Throughout its long existence, Wicker Park has managed to do something remarkable for an urban neighborhood. It has changed with the times, but still remains the same.

Pride is one of the principal factors in Wicker Park's long-term endurance. Whether it was a modest worker's cottage or a thundering brick mansion, the distinctive older buildings of the community were always given something extra by the people who built them - whether it was an ornamental turret, a profusion of wooden scrollwork, or ornamental iron railings.

Another factor is respect. Wicker Park has shown amazing restraint in resisting the temptation to change its unique identity.

Anybody visiting Wicker Park cannot help but be impressed by its tree-lined streets and picturesque buildings. But to people in the know, the essence of Wicker Park is in the people who have called it, and continue to call it, HOME.

Timothy J. Samuelson, Cultural Historian
City of Chicago


from Wicker Park From 1673 Thru 1929 and Walking Tour Guide