Hyde Park: Home to the Obama Presidential Center, DuSable Museum of African American History, and a First Presidential Kiss

Hyde Park is one of Chicago’s most dynamic and culturally diverse areas, home to mostly locally owned businesses and a large African American population. It’s a neighborhood that honors Black history every day and, most notably, each February during Black History Month.

The cultural mélange that is Hyde Park originated in the Great Migration of the 1920s when Blacks moving north from the rural south were drawn to the area for its jobs, gracious homes, and the creative cultural vibe of this neighborhood, home to musicians, performers, and activists.

At the heart of this historic community lies SOPHY Hyde Park, the 98-room boutique hotel named one of “The Best New Hotels in the World” by the editors of Travel + Leisure. SOPHY is deeply committed to Hyde Park’s Black history, which the hotel celebrates by displaying artwork from renowned contemporary Chicago artists alongside works by Hyde Park Academy high school students. Guestrooms feature Crosley record players and a selection of music on vinyl from Black artists with strong Chicago ties, such as Junior Wells, Muddy Waters, and Pop Staples.

The property was designed not just for guests but for the entire community and has become, as planned, a welcoming and sophisticated gathering space for everyone. The lobby and lounge are like a sophisticated living room for the residents of the area.

Hyde Park is home to the DuSable Museum of African American History, the nation’s oldest independent African American museum, founded 60 years ago.  It’s the neighborhood of legendary Chicago luminaries such as Mahalia Jackson, Mayor Harold Washington, former US Senator Carol Moseley Braun, Muhammed Ali, Dick Gregory, Chaka Khan, and Jody Watley.

Hyde Park looms large in the history of our 44th president.  Directly across 53rd street from the hotel is a plaque on the “Kissing Rock,” marking the spot where Barack and Michele Obama shared their first kiss. Michelle Obama grew up in Hyde Park, and the Obamas still maintain a home in the neighborhood.

Yet Hyde Park is also in the vanguard of current African American culture. Construction is underway on The Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park, a few blocks away. The museum will include The Forum, a gathering space for residents of the South Side.

To mark Black History Month in February and raise a glass of bubbly to all Valentines in Hyde Park, SOPHY offers the SOPHY SO-In Love package. It includes a two-night stay in a deluxe or suite-style accommodation, one bottle of Champagne, one box of Vosges Chocolates, a $100 brunch credit to Mesler Chicago restaurant, and a gift certificate toward outdoor skating for two at the nearby Midway Plaisance Park with rentals.

SOPHY® SO-In Love

• Two nights in a Deluxe Guestroom or Suite
• One bottle of Champagne
• Vosges Chocolates
• One brunch for two in Mesler, Chicago, for up to $100
• A gift certificate toward outdoor skating for two at Midway Plaisance Park
• Rates start at $TK per night, based on double occupancy and a two-night minimum stay in a Deluxe Room.
• Visit SOPHY® Hyde Park to book.