many Italian restaurants and groceries remain in the Taylor Street corridor.^[5] The neighborhood also hosts the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame as well as the historic Roman Catholic churches Our Lady of Pompeii and Holy Guardian Angel.^[4]

Florence Scala, a social activist who lived in Little Italy, was famous for attempting to stop the demolition of a large section of the neighborhood to build the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).

Chicago's original produce market sat along the south side of the Chicago River, west of what is now Michigan Ave. Incoming vessels could bring fruits and vegetables from the states located around the Great Lakes. This market became known as South Water Market because of its location.^[6]

By the 1920s, the market was congested and overcrowded. The City of Chicago built new streets parallel to the Chicago River and moved the market to the neighborhood, alongside the St. Charles Air Line. The three-story buildings were originally designed by the architects Fugard & Knapp.

On July 10, 2003, The Chicago Planning Commission granted their approval on the sale of the produce market for a cost of approximately $36 million to Enterprise Companies of Chicago redevelop into retail and housing.^{[citation needed]}

University Village was formerly home to several Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) public housing developments. These were grouped under the acronym ABLA. Those developments were: the Jane Addams Homes (first public housing development in Chicago), Grace Abbott Homes, Robert Brooks Homes, Robert Brooks Extension, and Loomis Courts. Most of ABLA razed by the CHA as part of the CHA's Plan for Tranformation, a program of demolition and redevelopment as mixed-income housing.

ABLA was demolished in stages in the early 2000s. and is currently being redeveloped as townhouses and condominiums under the name Roosevelt Square. The developer has received $9.7 million from the Roosevelt/Racine Tax Increment Financing District.

Two of the more significant landmarks of Little Italy were the Catholic churches of Our Lady of Pompeii and Holy Guardian Angel founded by Mother Cabrini.^[7] Holy Guardian Angel was the first Italian congregation in Chicago. The parish was established in 1898, and the church was built on Arthington Street in 1899. Due to the burgeoning population, a second major Italian church, Our Lady of Pompeii, was founded in 1911. The Holy Guardian Angel Church was razed for the construction of the expressway system. The Our Lady of Pompeii Church is now the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii.

Hull House, Jane Addams' settlement house known for its social and educational programs was also located within the Little Italy area. In recent years, the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame (founded in 1977 in Elmwood Park, Illinois) was relocated to a new building in Little Italy.

University Village is currently served by the Daniel Solis, alderman of Chicago's 25th Ward, and Bob Fioretti, of the 2nd Ward. The neighborhood is part of Illinois's 7th Congressional District, currently filled by Democrat Danny K. Davis.

• University Village / Ivy Hall
• University Village Development
• University Commons
• Roosevelt Square
• University Station
• Cheat You Fair website