LINCOLN PARK — DePaul University will use photographs to trace the changes over the decades in its home neighborhood of Lincoln Park in a program set for Tuesday evening.
Photographer Bob Segal presents "Lincoln Park Neighborhood Then and Now: A Photographic History" at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Student Center, 2250 N. Sheffield Ave. It's the latest program in the university's Lincoln Park Community Research Initiative.
"I thought I knew a lot about my neighborhood, but during my research I was stunned by the architectural, demographic, historic and cultural changes over the last 100 years," Segal said. "I'm most looking forward to sharing, maybe even ‘wowing,’ my neighbors with some of the changes in our community. I'll also enjoy everyone's reactions as they watch the photos of today's scenes fade into virtually the same photo from decades past."
Segal has culled historic images from DePaul's Special Collections Library for the program, sometimes augmented with complementary present-day shots Segal took himself, such as this photograph of the corner of North Avenue and Halsted Street to go with the Chicago History Museum image above.
"I am reminded of the famous George Santayana quote, ‘Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.’ In the past, we've lost some amazing buildings, streetscapes and customs,” Segal said. “While certainly not everything in the past needs to be preserved, I think this presentation will help us make wiser decisions regarding what needs saving and what doesn't.
"The issues we face in Lincoln Park today — land use, preservation, traffic, taxes, crime, etc. — are not very different than those faced decades ago," he said. "Seeing images from the past, and understanding what happened then, can provide significant insights into potential solutions today."
A reception including free cocktails and hors d'oeuvres is at 6:30 p.m. in Room 314, immediately followed by the program at 7. The university, however, said reservations are already at capacity for the reception.
