Historic Structures of
East Chicago, Indiana
Commercial Structures
Despite its name, East Chicago (pop. 33,892) is not a part of Chicago;
in fact, it is not even adjacent to Chicago. It is actually in
Indiana, several miles southeast of Chicago, separated from Chicago
and the Illinois-Indiana border by the city of Hammond.
A port city on Lake Michigan, East Chicago
is the site of blast furnaces, rolling mills, and oil refineries.
The construction of the Indiana Harbor ship Canal, as well as
the steel mills, attracted dozens of industries in the early
20th century. Recently, its economy has had to diversify due
to the closing or downsizing of several industrial plants.
Many foreign-born workers were attracted to
the city during its industrial expansion, drawn by the multitude
of low-skilled industrial jobs and the opportunity to build a
better life. Workers from Western and Eastern Europe, Ireland,
Germany, Greece and other countries flocked to the area. Later
they were joined by an influx of Mexican workers.
East Chicago is today the home of a popular
marina, as well as several important historic religious and commercial
structures, including the First
National Bank and Trust Co., which gained notoriety in 1934
when it was robbed by John Dillinger, the Calumet Trust and Savings
Bank, and the St. Nicholas Romanian Catholic Church (1913), one
of the city's oldest religious structures.
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