Listen closely. Do you hear those bells? Those are the bells of St. Michael’s Church. Some say you only truly live in Old Town if you can hear them. This neighborhood is more than just a place. It is a sound.
Old Town is a vibrant neighborhood in Chicago. It is full of history. It is full of art. It is full of architecture.
Once upon a time, Old Town was called “The Cabbage Patch”. German immigrants farmed the swampland. They grew celery and potatoes. They also grew cabbages. The name stuck until the early 1900s.
During World War II, the area was a neighborhood defense unit. It was known as “North Town” in the 1940s. After the war, art fairs became popular. They were called “Old Town Holiday”. In 1948, residents formed the Old Town Triangle Association. They wanted to improve the buildings.
In the 1950s, many Puerto Ricans came to Chicago. They called the area “La Clark”. There is no legal entity called “Old Town”. It is where you make it.
Old Town’s land was home to Native Americans. They included the Potawatomi and Miami. They also included the Illinois nations.
After the 1833 Treaty of Chicago, the natives were removed. German-Catholic immigrants settled the land in the 1850s. Old Town has many older, Victorian-era buildings. St. Michael’s Church is one of them. It survived the Great Chicago Fire. It was originally a Bavarian-built church. Many streets and alleys predate the fire. They do not all follow the typical Chicago grid pattern.
The Brown-Purple Line ‘El’ station is one of the oldest. It was built in 1900. In 1924, the first gay rights organization formed. It was called the Society for Human Rights. Henry Gerber founded it at his home. It is now a National Historic Landmark.
During the 1960s, Old Town was the center of the hippie counterculture. Many original families had moved to the suburbs. This left older buildings available to rent cheaply. A Puerto Rican community formed. The Young Lords had a branch at Wieland and North Avenues. The area became the nexus of hippie culture. Boutiques emerged.
The violent events of the 1968 Democratic National Convention took place near Old Town. In the 1960s and 1970s, Old Town had many gays and lesbians. There were numerous gay bars on Wells Street. This was the first “gay ghetto” in Chicago.
Old Town was the center of Chicago folk music in the 1960s and 1970s. The Old Town School of Folk Music opened in 1957. Singer-songwriters played at clubs on Wells Street. One large folk club was Mother Blues. It featured national artists.
Some institutions from the 1960s still exist today. These are Crate & Barrel. These are also The Second City. It also includes the Old Town Ale House.
After Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, the neighborhood experienced racial division. In the early 2000s, gentrification began south of North Avenue. The demolition of the Cabrini-Green housing projects led to demographic changes.
By 1976, Wells Street had many sex-industry businesses. Some had mob connections.
Current cultural amenities include the Old Town Triangle Art Center. It also has the annual Old Town Art Fair.
Old Town. A place where history echoes. A place where art thrives. A place where the sound of bells tells a story.