Decline 1905-1965

Decline 1905-1965. . As multiple factors led to the exodus of residents from the street during the first decades of the 20th century, the automobile and publishing industries found the area desirable due to its transportation routes and proximity to downtown. Although many residences were at first converted to business use, eventually more than 90% were razed for parking lots and new commercial structures. , , 1905 Construction of major commercial buildings in the area for Ford, Eastman Kodak and Western Bank Note companies, 1909 Marshall Field Jr. house at 1919 Prairie is sold to the Gatlin Institute, a hospital which treats drug and alcohol addiction, 1912 First section of R. R. Donnelley and Sons printing plant built at Calumet and 21st, 1915 Allerton house at 1936 Prairie demolished and replaced by Hump Hairpin Mfg. Co. factory, the first large commercial building on Prairie, 1920 Census shows 26 residences still occupied by original families and an equal number converted to rooming houses with up to 45 persons each, 1922 Newspaper article estimates investment in the area by the automobile industry at $100 million and by the publishing industry at $20 million, 1923 First Chicago zoning ordinance designates entire area for commercial purposes, 1933 Multiple concession stands and parking lots built along Prairie for Chicago World's Fair, 1944 Addie Hibbard Gregory, the last original resident on Prairie Avenue, moves from the street after 77 years and her home at 1638 Prairie is razed, 1949 Former resident Arthur Meeker publishes a fictional account of life on the street in the late 1800s entitled Prairie Avenue