A brief history of Wicker Park
From Indian trail to happening neighborhood

	The fountain in Wicker Park circa 1908, the year it was transformed into a wading pool.
	Photo courtesy Chicago Park District

By Scott Morgan

Before it was known as Wicker Park, the neighborhood was chiefly known for the thoroughfare Milwaukee Avenue. The diagonal road originally was an Indian trail connecting the Milwaukee area of Wisconsin to the trading area of what would be Chicago.

In 1849, Milwaukee Avenue was turned into a plank road which helped spur development to surrounding areas. In 1868, the land of what is now Wicker Park became part of the City of Chicago through what is known as the D.S. Lee Addition. In 1870, the triangular park was created at 1425 N. Damen Ave. becoming the neighborhood’s namesake.

Wicker Park Grows
Following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, development of the Wicker Park district took off. Since Wicker Park was largely untouched by the fire, the area became a magnet for development.

Wicker Park was known for its ethnic immigrant populations, with the largest groups being Germans and Norwegians and later Poles and Eastern European Jews. According to the Wicker Park/Bucktown Chamber of Commerce, Wicker Park was once known as the "Polish Gold Coast." Other groups known to have settled in the area during the 19th century include the Irish, Danes, Swedes and Serbians.

By the early 1900s, many factories moved into the area. To accommodate housing for workers, many Victorian homes were carved up for boarding house rentals.

The current fountain in Wicker Park is a 2002 recreation made from rediscovered molds of the original fountain by sculptor J.L. Mott that stood in the park from 1895 to 1908.

Photo by Scott Morgan

Historical and happening
Wicker Park also became known for the large number of brewers that built mansions along Pierce Avenue and Hoyne Street (because of this, Wicker Park was known as "Beer Baron Row"). With the onset of Prohibition, many of these brewing families lost their fortunes and some of their Victorian mansions were sold (The grandest of them all, the Uihlein Mansion at 2041 W. Pierce Ave., was sold and later demolished in the 1920s).

In the late 1970s and 1980s, artists and young urban professionals moved into the neighborhood to flee increasing rents in other Chicago neighborhoods. With their move into Wicker Park, the neighborhood went through a process of gentrification. Today, many Victorian homes have been restored and large parts of Wicker Park have been designated as both Chicago and National Historic Landmark Districts. The neighborhood is known for its rich array of shops, historic buildings, restaurants and art galleries.

Related Links
-Chicago Public Library Timeline of the City of Chicago

-Chicago Historical Landmark District Map of Wicker Park

-Chicago Historical Society and Northwestern University page on the Great Chicago Fire of 1871

-Chicago Park District homepage