Photo courtesy of the Chicago History Museum, ICHi-35012; by James Newberry

News & Events

Exhibit at Saint Ignatius College Prep

Maxwell Street Foundation board and advisory council members pose in front of an exhibit of the 1822 portraits of Dr. Philip Maxwell, the early Chicago physician for whom Maxwell Street was named, and (not visible in photo) his wife Jerusha and mounted architectural fragments from buildings that once comprised the old Maxwell Street neighborhood.  Collaboratively developed … Read More

MAXWELL STREET FOUNDATION AT THE MAXWELL STREET MARKET

April 15, 2018

The Maxwell Street Foundation will be at the New Maxwell Street Market in Chicago on the third Sunday of the month, April through October. Maxwell Street fans can visit our table at the Market on May 20, June 17, July 15, August 19, September 16, and October 21 for a variety of Maxwell Street-themed items … Read More

Maxwell Street Foundation website Walking Tours!

May 20, 2018

Guided walking tours of the Historic Maxwell Street Neighborhood by the Maxwell Street Foundation are by appointment only.  Please take the online walking tour on our website!  With this interactive map, you can also tour the Maxwell Street neighborhood on your own with your smartphone!  While there, enjoy the traditional food stands on Union Avenue north … Read More

Visit the “New” Maxwell Street Market

The Maxwell Street Market is a Chicago tradition of bargains and bargaining with an international flavor. The market offers an eclectic mix of merchandise—from tools to tires, plus fresh produce, furniture, clothing, rare finds and collectibles—and some of the best Mexican and Latin street food in Chicago. Open to the pubic free of charge every … Read More

New Maxwell Street Market: Its Present and Future – Dr. Alfonso Morales Report

The Maxwell Street Market began as a collection of small street markets in immigrant neighborhoods south and west of the Loop. After the 1871 fire, street market activity arose around the intersection of Canal Street and 12th Street (Roosevelt Road). In time, a trolley line on Jefferson Street drew peddlers there, and the outdoor market … Read More

Saving Maxwell Street: The People, Power, and the Politics of Urban Aesthetics in Chicago – Janelle L. Walker Ph.D. thesis

Saving Maxwell Street: The People, Power, and the Politics of Urban Aesthetics in Chicago, PhD thesis by Dr. Janelle L. Walker.  Submitted to the faculty of the University Graduate School in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Folklore, Indiana University.  December 2000. The Maxwell Street neighborhood … Read More

“Killing Maxwell Street is like taking opera from Milan”, A Maxwell Street Anthology – Dr. Alphonse Diaz, Dr. Steven Balkin, Reverend Ellis May III, editors

A Plea to the Chicago City Council on April 11, 1994: Mayor Daley has his mind set to eliminate the Maxwell Street Market. The vote in the City Council is set for April 13. The Hispanic and Afro-American grassroots communities are very upset about this. People are already asking how can the President and the Vice … Read More

Tour the old Maxwell Street area during Chicago Blues Fest!

June 10, 2017

Saturday, June 10, 2017, 10:00 a.m. Meet on the southwest corner of Maxwell & Halsted Streets (in front of Peet’s coffee shop, 1328 S. Halsted) in Chicago for a guided walking tour of the neighborhood where electrified Blues was born! Chicago’s Blues Fest runs June 9-11, 2017, so take a little detour to walk the … Read More

Printers’ Row Book Fair

June 11, 2016

June 11-12, 2016. Join the Maxwell Street Foundation at the famous annual Printers’ Row Book Fair to buy Maxwell Street history publications, including Chicago’s Maxwell Street by Lori Grove and Laura Kamedulski, Arcadia Publishing, Inc., 2002.

North Lawndale Arts & Culture Festival

August 6, 2016

August 6, 2016. Join the Maxwell Street Foundation and other arts and culture organizations at Douglas Park Fieldhouse in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood. Many residents of the old Maxwell Street neighborhood moved to Lawndale?for?upward mobility or due to displacement by urban renewal. This is the first annual festival!