The University of Chicago Library > The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center > Finding Aids > Guide to the South Park Improvement Association Records 1925-1967
© 2008 University of Chicago Library
Preservation of this collection was supported with a generous gift from the University of Chicago Service League.
| Title: | South Park Improvement Association. Records |
|---|---|
| Dates: | 1925-1967 |
| Size: | .5 linear feet (1 box) |
| Repository: |
Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center |
| Abstract: | The South Park Improvement Association was founded in 1901 for the purpose of providing for services not rendered by the city of Chicago. This collection contains records of the South Park Improvement Association, including correspondence, service planning information, membership lists, and financial information such as budgets and invoices. |
The collection is open for research.
When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: South Park Improvement Association. Records, [Box #, Folder #], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library
The South Park Improvement Association was founded in 1901 for the purpose of "providing necessary services not rendered by the city of Chicago." With a base on 57th Street in Hyde Park, the formation of the organization was an experiment “in the interest of civic improvement, the desire to realize the high ideals of the community by maintaining the neighborhood in a better and more sanitary condition.” The Association was a non-profit corporation; their funds were obtained from voluntary payments for its services, received from householders and property owners. Some of the projects they were involved in included sidewalk snow removal; street flushing—where debris was washed into gutters for easier removal, occurring May through October; trash removal; paper collection drives; and beautification projects, including trimming trees and removing weeds from vacant lots or parkways.
This collection contains records of the South Park Improvement Association and is organized alphabetically, with an over-size ledger at the end of the series. This collection includes correspondence, event planning information, membership lists, press clippings, as well as financial information such as budgets and invoices.
The following related resources are located in the Special Collections Research Center:
Hyde Park Historical Society. Collection
| Box 1 Folder 1 | Addressograph Company, 1937-1953 |
| Box 1 Folder 2 | By-laws, 1938-1959 |
| Box 1 Folder 3 | General file, 1925-1965 |
| Box 1 Folder 4 | Hyde Park Community Planning Association, 1956 |
| Box 1 Folder 5 | Membership, 1947-1963 |
| Box 1 Folder 6 | Paper collection, 1909-1967 |
| Box 1 Folder 7 | Special work, 1951-1964 |
| Box 2 | Accounting Ledger -- Payments for Services, 1939-1965 |