Background Knowledge and Content
What is Humboldt Park?
Established in Chicago in 1869, Humboldt Park is a 207-acre public park named for the naturalist Alexander von Humboldt.13 In 1869, people used the area for recreation on Sundays as a way to relax after a long work week in factories or the warehouses in the downtown area, which was busy and congested. The area was settled by immigrants from Europe, who were used to public gardens where families could stroll in nature close to home. In 1871, the City of Chicago experienced a fire that devastated the structures and anything else in its path so badly that the opportunity to redesign the layout of the residential, commercial, and public spaces was a true necessity. The City hired Danial Burnham, who was an urban planner and had studied the boulevard system and the layout of Paris, France. Burnham emphasized the aesthetic points of a city, with consideration for gardens, public spaces, and beautiful buildings so that the crowded and dirty elements of Europe would not be replicated in the United States. Having seen England transformed by industrialization, Chicagoans could see similar pitfalls in their own land development.
Figure 2 “River”
“By framing the city of Chicago with a garden of parks and boulevards, beginning at Lincoln Park on the north and connecting Humboldt, Garfield, Douglas, Washington, and Jackson parks” Burnham established, and it remains to this day, a substantial amount of green spaces throughout the city.14
Why is Humboldt Park so beautiful?
The Chicago Parks Commission decided that in order to maintain property values and raise the real estate profits, Humboldt Park should undergo improvements. Located four miles from the lakeshore of Lake Michigan, Humboldt Park’s marshy biogeography allowed a groundskeeper turned landscape architect, Jens Jensen, to use the natural landscape as a way to beautify and organize the public lands (Fig. 2). Described as a free and sunny spirit, Jensen believed that the feeling of the controlled nature spot should reflect the scenery of the surrounding wild landscape, not copy it - but interpret it.15 Drawing from experience of visiting the gardens of Europe, Jensen knew that what he had in Chicago was already naturally beautiful - that no changes to the biodiversity were necessary. Creating gardens, or leaving prairies in their natural state became the standard by which Jensen planned to beautify Chicago’s parks16.
Figure 3 “A View of Murton Colliery”
Jens Jensen experienced the transformation of the natural landscape of Europe. Factories replaced greenspace (Fig. 3). “A View of Murton Colliery” exemplifies the way industry encroached on natural landscape. Gray smoke belches out of the chimney, while covering the least bit of blue left of the sky.
Run-off into the stream shows the pollution literally running into the drinking water. The land is brown and slowly becoming barren. The people seem to be in discussion about the water. Are they asking is it safe to drink?
Jens Jensen traveled throughout Chicago, as he maintained gardens for the emerging park district. Rejecting the rigidity of royal palaces and gardens, Jensen incorporated classic leisure spaces into his park designs. In the early 20th century, all areas under development in Chicago moved toward overtaking nature to industrialized and profit. The abundance of undeveloped land and flat landscape created an easy transition for industrialization. Jensen spent his life preserving natural landscapes.
At the same time, a similar school of thought emerged in England, led by William Morris. By relying on nature’s own beauty to purify and refresh cities like London, landscape artists turned to folk-style methods of fabricating textiles and prints (Fig. 4).
Figure 4 “News from Nowhere”
Looking at the gardens on his very own property, William Morris launched the Arts and Crafts movement that also emerged in the United States when Humboldt Park was being designed. 17 Morris hoped to correct the errors created by the rapid growth of factories so that citizens would have a beautiful place to relax after a hard weeks’ work.
Why did Latinos settle in Humboldt Park?
The period of the 1950s and 60s saw the first massive migration of Puerto Ricans to Chicago from the Island and New York. Today, two giant steel structures in the shape of the flag of Puerto Rico commemorate Borikén culture that has called Division street between Western Ave to the east to California Ave to the west for half a century. The structures highlight the ownership and pride residents have for the area. All along the Paseo Boricua, restaurants serving arroz gandules (rice with pigeon peas), tocino (bacon), jibaritos (plantain sandwich) and maduros (fried plantains) fill the street on both sides. Festivals are hosted on Division street all summer long and many homes within the blocks fly the Puerto Rican flag alongside the American flag. Senior Citizens play dominos, cards, and socialize in the grassy areas along the curbs of the Paseo. Spanish is spoken everywhere. Cars blasting reggaeton music bring excitement to the barrio night and day. This represents the Orgullo Boricua that is shared in Humboldt Park and that my students bring to my school every day. However, the movement to recognize the contributions of the community did not come easily. Beginning in the 1970s, conflicts between the Old immigrants, the police and the Borikén caused many problems for the newly arrived citizens. The area around Humboldt Park provided cheap housing and plenty of manufacturing jobs that hired immigrants. The vast amounts of manufacturing companies, including the Schwinn bicycle plant, provided opportunities to many newcomers to be hired to do the most dangerous and hard work. Schwinn, as one example, used lead in its paint. As the process to paint millions of bicycles in the bright reds, blues, and greens -known as Schwinn’s signature colors- peaked, so did the pollution in the area. Industrialization replaced the prairie, areas with green space disappeared and became crowded, polluted, and neglected. Crime rates soared. Cultural conflicts erupted regularly and Humboldt Park slowly stopped thriving as a welcoming place to gather and celebrate. What became extremely apparent was that factories took advantage of the situation. Contamination of soil and water ways went unchecked.
In 2024, a study to measure lead in the soil conducted in the park showed “Humboldt, situated in a less affluent neighborhood, shows a tendency towards higher contamination levels. This suggests that socio-economic disparities are a significant factor in the distribution of environmental pollutants, highlighting a clear pattern of environmental injustice.”20 Today, 88% of my students are considered low income. 40% are English Language learners.21 Cultural identity of my school population is highest as Hispanic, with the Puerto Rican, Mexican, and Dominican as major cultural representations. My students walk to school from the surrounding blocks. They see the workers' cottages of the 1890s, where many Borikén families moved in, raised families, and built a stable community. The brown spaces littered with trash and cars used for spare parts on cinderblocks are replaced with million dollar mansions. The old Parish is condos. If someone would ask the residents' opinion about this rapid change, they would tell you it’s good for the real estate agent and white people. Interviews with Latinx youth revealed that they were often perceived by white greenway users to be gang affiliated.22 Users of The 606, along with Humboldt Park, are struggling with the benefits of municipal improvements. While crime and vandalism are on a downward trajectory, many people who live and work in the area wonder who these improvements are intended for and why? My students will tell you that the Park is for them, that the area is used for soccer and basketball. Children use the fieldhouse to participate in arts and crafts, summer camp, music lessons and birthday parties. Their parents will tell you that it is getting difficult to pay the rent and that they feel unwelcome using the public spaces, like the 606, because the new residents (white people) don’t talk to them or worse yell at their children riding bikes and playing to get out of the way as the race by on a $2000 eBike. Though the perception of entitlement and wealth may be prevalent, a silent killer lays just below the beautifully manicured landscape and commissioned art lining the embankment walls.
Humboldt Park in 2025 is no less beautiful, but what lies below the surface of the land is of concern to us as we consider building an urban garden on our school property. The school is situated on a lot purchased by the city where a department store was demolished. Before the department store, records are hazy as to what kind of materials were fabricated on the site.
Knowing that in 2024, “elevated heavy metal levels Humboldt Park — a neighborhood characterized by lower socio-economic status, less education, and higher minority populations—emphasize a broader pattern of environmental injustice, correlating heavily with socio-economic and demographic factors”, it seems environmental risks do not discriminate.23 As I begin the work of teaching students to be urban gardeners, I want them to take pride in their neighborhood and all the history that comes with being from the Barrio Borikén. I believe that they are worthy of nice places for recreation. They need high quality food to eat. Their homes should be safe and secure. The soil under their feet cannot be contaminated, they deserve better. Starting with the garden on our own school property, we can begin the work to inform our neighbors of the risks and help them develop safe gardens in their backyards. By reading an article called Ten Benefits of Urban Gardens: Focus on Socio-Economic Crises found at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FR477, students will find evidence that supports the need to practice safe urban gardening in their neighborhood. Using the raised bed method, my class will learn to start with fresh, uncontaminated soil. We will watch a video called The Urban Garden: 101 Ways to Grow Food in the City available at https://youtu.be/vHGhAcmyNMw?si=JMTQb1wkctX6USaT that explains foods to plant and how to care for the plants so that they thrive in our environment. They can learn to take samples and read the data produced in the labs so that they can tell good soil from contaminated soil in their own gardens. Starting with education about what is actually in our soil, including the community in the process, and teaching them how to eradicate and solve the pollution issues in their dirt and flowerbeds will lead to a better Humboldt Park and Barrio Borikén for us all.
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