Bronzeville Street Map

Bronzeville Street Map, 1996

Gregg LeFevre

Median at 35^th Street and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive

            This 14-foot by 7-foot inlaid bronze map was installed as part of revitalization efforts in the south-side neighborhood known as “Bronzeville.” Other examples of public art in the area include Alison Saar’s Monument to the Great Northern Migration, Mary Brogger’s Recognition Panels, a series of benches by various artists installed on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive between 25^th and 35^th streets, as well as Geraldine McCullough’s series of 17-inch diamond-shaped plaques placed in medians and sidewalks. McCullough’s 91 plaques identify locations related to prominent African Americans, such as Nat “King” Cole, Ida B. Wells, Richard Wright, Jack Johnson, and Langston Hughes, as well as other historical sites.

            Gregg LeFevre, a New York-based artist, was chosen to create the street map, with the assistance of a team of local researchers, because of his vast experience creating similar inlaid panels and plaques all over New York City. More than simply a map, the plaque includes historical facts and representations of artifacts related to the individuals, businesses and sites that contributed to the neighborhood’s status as the “Black Metropolis from the mid-19^th century to the 1930s.