Winthrop Family Historical Garden

Contact Information: Justin Weidl at justin@exploreuptown.org
Address: 4628-34 N. Winthrop Avenue
Neighborhood/Community Area: Uptown
Garden Established: 2009
Protected by NeighborSpace: 2010
Social Media/Website: Winthrop Family Historical Garden
Community Partners: Uptown United

About the garden: The Winthrop Family Historical Garden was established in 2009 to celebrate the families who helped found Uptown’s rich cultural diversity, while also providing a green space in one of Chicago’s most densely populated neighborhoods.

Chicago’s Uptown is known for its rich, dynamic history and its mingling of cultures and customs. However, pre-World War II land covenants and legal segregation listed the 4600 block of North  Winthrop Avenue as Uptown’s only block where African Americans could live. Despite this, the neighbors developed tight-knit relationships. Although only one resident from those decades remain, the result was a large extended family that still gathers and refers to themselves as the Winthrop Avenue Family. Learn more about the history of this area.

In the mid-2000s, the idea of transforming several vacant parcels of land into a community greenspace on the narrow 4600 block of Winthrop took shape and was dedicated in the fall of 2009 thanks to the leadership of Uptown United and several other local leaders and volunteers.