Bucktown's six corners sees burst of development (Chicago, Bloomingdale: real estate, lenders)

[sydbarrett]

Originally Posted by aragx6

No, technically the traditional border for WP/B-Town is the tracks at Bloomingdale.

Says who?

[jwaiter]

North Ave is the border.

[emathias]

I've never heard of any border other than North Ave for the Wicker Park/Bucktown border.

Those of you who think Bucktown starts at Bloomingdale are in direct contradiction with this map on the City of Chicago website. And also in contradiction with the Chicago History Museum.

The key here is that accepted boundaries change over time. That's part of the reason much of the time it's referred to as "Wicker Park/Bucktown" instead of one or the other.

The Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce's History page actually claims that at times the border of Wicker Park has been as far north as Armitage. I don't know of anyone today who would accept that definition. The Northwest Chicago Historical Society also points out that Bucktown was once called North Wicker Park by real estate agents, which I'm sure has clouded the issue even further for people who arrived in certain time periods.

[long101]

Originally Posted by jwaiter

This new Walgreens will be about 3 blocks from the Walgreens at Milwaukee & Wood.

I like the idea of the hotel in the Northwest Tower, and thanks to this article, I now know that building is indeed named Northwest Tower.

Was thinking the same thing. That one actually has parking too.

[Attrill]

Originally Posted by emathias

I've never heard of any border other than North Ave for the Wicker Park/Bucktown border.

Those of you who think Bucktown starts at Bloomingdale are in direct contradiction with this map on the City of Chicago website. And also in contradiction with the Chicago History Museum.

The key here is that accepted boundaries change over time. That's part of the reason much of the time it's referred to as "Wicker Park/Bucktown" instead of one or the other.

The Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce's History page actually claims that at times the border of Wicker Park has been as far north as Armitage. I don't know of anyone today who would accept that definition. The Northwest Chicago Historical Society also points out that Bucktown was once called North Wicker Park by real estate agents, which I'm sure has clouded the issue even further for people who arrived in certain time periods.

Yeah, strictly speaking the North border of Wicker Park has been North Ave. for at least 20 years. The city map you posted is a great baseline - it's based on a 1970's survey of residents and what they called their neighborhood. Bloomingdale is the Southern Boundary of the Logan Square Community Area and neighborhood.

I moved into a place around Chicago and Damen in '92 and it was advertised as being in Wicker Park. I knew it wasn't, but because of that I did some informal surveys of old drunken Polish guys who grew up in the area. They all thought Wicker Park was just that - the park. Maybe a couple blocks around it, but nothing more than that. They would argue about the existence of "Bucktown" and some insisted it was all Logan Square. Others used either Armitage or Bloomingdale as the south end of Logan Square and considered the area to all be Ukrainian Village. Granted, this was just a bunch of old guys I sat around and drank with - but in some ways that may be the best way to define neighborhoods. 70 year old guys in 1992 who had spent their lives in the area couldn't agree on boundaries, so it isn't surprising that people today can't.

Bucktown and Wicker Park were both pushed by realtors in the early 90's. East Village and West Town started to get pushed in the mid-late 90's. That doesn't mean they didn't exist before then, but they were not as commonly used by most people in the late 80's early 90's. I think a lot of neighborhoods lost their identities in the 70's and 80's, and people who had grown up in those areas in the 50's and 60's didn't have as good a feel of neighborhood as immigrants in the early 20th century did.

The conflict between Community Areas and Neighborhoods doesn't help issues. I live around the Congress Theater and I absolutely 100% live in the Logan Square Community area. I also consider myself to live in the Logan Square Neighborhood. But in terms of Neighborhoods where I live is cut off from the Logan Square Neighborhood by Palmer Square. When I tell people I live in Logan Square they assume I live further North than I do, so there is some practical confusion caused by it. I'm pushing to call my neighborhood "The Stave Triangle" just to keep it from being termed "West Bucktown" by realtors. Historically some people have called it "The Patch", but there are at least two other neighborhoods called "The Patch", so that's kinda problematic.

[Chicago76]

The area between the freight line and North from Ashland to Western is pretty much no-man's land. I moved into that particular area in the 90s after Attrill. Personally, it's interesting to me that the city claimed the boundary between the two was north based upon resident surveys. All of the old timers (those in the area at least since the 70s and as far back as 30s/40s) referred to that area as Wicker Park, so I stuck with their definition (the freight line). At one point, almost all of Bucktown was considered to be part of Wicker Park (early 20th century).

The real estate market has blurred the boundaries of WP, BT, East Village, UK Village, etc, which adds to the confusion. Examples: generally speaking, properties on North Avenue are marketed as Wicker Park, no matter the side of the street. In the area bounded by the frieght line-Milwaukee-North-Western, the newer condos and warehouse lofts from Wabansia north are marketed as Bucktown. The vintage walkups between North and Wabansia are marketed more often than not as Wicker Park. Go figure.

As far as six corners goes, Crain's still has it wrong though. Drop 100 people in the middle of that intersection and have them face in any direction at random and 90 of them will call it Wicker Park.

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by sydbarrett

Says who?

Loads of people who talk about Chicago history. I lived between the two borders and talked about this with locals all the time. Like I said, for all intents and purposes I think most people today consider North the boundary, but it hasn't always been that way.

“The whole concept of everything north of North Avenue being Bucktown doesn’t jibe with the fact Wicker Park’s historic landmark district, as defined both by both the nation and the city, goes north of North Avenue to Bloomingdale Avenue.”

-Elaine Coorens|Author, “Wicker Park from 1673 thru 1929″ & “Walking Tour Guide”

[Chi-town Native]

Originally Posted by Attrill

They all thought Wicker Park was just that - the park. Maybe a couple blocks around it, but nothing more than that. They would argue about the existence of "Bucktown" and some insisted it was all Logan Square. Others used either Armitage or Bloomingdale as the south end of Logan Square and considered the area to all be Ukrainian Village. Granted, this was just a bunch of old guys I sat around and drank with - but in some ways that may be the best way to define neighborhoods. 70 year old guys in 1992 who had spent their lives in the area couldn't agree on boundaries, so it isn't surprising that people today can't.

Bucktown was almost never used in casual conversation when I grew up, and I spent a lot of time in Logan Square (dad lived there in late 70s, best friend as well). Logan Square back then was a behemoth, people were describing everything from Damen to Pulaski and North Ave to Diversey (minimum, if not Belmont) that way.

Wicker Park was always the park itself, and then maybe 2 blocks in each direction. When push comes to shove Bucktown now trumps as it does have a more formal designation going for it, but it's hard to imagine that for everyday folks Wicker Park doesn't get to expand at least a block in every direction from the park. For example, most folks I know would say "I'm going over to Wicker Park" for something on the 1600 block of N. Milwaukee.

What happens is people move here and start using the realtor terms, which quite naturally default to whatever is seen as more favorable - thus Bucktown has carved out areas formally known as Logan Square, Logan Square is now (for those purposes) engulfing parts of Humboldt, etc.

People will always change neighborhood names, no question - I do appreciate the Community Areas simply as for tracking change over time you have to have *some* kind of fixed boundaries - and lord knows those gerrymandered wards don't count!

This is just comical:

A LOOK AT COOK

[jwaiter]

Originally Posted by Chi-town Native

This is just comical:

A LOOK AT COOK

I think they're cool, love the 1870 map, evrything northwest of north & western is out of the city!

[Chi-town Native]

Originally Posted by jwaiter

I think they're cool, love the 1870 map, evrything northwest of north & western is out of the city!

Totally- I just meant the history of the changing ward boundaries is hilarious (or tragically comic/comically tragic).

I understand that over the years various powerful politicians were willing & able to change the boundaries to keep potential challengers from running against them, among other horse-trading schemes in terms of favors and influence.