Way back in March, I decided to take a walking tour of the Old Town neighborhood of Chicago. The school I work at is only a block or two from Old Town, so I walk through this area almost every day. I knew it was historical, and it was time to learn more about it!
I used the Old Town tour in this book:
I love playing tourist in my own city. Jeremy gets so embarrassed when I want to walk around with a book like this, but I have gotten past that point. :) (That's why I do things like this alone!)
A bit about Old Town: It was originally settled by German immigrants who grew crops here. Sadly, most of Old Town was destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Many of the houses that are now in Old Town were built shortly after that, making it one of the most historical neighborhoods in the city. It was still defined by its German-Catholic population until the 1930s, although the crops were long gone. :)
On to the tour...
The first place on the tour is actually the building I work in, the Germania Club! After Abraham Lincoln's death, 300 German-Americans formed a singing group called the Germania Club to sing at his funeral. Eventually, this building became the singing club's permanent home. Also, word on the street is that Al Capone had a speakeasy upstairs!
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| Photo from lynnbecker.com. I was too embarrassed to stand across the street and take a picture of the building (since I had just come out of work)... hehe. Also, it goes without saying how convenient it is there's a Starbucks on that corner, 0.002 seconds from my school! |
I found a picture of the Germania Club circa 1900!
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| Photo from historycooperative.com |
These two buildings are across North Avenue from the Germania Club. Moody Memorial Church and the Chicago History Museum.
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Photo from galenfrysinger.com
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Photo from blog.travelpod.com
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This house on Eugenie Street was one of the first built after the Great Chicago Fire. It was originally a worker's home.
After 1885, Daniel Crilly cut a lane for himself and built these rowhouses for lower-working class families. Now, the rowhouses on Crilly Court are divided up into condos, and I saw one for sale for $750,000!
This building reminds me of New Orleans.
At 319 Eugenie Street is another house built shortly after the Fire. Even though these houses were owned by poor immigrants, they weren't short on decorative exterior trim, etc., since the men that built them were skilled artisans.
Twin Anchors Tavern was one of the first sports bars in the city. One famous patron was Frank Sinatra!
The Franzen house, built in 1880, is considered a classic, representative Chicago house.
My favorite part of the tour: St. Michael's Church. Founded in 1852 by the German immigrants in Old Town, it survived the Great Chicago Fire.
I couldn't help but stand and stare up at this church. It is HUGE and beautiful.
I can't wait to go back for a tour sometime soon!
Last on the tour is the Second City. Many famous actors and comedians got their start here, including Tina Fey, Bill Murray, John Belushi, and Steve Carrell. I really want to take a tour of the Second City sometime.
This was only about half of the Old Town tour in my "walks in Chicago" book, but I was tired. :) Maybe sometime soon I'll finish the tour. It was so much fun learning more about places I walk past all the time!
