All The Loop in Chicago

The Loop is Chicago’s central business district and official community area, covering about 1.58 square miles on the Lake Michigan shore. Since the 1920s it has been bounded by the Chicago River to the west and north, Lake Michigan to the east, and Roosevelt Road to the south.

Development

Fort Dearborn, established in 1803, was the first U.S. government-sponsored settlement in the area. The neighborhood became Chicago’s center when the city incorporated in 1830. The 1871 Great Chicago Fire destroyed most of the district’s buildings, spurring reconstruction that included the 1885 Home Insurance Building, generally considered the world’s first skyscraper. The Loop takes its name from a streetcar loop built in 1882, followed by the elevated railway loop constructed between 1895 and 1897; the intersection of State and Madison Streets became the origin point of Chicago’s address grid in 1909.

Parks & Recreation

Grant Park anchors the Loop’s lakefront with Buckingham Fountain, built in 1927, and hosts events including Lollapalooza and Taste of Chicago. Millennium Park, opened in 2004 within Grant Park, includes Frank Gehry’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion and Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate sculpture. The Chicago Riverwalk runs along the river’s southern edge.

Transit

All CTA “L” lines except the Yellow Line serve the Loop, including via the State Street and Dearborn Street subways, which offer 24-hour service. Metra serves the Loop at Millennium Station (Electric District), LaSalle Street Station (Rock Island District), and the Van Buren Street and Museum Campus/11th Street stations.