Dining

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Lincoln Park Then and Now

Though once a small army post in 1824, Lincoln Park today is known as a progressive neighborhood recognized for its incredible variety of entertainment, dining, cultural, and recreational activities.

Lincoln Park has it all -- whether you're looking for a vintage boutique, bustling pub, nighttime theater, walks on the sand, or a visit with lions and tigers.

The Origins of Lincoln Park

The area now known as Lincoln Park was still primarily forest with stretches of grassland and occasional quicksand, and was virtually untouched by Europeans as late as the 1820s.

In 1824, the U.S. Army built a small post near today's Clybourn and Armitage Avenues. Indian settlements existed along Green Bay Road, now called Clark Street (named after explorer George Rogers Clark), at the current intersection of Halsted Street and Fullerton Avenue.

In 1836, land from North to Fullerton and from the lake to Halsted was inexpensive, costing $150 per acre. Because the area was considered remote, a small pox hospital and the city cemetery were located in Lincoln Park until the 1860s.

In 1837, Chicago was incorporated as a city and North Avenue was established as its northern boundary. Settlements increased along Green Bay Road (now Clark Street) when (1) the government offered land claims and (2) Green Bay Road was widened.

Immigrants Fuel Growth of Lincoln Park

Lincoln Park's first wave of immigrants was Germans escaping religious persecution and political oppression in their homeland. At that time, agriculture was the primary industry in Chicago, and many German immigrants sought work as truck farmers. Small factories manufacturing agricultural goods also sprang up along the north branch of the Chicago River, including William Deering and Company Harvester Works.

Improvements in transportation led to further population growth in Lincoln Park. In 1855, the first horsecar line in the city ran from the central business district up Clark Street. Three years later, it was extended to Wright's Grove, a popular German picnic grove and beer garden. (During the Civil War, Wright's Grove became an Army camp where the 132nd and 134th Illinois infranty regiments assembled.)

In 1859, city leaders Michael Diversey, a brewer, and railroad men Joseph Sheffield and William Ogden donated 25 acres of land at Halsted and Fullerton so that the Presbyterian Seminary could relocate from Hanover, Indiana, to the area now occupied by DePaul University. The arrival of the seminary added about 1,000 residents, largely of Scotch-Irish descent, to Lincoln Park's ethnic mix.

Presbyterian Seminary became one of the largest landowners in the area with holdings valued at $1.3 million. The seminary built 55 houses on Belden, Fullerton, Montana and Altgeld, and later added 18 higher-quality homes on Chalmers' Place. These premium homes, known as the McCormick row houses, were named for Cyrus McCormick, who donated $100,000 to the seminary.

Development of the Park

Inspired by Haussman's Park and Boulevard system in Paris, and the creation of Central Park in New York City, Chicago city leaders began plans for Lake Park in 1864.

Lake Park was to be built on 120 acres of recently acquired swampland. The "ten mile ditch," dug to drain the lowlands near the lake, created the new park's lagoons.

Lake Park and the neighborhood that adjoined it were renamed Lincoln Park after the assassination of President Lincoln in 1865.

The Great Fire and Lincoln Park's Construction Boom

In 1871, the Great Chicago Fire burned for three days and nights, and stretched all the way up to Fullerton and Clark Streets. Only homes north and west of Larrabee and Lincoln were saved. The citywide Relief Association distributed food, provided temporary emergency shelter, and later built homes for those who either owned or leased lots. Furnished homes valued at $125 each were also given outright to "worthy" families.

Post-fire reconstruction, coinciding with a land rush, resulted in a population increase of over 10,000 people in Lincoln Park. Because Lincoln Park was excluded from the strict new Fire Ordinance of 1872, many working men built frame houses between Fullerton and North Avenues, west of Lincoln Avenue. "Chicago cottages" soon covered the western half of Lincoln Park. As a result, 60 percent of Lincoln Park's current structures were built between 1880 and 1904.

The construction boom attracted a wave of German and Irish immigrants. Along with their renowned building skills, the Germans also brought with them the beer-making trade opening more than two dozen breweries in the Old Town area alone.

Wealthy German immigrants, including Wacker, Leight, Gaetner, Deever, and Schlosser, constructed luxurious mansions east of Clark Street. Francis Dewes, a Chicago brewer and millionaire, built the most elaborate home in the Lincoln Park still standing - Dewes Mansion at 503 West Wrightwood Avenue.

As building continued, property values increased and home lots narrowed. Single-family homes competed for attention with attractive, decorative facades influenced by several architectural styles, including Queen Anne, Italianate, Baroque, Georgian, and Prairie School.

In the 1880s, large industrial plants established themselves along the river. The first cable car began runs in 1891 and Northwestern Elevated Railroad line opened in 1896. Several new bridges spanning the Chicago River also stimulated growth.

Prestigious Institutions and Shops Flourish

With a building and economic boom in full swing, Lincoln Park attracted many prestigious organizations and institutions. Nationally recognized Children's Memorial Hospital was founded in 1882 as the Maurice Porter Hospital. St Vincent's College, founded in 1898, later became DePaul University. The Lincoln Park Zoo established itself in 1874 with the $10 purchase of a single bear cub - and acquired more animals in the late 1880's from Barnum and Bailey Circus.

Shopping flourished at the turn of the century. The shopping district at Fullerton, Halsted, and Lincoln Avenues developed due in no small part to the opening of the Elevated (El) railroad. A second shopping area emerged at Armitage Avenue and Clark Street.

By 1920, the population of Lincoln Park had reached almost 95,000. The neighborhood continued to be a high-class residential district throughout the 1930s and 1940s.

Urban Flight Hits Lincoln Park

Lincoln Park suffered a decline in the 1950s as families left the city for the new American suburbs. Lincoln Park became the target for urban renewal, with bulldozers threatening to demolish Lincoln Park's historic buildings.

Thanks to several neighborhood organizations mobilized to "turn back the bulldozers," the neighborhood has retained its distinct 19th century character and architectural heritage.

Lincoln Park Today

In the last decade, young professionals have been increasingly attracted to this charming neighborhood only 2 ½ miles from Chicago's business district.

The new, young demographic has also altered the Lincoln Park landscape - demanding better parks, tennis courts, restaurants, and shops. "Rehab fever" has increased demand for older homes, dramatically rising property values.

Today, Lincoln Park boasts some of the city's best "off Loop" theaters, the famous Second City improvisational comedy club, jazz and blues nightclubs, the Lincoln Park Zoo, a conservatory, beaches, boat harbors, lakefront bike and jogging trails, the Chicago Historical Society museum, and the Peggy Notebart Nature Museum.