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Uptown on the way up
DEVELOPMENT | New residents change flavor of neighborhood
May 11, 2007
BY CELESTE BUSK
cbusk@suntimes.com
Like most Chicago lakefront neighborhoods, Uptown is no stranger to redevelopment. And, like its neighbors Lake View to the south, Edgewater to the north and Lincoln Square/North Center to the west, Uptown is no stranger to controversy as homebuyers have moved into new condos and houses, displacing long-time renters.
For years, this anxiety had a name all its own: Wilson Yard.
What's up in Uptown?
You may know it as the home of the Green Mill, but Uptown lays claim to plenty more good stuff.
Wilson Yard is the former site of a CTA maintenance facility on the west side of Broadway, between Wilson and Montrose. The project's housing component was the subject of heated debate. Like its far north neighbor Rogers Park, for years Uptown was known for its social services agencies and subsidized housing. The longtime alderman -- Helen Shiller, an independent firebrand on the City Council -- had worked to bring a Target retailer and affordable housing development to the site.
But newer, relatively wealthier residents wanted a different flavor of retail there, one that would blend better with the artsy feel of the historic architecture and their vision of the neighborhood. And they have been actively fighting for a different approach to developing the site.
"There are a number of people who live here who are tremendously committed to the community," said John Holden -- who owns a vintage two-flat, is a block club president, and has lived in the neighborhood for 15 years. "They spend untold hours at community meetings. This adds to Uptown and hopefully will help its future," Holden said.
As of this writing, that dispute is over with a whimper if not a bang. Construction begins in July on Shiller's plans for a $140-million development on the Wilson Yard site that calls for a 180,000-square-foot Target, 30,000 square feet of smaller retail and 168 units of affordable housing.
The rental component at Wilson Yard is a 98-unit high-rise apartment building, according to its developer Peter Holsten of Holsten Real Estate Development. Units in that building will be sold to seniors with incomes equivalent to 60 percent of the area median income, or $35,000, for a household of one. Another 78 units will be available for rental to those earning 60 percent of the area median income, or $50,000 for a household of four. The development includes 700 parking spaces.
"This affordability range can qualify instructors at Truman College, police officers and public school teachers," Holsten said. Other plans call for a new Aldi store, which is set to open June 2.
"The retail space is planned to include restaurants, a coffee shop and a bank," Holsten said. At least 100 parking spaces will be available for the smaller retail and general public use.
Construction on the Target store is scheduled for June, and the development is scheduled to be completed within 22 months.
To pre-empt big-box sidewalk blight, the Target and other retail stores will front Broadway, while the housing will primarily front Montrose.
"The facade of the existing one-story terra cotta building at the northwest corner of Montrose and Broadway will be restored or replicated to the greatest extent possible given the condition of the terra cotta material," Holsten explained.
With the Wilson Yard controversy behind it, Uptown -- bounded roughly by Irving Park Road, Foster Avenue, Lake Michigan and Clark Street -- still has lots of housing, although today far fewer rentals and many more condos. New research by the Center for Urban Research and Learning at Loyola University shows that Uptown had 512 large apartment buildings in 1989; it lost 219 (43 percent) by 2004.
Luring the new-home buyers, residents say, are the area's lakefront location, shopping, restaurants and good transportation.
"There are a lot of signs of development all over the neighborhood." Uptown resident Holden said. "And, of course, obviously Uptown's location is fantastic. It's five blocks from the lake -- about five minutes by bike."
Another Uptown attraction is its vintage architecture. "We have three landmark districts here," Holden said. "I'm an architecture freak, and we have some beautiful buildings here."
A theater district centered at Broadway, Lawrence and Racine is working toward revival, slowed somewhat by lagging plans for the 4,500-seat Uptown Theater.
The Chicago landmark building, built in 1925, was the crown jewel in the Balaban and Katz theater chain and the focus of the Uptown entertainment district in the '20s. Another historic music hall, the Aragon Ballroom, is still a flourishing live music venue. The Riviera Theatre, a formerly elegant movie palace, now hosts rough and tumble rock acts from all of over the world. Jazz showcase the Green Mill Lounge has reinvented itself Sunday nights with its poetry slams. And Uptown's cultural edge is emerging at the Kinetic Play-ground, the namesake for the legendary '60s club where stars like Jimi Hendrix played.
Nevertheless, Holden said there have been a number of issues over the years regarding public safety. He points to the L stop at Wilson and Broadway, which has been a community eyesore for decades.
Holsten, the Wilson Yard developer, says plans are under way to remove the blight from the L stop. The architecturally significant structure will be completely restored on the outside and completely new on the inside.
"It will be brand, spanking new, so more people will use it," Holsten said. "The more people, the lesser the crime." That project is expected to be completed by early next year. he said.
"I'll believe that when I see it," Holden said. "There have been so many plans over the years for that station and nothing has happened. But if it does happen, that would be great," he said. "But right now, the L stop is very intimidating and is a place where vagrants loiter. It's gotten a little better in recent years, but I still avoid that station," Holden said.
There's so much going on in this neighborhood it's hard to capture it all. Uptown consists of several smaller upscale residential enclaves, including the historic landmark districts. These include the Hutchinson Street District (a city landmark district), the Sheridan Park Historic District (a national landmark district), Buena Park Historic District (a national landmark district), Clarendon Park and Margate Park. Each of these landmark districts has its own homeowners association.
"The fact that we have three historic districts is a big draw," said Joyce Dugan, president and chief executive officer of the Uptown Chicago Commission, an economic development corporation. "People are interested in historic preservation, and we have some very attractive older housing.
"Also," Dugan said, "there has been a huge resurgence of people interested in city life and wanting to live closer to downtown. And, Uptown is only about a half-hour to the Loop or Millennium Park, so people are coming here."
Many students who attend Truman College live in the area. Springing up nearby the college's Wilson Avenue address are cafes, coffee houses and lounges. One harbinger of the changing neighborhood is a Nick's bar, a northern cousin to the popular Lincoln Park watering hole.
Ethnic influences
Uptown is home to people from many parts of the world, and exhibits influences from many cultures. Argyle Street, from Sheridan to Broadway and spilling onto Broadway features an exceptional selection of Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Laotian, French Vietnamese and Cambodian ethnic restaurants and bakeries.
The Clark Street Corridor -- running north from Montrose to Foster avenues on the western edge of Uptown -- also is undergoing a rebirth with new condominiums, retail and restaurants.
"Spilling north from the Graceland West neighborhood into East Ravenswood and West Uptown, growth in the Clark Street Corridor is being sparked by the sale of new upscale condominium developments," said Susie Kanter, sales associate for Rubloff Residential Properties.
Another revitalization catalyst is the completed $24.3-million Phoenix at Uptown Square, a mixed-use condominium and retail developments on Broadway, just south of Lawrence in the heart of Uptown.
The former Goldblatt's department store now hosts 37 lofts and new-construction condominiums, and 41,000 square-feet of retail space, including a Borders Books and Music store at Broadway and Racine.
"Home shoppers looking for everything from affordable condos and rental apartments to posh lofts and Queen Anne mansions can take their pick at the diverse housing stock in the Uptown neighborhood," noted Paul Hardej, president of Metropolitan Development Enterprises, which is developing the ambitious Rainbo Village on the 2-plus-acre site of the former Rainbo roller rink at 4836 N. Clark.
Situated on the border of historic Uptown and Andersonville neighborhoods, Metropolitan's Rainbo Village is a condominium development drawing first-time buyers.
"Soft loft condominiums have been the draw for young, urban buyers at Rainbo Village," Hardej said. "We have diversity here. People from Uptown, Andersonville and Lake View are upgrading from rental to ownership.
Rainbo Village is home to 127 soft loft condominiums, duplexes and town houses as well as 15,000 square feet of retail space. Open, soft-loft floor plans with spacious 10-foot ceilings are the earmark of Rainbo Village's Kinetic Lofts, a collection of 88 loft condominiums in two five-story buildings. Homes will be built around a courtyard garden that features stone pieces from the original Rainbo facade.
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