River West neighborhood guide
Development
The Ogden Avenue extension, begun in 1921, crossed Goose Island and the Halsted and Division intersection on a half-mile viaduct until the city demolished the viaduct in 1992. Housing in River West includes loft buildings, townhomes, and mid-rise and high-rise condominium and apartment buildings. The former Chicago Tribune Freedom Center printing plant at Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street, completed in 1982, closed in 2024 and was demolished for the permanent Bally’s Chicago casino.
Parks & Recreation
Eckhart Park, an 8.85-acre Chicago Park District park at 1330 W. Chicago Ave., lies just west of River West across the Kennedy Expressway. Eckhart Park, designed by Jens Jensen beginning in 1907, has an indoor pool, two gymnasiums, a fitness center, ball fields, and a playground. A. Montgomery Ward Park, a 3.1-acre riverfront park at 630 N. Kingsbury St., is across the river in River North.
Transit
River West is served by the CTA Blue Line at Grand station, 502 N. Milwaukee Ave., and Chicago station, 800 N. Milwaukee Ave. CTA bus routes include 8 Halsted, 56 Milwaukee, 65 Grand, 66 Chicago, and 70 Division. The Kennedy Expressway runs along the neighborhood’s western edge.
Community Area
River West is part of West Town, community area 24.
