Located in what was once known as Swede Town, the Swedish Club was formed in 1882 on 155 East Chicago Ave. In 1896 the Swedish Club moved to 470 N LaSalle street, renamed 1258 N. LaSalle when Chicago streets were renumbered. Swedish Club hosted holiday gatherings, dances, dinners, art exhibitions, other cultural events and published "The Swedish Club News". By the early 1900's the once sizeable Swede Town became home to other different incoming immigrants. The Swedes and their Swedish American children gravitated north and northwest to Lake View and Andersonville, Lincoln Square, Albany Park and North Park. Still, at Swedish Club, the Swedish immigrants gathered.
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| Photo by Smallbones. Public domain. Available from Wikimedia Commons. |
The Great Depression all but ended mass Swedish immigration. The second and third generation of those Swedish immigrants moved away, many to more northern and western areas such as Portage Park, Irving Park. North Park and then on to the suburbs with the advent of "White flight" in the post WWII era.
My grandparents lived in the LakeView area. I myself was born in the Swedish Covenant Hospital in the North Park area and grew up for a time in Irving Park. Then off to the suburbs we also went where Swedish heritage seemed all but lost, at least for me anyway.
The same perhaps for many other second and third generation children of Swedish immigrants . With today's population of Chicago at 2.7 million (2020 census) just 14,000 people claim a bit of Swedish heritage. The Swedish Club, once an important cultural meeting place closed in 1984, it's contents auctioned off to those hoping to grab a bit of their vanishing Swedish-Chicago Heritage.
The Swede Club is now designated on the National Register of Historic Places. The property which once was the Swedish Club is now 2 individual townhouses. One, at 4396 square feet and 5 bedrooms is estimated by Zillow to be worth $2,376,700.
(click on Tribune article to enlarge for an interesting read)
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