River North neighborhood guide
Development
The area was the site of several of Chicago’s earliest institutions, including one of the first ferry crossings of the river and the city’s first hotel, the Sauganash Hotel. After the 1871 Great Chicago Fire, it developed into a warehousing and transportation hub; around 1900 it earned the nickname “Smokey Hollow” for the factories and forges whose emissions blocked out sunlight. The Merchandise Mart, still containing railroad tracks beneath it, opened as a major wholesale and storage facility. Starting in 1974, developer Albert Friedman began purchasing and restoring industrial buildings and marketing the area as “River North,” drawing photographers, advertising agencies, and art galleries and creating the River North Gallery District, now home to the largest concentration of galleries in the United States outside Manhattan.
Parks & Recreation
Kingsbury Park, near Erie Street and the Chicago River, serves the neighborhood’s residential population. River North’s design district includes numerous furnishings and home-design showrooms.
Transit
The CTA Red and Brown Lines stop at Chicago Avenue, the Red Line stops at Grand, and the Brown Line stops at Merchandise Mart.
Community Area
River North is part of the official Near North Side community area (number 8), along with Streeterville and the Gold Coast.
