All Streeterville / Lakeshore East in Chicago

Streeterville and Lakeshore East are adjacent Chicago neighborhoods on the eastern edge of downtown. Streeterville sits within the Near North Side community area, bounded by the Chicago River to the south, the Magnificent Mile stretch of Michigan Avenue to the west, and Lake Michigan to the north and east (some sources, including the City of Chicago, extend the western boundary a block further to Rush Street). Lakeshore East sits just south of the river within the Loop community area’s northeastern corner, bounded by Wacker Drive to the north, Columbus Drive to the west, Lake Shore Drive to the east, and Randolph Street to the south, as part of the broader New Eastside area.

Development

Streeterville’s land was largely created through 19th-century landfill; by 1821 the Lake Michigan shoreline ran roughly along present-day St. Clair Street, and a pier built in 1834 caused sand to accumulate into what became known as “The Sands.” In the late 1880s, Captain George Streeter claimed about 186 acres of this new land as an independent territory, a claim the courts rejected in 1918. Lakeshore East occupies former Illinois Central Railroad yards; after World War II the railroad sold the airspace rights, and a nine-hole golf course operated on the vacant land from 1994 to 2001 before Skidmore, Owings & Merrill drew up a master plan in 2001 and Magellan Development Group began construction in 2002.

Parks & Recreation

Navy Pier and Ohio Street Beach extend into the lake from southern Streeterville. Lakeshore East Park, a 6-acre botanical park with fountains and a dog park, opened in 2005 and was the city’s first free wireless park.

Transit

The CTA Red Line stops at Chicago and Grand along State Street, just west of Streeterville. CTA bus routes 4, 6, and 60 serve Lakeshore East, with the 60 turning around within the development on Harbor Drive.