Washington Park

For now Chicago's Washington Park neighborhood may be a predominantly residential south side community with a sprawling public park and rich culture of African-American heritage, however, as the potential site of the Olympic Stadium for the 2016 Summer Games, this modest neighborhood could really make its mark in the near future. Remnants of the last century's architectural movement are found throughout the area, with a wave of new designs and gut rehabs dusting the streets as well. As Olympic talk heightens, developers and city officials are anticipating the impact such a huge event would have on Washington Park. Temporary athlete lodgings and the massive 80,000-seat arena would only be around for a short period, but the hope is that a surge of new businesses would ride in on the coattails of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bolster the Washington Park neighborhood for decades to come. The current commercial base is slight, with a few soul food mainstays and Chinese takeout, but the annual cultural festivals and fun Park District programs keep things on the up as Washington Park awaits an impending transformation of Olympic proportions.