In the early 20th century, Bronzeville was known as the "Black Metropolis," one of the nation's most significant landmarks of African-American urban history. The name "Bronzeville" was first used in 1930, by James J. Gentry, a local theatre editor for the Chicago Bee publication. Between 1910 and 1920, during the peak of the "Great Migration," the population of the area increased dramatically when thousands emigrated to Chicago in search of industrial jobs.

Many famous people were associated with the development of the area including: Andrew "Rube" Foster, founder of the Negro National Baseball League; Ida B. Wells, a civil rights activist, journalist and organizer of the NAACP; Bessie Coleman, the first African-American woman pilot; Gwendolyn Brooks, famous author and first African-American recipient of the Pulitzer Prize; and Louis Armstrong, the legendary trumpet player and bandleader who performed at many of the area's night clubs. The neighborhood contains the Black Metropolis-Bronzeville District.

47th Street was and remains the hub of the Brozeville neighborhood & in recent years has started to regain some of the former glory of years gone by. Gone though for good is the Regal Theater (demolished in 1973) where many great performers took the stage.

Bronzeville is a home to renowned Illinois Institute of technology which houses renowned programs in Engineering, Design, Planning, Architecture, Finance.

Due to the revival of the Bronzeville community, new construction and luxury condominiums have become more prevalent in the neighborhood landscape. Vintage Victorian homes and brownstones also line the streets of this culturally vibrant area.