Help me understand this:
Lakeview = Official name of neighborhood surrounding Wrigley Field
Wrigleyville = Unofficial name of neighborhood surrounding Wrigley Field
Boystown = Neighborhood within Lakeview? Another unofficial name for Lakeview? Neighborhood near Lakeview?
Boystown and Wrigleyville are both contained within Lakeview; Boystown is south of Wrigleyville.
Also, there are no official names for neighborhoods in Chicago. There are names for the 77 community areas. Along the lakefront, those track reasonably well with what people call the areas. Further inland, they are often amalgamations of convenience (North Center, New City, Lower West side, etc.) that don’t match local usage.
When I first came to Chicago, in 1972, what is now called “Boystown” was then called “New Town”.
I haven’t heard the “New Town” designation for many years. But the area commonly called “Boys Town” is semi-officially called “Lakeview East.” That isn’t one of the official community areas, but it is official enough to get city-made banners hanging from the light poles.
I find the concept of “Lakeview East” hilarious, as it implies that the main part of Lakeview is west of it, and therefore has no view of the lake!
Light-pole banners are made by the local chamber of commerce, not the city.
Fair enough; I sit corrected. But doesn’t the City still auction them off on a regular basis?
They say “NortHalsted” (North Halsted Street) but the lighted rainbow striped poles were put in by the city under Mayor Daley’s direction.
I still call it New Town sometimes (specifically when I’m referring to the immediate area of Clark and Diversey) and I always get “Huh?” for a response. Habits are hard to break.
My understanding has always been that Lakeview is the area along the lake north of the neighborhood of Lincoln Park and south of Uptown. It basically runs from Diversey on the south to Irving Park Road on the north. Lake Michigan is the eastern boundary and it has a western boundary of Ashland or Damen depending on your source.
IMO, Wrigleyville and Boystown are two subdivisions of Lakeview. Both of them are triangular in shape.
Wrigleyville starts where Clark and Sheffield meet at Newport. The northern border of the triangle is where the two streets meet Irving Park Road.
Boystown can be pretty accurately defined as the part of Lakeview with Belmont Ave. on the south, Halsted on the west and Broadway on the east. The northern terminus would be where Broadway and Halsted meet around Grace Street.
Keep in mind these are rough borders. Look at these streets on a map or walk around the neighborhood while keeping these boundaries in mind and I think you will see what I mean.
Lakeview was actually once a township/city independent of the city of Chicago. Once upon a time the northern boundary of Chicago was North Avenue. Everything north of there was part of the town of Lakeview. Have you ever wondered why the police station at Halsted and Addison is known as the Townhall station? It is built on the site of the old Lakeview townhall.
Peanuthead - thanks for making me feel ancient. New Town? Geez, I had totally forgotten using that term.
The ones auctioned off are ones the city has paid for, which are usually displayed downtown. Maybe some nonprofits like theatre groups also let the city have theirs once the event is over.
–Actually, I’ve been more intrigued by the mysterious “42 Precinct” engraved in stone above the entrance. How many police precincts did Lakeview have? Is this in fact a later addition when the building was taken over bt the CPD? If so, what’s the deal with the precinct system? Did we actually have something like that? If there were at least 43 precincts then surely ther are other precinct houses that have survived. Where are they?
I hear ya. I still say, “I’m taking the Ravenswood,” and get the old “Huh?” response.
The building dates to 1907 and was built by Chicago on the site of the old Lakeview townhall. Lakeview was annexed by Chicago in 1889. It seems there was a different precinct system in use in Chicago in the past but I haven’t been able to locate a complete list of how many precincts there were. This article(PDF warning) from a 1962 CPD newsletter mentions the 19th District was formed by combining the old 37th, 38th and 39th so it would seem there was a good deal of consolidation at one time.
It seems likely they are all gone. From the Chicago Tribune article about the station house being replaced
–Yeah, I’m startin’ to get that when I say ‘Comisky Park’ these days. (My mom still calls Pulaski Avenue “Crawford”.)
–Gee, now ya made me sorry I asked Kolak. I pass that building probably once a month and I’ve always admired it. I wasn’t aware that it’s now been vacated. I wonder if there’s a chance they can do something with it beside tear it down. When Engine Co. 47 moved out of its house on Ridge Ave. near Bryn Mawr, the city had the good sense to preserve the building for a future (although not yet decided upon) commercial use. Hope they’ll do the same for Town Hall.
Hey now Mornac don’t be sad. There seems to be a serious desire to do something to keep the building there and in use. Ald. Tom Tunney is suggesting the Department of Revenue could make use of it in some way. I don’t really know what he has in mind though.
I have either lived or worked near that building for the last 25 years so I join you in hoping it will stay around for a good long time.
When did it change, and what is it called now??? I left the city in 1994 and was still calling it the Ravenswood then (perhaps erroneously).
I don’t recall the exact date of the change, but I’m thinking the late 90s? All the lines are color-coded now, so the Ravenswood is now called The Brown Line. Cecil did a Straight Dope Chicago column on the transition a while ago…