Dee Thompson of Chicago's Urbane Home describes the recent revitalization of the Old Town Chicago neighborhood. Thanks to a recent influx of new residents, Old Town is experiencing great strides in resuming its former glory.

1. OLD TOWN
RESURGENCE
Dee Thompson Chicago

2. Despite the neighborhood’s name,
Chicago’s Old Town has been
receiving more attention than ever,
and in recent years, and continues
to see renewed vibrance year after
year. While it first became a
popular neighborhood in the 1960s
and 70s when northern Chicago
began its ongoing revitalization, the
momentum and vast appeal to this
charming neighborhood have only
increased over the years.
OLD
TOWN

3. For Chicagoans who desired a lively,
walkable but low-density neighborhood,
with the right blend of charm and
liveliness, Old Town was the natural fit.
Its accessibility to public transportation,
close proximity to Lake Michigan, shops,
and the neighborhood’s exciting
architecture gives it tremendous curb
appeal.

4. Wells Street, in particular, serves as a large draw both to natives and newcomers alike, with lots of
popular restaurants and bars, and community events, like its annual Street Art Festival, a nod to
the post-World War II art shows that gave Old Town its name.
For the history buff, Old Town is special because it hosts one of the seven sole surviving
buildings of the Great Chicago Fire, St. Michael’s Church. It serves as an active parish, but also
allows visitors to come tour the sanctuary, as well. Yondorf Block and Hall, built in 1887, is almost
twenty years younger than St. Michael’s, but still captures a period of time that now belongs
solely in the past. Built in the Victorian-Gothic style, this building was originally a grocery store,
but that changed after the Depression, switching back and forth between a wine store cellar and
liquor shop to make ends meet. Today, the Yondorf Block and Hall serves as a rehearsal space for
the Steppenwolf Theatre.

5. The Schmidt Mitzgerei building is also
worth the look, as it gives the most accurate
picture of what Old Town looked like when
the neighborhood was primarily occupied
by German immigrants. Back then, in the
1850s, Old Town was often called “The
Cabbage Patch” because of all of the
farmland surrounding the area – and, yes,
there was plenty of cabbage.

6. For the art lover, there are the former artists’
colonies from the 1920s at Carl Street
Studios, with each building and even some
individual bricks displaying a unique design.
And of course, there’s the famed comedy
club Second City, too, for any comedy fans.
This comedy club has harvested some of the
industry’s greatest talents like John Belushi,
Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Chris Farley,
to name a few of the greats.
The Arc de Triomphe honours
those who fought and died for
France in the French Revolutionary
and the Napoleonic Wars, with the
names of all French victories and
generals inscribed on its inner and
outer surfaces.

7. With the resurgence, constant appeal of Old
Town, luxury residences (like those offered
by Urbane Home), premier shopping, new
restaurants and bars continue to move into
the thriving neighborhood every year.
The introduction of these more modern
high-rise complexes is attracting a younger
resident who may have opted for a different
location in the past. Old Town offers a world
of options for the most discerning
Chicagoan, and residents and visitors alike
are responding with extreme enthusiasm, to
see its continued expansion.

8. FOR MORE BLOGS ON CHICAGO,
VISIT DEE AT
DeeThompson.co