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Lake View House opens
Lake View House - a hotel - opens just south of Graceland Avenue, now Irving Park Road, and many wealthy Chicagoans build large residences nearby, primarily summer homes -
City of Lakeview township is organized
The area of Lakeview is initially settled by Germans, Luxembourgians, and Swedes who are primarily farmers. These initial settlers built homes along the lakefront -
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Most of Lake View area is farmland
Most of the land in the Lake View area is used for farming. Land east of Green Bay Road (now Clark Street) is divided into large estates while land west of Green Bay Road is primarily small farms. The area is largely noted for being the celery growing capital of the midwest. The dominant industry is truck farming. Inhabitants remained largely German and Swedish. -
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Industry in the 1880's and 1890's
Several large industrial plants are established along the southern edge of the community, leading to the development of nearby residential neighborhoods. Commercial shopping areas begin to emerge at the intersections of Lincoln Ave & Belmont Ave and Clark St & Diversey Parkway as a result of improvements to transportation, increased city population, and the movement of people north from more crowded areas south of Lake View. Substantial land use changes begin to take place due to the building -
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Housing in the 1880's and 1890's
During this time period, many single-family one- or two-story homes and small multi-family homes are built west of Clark St. Most of these houses are wooden framed with brick. Large estates that exist along the lakefront are subdivided so that more homes could be added to the land as well as a few apartment buildings. -
Lake View is incorporated as a city
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Lake View is annexed to the City Of Chicago
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Population growthin 1910's and 1920's
During this period the population of Lakeview grows from 60,535, to 96,482 - almost a 60% increase. The area remains populated by mostly Germans and Swedes with the addition of Hungarians, Polish, Slavaks, and Italian immigrants who tend to move to the southern, industrious area of Lakeview. -
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Industrial Growth in 1910's and 1920's
Major commercial and industrial growth continues along the southern edge of the community, but Lakeview remains a primarily residential community. -
Wrigley Field is built
The baseball field is built to provide the neighborhood with a balance of business and residential use. Concerns arise among residents, particularly about night games, and the influx of parking, noise, vandalism, and crime that could potentially lower quality of life in the neighborhood. Ultimately it seemed that the business from visitors to the field contributed to neighborhood's vitality. -
Population of 115,000 residents
The population in 1930 is 115,000 and continues to grow throughout the Depression and World War II -
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Housing growth from 1930 to 1950
Little residential building acitivity occurs from 1930 to 1950. Any residential construction that does happen occurs east of Clark St, especially along the lakefront. These include highrises, multi-family apartments, and apartment hotels that were constructed on sites formerly occupied by single-family or small multi-family homes. Industrial areas along the southern half of Lakeview spread into residential areas due to increased comercial activity and industrial land use after World War I -
Population reaches historical high of 125,000
The population of Lakeview hits a historical high of 125,000 in 1950. By this time the number of Asian residents in the area has started to increase. In fact, there is growth in all non-white population segments except for African-Americans. -
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Housing growth in the 1950's
Residential construction is still concentrated along the lakefront with a series of multi-family structures. -
Population in 1960
By this time, the non-white population in Lakeview is about 3% and most of those are German and Russian immigrants. The Asian population has become evenly distributed throughout the community. -
Housing in 1960
By 1960, 13% of housing units are owner-occupied. 52% of residents live in buildings with 10 or more units. A lack of construction activity from 1930-1950 means that by 1960 only 9% of structures are less than 20 years old. Because of this the quality of residential units has begun to decline. -
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Population in the 1970s
The population by 1970 is steadily declining in Lakeview, with 33,000 whites having left the area to move farther north, west, or to the suburbs. The Asian community has continued to increase to 5% of the population y 1979 (primarily Filipino and Japanese). The African-American population surges in this area during the 1970s to 7,000. The Hispanic population by 1970 is 19% and is largely concentrated between Halsted, Diversey, Southport, and Grace St. The -
Housing in 1980
By 1980 22% of housing units are owner-occupied, mainly due to renovation projects by building owners. Many apartments are rehabilitated into condominiums. The median value of condominims and single-family homes in the area is slightly higher than the city median. The number of subsidized housing units has also increased due to federally-sponsored housing projects--though this was met with strong opposition from Lakeview residents. -
Commercial and Industrial Acitivity in 1980
Due to the growing Asian population, the area between Belmont and Addison on Clark becomes a new commercial center for Asiatic goods. Major commercial activity develops in "New Town" (once East Lakeview) along Broadway between Diversey and Belmont. This area changes from residential with small businesses to large businesses and high priced housing. Overall, Lakeview is still considered a primarily residential community.