Lincoln Square Apartments

If you are looking to live in an apartment in the Chicago area, there are so many great neighborhoods to live in. One terrific place to live in is Lincoln Square. Here, at SRE Holdings, LLC, one of the many apartment buildings that we manage happens to be in Lincoln Square. 

In this article, you will learn all about Lincoln Square, including a brief historical background of the area, what it is like to live there, what the area has to offer, and everything else you need to know about living in this Chicago neighborhood. 

Living in Lincoln Square

Lincoln Square is located on the north side of Chicago, extending from Leland Avenue to Lawrence Avenue, right off of the Western Brown Line stop. Lincoln Square is actually the name of the community. This Lincoln Square community is made up of smaller neighborhoods, including Ravenswood, Budlong Woods, Bowmanville, and Ravenswood Manor. One of the great things about this community is its variety. You can find all sorts of styles in this neighborhood, from European-style books and food to authentic German beers.

A brief history

In the mid-nineteenth century, Swiss, English, and German farmers settled in land that is now known as Chicago. In 1836, Conrad Sulzer, a Swiss immigrant, bought property which is now known today as the intersection of Montrose and Clark. When these farmers settled in the area, they started mass producing pickles, celery, and flowers. They produced and sold so much celery, becoming a broad distributor of the crop, so they were declared the celery capital of the United States. 

As mentioned before, the settlers also produced flowers. The Budlong brothers first gained success with their pickle factory in 1857. Then, they expanded their budding business to include flowers. In 1880, they opened the Budlong Greenhouse. In their businesses, the brothers employed many Polish workers. These popular businesses made the area quite popular and increased traffic on the old Little Fort Road. 

In 1850, Bowmanville was one of the first residential subdivisions to be established in Lincoln Square. This residential subdivision was developed by a local hotel keeper. However, he didn’t actually own the land he was selling. He mysteriously disappeared before any of his customers noticed that he was illegally selling them land. Then, in 1859, Rosehill Cemetery opened, which takes up almost 25% of Lincoln Square. In 1868, a flag store opened up, which is where the inspiration for the buildings in Ravenswood comes from. After seeing how successful Ravenswood became, more developments, like Summerdale and Clybourn, began to open up. One of the reasons that the Lincoln Square area was able to develop so quickly was because of its close proximity to the train station, allowing quick and easy access to transportation. 

Fun things to do in Lincoln Square

There are so many things that Lincoln Square has to offer. There are so many great things like parks, schools, shops, and so much more to enjoy while living in the area. 

Parks 

Winnemac Park consists of more than 40 acres of land at the corner of Damen and Foster. The park is home to a few different schools, including Amundsen High School, the Jorndt Field athletic complex, and Chappell Elementary School. It also includes natural prairie plants, playgrounds, baseball fields, soccer fields, and a swimming pool at the high school. The Chicago Park District opens the pool up to the public on certain days and times. 

Gross Park 

Welles Park spreads out for 15 acres and is located across from the Conrad Sulzer Regional Library at the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Montrose Avenue. The park includes a pool, fitness center, and gym, all of which are in the community center. Also, there is a gazebo located at the middle of the park. Oftentimes the gazebo hosts concerts over the summer. The park also includes a playground with swings, a splash-pad, climbing equipment, baseball fields, horseshoe courts, and tennis courts. The park plans to install a nature area, using grant money that they recently won. 

Sunken Garden Park is a smaller park located at the corner of Virginia Avenue and Sunnyside Avenue. There is a small grassy area and a few benches. 

River Park begins at the North Shore Channel Trail and continues for 6.7 miles towards Evanston’s Ladd Arboretum. The park features a community center, splash pad, and an outdoor pool. 

Vogle Playlot is a newly renovated playground with a swing-set located at the corner of Lawrence Avenue and Hoyne Avenue. 

Jacob Park is located right next to the Chicago River at Virginia Avenue and Leland Avenue. The park includes a large sandbox filled with a variety of fun toys for your kids to play with. 

Fun events

One of the great things about the Lincoln Square neighborhood is the fact that it hosts many different events every year. Events range from 5K runs to beer and wine festivals. Events include the following: Ravenswood 5K run, Christmas Tree Lighting, Lincoln Square Fall Apple Fest, May Fest, Square Roots, Lincoln Square Poetry Fest, Friends of the Craft Beer Festival, German-American Fest, Friends of the Grape Wine Festival, and Lincoln Square Summer Concert Series. 

Local businesses

Supporting local businesses is such an easy and effective way of giving back to your community. In the Lincoln Square community, there are many different small local businesses that you can shop at. There is a great variety in shops, from martial arts studios to toy shops to restaurants. Some of the local businesses include the following: Amy’s Candy Bar, Café Selmarie, Heather Parker Photography, Merz Apothecary, Timeless Toys, Stanley Brown Jewelist, Rockwell’s Neighborhood Grill, Degerberg Academy of Martial Arts, among many other local small businesses. 

Public art

While you are walking around town, there are many beautiful works of art that you can look at. Some places that you definitely need to look at on your walks around town include the following: the Berlin Wall Monument at the Western Avenue Brown Line Station, The Lincoln Square Mural at the Lincoln Square Athletic Club, The Maypole at Leland and Lincoln, the Greater Rockwell Mural at Beans and Bagels, the Giddings Square Fountain, The Chicago Lincoln statue at the corner of Western, Lincoln, and Lawrence, the Lincoln/Sunnyside Mural, and the Lombard Lamp at Giddings Square. 

If you are looking to live in the Lincoln Square community, don’t hesitate to reach out to us here at SRE Holdings, LLC. Our main goal is to put you, the client, first. We will make sure that you end up in a property that you are proud to call home.