Old Town neighborhood guide
Development
Old Town was settled in the mid-1800s by German immigrants and was known as North Town; the area north of North Avenue was annexed to Chicago in 1851. St. Michael’s Church was founded in 1852 on land donated by brewer Michael Diversey; the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 left only its walls, and it reopened in 1873. The Old Town Triangle’s housing includes frame Chicago cottages and brick Italianate and Queen Anne row houses of the 1870s and 1880s. The Old Town name came into use after World War II, and the Old Town Triangle Association formed in 1948. The Old Town Triangle District became a Chicago Landmark district in 1977. The Second City theater, founded in 1959, is on Wells Street, and the Henry Gerber House at 1710 N. Crilly Court is a National Historic Landmark.
Parks & Recreation
Lincoln Park, the lakefront park, borders the Old Town Triangle on the east. Seward Park, at 375 W. Elm Street, was completed in 1908 and has a fieldhouse designed by Dwight H. Perkins, ball fields and a playground. The Old Town Art Fair is held each year in the Old Town Triangle.
Transit
Old Town is served by Sedgwick station on the CTA Brown and Purple lines and by the North/Clybourn and Clark/Division stations on the Red Line. Bus routes include 72 North, 37 Sedgwick, 22 Clark, 156 LaSalle and 70 Division.
Community Area
Old Town spans two official Chicago community areas: the Near North Side, community area 8, south of North Avenue, and Lincoln Park, community area 7, which includes the Old Town Triangle north of North Avenue.
