Greektown and Chicago

The first Greeks arrived in the Chicago area in the 1840’s. These men worked as sailors and merchants around the Great Lakes area. After the Chicago fire, a Greek named Christ Chakonas began to recruit Greeks from his native Sparta to come to America and help establish am ethnic community on the Near North Side. Later the Greek community moved to the Near West Side around the streets of Halsted, Harrisson, and Blue Island. At the beginning of the 19th century, Chicago became the center for Greek immigration in the entire country. Originally the men got construction work, but soon most Greeks were involved in the food business, either as food peddlers or restaurateurs. Many Greeks also opened shops selling ethnic goods, ice cream, and flowers. Hull House was opened in the vicinity in 1889 and contributed greatly to the success of the Greek immigrants. An ethnic enclave with its own Greek culture was established that was mostly unchanged until the 1960’s. Most children of Greek parents went to Chicago Public Schools, although most were also enrolled in afternoon and Saturday schools teaching Orthodox Christianity, and the Greek Language. In the 1960’s Greektown began to change. The Eisenhower Expressway was built and so was the University of Illinois in Chicago. The University of Illinois brought a new college atmosphere to the area, and many students of various ethnicities moved into the area. Also in 1968 the first Gyro in America was made in Chicago’s Greektown, and