West Loop neighborhood guide
Development
The West Loop grew in the 1800s as a district of factories, warehouses, and markets beside the river and rail lines. The Haymarket Affair of May 4, 1886, took place on Desplaines Street; the site was designated a Chicago Landmark in 1991, and a memorial sculpture by Mary Brogger was dedicated there in 2004. Many former West Loop warehouses and factory buildings have been converted to condominiums, apartments, offices, and restaurants, alongside newer mid-rise and high-rise residential towers.
Parks & Recreation
Mary Bartelme Park, a 2.71-acre Chicago Park District park at 115 S. Sangamon St., has a dog area, a play area, and a fountain plaza. Skinner Park, at 1331 W. Adams St., covers about 7 acres with ball fields and a fieldhouse. Heritage Green Park is a passive green on Adams Street. In the Fulton River District, Fulton River Park at 353 N. Desplaines St. has a playground and a dog-friendly area.
Transit
The West Loop is served by the CTA Green and Pink Lines at Clinton and Morgan stations on Lake Street, and by the CTA Blue Line at Clinton station on Clinton Street near the Eisenhower Expressway. Chicago Union Station (Metra and Amtrak) and the Ogilvie Transportation Center (Metra Union Pacific North, Northwest, and West lines) sit at the West Loop’s eastern edge. CTA bus routes include 8 Halsted, 9 Ashland, and 20 Madison.
Community Area
The West Loop is part of the Near West Side, community area 28. Fulton River District blocks north of roughly Kinzie Street are in West Town, community area 24.
