Wicker Park in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Nelson Algren
Novelist
| | 1909-1981 | |
Photographed by Sean Flynn
1. Nelson Algren, Novelist Marker
Lived on the third floor here - 1959-1975
"Lyrical, tough, tender, compassionate.
He showed the people's pain."
Erected by Nelson Algren Committee.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment. A significant historical year for this entry is 1959.
Location. 41° 54.371′ N, 87° 40.581′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Wicker Park. It is on Evergreen Avenue 0 miles east of Damen Avenue, on the left when traveling east. The plaque is affixed to the wall of the red-brick building at 1958 West Evergreen. The building today is a private residence. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1958 West Evergreen Avenue, Chicago IL 60622, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A different marker also named Nelson Algren (a few steps from this marker); Fountain Court Enhancement (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Charles Gustavus Wicker (about 700 feet away); Ignacy Jan Paderewski (18601941) (about 700 feet away); Wicker Park (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Wicker Park (approx. 0.2 miles
this page online
More about this marker. A separate "Chicago Tribute" marker for Algren was erected on the sidewalk in front of the house in the late 1990s.
Regarding Nelson Algren. Nelson Algren, whose 1949 novel "The Man with the Golden Arm" won the National Book Award, moved to Chicago when he was 3 years old and spent much of his life living in the city. The third-floor apartment in this red-brick walk-up in the Wicker Park neighborhood was Algren's final Chicago home. In 1975, while researching a story about the boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, he decided to move Paterson, New Jersey. In 1980 he moved to Sag Harbor, Long Island, where he died a year later and is buried.
The corner of Evergreen and Hoyne, about two blocks west of his home, has a brown sign denoting honorary Nelson Algren Avenue, the result of an honorary street naming program that began after an ill-fated attempt to rename Evergreen after Algren in 1982.
In addition to the "Chicago Tribute" marker in front of this home, Algren is also
Photographed by Sean Flynn, September 27, 2023
2. Nelson Algren's final Chicago residence
Nelson Algren lived in a third-floor apartment in this building at 1958 W. Evergreen Ave. in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood. The rectangular marker is visible to the left of the stairs, at window level.
Library of Congress, 1956
3. Nelson Algren (1909-1981)
In "Chicago: City on the Make," he wrote: "Like loving a woman with a broken nose, you may well find lovelier lovelies. But never a lovely so real."
Photographed by Sean Flynn
4. Honorary Nelson Algren Avenue
An honorary street dedicated to Nelson Algren is located at the corner of Hoyne and Evergreen, about a block and a half from this marker.
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, October 8, 2024
5. Nelson Algren Fountain
The Nelson Algren Fountain in the "Polish Triangle," a small park formed by the confluence of Milwaukee, Division and Ashland avenues in Chicago's West Town neighborhood, is about a half-mile east of Algren's house. The home is encircled by an Algren quote: "For the masses who do the city's labor also keep the city's heart."
Credits. This page was last revised on October 21, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 28, 2023, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 463 times since then and 46 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 28, 2023, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 5. submitted on October 8, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
