This aerial image of North Park University was taken around 1950 and includes the former Budlong Farm, where pickle crops were grown.
Today, this site includes a McDonald’s restaurant, a CTA service station, and a building owned by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.
The City of Chicago recently purchased this building and converted it into a shelter to house more than 500 asylum seekers.
The image shows how NPU has evolved and grown alongside its host city. In the process, Chicago has become part of North Park’s very identity, a fact that was reaffirmed when university officials opted to remain in the city instead of moving to the suburbs.
This photo also reminds us that there is more to Chicago than the grand skyscrapers of downtown, and that smaller neighborhoods like North Park also comprise the character of the city.
By viewing North Park from this unique vantage point as a growing institution in an ever-evolving city, we can better understand our history and place in the world.