{"nrhp_refnum":"05001609","name":"Pilsen Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Roughly bounded by W. 16th St., W. Cermak Rd., S. Halsted St. and S. Western Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chicago","county":"Cook County","state":"IL","lat":41.85267980900005,"lon":-87.6703386874506,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2006-02-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["European","Hispanic","Social History","Industry","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A large historic neighborhood district in Chicago, about two and a half miles southwest of downtown, roughly bounded by West 16th Street, West Cermak Road, South Halsted Street and South Western Avenue. It holds about 5,243 buildings, most built in the 1880s and 1890s.","why_significant":"The district is notable for its dense, varied architecture, including cottages, flats, mixed-use buildings, churches and factories, many with Baroque-influenced ornament brought by Bohemian immigrants. It grew after the 1871 Chicago Fire, when Bohemian immigrants moved in. Its parks and public baths reflect Progressive-era reform in a crowded immigrant neighborhood.","narrative":"Pilsen is a densely built Chicago neighborhood about two and a half miles southwest of downtown, laid out on the city's flat street grid. Investors platted many streets in the 1850s, but construction took off after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, as Bohemian immigrants moved in. Most surviving buildings date from the 1880s and 1890s. The district counts 4,405 contributing and 838 noncontributing buildings, including brick cottages, rear houses, two- and three-flats, tenements, mixed-use corner buildings, banks, churches, schools, meeting halls and factories. Many show Baroque forms and ornament carried from Europe, such as sculptural gables, carved stone lintels and patterned brickwork. West 18th Street forms the commercial spine. Churches such as St. Procopius and St. Paul are prominent landmarks. Parks including Harrison, Dvorak and Barrett, along with two public baths, reflect Progressive-era efforts to serve a crowded immigrant community. Together these features give Pilsen an architectural and urban character unusual among Chicago neighborhoods.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Julius H. Huber (St. Procopius); Henry J. Schlacks (St. Paul Church); William Carbys Zimmerman (natatorium, Dvorak Park field house); Jens Jensen (park plans)","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals; Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements; Craftsman; Other: Bohemian Baroque","criteria":[],"status_note":"Historic residential, commercial, religious, educational and industrial functions continue in the present day; the form lists the same current functions.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.533052-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/15/8926/28892615/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/05001609.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001609/a0f226e2d2-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001609/a0f226e2d2-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Andrew Jameson","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pilsen_Historic_District_Chicago_IL.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Andrew Jameson</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pilsen_Historic_District_Chicago_IL.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"12000040","name":"Chicago Park Boulevard System Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/illinois/chicago-park-boulevard-system-historic-district-12000040/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892615","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilsen_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7194515"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/cook-county/pilsen-historic-district-05001609/"}