Of all of the various neighborhoods in Chicago, Pilsen goes down as one of the most interesting. While perhaps not the prettiest of Chicago nabe’s, there is so much beauty to be found, it can be overwhelming. First settled by the Bohemians in the late 1860s, the neighborhood was unscathed by the great fire of 1871, and still retains many pre-fire buildings. Over the decades, the nabe was home to a multitude of immigrants all the way up to today, with the Mexican community having resided there since the 1950s. The spine of the neighborhood is 18th Street (first three shots), which has an amazing collection of 19th century facades, as if forgotten by time. The beauty in this neighborhood is truly from the sum of it’s parts, as opposed to its entirety.

The rest of the shots are from neighboring streets including S Loomis, S Blue Island, and W 19th. This is also one of the few neighborhoods where street vendors are tolerated. One peculiarity you will find is that most of the houses are lower than the street; this is due to the streets being raised to accommodate sewers in the early 20th century.

To my fellow photobloggers, I hope to see you at NAP 2007 this weekend!