Hegewisch is the most recent of Southeast Chicago’s four primary neighborhoods. It was founded in 1883 by Adolph Hegewisch, the head of U. S. Rolling Stock Company. Hegewisch wanted to develop a town loosely patterned on the nearby company town of Pullman. The plan was to build a factory to construct railroad cars and to sell land for houses in the vicinity of the plant. The main shopping strip in Hegewisch ran along Baltimore Avenue (first named South Chicago Avenue, later Erie Avenue) from 132nd street to 135th Street. Additional stores were located on Brandon Avenue. This photo is an exterior view of Brody’s Clothing Store located at 13309 Baltimore Avenue. This area had a number of other small businesses and formed the primary commercial district in Hegewisch, much as it remains today. Historically, local residents did their day to day shopping in this area. However, when they needed to purchase larger items, they went “downtown.” For Hegewisch residents, “downtown” did not mean Chicago’s Loop, which was nineteen miles to the north. It also did not mean South Chicago, where most Southeast Chicago residents did their major shopping. Instead, “downtown” for Hegewisch residents meant nearby Hammond, Indiana which had several large department stores including a Goldblatts and a Minas Store.
