Encyclopedia of Chicago

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The Encyclopedia of Chicago is a major reference work about Chicago and its surrounding metropolitan area. It was published by the University of Chicago Press in October 2004 in print and online in May 2005. The project grew from a ten-year collaboration between the Newberry Library and the Chicago Historical Society, with Northwestern University later joining to publish the online edition.

Editors James R. Grossman, Ann Durkin Keating, and Janice L. Reiff guided the project, drawing on about 600 contributors, most of them professors and scholars. The goal was to cover not only the city but the entire region, including every suburb and Chicago’s 77 community areas, and even expand to parts of Southwest Michigan and Northwest Indiana.

What you’ll find
- Print edition: 1117 pages, more than 1400 entries, about 2000 biographical sketches, around 250 business entries, and hundreds of maps.
- Online edition (Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago): expanded to about 1766 entries with thousands of images and sources, plus video, primary sources, and extensive hyperlinks.
- Content covers neighborhoods, suburbs, ethnic groups, and major cultural institutions. Topics include technology, architecture, immigration, transportation, labor, music, health, and more.
- Special features: a large biographical dictionary, a directory of significant Chicago-area businesses, a 21-page timeline from 1630 to 2000, and interpretive essays woven into the entries. The cartography was developed by a dedicated map editor, and the work includes numerous maps and photographs.

How it was built
- The project began with a National Endowment for the Humanities grant (initially $200,000 with a $300,000 challenge grant) and grew into a roughly $1.7 million print effort and nearly $1 million for the online edition.
- Entries were researched using reliable secondary sources, newspapers, and other historical materials. Writers were paid by word (about $0.10/word), and editors coordinated hundreds of entries through teams of subject specialists and librarians.
- The aim was to be geographically expansive, not limited by city boundaries, making it one of the most comprehensive references on the Chicago region.

Reception and impact
- The Encyclopedia was widely praised as one of the most significant historical projects about Chicago in recent decades. It was described as the most comprehensive reference on the Chicago region ever published and as a remarkable online resource with strong, interactive features.
- Reviews noted some omissions, especially regarding downstate areas, but generally applauded the depth, breadth, and cartographic work. The online edition was celebrated for its hyperlinks and additional materials, which greatly expanded what could be included beyond the print format.

In sum, the Encyclopedia of Chicago is a definitive, richly illustrated reference that documents the city and its far-reaching region, serving as a valuable resource for scholars, students, and anyone interested in Chicago’s history.