History in Humboldt Park

This pavilion in the heart of Humboldt Park was named a landmark on November 13, 1996.

This building and stable in humboldt park was designated as a landmark on february 6, 2008.

The worst school fire in Chicago history claimed the lives of 92 students and three nuns when flames and smoke engulfed the Our Lady of the Angels school in 909 North Avers Avenue on December 1, 1958.  Many died when they jumped from the school's second-floor windows, which were 25 feet above the ground because the school's basement was partially above ground level.  Though the school met all state and municipal fire codes, there was only one fire escape, there was no automatic fire alarm, there was no direct alarm connection to the fire department, there were no fire-resistant stairwells, and there were no heavy-duty fire doors from the stairwells to the second floor corridor.  It was the third highest death toll in history from a disaster in an American building.  The fire prompted an overhaul in fire safety code standards and school building designs. Its cause was never officially determined.  A 10 year-old fifth grader confessed to arson in 1962, but later recanted.  The boy in question died in 2004, and neither he nor anyone else was ever prosecuted.