We are starting a new weekly series here at Review Chicago! At A Glance will take a deeper look into the Chicago neighborhood scene. The series will be broken in to three sections. The first part will be Just The Facts and will be reprinted public information from Wikipedia, listed here for quick reference. The second section will be a brief essay on things to do in the neighborhood and tradition hotspots. Fun right? And finally, the last section will be a reference guide to dining and shopping. So, lets get down to it.
The first neighborhood we will be profiling is Wicker Park.
Just the Facts and History (From Wikipedia):
Wicker Park is a Chicago neighborhood northwest of the Loop, south of Bucktown. Charles and Joel Wicker purchased 80 acres (32 ha) of land along Milwaukee Avenue in 1870 and laid out a subdivision with a mix of lot sizes surrounding a 4-acre (1.6 ha) park. The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 spurred the first wave of development, as homeless Chicagoans looked to build new houses. 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, known then as Robey. At the end of the 19th century, the area was known as “the Polish 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 once known as ‘Kostkaville‘, retains the moniker “Polish Triangle” to this day, and the provisional government of Poland met in Wicker Park during World War I. The area is home to many of the most opulent churches in the Archdiocese of Chicago, built in the so-called ‘Polish Cathedral style‘.
After World War II, many Poles moved to newer, less crowded housing further northwest, and Wicker Park became more ethnically diverse with a large influx of Puerto Rican immigrants. Split from the Lincoln Park neighborhood only by the Kennedy Expressway in the late 50’s and 60’s, it contained the second largest concentration of Puerto Ricans in Chicago. It was the original home to the largest Latino gang at the time, the Latin Kings. The Young Lords, a human rights movement, held sit-ins with L.A.D.O. at the Wicker Park Welfare Office and large non violent marches to city hall. Urban renewal projects were undertaken to combat “urban blight” in some parts of the neighborhood, but disinvestment continued at a rapid clip. Wicker Park was also promoted by the city’s urban renewal plans, as a good “suburb within the city” because of its easy access to downtown, via Milwaukee Ave. and the elevated train (via Damen and Division stations). 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 cases of insurance-motivated arson were reported in Wicker Park, near St. Elizabeth Hospital. Many small factories near the area (many in woodworking) also closed or moved away as city inspectors paid extra visits that now follow, today’s retail store expansion into these areas.
Efforts by community development groups like N.C.O. (Northwest Community Organization)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.
In 1989, the “Around the Coyote” festival was launched to help the hundreds of working artists and micro-galleries in the neighborhood to gain a level of local and international prominence. This 501(c)3 non-profit was established with the mission to “bring to the art community a professional organization that will help artists network and exhibit their art.”[1] For decades, the festival centered around the Flatiron Arts Building and was typically held during the month of October, Chicago’s Artist Month. [2] As of 2008 “Around the Coyote” revised its preferred locations for the annual festival, which in 2008 was held coincidentally with Looptopia in May in Chicago’s Loop.
Today, the neighborhood is best known for its numerous commercial and entertainment establishments and being a convenient place to live for downtown workers due to its proximity to public transportation and the loop. Gentrification has made the area much more attractive to college educated, white collar workers, although it faced considerable resistance from the working class Puerto Rican community it displaced. Crime has decreased and many new homes have been built as well as older homes being restored. This has led to increased business activity, with many new bars, restaurants, and stores opening to serve these individuals. Property values have gone up, increasing the wealth of property owners and making the neighborhood attractive to real estate investors.
The borders of the neighborhood are generally accepted to be the Chicago River the east, Bloomingdale to the north (at 1800 N), Division to the south (at 1200 N), and Western Avenue to the west (at 2400 W). Both the East Village and Ukrainian Village are to the south, Humboldt Park is to the west, and Bucktown is to the north.
Restaurants in Wicker Park (Those with reviews on this website will be hyperlinked)
Bongo Room, 1470 N. Milwaukee Ave, Cuisine: American
Hilary’s Urban Eatery, 1500 W Division St, Cuisine: American
Northside Cafe, 1635 N Damen Ave, Cuisine: American
Hi Ricky Noodle Shop, 1852 W North Ave, Cuisine: Asian
Cafe Matou, 1846 N Milwaukee Ave, Cuisine: French
Big Tony’s Pizza, 1393 N Milwaukee, Cuisine: Pizza
Corosh, 1072 N Milwaukee Ave, Cuisine: Italian
De Pasada, 1519 W Taylor Street, Cuisine: Mexican
Rinconcito Sudamerican, 1954 W Armitage Ave, Cuisine: South American
Cafe Absinthe, 1954 W North Ave, Cuisine: American
Joe’s, 940 W Weed St, Cuisine: American
Phlair, 1935 N Damen Ave, Cuisine: American
Gallery Cafe & Coffee, 1760 W North Ave. Cuisine: Coffee Shop
Le Bouchon, 1958 N Damen Ave. Cuisine: French
Club Lucky, 1822 W Wabansia Ave, Cuisine: American
Saussy, 1156 W. Grand
Wicker Park Entertainment
Wicker Park/Bucktown Farmer’s Market, Wicker Park Ave & Damen
Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division
Darkroom, 2210 W. Chicago Ave
Exit, 1315 W. North
Double Door, 1572 N Milwaukee
Dante’s, 1200 W. Hubbard
J. Patrick’s Irish Bar & Grill , 1367 W. Erie
Wicker Park Shopping
Asian Essence, 2025 W. North, 773.782.9500
Brooke James, 1460 N. Milwaukee, 773-252-4620
Fly Boutique, 1472 N. Milwaukee,773.486.0413
Noir, 1746 W. Division,773-489-1957
Asrai Garden, 1935 W. North, 773-782-0680
City Soles/Niche, 2001 W. North, 773-489-2001
Lille, 1923 W. North, 773- 342-0563
Paper Doll, 1747 W. Division 773- 227-6950
Sasabee, 1849 W. North, 773-862-7740
House of Monsters, 1579 N.Milwaukee, Gallery 218 773-292-0980
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