This post was updated on November 5, 2019, with more facts about Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood.
Lakeview is one of the most popular neighborhoods in Chicago. From its theater district to Wrigleyville and Belmont Harbor, there are many attractions that draw people to the neighborhood. How much do you know about Lakeview? Below are five facts you may not have known about the Chicago northside neighborhood.
While you may assume that the Lakeview name simply references the neighborhood’s proximity to Lake Michigan, it is actually named after Hotel Lake View. The hotel was built in 1854 on what is now the intersection of Lake Shore Drive and Sheridan Road.
Lakeview was originally a suburb outside the boundaries of the city of Chicago. It was a summer getaway for the city’s residents. Lakeview was annexed to Chicago in 1889.
In the early 70s, The neighborhood around the intersection of Clark Street and Diversey Parkway was called New Town.
Wrigleyville’s exact boundaries are tough to distinguish, as it is within the Lakeview neighborhood. Most people consider Wrigleyville’s boundaries to be Irving Park to the north, Fremont to the east, Roscoe to the south, and Southport to the west.
During the Civil War, the intersection of North Clark, North Broadway and West Diversey was home to Camp Fry, a training facility for the volunteer 132nd and 134th Illinois infantry regiments. Shortly after the regiments deployed to Kentucky, the camp was converted to a Confederate prison. Residents of the neighborhood were known to complain about hearing prisoner sing-a-longs held at the prison.
Broadway Avenue used to be named Evanston Avenue, after the town to the north of Chicago. In 1913, the name changed to Broadway Avenue after Broadway in New York City.
Based on a 2016 estimate, Lakeview is the largest neighborhood in Chicago by population with 99,876 residents.
The Kwanusila the Thunderbird totem pole is located in the Lakeview section of Lincoln Park. It overlooks the intersection of West Addison Street and North Lake Shore Drive. The totem pole you see today is an exact replica of the original Kraft Lincoln Park totem pole. Stop by the totem pole when visiting Lincoln Park to read the full story of why a replica pole replaced the original.
Credit: Mentalfloss.com, Wikipedia, Geneologytrails.com.
