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Maxwell Street Market Vendor with t-shirt

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Vendor at Maxwell Street Market
Photo by Steven Balkin, 1994

Vendor from Belize selling t-shirts and sundries in 1994 near Jim’s Original hot dog stand, with Nate’s Deli sign in background (Credit: Steven Balkin, 1994) Preservationists soon realized that appeals about the folk nature of the low income, racially mixed community and the value of the alternative economy weren’t compatible with the UIC’s goals for the transformation of these public spaces to a controlled aesthetic for their campus expansion. They turned to focus on the area’s buildings, submitting a nomination to the Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council for a Maxwell Street Market Historic District. The council voted the district was eligible, but the Officer rejected it. Despite protests, the city of Chicago moved the Market from its historic location in 1994.