Urban Hike: Hyde Park's Atomic Village

The race for the atomic bomb began in Hyde Park. The atomic scientists did their work in buildings on the University of Chicago campus. They lived in the Hyde Park community, the first "atomic village," like Oak Ridge and Los Alamos but completely different. The tour will visit the important sites on the University campus, at each stop discussing the roles the scientists who worked there made to the development of nuclear science. We will also pass by the places many of the notable scientists lived -- Enrico Fermi, Arthur Compton, Leo Szilard, Edward Teller, Glenn Seaborg, as well as others who played important roles but are less well known. At each stop, we will discuss the events that brought them here, the role they played in first stage of the Manhattan Project, and the contributions they made later and after the war. We will also talk about what life was like for the residents of the atomic village in Hyde Park.

This Urban Hike will include multiple hours of outdoor walking. Please wear comfortable walking shoes, and appropriate clothing for the weather. We also encourage participants to bring preferred snacks and water. Please contact [email protected] with any questions. To request accommodations, please reach out to [email protected].

Event Venue

Eckhart Hall (Quad Entrance), 1118-32 E. 58th St, Chicago, United States