Edgewater, Chicago

Edgewater
Community area
Community Area 77 - Edgewater
Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois
Location within the city of Chicago Location within the city of Chicago
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Cook
City	Chicago
Neighborhoods	list Andersonville Bryn Mawr Historic District Edgewater Edgewater Glen Epic Lakewood/Balmoral
Area
• Total	2.73 sq mi (7.07 km2)
Population  (2000)
• Total	62,198
• Density	23,000/sq mi (8,800/km2)
	population up 2.46% from 1990
Demographics
• White	47.9%
• Black	17.0%
• Hispanic	19.6%
• Asian	11.5%
• Other	9.93%
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes	60660 and part of 60640
Median income	$35,766
Source: U.S. Census, Record Information Services

Edgewater is a community area in the far North Side of the city of Chicago, Illinois seven miles north of the Loop. It is bordered by the neighborhoods of Rogers Park to the north, Uptown to the south, Lincoln Square to the west (Andersonville) and south and West Ridge to the west and north. As one of Chicago’s 77 official community areas, Edgewater is bounded by Foster Avenue on the south, Devon Avenue on the north, Ravenswood Avenue on the west, and Lake Michigan on the east. Edgewater contains several beaches that residents enjoy in the warm months. Historically, Edgewater was once part of Lake View Township, an independent suburb which was annexed by the city of Chicago in 1889.

Hollywood Beach - Edgewater

Edgewater was first developed around the 1890s as a summer home for Chicago's elite. With the exception of pockets acknowledged as historic districts (like the Bryn Mawr Historic District), Edgewater (actually, Edgewater Beach) boasts a skyline of apartment buildings, condominium complexes, and mid-rise homes.

History

Early settlers

Developers began cutting down the dense woods in the area in the late 1880s to make way for future development. In 1885, Edgewater was given its name by its builder, John Lewis Cochran. He built the first residential subdivision in the area. After a few years, Edgewater was celebrated as a wonder as it became "the only electric lighted suburb adjacent to Chicago".

The turn of the century

In the early 1900s, Edgewater was regarded as one of Chicago's most prestigious communities. A prominent symbol of Edgewater's affluence was the Edgewater Beach Hotel, which opened in 1916 at 5349 N. Sheridan. The famed pink hotel was demolished in 1968, though the remaining pink Edgewater Beach Apartments building is still a landmark at the north tip of Lake Shore Drive. The Edgewater building boom peaked in 1926 and property values reached their height in 1928. The burgeoning affluent population grew so much that developers expanded Edgewater and renamed a portion of the neighborhood community Uptown (which still exists today).

Revival

Uptown's population declined in the 1950s as Chicago's suburbs were developed and opened, absorbing Chicago's middle and upper classes. With the flight of residents came disrepair and high crime rates for what once was one of the most affluent districts of Chicago.

In the 1980s, the Chicago City Council and local business owners orchestrated a revival for the Edgewater community. Edgewater seceded from the Uptown community and once again called itself its own community. New businesses were brought into the community, old buildings were refurbished and homes touched up to harken back to Edgewater's past.

Gay and lesbian community

The Saint Ita Catholic Church bell tower has long been used by community residents and businesses as the symbol of Edgewater on signage and other media.

At the time of the 2000 United States Census the proportion of single-sex couples in Edgewater was 6.6% in the 60660 zip code and 8.0% in the 60640 zip code. This compares with the US national average of 1.1%. Edgewater is home to the Gerber/Hart Library, the largest gay and lesbian library and archives in the Midwestern United States.

Kathy Osterman Beach (named after a former alderman but more commonly referred to as Hollywood Beach, referencing Hollywood Ave. where it is situated) is a hugely popular hangout for gay men during the summer months.

International community

Historic Church of the Atonement is home to the Anglican faithful of Edgewater.

The highrise condominiums that line Sheridan Rd. and the Lake were known to have large numbers of retired and elderly persons, many living on fixed incomes. The prices have been more affordable than Lake Shore Drive addresses farther south. Meanwhile, Kenmore and Winthrop streets a couple blocks west suffered in mixed conditions of poverty and crime that were a far cry from their prior prestige. Recognizing the value of lakefront living and access to the Red Line elevated train, an influx of new residents arrived. Many of Edgewater's new residents are from Africa and the former Yugoslavia. The area has a great density of Bosnian, Serb and Croat residents. These people, troubled by civil war and tough conditions in their homeland, have been encouraged to settle in the area. The city is known for accepting new, thriving enclaves of ethnicities in centuries past. This new settlement of Europeans is a modern revival of that tradition.

Edgewater has a large African community. Ethnic Ethiopians, newly independent Eritreans, Somalians, and Nigerians live and socialize in Edgewater. Walk the streets of Edgewater and one will mix with women in traditional African dress and grandmothers strolling with their grandchildren while the middle generation is out making a living in the new world of Chicago.

Native Americans, former Yugoslavians, Africans of every part, young hipsters, new parents, first-time homeowners, students and many more make their home in Edgewater.

Devon Avenue marks the northern boundary of Edgewater. Devon reflects the ethnic diversity of the Rogers Park community.

Neighborhoods

Andersonville

Andersonville is a neighborhood (located in the Edgewater community area) on the North Side of Chicago, about five miles (8 km) north-northwest of the city's downtown. Once a sleepy little village made up primarily of Swedish immigrants, Andersonville is now one of Chicago's most popular north side neighborhoods. The community is particularly known for its diversity, including a continued Swedish cultural presence led by the Swedish American Museum, the Swedish Bakery and other Swedish delicatessens. a significant number of Middle-Eastern businesses, a new influx of families with children, and a large lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-gender (LGBT) population all makes this a very diverse population. The LGBT community of Andersonville was showcased in the 1994 lesbian themed movie Go Fish. It is also known for its unique commercial district, made up almost entirely of locally owned, independent shops, restaurants, and service providers. Andersonville does however have a growing number of nationally known chains including a Starbucks Coffee, McDonald's, and a recently opened Subway restaurant.

The approximate street boundaries of Andersonville, as defined by the City of Chicago, are Winthrop Avenue to the east, Ravenswood Avenue to the west, Foster Avenue to the south, and Bryn Mawr Avenue to the north. The heart of the Andersonville commercial district is the corner of Clark Street and Berwyn Avenue (5300 N. Clark Street).

The main shopping street is North Clark Street, which runs roughly north-south. The stretch of Clark Street south of Foster Avenue (where Andersonville has expanded across community boundaries into northern Uptown) is sometimes called South Foster, or SoFo. Some maps show the entire stretch between Foster and Lawrence as Andersonville Terrace; although this name is seldom used by residents, realtors have recently started using it again for the area as far south as Argyle Street, in an attempt to capitalize on Andersonville's popularity. The stretch north of Bryn Mawr still retains a good number of Hispanic-owned business as well as some restaurants and cafes serving Andersonville's more recent transplants.

As reported in the Chicago Reader, in 2006 merchants along North Clark Street have seen significant increases in commercial property taxes, causing these independent shops to struggle. Though the residential property taxes have risen in the area, they have not skyrocketed like the commercial district in downtown Andersonville.

History Andersonville's roots as a community extend well back into the 19th century, when immigrant Swedish farmers started moving north into what was then a distant suburb of Chicago. In the 1850s the area north of Foster and east of Clark was a large cherry orchard, and families had only begun to move into the fringes of what is now Andersonville. The neighborhood's first school, the Andersonville School, was built in 1854 at the corner of those two thoroughfares, and served as the area's primary school until 1908. After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, wooden homes were outlawed in Chicago. Swedish immigrants, who could not afford to build homes of stone or brick, began to move outside of the city's northern limits. Swedish immigrants continued to arrive in Andersonville through the beginning of the 20th century, settling in the newly built homes surrounding Clark Street. Before long, the entire commercial strip was dominated by Swedish businesses, from delis to hardware stores, shoe stores to blacksmiths, and bakeries to realty companies. The local churches, such as Ebenezer Lutheran Church, Bethany Methodist Episcopal Church, and St. Gregory's Roman Catholic Church, were also built by Swedes, and reflected the religious diversity of the new arrivals.

Like most other European-American ethnic groups, Swedes began to move to the suburbs during the Depression and post-war periods, and the neighborhood began to decline. Concerned about the deteriorating commercial situation, the Uptown Clark Street Business Association renewed its commitment to its Swedish heritage by renaming itself the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce. On October 17, 1964 Andersonville was rededicated in a ceremony attended by Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley and Illinois Governor Otto Kerner. At about the same time, the annual Swedish tradition of celebrating the summer solstice blossomed into Midsommarfest, which has since grown into one of Chicago's largest and most popular street festivals.

While some of the Swedish-owned businesses gave way to stores and restaurants owned by Koreans, Lebanese, and Mexicans, many remained in Andersonville, serving the remaining second- and third-generation Swedes as well as the new arrivals to the neighborhood. In 1976, a Swedish American Museum that had been on the drawing boards for fifty years was opened to the public in a ceremony attended by King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. It later moved into larger quarters at 5211 N. Clark, where it remains today.

In the late 1980s, Andersonville began a period of revival as professionals rediscovered its lovely housing stock and proximity to downtown Chicago and the lakefront. A large lesbian and gay population developed, spurred by the opening of such businesses as Women & Children First, a bookstore focusing on feminist authors and topics. New gift shops and ethnic eateries opened up and gave Clark Street a new commercial vitality and diversity.

Today, in addition to being one of the most concentrated areas of Swedish culture in the United States, Andersonville is home to a diverse assortment of devoted residents and businesses, including one of Chicago's largest gay and lesbian communities, a large collection of Middle Eastern restaurants and bakeries, and a thriving Hispanic commercial area north of Catalpa Avenue.

Andersonville is now considered one of Chicago's "hot" neighborhoods. It also enjoys nationwide renown for its unique commercial district, comprised almost entirely of locally owned, independent businesses.

The Andersonville Commercial Historic District, which runs between 4900 and 5800 North Clark Street, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in March 2010.

Edgewater Glen

Edgewater Glen is located just north of the Andersonville neighborhood. Exact boundaries are somewhat unclear but, according to one source, include Granville Ave. to the north, Broadway Ave. to the east, Hollywood/Ridge Ave. to the south, and Clark/Ashland St. to the west. A local community organization called Edgewater Glen Association, which is recognized by the Edgewater Community Council, has boundaries of Granville (north), Broadway (east), Norwood (south), and Clark/Ashland (west).

Sheridan Road

Sheridan Road, which follows the lakefront in Edgewater is the main thoroughfare for traffic to/from Lake Shore Drive. Lake Shore Drive ends at Hollywood Avenue where all traffic is routed onto either Hollywood or Sheridan Road.

North of Ardmore Avenue (5800 N) to Devon Avenue (6400 N) there are 4 lake front parks, Osterman Beach, George Lane park, Berger Park, and a newly unnamed park just south of Granville (6200 N) between the Tiara & El Lago condo towers. There is also a new park on the South West corner of Thorndale and Sheridan. This portion of Sheridan Road is a beautiful section of high-rise residential buildings lining both sides of the street including Hollywood Towers, 6030 N Sheridan, The Malibu, Malibu East, Eastpoint Tower, The Tiara, El Lago, Granville Beach, Granville Tower, Shoreline Towers, Sheridan Shores Condominiums and Sheridan Point. Most of these towers were built in the late 1950s to early 1970s. TV's Bob and Emily Hartley of The Bob Newhart Show called this area home, residing in the Thorndale Beach North Condominiums, 5901 N. Sheridan Road.

There are a handful of mansions still remaining on Sheridan Road, remnants of the 1880s to 1920s north Chicago wealth. Many of the original mansions that once lined Sheridan Road were razed to make way for the high-rise buildings that exist today. A few notable exceptions are in Berger Park and Sacred Heart School at Sheridan and Granville Avenue, as well as two belonging to Loyola University on the southern-most portion of their campus along Sheridan Road between Rosemont and West Sheridan Road, a short westerly bound extension of Sheridan Road between Lake Michigan and North Broadway Avenue.

See also

• Edgewater Presbyterian Church
• Epworth United Methodist Church
• St. Ita's Church
• Edgewater Baptist Church

External links

• Official City of Chicago Edgewater Community Map
• Andersonville Chamber of Commerce
• Edgewater Chamber of Commerce
• Edgewater Community Council
• Edgewater Development Corporation
• Edgewater Historical Society
• Edgewater Intelligencer - survey of community groups and influences in Edgewater