Grand Boulevard (Bronzeville) in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Melissia Ann Elam Home
Chicago Landmark
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, August 27, 2021
1. Melissia Ann Elam Home Marker
Melissia Ann Elam Home
Henry L. Newhouse, Architect
1903
This Chateauesque mansion was purchased in the 1920s by Melissia Ann Elam, who [illegible] in Chicago.
Erected by Commission on Chicago Historical and Architectural Landmarks.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Charity & Public Work • Women. In addition, it is included in the Illinois, Chicago Landmarks Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1903.
Location. 41° 48.514′ N, 87° 37.023′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Grand Boulevard (Bronzeville). Marker is on South King Drive, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4726 South King Drive, Chicago IL 60615, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Robert S. Abbott (within shouting distance of this marker); The Honorable Harold Washington (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Richard Wright House (approx. 0.2 miles away); Oscar DePriest (approx. ¼ mile away); The Marx Brothers (approx. ¼ mile away); Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church (approx.
this page online
Also see . . .
1. Elam House (City of Chicago). The City of Chicago Landmark Commissions short blurb on the Elam House. Includes a few photos.
Excerpt: "This 32-room, Chateauesque-style mansion was built by Simon L. Marks, the owner of a wholesale custom tailoring company. It was purchased in 1926 by Melissia Ann Elam, who operated it for many years as an elegant boarding house for single, African-American working women. The house was an important community institution when this area was the center of the city's African-American cultural life."(Submitted on September 14, 2021.)
2. Elam House (Wikipedia).
"Elam House was owned by Mrs. Melissia Ann Elam. She was born in Missouri in 1853; her parents were slaves. After Emancipation, she moved to Chicago and worked as a maid until she married realtor Rubin Elam.(Submitted on September 14, 2021.)
Seeing the tremendous need for housing and guidance for the many single African American girls and women migrating into the city, Mrs. Elam purchased a home at 4555 South Champlain in 1923 and opened it as the Melissia Anne Elam Home for Working Women andGirls. Mrs. Elam and Isadore Anna Drell purchased the home at 4726 South Park Way in 1926, when demand outgrew space in the Champlain residence. Between the 1930s and the 1950s, Elam Home often housed over 30 women and girls at a time. The home was also the center of many Black, civic, social, and cultural events, including a state convention for African American women."Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, August 27, 20212. Melissia Ann Elam Home Marker - wide view (taken through fence)The marker is attached to the corner of the building, just to the right of the entrance. The building is boarded up and in caretaker status, i.e. awaiting further renovations.
3. Home Histories: Elam Home (January 31, 2017). An extended history of the Elam home.
Excerpt: "As the Elam Home’s outsides at 47th Street and King Drive changed, so did its insides: the house was originally owned by a wealthy tailor, then became a rooming house for single black women under its namesake, Melissia Ann Elam. After Elam’s death, the mansion became property of the Center for New Horizons, until a devastating fire in the nineties left its insides empty, its windows boarded, and its future uncertain."(Submitted on September 14, 2021.)
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, August 27, 2021
3. The Melissia Ann Elam Home
Credits. This page was last revised on June 26, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 14, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 305 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 14, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. Better photo of marker; better transcription of marker text • Can you help?
