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Wicker Park/Bucktown: Chicago’s Crossroads of Cool
01/11/2009 - By Edward M. Bury Wicker Park/Bucktown: Chicago’s Crossroads of Cool
The emergence of the Wicker Park/Bucktown neighborhoods over the past decade-plus as perhaps the hippest section of Chicago happened for a variety of reasons. But now that the charge toward gentrification has taken firm hold in these side-by-side communities, the area hasn’t looked back.Here are some thoughts as to how this historic northwest side neighborhood – once downtrodden, deserted and downright dangerous -- is now at the crossroads of what’s truly cool in Chicago.First, there’s its location. The neighborhood is between two and three miles straight northwest of downtown, accessible by the Damen Avenue Blue Line stop, several bus lines and the Kennedy Expressway, which forms its eastern border. That makes getting to Wicker Park/Bucktown and its bohemian-chic shops, night spots and restaurants is a breeze from most parts of the city and beyond. One caveat: Parking will be a challenge, especially most evenings and on weekends.Second, the neighborhood contains some of the oldest business and housing stock in Chicago because, for a time, it formed the northwest boundary of the city. In the years before and certainly after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the blocks throughout the neighborhood saw development of businesses that produced clothing, furniture, musical instruments, cigars and beer, to name a few. (A bit of trivia: The drums Ringo Starr played during the Beatles’ heyday of the mid 1960s were made at the Ludwig Drum Company on Damen Avenue. The former drum factory now houses condos.)And, housing, lots of housing, filled in the remaining lots. Many of the city’s elite families built impressive stone mansions on side streets west of Damen. Workers cottages and multi-unit housing were built, too. This concentration of vintage housing and commercial structures provides urban character not found in any other part of the city, perhaps outside of Lincoln Park.And, third, there is an actual park there. Granted, the four-acre namesake park is not big by some standards, but it does offer something for everyone, from softball fields and a basketball court to a spray fountain, park house and gardens. Named after businessmen Charles and Joel Wicker, the park is always alive with people and activity, especially in the summer months.A visit to the neighborhood should start at the six-corner intersection of Milwaukee, North and Damen Avenues. It’s here you’ll find the famous Flat Iron building, home to artists galleries and out-of-the-ordinary shops, and a slender Art Deco office tower that clearly is the most prominent structure for miles around. From this in-city town center, a visitor can stroll in any direction and find something of interest.Head south on Damen, and you’ll reach Wicker Park, which also boasts some impressive pre-turn-of-the-century homes along its borders, many meticulously restored. The area’s most famous resident – legendary Chicago writer Nelson Algren – lived for a while on Evergreen Street, a block south of the park. Venture north on Damen for a block, and you’ll pass the always busy Northside Bar and Grill, with its light-filled three-season dining patio, and the Goddess and the Grocer, a gourmet food carryout store. Further north, the thoroughfare is home to some of Chicago’s hippest independent boutiques, as well as the newest store from fashion icon Marc Jacobs.The east-west running North Avenue is the unofficial dividing line between Wicker Park (to the south) and Bucktown (to the north). Here you’ll find restaurants ranging from a pizza/brew pub called Piece at 1923 W. North Avenue to the upscale Spring, a seafood-oriented restaurant housed in a former Turkish bath house at 2039 W. North Avenue. A few franchise retailers have set up shop along North Avenue, but most the thoroughfare reflects the eclectic character of Wicker Park/Bucktown.The diagonal-running Milwaukee Avenue is perhaps the most fascinating of the area’s major streets. From Division Street on the south to well north of North Avenue, Milwaukee still reflects the neighborhood’s rough-and-tumble past. Stores selling cheap furniture and religious goods share a block with art galleries, clothing and jewelry boutiques and restaurants that offer the latest from the culinary world. Near the six-corner apex is the famous Double Door, a music venue with entrances on both Milwaukee and Damen. On-the-edge rock acts usually are on the bill most nights, but the room gained international attention when the Rolling Stones performed there in 1997. Those fortunate enough to gain entry paid $7.Visit Hereschicago.com, Chicago's event planning directory for groups, corporate events, birthday parties, tradeshows, exhibitors, company meetings, wedding rehearsal dinners, bachelor/bachelorette parties, private parties and more.
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