Neighborhood News: It’s Great to be Greek at Greektown’s National Hellenic Museum
“There are two kinds of people – Greeks, and everyone else who wishes they were Greek.”
Gus Portokalos (Michael Constantine) ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ (2002)
Greektown is located on the Near West Side, along Halsted Street, between Van Buren and Madison Streets. It’s home to restaurants and cultural institutions devoted to preserving the history and vibrancy of Greek culture.
As Chicago’s Greek community prepares to celebrate Greek Independence Day at the annual Greek Heritage Parade down Halsted Street on Sunday, April 6 at 2:30pm, it’s great to remind ourselves that the strength of our diverse cultural communities are what makes Chicago strong.
The symbolic heart of Greektown is the National Hellenic Museum, 333 S. Halsted Street. The nationally recognized building, as Wikipedia sources note, features permanent and rotating exhibition halls, a library and archival research center, a classroom for children of all ages, and an oral history center featuring the National Hellenic Museum’s Oral History project.
The museum also features a rooftop garden terrace with dramatic views of the Chicago skyline during the summer months.
Founded in 1983, the Museum occupied several spots in downtown Chicago until opening the majestic, 40,000 square foot institution in 2011. The museum promotes understanding of the rich cultural traditions of ancient and contemporary Greece, as well as the Greek-American immigrant experience.
The origins of Greektown
The original Greektown district on Halsted Street began with Jane Addams Hull House, which acted as a meeting point for the Greek population within Chicago and provided a basis for community to be built from 1889. According to Wikipedia sources, this house was used as a hub for the Greek community, and saw further small business expand within this area. By 1930, the area which had become known as the “Greek Delta,” held a foreign and native-born population of over 30,000. Greektown had been nicknamed the “Greek Delta” because it was located North and west of the Hull House on Blue Island, Halsted, and Harrison Street, which created a triangle that resembles a Delta.
After World War II, an influx of Greeks immigrated to the US under the Displaced Persons Act, and an even more enormous amount entered in 1965 when the National Origins Act was repealed. This population continued its growth and expansion with the district growing in size and area.
This continued until 1960, when the opening of the University of Illinois Chicago campus, as well as the construction and opening of the Eisenhower Expressway, forced the neighborhood to move North along Halsted street to its current location along Halsted Street between Van Buren and Madison streets. From the 1970’s-1990’s, the area grew again with the establishment of authentic Greek restaurants, cultural institutions, and community organizations preserving Greek culture.
Today, according to Greektown Chicago, Old World traditions are prevalent in the many establishments of Greektown. The language is still heard in the neighborhood, and the community comes out in full ethnic pride during the annual Greek Independence Day parade, the Taste of Greece and the days surrounding Greek Easter.
Current Museum Exhibitions
Reaching for the American Dream: The Greek Story in America The museum ‘s core exhibit encompasses thousands of unique experiences that portray the successes and hardships that contribute to the American mosaic, and includes objects, photographs, and personal stories that reflect the Greek-American experience.
Legacy, Renewal & Unity: Celebrating 100 Years of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Using a captivating blend of artifacts and interactive displays, this exhibition follows the development of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (GOA) from its founding in 1922 to the present.
Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate: Protecting the Future of Faith This multimedia experience highlights the Archon’s work to defend the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, an ancient center of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, and religious freedom around the world.
CHANGE: The Story of Coins features 29 coins, which date from the Hellenistic Period to the early Roman period (336 BCE-55 CE). Accompanying these coins is a section focusing on Alexander the Great’s impact on the spread of Hellenism.
Storytelling in Cloth and Light The exhibition displays textiles (all taken from NHM’s expansive collection of more than 10,000 Greek American artifacts) meticulously woven in Greece, largely by women, and brought across the ocean to the United States. Accompanying this brilliant needle work are photographs taken by Chicago-based Greek American Diane Alexander White during her 1977 trip to Greece.
The National Hellenic Museum is open Thursday-Sunday, from 10am – 4pm. For tickets and information, click here.
Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago
