New Maxwell Street Market

The American concept of the melting pot has been used when describing places such as New York City and San Francisco, but the historic Maxwell Street Market in Chicago heightened the concept to a whole new level. Now located in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood on Desplaines St, the first incarnation of the Maxwell Street Market came into being on the street of the same name in the mid-nineteenth century as an open-air market where immigrants from all ports of call were able to conduct business, trade and barter for goods. Successive waves of immigrants settled and thrived in the area over time, bringing their own culture into the melting pot. During the Great Migration, talented musicians from the South came to the Maxwell Street Market and developed the Blues, from which modern Rock & Roll was born. Though no longer on Maxwell Street proper, the market continues under the watchful eye of the city, and is open only on Sundays. The market can get crowded from time to time, so the tactful shopper will book Maxwell Street Market parking before Sunday by booking a spot ahead of time with ParkWhiz.