South Shore Country Club
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South Shore Country Club
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South Shore Country Club
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| Location | 7059 S. South Shore Dr., Chicago, Illinois |
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| Coordinates | 41°46′11″N 87°33′46″W / 41.76972°N 87.56278°WCoordinates: 41°46′11″N 87°33′46″W / 41.76972°N 87.56278°W |
| Area | Chicago |
| Built | 1908 |
| Architect | Marshall & Fox |
| Architectural style | Mediterranean Revival |
| NRHP Reference # | 75000652 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | March 4, 1975 |
| Designated CL | May 26, 2004 |
The South Shore Cultural Center, in Chicago, Illinois, is a cultural facility located at 71st Street and South Shore Drive, in the city's South Shore neighborhood. It encompasses the grounds of the former South Shore Country Club.
The South Shore Country Club was founded in 1905 as a suburban counterpart to the urban clubs of Chicago, such as the Athletic Club. The original building was built at that time, designed by architects Marshall and Fox in a Mediterranean Revival style. In 1909, a theater was added, but in 1916, Marshall and Fox were engaged to design a newer building, still in the Mediterranean Revival style. This is the building that still stands. Originally built as a Protestant-only club, later, Irish-Catholics were admitted.
Besides the main clubhouse, the Country Club also had stables, a nine-hole golf course, tennis courts, a bowling green, and a private beach on Lake Michigan.
By the early 1960s, the character of the neighborhood was changing rapidly. As Hyde Park, Woodlawn, and South Shore became racially integrated, the wealthy whites who formed the membership in the club started to leave the neighborhood in droves. In 1967, the club considered opening its membership to Jews (for the first time since the 1930s) and African Americans (for the first time ever). The decision at that time not to open membership accelerated the decline of the club; in 1973, the decision was made to liquidate its assets, and in 1975, the property was sold to the Chicago Park District for $9,775,000.
It was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
A coalition of neighborhood activists and historic preservationists successfully convinced the Park District not to demolish the buildings. Instead, the facility was renamed the South Shore Cultural Center. Over two decades, the main buildings were slowly renovated and repurposed. Other buildings were torn down.
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