|
|
|
|
Wicker Park
The borders are Ashland to the east (at 1600 W), the above-grade Bloomingdale Line to the north (at 1800 N), Division to the south (at 1200 N), and California to the west (at 2800 W). These boundaries may change slightly over time.
Wicker Park proved especially popular with German and Swedish merchants, who built large mansions along the neighborhood's choicest streets--particularly on Hoyne and Pierce, just southwest of North & Damen (then Robey).
At the end of the 19th century, the area was known as "the ethnic Gold Coast" and Hoyne was known as "Beer Baron Row,"
as many of Chicago's wealthiest brewers built mansions there.
In the 1890s and 1900s, immigration from Poland and the
completion of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Lines greatly boosted the population density of West Town, especially
in areas east of Wicker Park; the corner of Division, Milwaukee, and Ashland retains the moniker "Polish Triangle"
to this day, and the exiled government of Poland met in Wicker Park during WWI.
After World War II, many Poles moved to newer, less crowded housing further northwest,
and Wicker Park became more ethnically diverse with an influx of Puerto Rican immigrants.
Chicago and Wicker Park reached a nadir in the 1970s, a decade when the city overall lost 11%
of its population; during the 1970s, hundreds of insurance arsons were reported in Wicker Park,
and many small factories in the area (many in woodworking) closed or moved away.
Efforts by community development groups to stabilize the community through new affordable-housing construction in the 1980s coincided with the arrival of artists attracted by the neighborhood's easy access to the Loop, cheap loft space in the abandoned factories, and distinctly urban feel.
Today, the neighborhood is best known for a lively hipster community of artists and musicians; however, gentrification has recently brought some of the yuppie population into the area.
|
Ukrainian Village
Its boundaries are Division St (1200 N) to the north, Chicago Ave (800 N) to the south,
Western Ave (2400 W) to the west, and Damen Ave (2000 W) to the east. Settlement of the neighborhood
was largely spurred by the 1895 construction of an elevated train line along Paulina Ave (1700 W); it
was demolished in 1964. In past decades, it has been a safe middle-class neighborhood, populated by older
citizens of Eastern European ethnicity, and bordered (and affected) on many sides by more dangerous areas.
It was insulated somewhat from surrounding socioeconomic change by large industrial areas on its south and west borders and by the staying power of the Orthodox churches. However, gentrification of West Town is rapidly changing the demographic.
Notable local landmarks include Roberto Clemente High School, St Mary's Hospital, and Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Cathedral, the latter having been commissioned by St. John Kochurov and designed by famed architect Louis Sullivan.
In 2002, part of Ukrainian Village was designated a Chicago Landmark District.
"West Ukrainian Village" and "Smith Park" are both terms used to describe the small section of Ukrainian Village that lies west of Western Avenue, between Grand Avenue and Chicago Avenue.
|
Bucktown
Its boundaries are the Chicago River to the East, North Western Avenue to the West, the above-grade Bloomingdale Line to the South
and West Fullerton Avenue to the North. It is primarily residential, with a mix of older single family homes, new builds with edgy
architecture, and converted industrial loft spaces.
The neighborhood's
origins are rooted in the Polish working class, which settled in the area in the 1830s.
A large influx of Germans began
in 1848 and in 1854 led to the establishment of the town of Holstein, which was eventually annexed into Chicago in 1863.
Additional population influxes include European Jews, Mexican immigrants and Puerto Rican migrants.
In the last quarter
of the 20th Century, a growing artists' community led directly to widespread gentrification, which brought in a large population
of young professionals. Bucktown is directly north from Wicker Park.
There are many bars and restaurants in the vicinity and there has been a large number of "teardowns" of
the older housing stock - replacing them with new and large residential buildings.
There is a significant amount of shopping on Damen Avenue from North Avenue (in Wicker Park)
going North until a few blocks north of Armitage Avenue. Bucktown is readily accessible on the Blue Line.
Bucktown gets its name from the large number of goats raised in the neighborhood during the 19th century. A male goat is a buck.
|
|
|
|
3818 W. Lincoln
1819 S. Michigan
1161 W. Madison
|
|
|
|
|
|
©2006
The Condo Experts -
Website designed by and hosted by
|
|
