community info
Chicago is a city of neighborhoods, each with its own colorful history and unique personality. From Edgebrook to Forest Glen, the 45th Ward is no exception. Links to the following communities will give you an overview of the people and places that make the 45th Ward one of the best places to live in the city of Chicago.
| Neighborhoods in the 45TH Ward |
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EDGEBROOK
This affluent neighborhood is within the Forest Glen Community on Chicago’s far northwest side and the northern most end of the 45th Ward. Its boundaries are roughly suburban Niles, Skokie and Lincolnwood to the north, I-94 (Edens Expressway) to the east and forest preserves to the south and west.
The land where Edgebrook stands today was Indian Territory in the early 19th Century, mostly Potowatomi, Ottawa and Ojibwa. Billy Caldwell whose mother was a Potowatomi and father an Irish officer in the British military moved to the area from near Detroit, where he had managed the family farm. Caldwell, fluent in English, French and several Indian dialects, became an influential Native American leader known as Chief Sauganash. He was hired by the U.S. government as a mediator between it and the various Indian tribes.
In 1828, in payment for his services, the federal government gave Caldwell the 1,600 acres that is now Edgebrook and Sauganash. It became known then as the Caldwell Indian Reservation. After the Black Hawk War, he helped negotiate the 1833 Treaty of Chicago which ceded all of the tribal lands. It was signed under the “Old Treaty Elm” which is no longer there, but an onsite plaque commemorates the event at Rogers, Kilbourn and Caldwell Avenues.
Caldwell eventually sold his rich land to farmers and moved west. In 1872, the railroad purchased the land for the right-of-way through Edgebrook and sought to develop the area as a home for railroad officials. The first family moved into their home in 1895. A luxurious stone and frame railroad station was built in 1896 and the first Edgebrook School in 1898.
Home building began in earnest in the 1920s with the increased use of the automobile. Chicago annexed Edgebrook between 1920 and 1930. By 1940 Edgebrook had established its reputation for prestigious homes considerably above the city’s average property values. While mainly residential there is a thriving business district along three blocks of Devon Avenue and the intersections of Central and Caldwell Avenues.
Working with the Edgebrook Community Association, Ald. Patrick Levar helped bring a state of the art library to the neighborhood which was dedicated in August 2000. Ald. Levar continues to work with the Association and the Edgebrook Chamber of Commerce to maintain the area’s character while growing its resources.
FOREST GLEN
Located in the far northwest Chicago community of Forest Glen, this neighborhood with the same name is at the east central end of the 45th Ward. The boundaries of the Forest Glen neighborhood are Cicero Avenue to the east, Foster Avenue to the south and Forest Glen Avenue to the west and north as it cuts back through the Chicago River.
The land where Forest Glen stands today was Indian Territory in the early 19th Century. Billy Caldwell whose mother was a Potowatomi and father an Irish officer in the British military moved to the area from near Detroit. Caldwell became an influential Native American leader known as Chief Sauganash, who was hired by the U.S. government to mediate between it and the various Indian tribes.
In 1828, as payment, the government gave him the Caldwell Indian Reservation, 1,600 acres that included today’s Forest Glen neighborhood. The Native Americans moved further west and Caldwell eventually sold his land, moving with them.
Captain William Hazelton, a Civil War cavalry officer who was part of a military escort for President Lincoln’s funeral, moved to the area in 1865 and purchased 57 acres. His property ran to the north branch of the Chicago River. He built the Glen’s first farm and orchard cornering the cherry market that supplied Chicago. His first barn was at Lawler Avenue and Foster. He built the first grocery store on the west end of Elston Avenue in 1865 and by the early 1880s had established the Forest Glen neighborhood. His home built in 1881 is a Chicago landmark and stands at 5453 N. Forest Glen.
In 1889, the area was annexed to Chicago. In 1894, former Ald. Arthur Dixon of the old downtown 1st and 2nd Wards developed the first residential subdivision. President Theodore Roosevelt organized the U.S. Forest Service in 1906 which created the Forest Glen and LaBagh Woods Forest Preserves.
By 1920, the Forest Glen Preserves had become the center of social events. Forest Glen Park was built in the 1930s near the train station at Forest Glen, Berwyn and Elston Avenues. Much of the housing that included traditional bungalows was built in the 1940s – currently occupied by many of the original families. Ald. Patrick Levar continues to work closely with the neighborhood and the Forest Glen Community Club.
GLADSTONE PARK
This neighborhood is the northwest corner of the Jefferson Park Community on Chicago’s far northwest side. Gladstone Park is also the northwest corner of the 45th Ward. Its boundaries are Devon Avenue and the Chicago River on the north, Central Avenue on the east, Foster Avenue on the south and Nagle Avenue to the west.
By the early 1830s when John Kinzie Clark built the first log cabin in this community area there were already well established Indian trails traveled by traders and hunters. Other settlers arrived on the prairie in the 1840s to farm the land. By the end of that decade muddy roads to Chicago markets for the farmers were replaced by two major plank roads – the North West Plank Road, which later became Milwaukee Avenue, and the Lower Road, which became Elston Avenue.
In 1850, the state formed Jefferson Township. In 1872, the village of Jefferson was incorporated just to the southeast of the Gladstone area and served as a thriving market for the farmers. A nearby railroad station helped grow the population and the township was annexed to Chicago in 1889. Gladstone Park now has its own station on Austin Avenue at Northwest Highway.
By 1900, street railway lines extended along Elston and Milwaukee. Bungalows were built in the 1920s for the growing number of families. In 1923, the Gladstone Park Community Club approached the Jefferson Park District about locating a recreation area in the former Gladstone Park subdivision named for the highly respected British Prime Minister William Gladstone. The district took action the following year and named the park after the community group. In 1930, the landscaped park within the triangle of Menard, Magnet and Manila Avenues gained a small field house designed by Clarence Hatzfeld, who did many Chicago park buildings.
Ald. Patrick Levar has worked closely with neighbors and the Gladstone Park Chamber of Commerce over the years. He helped bring the $10 million Senior Suites at Northwest Highway and Monitor Avenue to Gladstone Park so that long time residents could stay within their community when family homes became a burden.
Gladstone Park received a new, $480,000 soft surface playground with the help of Ald. Levar and State Rep. Joseph Lyons. The new soft surface is “spongy” rather than cement, fiber or covered with wood chips.
INDIAN WOODS
This secluded neighborhood is in the north central portion of the Jefferson Park Community and the north central section of the 45th Ward. Indian Woods’ triangular boundaries are Indian Road on the northeast, Ardmore Avenue on the south and Central Avenue on the west and northwest. The neighborhood is just south of the North Branch of the Chicago River.
In the early 19th Century this was Indian Territory, mostly Potowatomi, Ottawa and Ojibwa. Billy Caldwell moved to the area from near Detroit, where he had managed the family farm. His mother was Potowatomi and his father an Irish officer in the British military. Caldwell was fluent in English, French and several Indian dialects. The U.S. government hired him as a mediator between it and the various Indian tribes. He was influential among the Indians and became known as Chief Sauganash.
As payment for his services, the federal government in 1828 gave Caldwell the 1,600 acres that today includes Indian Woods, Edgebrook and Sauganash. He later sold the Caldwell Indian Reservation and moved west. In 1889, the area was annexed to Chicago with the rest of Jefferson Park.
In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt organized the U.S. Forest Service which created preserves of wooded areas. This included parts of the Caldwell Reservation. Indian Woods is nestled among them and was a long time destination area for recreation. In 1925, the Billy Caldwell Golf Course was built just to the northeast. Edgebrook Golf Course opened in 1940 just to the northwest.
Homes were built over the years with many after World War II through the mid 20th Century. The slightly more than 200 homes in Indian Woods remain quiet retreats in the city. The closest, major commercial strip is Elston Avenue to the west, south and southeast. Today, the area’s still very popular for recreation with outdoor activities in Indian Road Woods forest preserve and for river exploration.
Ald. Patrick Levar works closely with the Indian Woods Community Association supporting its plans for beautification and restoration. He is helping them with growth issues such as increased traffic. Consideration is being given to additional safety signs, guardrails, flashing lights and other measures. As needed, Ald. Levar and State Rep. Joe Lyons are discussing these issues with the Chicago Department of Transportation and the Illinois Department of Transportation.
JEFFERSON PARK
Located on the far northwest side of Chicago, the Jefferson Park community and neighborhood are in the central part of the 45th Ward. The boundaries of the neighborhood are not always agreed upon, but they are roughly Foster Avenue to the north, Cicero Avenue to the east, Lawrence Avenue to the south and Austin Avenue to the west. Some maintain the southern border is Montrose Avenue.
In the 1830s, John Kinzie Clark built the first log cabin in Jefferson Park. Elijah Wentworth built a hotel and opened a tavern near what is now the Metra Station on Milwaukee Avenue. Abram Gale built the first frame house. In 1855 residents platted Jefferson Village near Milwaukee and Higgins Road. It was incorporated in 1872 and annexed to Chicago in 1889 when it was already known as Jefferson Park.
As street car service expanded in the early 1900s European immigrants took residence in frame cottages and brick bungalows. Public library service started in 1904 with a delivery station on Milwaukee. After several moves, the current library at 5363 W. Lawrence opened in 1970. Jefferson Park’s park opened in 1921 on farm land once owned by the Henry Esdohr family. In 1930, the seven-acre park at Long and Lawrence Avenues gained an athletic field and a field house designed by Clarence Hatzfeld. In 2006, Jefferson Park was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Also in 1930, the Gateway Theater opened on Lawrence built exclusively for “talkies.” The building was taken over by the Copernicus Foundation in the late 1970s as they established the Polish Cultural Center on Milwaukee near Lawrence. The theater was acquired in 1985 and refurbished.
The Kennedy Expressway was completed in 1959 slicing through Jefferson Park, but also providing more convenient transportation. In 1970 the CTA built a terminal in Jefferson Park and in the 1980s a rapid transit line extension to O’Hare International Airport. In 2005, a monument to President Jefferson was placed at the transportation hub on Milwaukee capping $4 million in improvements with the help of Ald. Patrick Levar.
Ald. Levar also worked to bring a new police station to Jefferson Park on Milwaukee and open a City Clerk branch office at the old station on Gale Street. He also brought a streetscape to Milwaukee between Gale and Lawrence.
MAYFAIR
The Mayfair neighborhood is located within two of Chicago’s northwest side communities. It is in the southwest section of Albany Park and the northern end of Irving Park. Mayfair is the eastern most section of the 45th Ward. Its boundaries are Lawrence Avenue on the north, Pulaski Road on the east, Montrose Avenue on the south and Cicero Avenue on the west.
Businessman Charles Race bought acreage in 1869 that would later become Mayfair. He planned on being a gentleman farmer, but his land was so close to the Chicago & North Western Railroad he decided a settlement would be more profitable. Originally the town of Montrose, it was renamed Mayfair by the early 20th Century. The area was subdivided in 1874 to take advantage of the city folk moving west after the Chicago Fire of 1871. Mayfair was annexed in 1889.
In 1895, an electric street car line was installed on Lawrence launching a residential boom. Beginning in 1904, the Chicago Sanitary District widened and straightened the North Branch of the Chicago River to Lawrence. With the project’s completion in 1907, property lines were defined and sewage disposal improved. By 1910 Albany Park was linked to downtown by an elevated train and property values soared. Land valued at $52 per front foot in 1909 sold for $2,750 per front foot by 1929.
By 1930, Mayfair Park at Sunnyside and Kilbourn Avenues had a field house designed by Clarence Hatzfeld. During the Depression he began working for the Chicago Park District and in 1936, rehabilitated the field house adding more interior space.
The Park is receiving more than $300,000 for a spray pool surface upgrade and a soft surface playground with the help of Ald. Patrick Levar. The new soft surface is “spongy” rather than cement, fiber or covered with wood chips.
Mayfair Library first opened as a sub-branch in 1942 and its new location on Lawrence opened in 1996. The Irish American Heritage Center at 4626 N. Knox Avenue opened in 1985, its museum in 1991 and library in 2006. Ald. Levar provided new street lights at the Center and fought to save the nearby Wilson Avenue Bridge and ramps at the Edens Expressway. He has also worked very closely with the Mayfair Civic Association on major down zoning and development issues.
PORTAGE PARK
Named for the Indian passage between the Chicago and Des Plaines Rivers, Portage Park rests on the city’s far northwest side and the southern end of the 45th Ward. Its boundaries are roughly Gunnison Street and Lawrence Avenue on the north, the railroad lines and Cicero Avenue on the east, Belmont Avenue on the south, and Narragansett Avenue on the west.
Settlers began to arrive in the early 19th Century growing the population with workers and professionals who sought to get away from the city. In 1889, most of today’s Portage Park was annexed to Chicago. In 1912, the Portage Park District was organized to develop nearly 40 acres of lush greenery. The park was adopted by the community as its official name and centerpiece.
By the early 20th Century, the quiet prairie community began to grow rapidly with the expansion of streetcars and the intense building of single-family homes. The Six Corners shopping area blossomed at Irving Park Road, Cicero and Milwaukee Avenues. By 1920, 60 percent of all Portage Park families owned their own homes, more than double the average for the rest of Chicago.
In 1959, the park’s Olympic size pool hosted the swimming events for the Third Pan American Games. It was also used for the U.S. swimming trials for the 1972 Summer Olympics which included Gold Medalist Mark Spitz setting new world’s records. In 1998, Ald. Patrick Levar worked to get the swimming pools and plaza area rehabilitated and an interactive water play area created for children.
Ald. Levar was helpful in the reopening of the Portage Theater, one of the area’s gems built in 1920. It was the community’s first theater built specifically for film. But after several successful decades it fell into disrepair. The theater had its grand reopening in May of 2006 with more than 1,000 patrons. He has also worked very hard with the redevelopment of the Klee Building and the Marketplace at Six Corners.
Today, Portage Park is primarily residential with single-family homes, bungalows and two-flats. It is home to residents of German, Irish, Italian and Hispanic descent, as well as the largest Polish community in the Chicago Metropolitan Area.
In 2009, Ald. Levar will officially break ground on a streetscape for Portage Park running along Milwaukee between Montrose Avenue and Irving Park.