Hyde Park Neighborhood Club archives available
Researchers now can examine the records of the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club in the UIC Library's Special Collections department.
The Hyde Park Neighborhood Club (HPNC) was founded in the early 20th century as part of the settlement house movement and functioned for many years to serve neglected or abandoned youth in Chicago's south side neighborhood of Hyde Park. It was deliberately named "the Club" as a reaction to the exclusivity of private clubs of the time. Over the years, HPNC, still an active organization in the Hyde Park neighborhood, has redefined its mission to respond to community needs, expanding to provide programs and services to adults and senior citizens in addition to area youth.
The collection consists of correspondence, reports, published materials, case records, and photographs pertaining to the programs and administration of the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club, the Hyde Park neighborhood and other Chicago-area social service organizations. The records comprise 111.5 linear feet and document the organization's activities from 1936-1985. An online finding aid describes the materials in the collection.
The Special Collections and University Archives Department at the Richard J. Daley Library houses archival records of individuals and organizations that document the political, social and cultural history of Chicago, with a focus on the 20th and 21st centuries.
[caption id="attachment_2255" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The HPNC's Craftmobile visited summer camps and play lots beginning in the early 1960s to provide children with craft materials and instructors to lead them in arts and crafts activities."][/caption], field_56ba6f8fdb00c