North Lawndale, Chicago: Community Area #29 Guide

North Lawndale is Chicago community area #29, on the city’s West Side. It is known as the former home of Sears, Roebuck & Co.’s headquarters, now Homan Square, and as the base of Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1966 Chicago campaign. CMAP estimates its population at 33,958 (2020–2024 ACS).

Fact	Details
Community area number	29
Side of the city	West Side
Population (2020–2024 ACS estimate, CMAP)	33,958
Neighborhoods within	Homan Square, K-Town (part), Douglas Park area
Main L stations	Pink Line: Kedzie, Central Park, Pulaski, Kostner
Major parks	Douglass Park (162 acres; renamed in 2020 for Anna Murray Douglass and Frederick Douglass)

Boundaries

North Lawndale lies south of East and West Garfield Park and north of South Lawndale, with the suburb of Cicero to the west. Douglass Park anchors its eastern side.

Neighborhoods within North Lawndale

Homan Square: the redeveloped former Sears complex.
K-Town: a historic district of streets beginning with K, bounded by Kinzie Street, Cermak Road, Kostner Avenue and Pulaski Road, partly inside North Lawndale.
The blocks around Douglass Park.

History

Chicago annexed the eastern part of Cicero Township in 1869, and developers Millard & Decker marketed the land as “Lawndale.” Sears, Roebuck moved its headquarters here in 1906, and Western Electric’s plant opened nearby in Cicero in 1903.

Russian Jews were the largest group by the 1910s; by 1946 about 65,000 Jews lived here. The area turned majority Black in the 1950s, and population peaked at 124,937 in 1960. International Harvester closed its plant in 1969 and Sears moved its headquarters downtown in 1974. King chose North Lawndale as his base in 1966.

Landmarks and parks

Homan Square, including the Nichols Tower of the former Sears complex.
Mount Sinai Hospital.
Douglass Park, 1401 S. Sacramento Drive, a 162-acre park founded in 1869 as Douglas Park.
Malcolm X College’s predecessor, Herzl Junior College, was based here.
Roosevelt Road, the historic commercial strip.

Getting there

The CTA Pink Line runs through North Lawndale with stops at Kedzie, Central Park, Pulaski and Kostner.

Frequently asked questions

Why is North Lawndale historically important?

It was the headquarters of Sears, Roebuck from 1906 to 1974 and the base of Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1966 northern civil rights campaign.

What L line serves North Lawndale?

The Pink Line, with stops at Kedzie, Central Park, Pulaski and Kostner.

What is the difference between North Lawndale and South Lawndale?

They are separate community areas, #29 and #30. South Lawndale is better known as Little Village.