Lincoln Park, Chicago

History

In 1824, the United States Army built a small post near today's Clybourn Avenue and Armitage Avenue (formerly Centre Street). Native American settlements existed along Green Bay Trail, now called Clark Street (named after George Rogers Clark), at the current intersection of Halsted Street and Fullerton Avenue. Before Green Bay Trail became Clark Street, it stretched as far as Green Bay, Wisconsin, including Sheridan Road, and was part of what still is Green Bay Road in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin.

Federally owned land in what is now Lincoln Park was ceded to the State of Illinois in 1828. In 1837, the same year that Chicago was incorporated as a city, the state granted permission for residents of the Chicago to use the area north of its border at North Avenue for a cemetery. Later, in response to a cholera epidemic, several more acres were purchased for a hospital and quarantine area. Settlements increased along Green Bay Trail when the government offered land claims and Green Bay Road was widened. The area was incorporated as Lake View Township, which would remain a separate administrative district until being formally annexed by the City of Chicago in 1898. Physicians and citizens complained that having a burial ground in close proximity to a growing residential area was unsanitary. In 1860, they petitioned the Chicago Common Council to repurpose its properties in Lake View as a public park. The sale of burial plots ceased, and small improvements began to be made. In 1865, following the end of the Civil War and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the name was changed from "Lake Park" to "Lincoln Park." As with many other Chicago neighborhoods, the name of the park eventually came to refer to the broader area surrounding it.

In the postwar years, the area around Southport and Clybourn became home to a community of Kashubian immigrants. Arriving from what is now north-eastern Poland, Chicago's Kashubians brought their own distinct culture and language, influenced by their rustic traditions, and by their close contact with their German neighbors. In 1882, St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic parish was established specifically for the Kashubian community. The resulting nicknames of "Jozafatowo" (Polish for "Josaphat's Town") as well as "Kaszubowo" (Polish for "Cassubian Town") made the neighborhood one of Chicago's Polish Patches. The current Romanesque Revival church building was completed in 1902. A Pomeranian Griffin Crest visible on the school south of the church is a nod to the parish that once anchored one of the communities in Chicago dubbed Little Cassubia.

From 1896 to 1903, the original Ferris Wheel was located at a small amusement park near Clark St. and Wrightwood Ave. The site was from 2619 to 2665 N. Clark St., which is now the location of a McDonald's and a high-rise residential building. On February 14, 1929, seven mob associates and a mechanic were shot to death in an automobile garage at 2122 N. Clark St.

During the Great Depression, many buildings in Lincoln Park fell into disrepair. In 1954 the Lincoln Park Conservation Association was founded to prevent deterioration of housing in the neighborhood and by 1956 Lincoln Park received urban renewal funds to renovate and restore old buildings and schools.

In 1968, a violent confrontation between demonstrators and police in Lincoln Park occurred during the week of the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

Amidst the confrontation, the Church of Our Saviour opened its doors to provide shelter to young people fleeing the violence, beginning a decades long tradition of services that would eventually see the creation of Care for Friends as a nonprofit organization who opened a separate community center behind the church building in 2025.

In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, Lincoln Park became home to the first Puerto Rican immigrants to Chicago. Jose Cha Cha Jimenez transformed the local Young Lords gang into human rights activists for Latinos and the poor. They published newspapers, mounted sit-ins and takeovers of institutions and churches at Grant Hospital, Armitage Ave. Methodist Church, and McCormick Theological Seminary. In 1969, members of the Puerto Rican Young Lords and residents and activists mounted gigantic demonstrations and protested the displacement of Puerto Ricans and the poor including the demolition of buildings on the corner of Halsted and Armitage streets, by occupying the space and some administration buildings at McCormick Theological Seminary. There were civil rights arrests and martyrs including the unsolved murders of United Methodist Rev. Bruce Johnson and his wife Eugenia Ransier Johnson who were strong supporters of the poor. Today their history is archived at DePaul University's Richardson Library and at Special Collections at Grand Valley State University.

On June 29, 2003, a porch collapse occurred during a party at 713 W. Wrightwood Ave. The disaster was the deadliest porch collapse in U.S. history; 13 people were killed and 57 seriously injured.

As of 2015, the neighborhood is primarily made up of young urban professionals, recent college graduates, and young families. The slang terms Trixie and Chad have their origins in Lincoln Park.

Geography

Lincoln Park's boundaries are precisely defined in the city's list of official community areas. It is bordered on the north by Diversey Parkway, on the west by the Chicago River, on the south by North Avenue, and on the east by Lake Michigan.

It encompasses a number of neighborhoods, including Lincoln Central, Mid-North, Old Town Triangle, Park West, RANCH Triangle, Sheffield, and Wrightwood Neighbors. The area also includes most of the Clybourn Corridor retail district, which continues into the Near North Side.

Demographics

Economy

A. Finkl & Sons Steel operated on the west side of Lincoln park along an approximately 22-acre lot by the Chicago River for 113 years. It is now the site of the planned Foundry Park residential community project.

Arts and culture

Public libraries

Chicago Public Library operates the Lincoln Park Branch.

Cuisine

Lincoln Park has a three-Michelin star restaurant, Alinea, and Galit, a one-Michelin star restaurant. The Lettuce Entertain You restaurant company started at R.J. Grunts, and featured the first salad bars. The Wieners Circle is a fast food restaurant known for Polish sausage. Demon Dogs was a hot dog restaurant that stood under the Fullerton 'L' station from 1983 until 2006. The first Potbelly Sandwich Works opened in 1977 on Lincoln Avenue in Lincoln Park. Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Company is a restaurant on Clark Street.

Community Services

Care for Friends is a non-profit that provides meal programs, health clinics, and other support services to people experiencing homelessness and food insecurity in Lincoln Park, Edgewater, and South Loop.

Music

Lincoln Hall is a music venue located here.

Jelly Roll Morton recorded early jazz work in 1926 at the Webster Hotel ballroom (now Webster House).

Churches

Lincoln Park is also home to five architecturally significant churches: St. Vincent de Paul Parish, St. Clement Church, St. Josaphat's (one of the many so-called 'Polish Cathedrals' in Chicago), St. James Lutheran Church and St. Michael's Church in the Old Town Triangle area of Lincoln Park.

Parks and recreation

Main article: Lincoln Park

Lincoln Park, for which the neighborhood was named, now stretches miles past the neighborhood of Lincoln Park. The park lies along the lakefront from Ohio Street Beach in the Streeterville neighborhood, northward to Ardmore Avenue in Edgewater. The section of the park adjacent to the Lincoln Park neighborhood contains Lincoln Park Zoo, Lincoln Park Conservatory, an outdoor theatre, a rowing canal, the Chicago History Museum, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool, the North Pond Nature Sanctuary, North Avenue Beach, playing fields, a very prominent statue of General Ulysses S. Grant, as well as a famous statue of Abraham Lincoln (and many other statues).

Many smaller parks, such as Oz Park, Bauler Park (named for 'Paddy' Bauler, former Alderman of the 43rd ward), Wiggly Field, and Jonquil Park are scattered throughout the Lincoln Park community area.

The YMCA opened the New City YMCA in 1981. The YMCA's clientele included people in Lincoln Park and in Cabrini-Green. As the YMCA was located in the latter, it was built windowless so it would not suffer from stray bullets, a product of crime in that neighborhood. In 2007, the YMCA closed, with the land sold, as Cabrini Green's impoverished community moved away. The YMCA shifted its focus and planned to open a new facility in Kelly Hall of the Mission of Our Lady of the Angels in Humboldt Park.

Government

Local

Most of Lincoln Park is currently part of the 43rd ward of the Chicago City Council, represented by Timmy Knudsen. The extreme south and extreme western sections of the neighborhood are part of the 2nd and 32nd wards, represented respectively by Brian Hopkins and Scott Waguespack. All three aldermen are Democrats.

State

In the Illinois House of Representatives, the lakefront portion of the neighborhood is part of the 12th district, represented by Margaret Croke. Central Lincoln Park is part of Ann Williams' 11th District, and the riverside portion of the neighborhood is represented by Jaime Andrade in the 40th district. The Sheffield Neighbors area is part of Jawaharial Williams's 10th district, and a small southern portion of the neighborhood is represented by Lakesia Collins. All representatives are Democrats.

In the Illinois Senate, most of the area is part of District 6, represented by Democrat Sara Feigenholtz, while the southwest quarter is part of District 5, represented by Democrat Patricia Van Pelt.

Federal

In the United States House of Representatives, the vast majority of the area is in Illinois's 5th congressional district, represented by Democrat Mike Quigley. A minuscule portion in the south is part of Illinois's 7th congressional district, represented by Democrat Danny K. Davis.

The Lincoln Park community area has supported the Democratic Party in the past two presidential elections. In the 2016 presidential election, Lincoln Park cast 24,197 votes for Hillary Clinton and cast 5,072 votes for Donald Trump (77.31% to 16.20%). In the 2012 presidential election, Lincoln Park cast 19,268 votes for Barack Obama and cast 9,592 votes for Mitt Romney (65.37% to 32.54%).

Education

Public schools

Lincoln Park residents are served by Chicago Public Schools.

Lincoln Park High School serves as the sole neighborhood secondary education institution.

Additionally, two zoned elementary schools (grades K–8), Abraham Lincoln Elementary School and Louisa May Alcott School. are found in the neighborhood. LaSalle Language Academy, Oscar Mayer Elementary School, and the Newberry Math and Science Academy, all magnet schools, serve the neighborhood.

Melanie Ann Apel, author of Lincoln Park, Chicago, described Lincoln School as "the school most often associated with Lincoln Park".

Private schools

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago operates the Saint Clement School, a K–8 school, in the Lincoln Park area.

Saint James Lutheran School, a K–8 school, and Francis W. Parker School, a K–12 school, are located here.

University

• DePaul University

Infrastructure

Transportation

The Lincoln Park neighborhood is accessible via mass transit operated by the CTA. These include the Chicago "L"'s Red, Brown and Purple lines at Fullerton station and the Purple and Brown lines at and Diversey stations, as well as CTA bus service.

Metra's Union Pacific North and Union Pacific Northwest lines have a stop at Clybourn station.

Notable people

• J. J. Bittenbinder (1942–2023), police officer, television host, and author. He was a childhood resident of the DePaul neighborhood in Lincoln Park.
• Roger Brown, an important Chicago Imagist painter, lived at 1926 N. Halsted St. The house is now site to the Art Institute of Chicago's Roger Brown study center.
• Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first American saint, lived at 2520 N. Lakeview Ave. This address was part of the Columbus Hospital site which is now a high-rise condominium development. The National Shrine of Saint Francis Xavier Cabrini, the former chapel of Columbus Hospital, is adjacent to the newer development.
• Henry Darger, the outsider artist, lived at 851 W. Webster Ave. and worked as a janitor at Children's Memorial Hospital.
• Henry Gerber, the founder of the first homosexual rights organization in the US, lived at 1710 N. Crilly Court.
• Bruce Graham, the famous Skidmore, Owings and Merrill architect, lived in a house he himself designed in 1969.
• Richard Hunt, the famous sculptor, has his studio at 1017 W. Lill Avenue, a decommissioned electrical substation.
• Bruce Heyman, 30th United States Ambassador to Canada. Heyman is a resident of Lincoln Park.
• Jose "Cha Cha" Jimenez, founder of the Young Lords who fought the forced displacement of Puerto Ricans and the poor from Lincoln Park.
• Kelly Loeffler (born 1970), United States Senator and businesswoman. She lived in Lincoln Park while studying at Kellstadt Graduate School of Business.
• László Moholy-Nagy, the Bauhaus and IIT designer, lived at 2622 N. Lakeview Ave.
• John Mulaney, comedian, was raised in Lincoln Park and attended St. Clement school.
• Walter Netsch, an architect, and his wife Dawn Clark Netsch, the 4th Illinois Comptroller, lived at 1700 N. Hudson Ave. The house was designed by Walter in 1974.
• Albert Parsons and Lucy Parsons, the prominent union organizers and socialist leaders, lived at 1908 N. Mohawk St.
• Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, film critics, both lived in Lincoln Park.
• Sargent Shriver and Eunice Kennedy. They moved to Lincoln Park from the Near North Side shortly after Shriver was appointed President of the Chicago Board of Education.
• Ruth Ann Steinhagen, typist notable for attempting to murder Eddie Waitkus.
• Charlie Trotter, chef.
• Luis Vicente Gutiérrez, politician, grew up in Lincoln Park until the age of 13.
• George Kirke Spoor, film pioneer, lived in Old Town.
• Jonathan Toews, NHL hockey player
• Melvin Alvah Traylor (1878–1934), lawyer and banker. He resided in Lincoln Park at his time of death.
• Penny Pritzker
• Fred Eychaner
• Joe Mansueto

References

References

1. "Community Data Snapshot – Lincoln Park". MetroPulse.
2. "Green Bay Road".
3. "Green Bay Road 2".
4. The Commissioners of Lincoln Park. (1899). "Report of the Commissioners and a History of Lincoln Park".
5. Goodspeed, Weston Arthur. (1909). "History of Cook County, Illinois: Being a General Survey of Cook County History, Including a Condensed History of Chicago and Special Account of Districts Outside the City Limits; from the Earliest Settlement to the Present Time, Volume 2". Goodspeed Historical Association.
6. "Hidden Truths: Chicago City Cemetery".
7. Clark, Stephen Bedell. (1971). "The Lake View Saga".
8. "Paradises Lost" by Stan Barker in Chicago History March 1993, p.32)
9. "Hyde Park Historical Society Ferris Wheel Follow-up".
10. Tribune, Chicago. "The St. Valentine's Day Massacre". chicagotribune.com.
11. Seligman, Amanda. "Lincoln Park". Chicago Historical Society.
12. "Yippier in Lincoln Park, 1968".
13. "Abbie Hoffman's testimony at the Chicago 7 trial".
14. "Serve {{!}} Serve the City".
15. Chilukuri, Siri. (2024-03-21). "Care For Friends Opening Community Center For Unhoused On Lincoln Park Church Campus".
16. "Reader, vol. 4, no. 18 :: Young Lords Newspaper Collection".
17. "Young Lords Newspaper Collection".
18. (January 20, 1998). "It's hard to tell today, but Lincoln Park once was an ...".
19. "50 Years Later: Lessons in Activism from the Young Lords of Lincoln Park – Fourteen East".
20. (2012-12-01). "New in Town Chicago: The resourceful, streetwise, savvy new resident's guide to moving in, getting around, and building a new life in the Windy City.". New in Town Chicago.
21. (December 2017). "Community Area 7 – Lincoln Park". City of Chicago – Department of Planning and Development.
22. Paral, Rob. "Chicago Community Areas Historical Data".
23. "Manning".
24. Schmidt, Kate. (October 13, 2011) [http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/Content?category=3691079 Sixteen venerable Chicago restaurants still ticking, Chicago Reader]. Chicagoreader.com. Retrieved on 2012-05-26.
25. (August 23, 1996). "A Night at the Wiener Circle". This American Life.
26. (2020-10-08). "Programs - Care For Friends".
27. "Jelly Roll Morton Recordings and Discography".
28. "The Statues of Chicago's Lincoln Park".
29. (2007-06-29). "For YMCA, time to move on". [[Chicago Tribune]].
30. (2007-06-29). "New City YMCA closes its doors after $54M sale". [[Chicago Tribune]].
31. (2007-06-29). "YMCA That Served Cabrini-Green Residents To Close". [[CBS]] 2 Chicago.
32. "Illinois Senate".
33. Ali, Tanveer. (November 9, 2016). "How Every Chicago Neighborhood Voted In The 2016 Presidential Election". [[DNAInfo]].
34. Ali, Tanveer. (November 9, 2012). "How Every Chicago Neighborhood Voted In The 2012 Presidential Election". [[DNAInfo]].
35. "Abraham Lincoln Elementary School".
36. "Alcott School".
37. (May 28, 2013). "Oscar Mayer Magnet – Home".
38. Apel, Melanie Ann. (2002). "Lincoln Park, Chicago (Images of America)". [[Arcadia Publishing]].
39. ["Saint Clement School]"](http://public.stclementschool.org/).
40. "ZipUSA: 60614 @ National Geographic Magazine".
41. Lyon, Jeff. (May 2, 1993). "The J.J. Bittenbinder Show: From church basements to TV, a Chicago cop gets top billing with his tips on stayin' alive". [[Chicago Tribune]].
42. "Roger Brown Study Collection – Roger Brown Resources at SAIC".
43. "Name".
44. "Lincoln Park 2520 / Homes by Architect Lucien Lagrange / 2520 N. Lakeview Ave., Chicago, IL".
45. "The National Shrine of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini".
46. "Henry Darger Room". Intuit.
47. "COC – Landmarks web – Landmark Details".
48. AIA Guide to Chicago, page 187 (1993 edition)
49. "Richard Hunt Sculpture Map".
50. Kapos, Shia. (January 17, 2017). "Ambassador to Canada, Bruce Heyman, returning to Chicago". Shia Kapos Online.
51. Sweet, Lynn. (January 4, 2021). "Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler's ties to downstate Illinois, Chicago run deep". [[Chicago Sun-Times]].
52. (January 27, 2012). "An interview with John Mulaney".
53. (November 7, 2014). "John Mulaney's new double life".
54. (October 4, 2014). "Comedian John Mulaney is the throwback kid".
55. "John Mulaney on Twitter".
56. AIA Guide to Chicago, p. 177 (1993 edition)
57. "Biography – The Official Web Site of Gene Siskel".
58. "Roger Ebert".
59. . (October 27, 1955). "Robert S. Shriver, 39, Heads School Board: Mart Executive Plans Visit to Mayor Daley". *[[Chicago Tribune]]*.
60. (April 1940). "Sixteenth Census of the United States: 1940". [[United States Census Bureau]].
61. (March 26, 2011). "Subscription Center".
62. (September 5, 2023). "Chicago Tribune: Chicago news, sports, weather, entertainment".
63. (February 15, 1934). "Melvin A. Traylor, Banker, Dead After Five Weeks' Illness". [[Chicago Tribune]].