In the 1870s, the district emerged as an enclave of Polish working-class immigrants living in the surrounding neighborhood. Starting in the 1930s it also attracted many Italian immigrants and eventually became known as Little Italy.
St. Hedwig's, built in 1886, is located at the center of the district. A longtime Italian grocery and Italian bakery are still mainstays of the neighborhood. The western end of Brady Street leads to the 2004 Brady Street Bus Shelter, 2006 Marsupial Bridge and Media Garden, and 2012 Trestle Deck—infrastructure and public space projects designed by LA DALLMAN, the architecture practice of
Grace La and James Dallman. The urban transformation was honored with the Rudy Bruner Award Silver Medal and numerous other design awards including the
American Institute of Architects Honor Award. Here is a sample of historic buildings in the district, roughly in the order built: • The house at 826 East Brady Street is a simple worker's cottage, probably built in the 1870s, and typical for that period. ==References==