CEGU

At the turn of the twentieth century, Woodlawn was a neighborhood poised between rapid urban growth and the desire to carve out its own identity. Along 63rd Street, shops and restaurants buzzed with activity, and above them, residents made their homes in apartments and residential hotels. It was a neighborhood where commerce and community coexisted, each shaping the other in a delicate dance of progress and tradition.

But as the neighborhood grew, so did its challenges. It was clear to the residents and local business owners that if Woodlawn were to thrive, it needed more than just successful storefronts–it needed a collective voice. Enter the Woodlawn Businessmen’s Association, an organization that would play a pivotal role in the transformation of the area, helping to guide its growth and identity through much of the twentieth century.

At the heart of the Woodlawn Businessmen’s Association was John Hayes, a hotelier whose family roots in Chicago date back to the mid-nineteenth century. The Hayes family had a history of entrepreneurship, from bottling nerve tonics to operating one of Woodlawn’s most prominent hotels: The Hayes Hotel, situated on the corner of East 64th Street and South University Ave ⁶. Originally purchased by his father, John Hayes Jr., in 1884 as a real estate investment, by the time John Hayes III and his brother took over the hotel, it was already a cornerstone of the community. The hotel’s rooftop garden, dining and tea rooms, and large recreation rooms attracted both locals and guests alike, hosting events including the “Gay Nineties” costume ball and speakers such as US Marshal William McDonnell. Evidently, Hayes was not content with merely running a business–he had larger ambitions for both his hotel and his neighborhood.

Hayes was an important figure for the Jackson Park Hotel Association, presiding over the organization during much of the 1920s and early 1930s and helping shape the broader hospitality landscape of Chicago’s South Side⁵. With 60 member hotels under its wing at its peak, the association was one of the most active hotel organizations in the country during this time ¹. They were the self-proclaimed “hosts” of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, publishing a pamphlet that served as an attraction and housing guide for exposition guests. Their ability to draw notable names, including Amelia Earhart in 1928; engage in discussions about monumental projects, such as the construction of the Museum of Science and Industry in 1931 and the 1933 World’s Fair; and maintain regular communication with the University of Chicago’s Committee on Development underscored their importance in shaping the social and cultural aspects of Woodlawn during this period ^2,3,4.

Hayes’s leadership extended beyond the hotel industry, as he also played a pivotal role in the local business community, serving as the president of the Woodlawn Businessmen’s Association for several terms. In addition to the community-oriented events, the Hayes Hotel became a central hub for the community’s civic activities, often hosting the association’s meetings in its dining rooms, where influential local figures gathered to address the challenges facing the neighborhood. Much like the Jackson Park Hotel Association, the Woodlawn Businessmen’s Association was concerned about community development and wellbeing, and provided economic responses to community issues. Incorporated in 1908, the association was involved in many monumental community initiatives in Woodlawn, including the building of Hyde Park Academy, the installation of street signs and a street lighting system, the construction of the historic Woodlawn branch of the Chicago Library, and much more ¹⁰. Through their efforts, they were not merely turning profits, they were shaping the very social fabric of Woodlawn.

Despite the efforts of the Woodlawn Businessmen’s Association, the community struggled to overcome challenges such as deteriorating housing, limited commercial attractions, and rapidly changing demographic landscape after the Great Depression and World War II. ¹⁶ By the 1960s, Woodlawn found itself at a crossroads. The University of Chicago–just north of the neighborhood–had its own plans for expansion, and the people of Woodlawn feared that this extension was a prelude to further urban renewal, just as the university had done in the prior decades with the Hyde Park-Kenwood community to the north. The university’s proposal to extend its South Campus into a mile-long strip of Woodlawn, though largely uninhabited, sent shockwaves through the neighborhood. ^11,12,13 Faced with this existential threat, the Woodlawn Businessmen’s Association took action. Understanding that they needed a united front, the Woodlawn Businessmen’s Association merged with other local organizations to form the Temporary Woodlawn Organization, or TWO.

Under the banner of TWO, later renamed The Woodlawn Organization, Woodlawn’s residents, business owners, and civic leaders rallied together in support of community development and self-governance in Woodlawn. Through protests, boycotts, and public forums, they fought to protect the residents of Woodlawn and preserve the sense of community that the Woodlawn Businessmen’s Association had worked so hard to cultivate.¹⁴

However, despite The Woodlawn Organization’s continued efforts to rebuild the neighborhood’s economy throughout the late twentieth century, Woodlawn did not recover.¹⁵ In 1960, Woodlawn had a population of 81,279; by the early 2000s, that number had more than halved, dropping to 27,086, alongside an increase in poverty, crime, and unemployment.¹⁶ Nevertheless, the community never lost its sense of civic action. TWO continued providing service programs that addressed social welfare, housing, health care, and housing throughout the late 1900s and was involved in the rebuilding of a new Woodlawn neighborhood at the turn of the new century.¹⁷

Though Woodlawn’s economy struggled in the latter half of the 20th century, the spirit of civic action that the Woodlawn Businessmen’s Association fostered never disappeared.¹⁵ The community that Hayes and his fellow business leaders had envisioned—a place where commerce and community worked hand in hand—endured through the decades of challenge and change.

Ultimately, the story of John Hayes and the broader narrative of The Woodlawn Organization encapsulates the dynamic interactions between commerce and community in Woodlawn’s history. It captures the aspirations and struggles of local entrepreneurs, the ongoing tensions between the neighborhood and the nearby University of Chicago, and the transformation of community spaces into hubs of cultural and social activism.

This delicate dance between commerce and community is far from over. Today, Woodlawn is home to Chicago’s historic restaurant, Daley’s Restaurant, in addition to a resurgence of residential developments, including Woodlawn Station, Woodlawn Social, and Woodlawn Residential Commons, that breathe new life into the area.^18,19,20 These modern establishments reflect both the rich history of the neighborhood and its ongoing evolution as a space where businesses continue to play a central role in shaping the community’s identity. Woodlawn’s identity is a living tapestry, woven through the continuous interplay of its communities of people and businesses and the stories they tell.