why are there so many modern "infill" homes in lincoln park? (Chicago: houses, neighborhoods)

[scottyr]

I've noticed that unlike some NYC neighborhoods like Park Slope or Bedford-Stuyvescant, many neighborhoods in Chicago tend to have many modern infill houses built in between historic 1800s houses. I understand that some neighborhoods nwere down and out during the 60s and 70s, and many of the original buildings fell into disrepair and were demoslished....but why does Lincoln Park have alot of infill? From what i understand, it has always been a ritzy neighborhood with good upkeep.

http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&q=1...,79.14,,0,3.46

that streetview shows what i am talking about...this is a typical neighborhood street...just look at the almost 50/50 mix of original and infill homes.

[jdiddy]

People purchased old homes, demolished them, and rebuilt homes to their tastes.

[Drover]

Why Lincoln Park? Because it's the place where you're most likely to get your ROI on a teardown.

[MannheimMadman]

That's absolutely true. At least the rebuilds are brick and somewhat similar to their 19th century counterparts.

You have towns like Naperville who are so damn laxed on zoning and permits that you have these teardowns/rebuilds that look nothing like architecture of the period next to some quaint little 19th century house and it looks atrocious.

[chitown85]

Plus Chicago is a more spread out city than NYC. Most houses in Chicago are stand alone, single family. That means it was not necessary to build a home on a plot of land, like on the East Coast with rowhomes. Whole blocks were constructed at once.

[5Lakes]

Residential low-rise housing in New York was built in blocks, typically in the form of Brownstones. Park Slope is a perfect example of this. Lincoln Park has detached residences, so you are not tearing a building out of an established block of houses. Population density in Park Slope is also probably about double of that in Lincoln Park, so taking away a shared brownstone for a single-family mansion is not as practical.

[MannheimMadman]

Originally Posted by 5Lakes

Residential low-rise housing in New York was built in blocks, typically in the form of Brownstones. Park Slope is a perfect example of this. Lincoln Park has detached residences, so you are not tearing a building out of an established block of houses. Population density in Park Slope is also probably about double of that in Lincoln Park, so taking away a shared brownstone for a single-family mansion is not as practical.

I remember seeing this and being

At one point, I counted 7 straight blocks that had *0* gaps in buildings.

[SonySegaTendo617]

Originally Posted by scottyr

I've noticed that unlike some NYC neighborhoods like Park Slope or Bedford-Stuyvescant, many neighborhoods in Chicago tend to have many modern infill houses built in between historic 1800s houses. I understand that some neighborhoods nwere down and out during the 60s and 70s, and many of the original buildings fell into disrepair and were demoslished....but why does Lincoln Park have alot of infill? From what i understand, it has always been a ritzy neighborhood with good upkeep.

1805 North Orchard Street, Chicago, IL, United States - Google Maps

that streetview shows what i am talking about...this is a typical neighborhood street...just look at the almost 50/50 mix of original and infill homes.

Very funny you mentioned Orchard St., since I used to go to school for 3 years(even graduated from it, Newberry Academy) at the school just down the street from there in the mid-90s. Both that street and the street to the west(Burling St.) started to dramatically change only in the mid-1990s, and around the time I graduated 8th grade from Newberry. I saw the change in front of my eyes for several years, since my school bus route would always take me by those residences on both streets(not to mention, also had some school friends who lived blocks away, so I walked by them often then as well). Before then(and when I was first going to school at Newberry starting in 6th grade), a majority of residences on both Orchard and Burling were the older residences, and which there are only a few such houses/apt. buildings that are left.

Most of those new buildings you were talking about on Orchard(and also the north-south street just to the west, Burling) were only between 10-15 years ago, and this was during a wave of when many new people were moving to Lincoln Park, and fancied buying those older residences just to do tear-downs, and build a super-huge dream house in place. The alderman at that time for Lincoln Park(forget who it was, but it was the one before Vi Daley) okayed an insane amount of tear-downs at that time for LP, and not just on Orchard and Burling.

[tonythetuna]

Originally Posted by SonySegaTendo617

The alderman at that time for Lincoln Park(forget who it was, but it was the one before Vi Daley) okayed an insane amount of tear-downs at that time for LP, and not just on Orchard and Burling.

Bernardini. Rich Daley's buddy.

[ladysovereign]

Originally Posted by scottyr

1805 North Orchard Street, Chicago, IL, United States - Google Maps

that streetview shows what i am talking about...this is a typical neighborhood street...just look at the almost 50/50 mix of original and infill homes.

Is it a problem? I actually like that look and it leaves the neighborhood with an upgraded urban feel to it. Some places were in such badly needed repair due to those that owned those buildings didn't maintain them so many had to be gutted from the bottom up (know this from working with contractors in the area). The renovations/revisions done to the neighborhood look like they were carefully planned out by some very creative architects.