The short, unhappy life of Algren Street
By John R. SchmidtThe short, unhappy life of Algren Street
By John R. SchmidtNelson Algren—one of America’s great writers and a charter member of the Chicago Hall of Fame—died in 1981. Columnist Mike Royko had been one of his friends. Royko came up with what seemed like an appropriate way to honor Algren.
For many years Algren had lived in a three-story walkup at 1958 West Evergreen Avenue. “It would be a nice gesture for [the city] to rename one of the little streets around Wicker Park after him,” Royko wrote. “Algren Court or Algren Place. Nothing big. He wouldn’t expect it.”
That was in May. Early the next year, Royko received word that Mayor Jane Byrne had taken up his suggestion. Evergreen Avenue, between Milwaukee and Damen, would be renamed Algren Street. The mayor even sent Royko one of the new street signs.
The trouble started when city crews began putting up those signs.
Algren had never been popular with the city’s Polish community, who thought his writings slandered them. There were still a lot of Poles living in Wicker Park in 1982. They didn’t like the new street name.
Neither did some of the people who lived on Evergreen. Handbills began circulating in the neighborhood. They warned of all the problems and expense the name change would cause.