About Lincoln Square and Ravenswood

Chicago is a city known for its diverse neighborhoods, where a few miles can take you a world away, and Lincoln Square is no diffrent. It is a tapestry of interwoven cultures and one-of-a-kind businesses coming together to make an unforgettable place to shop, eat, visit, live, or work.

Living in Lincoln Square is like being in a small town within the city. Behind the busy avenues lie quiet, tree-lined streets where close-knit residents gather for events year round in the area's parks, churches and public squares. Annual events like the Summer Concert Series, Chicago Folk & Roots music festival and the German-American Fest draw crowds of people from all over the Midwest and beyond to experience Lincoln Square.

Yet the neighborhood is as cosmopolitan as it is down-to-earth, with its rich public art, gourmet restaurants, European-style cafe's, delis and specialty stores. It's not hard to shop locally, because you can get virtually any product or service you need within the neighborhood. A great mix of independent and nationally known stores sell everything from toys to tools, art to armchairs, CDs to cappuccinos. Our businesses owners take great pride in what they do and will most likely be the ones taking care of you when you visit their stores.

Explore this website if you'd like to get to know the Lincoln Square neighborhood and its businesses a little better. Since 1948, business owners in Lincoln Square have united through an independent Chamber of Commerce. Today's Lincoln Square Chamber of Commerce works diligently to maintain the vital connections between the community and the businesses that serve it. We provide this website to our members, as well as Lincoln Square's neighbors and visitors, as a guide to the rich tapestry of culture that the area has to offer

Cultural Guide to Lincoln Square, Chicago

If you're looking for more information about Lincoln Square's wealth of culture, you've found the right place. What made Lincoln Square the neighborhood it is today? When the "L" and streetcars opened allowing people to travel to and from the neighborhood more easily, the Lincoln Square area changed quickly and expanded with bustling new commerce and residents. Throughout the years, Lincoln Square has been settled by many immigrants from Germany, Greece, Eastern Europe and Mexico who have brought the character of their cultures to the neighborhood's businesses. Learn more about Lincoln Square's history and how it has evolved into the vibrant, multicultural neighborhood we know today.
 

Public Art

Do you enjoy public art? We invite you to stroll along the many streets of our neighborhood to experience the rich history of Lincoln Square through its murals and other public art.
 

History

Lincoln Square's history dates back to the 1850s and 1860s, when farmers settled what was prairie and farmland at the time. In the early 1900s, it experienced major growth that was spurred by the installation of electric streetcars along its main thoroughfares and by the opening of the elevated train line in 1907 (now the CTA Brown Line). As trains began bustling through the neighborhood from Downtown to Kimball developers began building homes for those who wanted to live outside the hustle and bustle of the city. The population of the area grew so quickly that by the 1920s the city of Chicago annexed the neighborhood.
 

Architecture

Lincoln Square is home to a charming assortment of buildings, representing architectural styles from the Victorian era to the present day. You'll find beauty in both the everyday structures and the masterpieces. Lincoln Square is the location of the last work of famous Chicago School architect Louis Sullivan, known for designing the Carson Pirie Scott building and the Auditorium Theatre. Louis Sullivan's Krause Music Store building has been recently renovated and brought back to its original glory.

Although we've highlighted several famous buildings here, there are plenty more structures in the area that are far from ordinary and are worth a visit. If you're in Chicago, make sure to take a walking tour of Lincoln Square's streets to see all we have to offer.