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Streeterville

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Streeterville borders are shown above.

Streeterville is a neighborhood in the Near North Side community area of Template:City-state, United States, north of the Chicago River in Cook County. It is bounded by the river on the south, the Magnificent Mile portion of Michigan Avenue on the west, and Lake Michigan on the north and east. Thus, it can be described as the Magnificent Mile plus all land east of it.[1][2] The majority of the land in this neighborhood is reclaimed landfill and sandbar.[3]

The neighborhood contains a combination of hotels, restaurants, professional office centers, residential high rises, universities, medical facilities, and cultural venues.[4] The area has undergone increased development in the early 21st century as numerous empty lots in Streeterville have been converted into commercial and residential properties, especially in the southern part of the neighborhood.[1]

History

File:N074817.jpg
Houseboat of Mrs. George Wellington Streeter docked on Lake Michigan (1922)

The original maps of the city of Chicago show that Lake Michigan once came ashore near what is now Michigan Avenue north of the Chicago River. In 1834, a 1,500-foot (457.2 m) pier was built where the mouth of the river once was. Silt and sand accumulated north of this pier, creating usable land that was later nicknamed "The Sands".[3] Squatters and a vice district encroached on the district causing angst among the property owners. In 1857, Chicago Mayor John Wentworth evicted these trespassers from the land.[3]

In the late 1880s, a Civil War veteran named George Streeter claimed that his boat hit a sandbar just off the Chicago shoreline during a storm, which he and his wife made their new home. The Streeters encouraged dumping in the area, which after several years, built up to became solid land.[3] Eventually, the lake currents and garbage created a 186 acres (0.75 km2) landfill.[5] Since an 1821 government property survey stated that the Chicago municipal boundary terminated at the shoreline, Streeter claimed his 'new land' formed of silt and garbage as an independent territory called the District of Lake Michigan.[3][6]

The local press became endeared with the story of Streeter's brash personality and his self-proclaimed district.[3] Mayor William Hale Thompson tried to evict the Streeters for selling liquor,[5] and after several eviction attempts and gun battles, Streeter landed in jail.[3] In 1918, the courts invalidated his claim of sovereignty.[3] Today, the district is home to some of the most expensive real estate in Chicago.[7]

The John Hancock Center and the Chicago Water Tower are two notable Streeterville buildings.

The 1920 opening of the Michigan Avenue Bridge, which was part of the efforts to enact the Burnham Plan of 1909, as well as the economic boom of the 1920s,[8] brought wealth to the eastern sector of the Near North Side and paved the way for a luxury shopping district on North Michigan Avenue. Investors built high-rise apartment buildings such as those in the East Lake Shore Drive Historic District, and elaborate hotels.[6] The Bridge connected to a North Michigan avenue that served as a replacement for the former Pine Street which hosted warehouses and factory buildings near the river, and large mansions and rowhouses in northward sections in the neighborhoods of McCormickville and Streeterville.[8] Magnificent Mile architecture during the economic boom of the 1920s emphasized historicist architectural styles such as Beaux-Arts classicism, Gothic revival, and vertical-style modernism. The buildings redefined the Chicago skyline with stylistic variation that gave new meaning to urban context and design compatibility.[8]

A post-World War II construction surge occurred in the area,[8] and in the 1950s, the city pursued a plan of urban renewal. A local real estate developer named Arthur Rubloff led the revitalization of North Michigan Avenue under the banner of “The Magnificent Mile.” The success of this effort spurred the erection of more high-rise apartments and new investment in the Near North Side.[6]

Today

Although there is general agreement that Streeterville is bounded on the west by the Magnificent Mile, some, including the Streeterville Organization of Active Residents, claim the boundary extends to one block further to the west to Rush Street.[9] The neighborhood has a reputation as part of an upscale residential strip that balances the more industrial western portion of the Near North Side.[6] Streeterville houses some of Chicago's tallest skyscrapers and most upscale stores, hotels, restaurants and theaters, as well as Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, School of Continuing Studies, and School of Law and the University of Chicago's downtown campus of the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.[4] Loyola University Chicago has two buildings on Rush Street as part of what the school calls its Water Tower Campus.[10] The Magnificent Mile portion of Michigan Avenue is part of Streeterville, as are Navy Pier, the most visited attraction in Chicago, and the John Hancock Observatory, the eighth-most visited attraction in Chicago.[11] In 2007, construction started on Chicago's new tallest skyscraper, the Chicago Spire.[12] It will be located in the southeastern corner of the neighborhood, next to Lake Shore Drive, and is scheduled to be completed in 2012.[13]

The Spire is one of many modern developments in the neighborhood. In the early 21st century, much of the southern part of the neighborhood that had previously housed several empty lots has undergone development,[1] including the River East Center east of Columbus Drive.[14] The River East Art Center serves as the primary retail hub apart from the Magnificent Mile.[1] South Streeterville currently has numerous skyscrapers that are either proposed or already under construction such as Waldorf-Astoria Hotel and Residence Tower, InterContinental Chicago, 560 North Fairbanks, 600 Lake Shore Drive, Streeter Place and 630 North McClurg Court, which complement the River East Center, and NBC Tower. The Prentice Women's Hospital opened in October 2007, and construction started on the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago in April 2008.[1]

Streeterville Historic Districts
East Lake Shore Drive Historic District
Old Chicago Water Tower District
Michigan-Wacker Historic District

Streeterville hosts several landmarks and designated places that have been designated as historic districts. The East Lake Shore Drive Historic District, which consists of a row of early 20th century luxury apartments, sits on the northern edge of the district opposite Lake Michigan.[15] The Old Chicago Water Tower District is located along Michigan Avenue where Streeterville meets the border of the River North and Gold Coast (Chicago) neighborhoods at Chicago Avenue. The Water Tower District contains the only public buildings that survived the 1871 Great Chicago Fire.[16] Also, part of the Michigan-Wacker Historic District lies within Streeterville at the southern end of the Magnificent Mile and contains numerous high rises and skyscrapers built in the 1920s.[17]

The neighborhood hosts several individual landmarks. The neighborhood hosts a National Historic Landmark, the Jean Baptiste Point Du Sable Homesite, the home of the first settler in Chicago. Properties in the neighborhood listed in the National Register of Historic Places include 257 East Delaware, the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments, the Drake Hotel, the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago, the Navy Pier and the Palmolive Building. Other Chicago Landmarks in the neighborhood include Allerton Hotel, Farwell Building, McGraw-Hill Building, Perkins, Fellows & Hamilton Office and Studio, Tribune Tower, and the Woman's Athletic Club. Notable building in the district include the skyscrapers on the Magnificent Mile:

John Hancock Center (1,127 feet (344 m))
900 North Michigan (871 feet (265 m))
Water Tower Place (859 feet (262 m))
Park Tower (844 feet (257 m))
Olympia Centre (725 feet (221 m))
One Magnificent Mile (673 feet (205 m))
Chicago Place (608 feet (185 m))
Palmolive Building (565 feet (172 m)).

Non-Michigan Avenue skyscrapers in the neighborhood include the following:

North Pier Apartments (581 feet (177 m))
Onterie Center (570 feet (170 m))
Elysées Condominiums (529 feet (161 m))
401 East Ontario (515 feet (157 m))
The Streeter (514 feet (157 m))
400 East Ohio Street (505 feet (154 m)).

Some of the notable buildings in the district that have not been designated are Wrigley Building and Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.

Streeterville portion of Lake Shore Drive
from south during Bike The Drive
from south
Gold Coast from Lake Shore Drive

The neighborhood hosts more than 25 hotels,[4] including the Ritz Carlton, one of three five star hotels in the Midwestern United States,[18] and the historic Drake Hotel. The Peninsula Hotel, another of the three five star hotels in the Midwestern United States,[18][19] and the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago, the other of the Midwestern five star hotels are located in the neighborhood near Rush Street.[18][20] These two hotels host the highest rated spas in Illinois.[21]

Transportation

The Chicago River provides aquatic vehicular passage along the southern edge of the neighborhood and Navy Pier accommodates commercial water traffic. Streeterville is also accessible via Lake Shore Drive with multiple direct exits in both directions.[4] In addition, the Chicago 'L' has a stops at Chicago and Grand stations on the Red Line, which runs along State Street immediately to the west of the neighborhood. From the Kennedy Expressway the Ohio Street exit feeds into Streeterville.[4] Numerous Chicago Transit Authority bus routes run within the neighborhood, especially along Michigan Avenue.[22]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e Skolnik, Lisa (July 2008), "Haven on Earth: The region's hottest hoods are all about revitalization: Sky-high South Streeterville", Chicago Social, p. 106
  2. ^ "Streeterville Chamber of Commerce: Visitor Center". Streeterville Chamber of Commerce. 2007. Retrieved 2008-07-09.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Seligman, Amanda (2005). "Streeterville". The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago Historical Society. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Streeterville Chamber of Commerce". Streeterville Chamber of Commerce. 2007. Retrieved 2008-07-09.
  5. ^ a b "Solitary Lives along Chicago's Lakes and Waterways: Houseboat of Mrs. George Wellington Streeter, 1922". The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago Historical Society. 2005. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
  6. ^ a b c d "Near North Side". The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago Historical Society. 2005. Retrieved 2008-07-13. Cite error: The named reference "NNS" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  7. ^ Carter, Theresa (2007). "Streeterville: From Sandbar to Prime Real Estate". thelocaltourist.com. The Local Tourist, Inc. Retrieved 2007-05-17.
  8. ^ a b c d "Magnificent Mile". The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago Historical Society. 2005. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
  9. ^ "Streeterville Organization of Active Residents". Streeterville Organization of Active Residents. 2006. Retrieved 2008-07-09.
  10. ^ "Around Campus". Loyola University Chicago. 2006. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
  11. ^ "Crain's List Largest Tourist Attractions (Sightseeing): Ranked by 2007 attendance". Crain's Chicago Business. Crain Communications Inc. 2008-06-23. p. 22.
  12. ^ Kamin, Blair. "Spire's construction set to begin - Work on skyscraper to start in weeks". Chicago Tribune. Newsbank. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
  13. ^ Manor, Robert. "30% of Spire's condos are sold - Mark shows it will be built, developer says". Chicago Tribune. Newsbank. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
  14. ^ "River East". Emporis.com. 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-09.
  15. ^ "East Lake Shore Drive District". City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development, Landmarks Division. 2003. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
  16. ^ "Old Chicago Water Tower District". City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development, Landmarks Division. 2003. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
  17. ^ Wagner, Robert. (1978-02-03) National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Michigan-Wacker Historic District, National Park Service, p.11
  18. ^ a b c "Mobil Travel Guide's 50th Annual Star Awards: Five-Star Hotels". mobiltravelguide.com. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
  19. ^ "The Peninsula:Chicago". Retrieved 2008-05-21.
  20. ^ "Four Seasons Hotel Chicago: Directions and map". fourseasons.com. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
  21. ^ "Mobil Travel Guide's 50th Annual Star Awards: Four-Star Spas". mobiltravelguide.com. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
  22. ^ "Downtown Chicago". Chicago Transit Authority. Retrieved 2008-07-09.
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