WICKER PARK, CHICAGO
Last spring, I spent the weekend in Wicker Park -- a Chicago neighborhood northwest of The Loop. Although I had been to Chicago many times, I had never been to Wicker Park. So, I decided to use my last afternoon in town to explore the neighborhood-- specifically the portions located in the Wicker Park Historic District.
The commercial center of Wicker Park is the six-point intersection of W. North Avenue, N. Milwaukee Avenue, and N. Damen Avenue. There is a nice mix of architecture surrounding this intersection and a collection of 1920s buildings, which includes Chicago’s very own Flatiron Building, as well as Wicker Park's first skyscraper -- the North West Tower Building.
The commercial center of Wicker Park is the six-point intersection of W. North Avenue, N. Milwaukee Avenue, and N. Damen Avenue. There is a nice mix of architecture surrounding this intersection and a collection of 1920s buildings, which includes Chicago’s very own Flatiron Building, as well as Wicker Park's first skyscraper -- the North West Tower Building.
It wasn't until 1870 that the area was given the name Wicker Park, after developer-politician brothers Charles and Joel Wicker donated land there for a public park. While the newly-named Wicker Park had been settled already, it wasn't until after the Great Chicago Fire in 1871 that large-scale residential construction began.
During this post-1871-Great-Chicago-Fire-period, wealthy Germans and Scandinavians (among others) moved further out of the city center, building fireproof mansions out of brick and brownstone in the new neighborhood.
During this post-1871-Great-Chicago-Fire-period, wealthy Germans and Scandinavians (among others) moved further out of the city center, building fireproof mansions out of brick and brownstone in the new neighborhood.
The variety of architectural styles used for both mansions and smaller homes ranges from Italianate to Queen Anne to Gothic Revival, and everything in between.
While many of the mansions were divided into apartments after World War II, many have also been converted back to single family homes over the last couple of decades. The house shown below was restored over several decades by its owner, a contractor, who saw me taking pictures and came over to chat about its history -- the ornamental "woodwork" is actually metal!
While many of the mansions were divided into apartments after World War II, many have also been converted back to single family homes over the last couple of decades. The house shown below was restored over several decades by its owner, a contractor, who saw me taking pictures and came over to chat about its history -- the ornamental "woodwork" is actually metal!
N. Hoyne Avenue, W. Pierce Avenue, W. Concord Place and W. Caton Street are filled with mansion after mansion, many of them beautifully restored. N. Hoyne Avenue has some particularly elegant mansions, so many of which were built by brewery owners that the Avenue became known as “Beer Baron Row.”
I recommend taking a walk on the following blocks, in particular:
*N. Hoyne Avenue between W. Schiller and W. North Avenue
*W. Pierce Avenue between W. Leavitt Street and N. Damen Avenue
*W. Concord Place between N. Leavitt Street and N. Hoyne Street
*W. Caton Street east of N. Leavitt Street
Of course, not everything has been perfectly restored. It is just as fun to see what good (and bad) alterations owners make to their buildings over the years.
I recommend taking a walk on the following blocks, in particular:
*N. Hoyne Avenue between W. Schiller and W. North Avenue
*W. Pierce Avenue between W. Leavitt Street and N. Damen Avenue
*W. Concord Place between N. Leavitt Street and N. Hoyne Street
*W. Caton Street east of N. Leavitt Street
Of course, not everything has been perfectly restored. It is just as fun to see what good (and bad) alterations owners make to their buildings over the years.
