South Loop in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Ferd Kramer
In Memoriam
| | August 10, 1901 - July 16, 2002 | |
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, February 28, 2025
1. Ferd Kramer Marker
One of the founders of Dearborn Park
Devoted to the city
Dog lover, breeder, and judge of English bulldogs
Chairman of the board, Draper and Kramer, Incorporated from 1944-1995
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Industry & Commerce • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1901.
Location. 41° 52.318′ N, 87° 37.796′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in South Loop. It is on Park Terrace 0.1 miles north of 9th Street. The marker is at the south end of the small Ferd Kramer Memorial Garden, which is just west of Dearborn Station. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 820 South Park Terrace, Chicago IL 60605, 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: Ferd Kramer Memorial Garden (within shouting distance of this marker); Rowe Building (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Donohue Building (about 500 feet away); Harold Brignadello (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Morton Building / Hotel Blake (approx. 0.2 miles away); Fairbanks Morse & Company Building (approx. Ό mile away); The 19th Amendment
this page online
Also see . . . University of Chicago: Ferd Kramer Papers. The archives of Ferdinand Kramer (1901-2002) are held by the University of Chicago.
Excerpt: "In 1922, Kramer began his long career in real estate when he joined his father's firm, Draper and Kramer, Inc. He became chairman of that firm in 1944, serving in that position until 1995. Kramer served as president of Chicago's Metropolitan Housing and Planning Council beginning in 1943. As a real estate developer, Kramer championed the Prairie Shores and the Lake Meadows housing complexes between the late 1940s and 1960s, and the Dearborn Park housing complex in the 1970s. Kramer saw new urban housing developments as a key way to keep middle income residents, particularly white families, in America's struggling cities. Kramer was also a proponent of managed integration, ensuring a racially diverse population within housing complexes through the use of racial quotas. Kramer's efforts at managed integration were frustrated when the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) ruled that these practices were in violation(Submitted on March 3, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)of the Fair Housing Act of 1968."Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, February 28, 20252. Ferd Kramer Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on March 3, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 3, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 104 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 3, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
