Established in the late 1800´s and early 1900´s on farmland that was first plowed by veterans of the Revolutionary War, the neighborhood of Harrison West featured brick streets, housing built by craftsmen for workers in nearby factories, and fine examples of turn-of-the-century American town planning and architecture.
In the 1970´s, faced with a declining neighborhood, unscrupulous landlords and mass demolitions of houses, residents of Harrison West organized the Harrison West Society "to preserve and improve the neighborhood" and to "broaden the appreciation of ethnic and social heritage with friendly contact". They stopped plans for a huge shopping mall and set the stage for the public and private investment and sense of community that gave Harrison West a fighting chance. And it worked!
The Society continues on as a nonprofit civic association. In the last decade, the Harrison West Society has:
Curious about where Harrison West is locate? Check out a few maps.
Every month, we publish a newsletter, which can be found in electronic format
here. We have posted a copy of our Constitution and ByLaws.