GETTING TO KNOW LOGAN SQUARE

What’s the Appeal?  In the 1980s and 1990s, Logan Square was best known for the grand but relatively affordable homes and apartments that lined Logan, Kedzie and Sacramento Boulevards, and for the booming Bucktown neighborhood that constitutes the eastern most portion of the Logan Square Community Area. In the 21^st Century, revitalization has moved west, especially along the Milwaukee Avenue corridor, and Logan Square became known as the new haven for hipsters who felt Wicker Park and Bucktown were no longer affordable. However, Logan Square has never lacked for intrinsic appeal thanks to its position along the Chicago Boulevard system and the exceptional access it provides to both the Blue Line and the Kennedy Expressway. Today it is a popular choice for both renters and homebuyers though the area has a relatively limited supply of single-family homes, with most residential areas dominated by a mix of small and large multiunit buildings. New residential development is booming along Milwaukee Avenue, demand for older homes is rapidly spreading out from the boulevards into the wider neighborhood, and Logan Square’s commercial character has also been revitalized, with many new dining and entertainment options, along with an intriguing array of shops.  

Where Is It?  The Logan Square Community Area is bounded by the Chicago River on the east and Diversey Parkway on the north. The southern border is primarily Bloomingdale Avenue, while on the west the border is the Metra/Milwaukee District North Line just west of Pulaski Road. The community includes not only the Logan Square and Palmer Square neighborhoods, but also substantial portions of three other neighborhoods: Bucktown, located east of Western Avenue, and Belmont Gardens and Kosciuszko Park both west of Kimball Avenue.

What’s in the Name?  The area takes its name from the grand square at the intersection where Milwaukee Avenue meets Kedzie and Logan Boulevards and is named after John A. Logan, a leading Union general during the Civil War and later a United States Senator from Illinois. Logan, along with Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses Grant are the three men named in “Illinois,” the state’s official anthem.  

Who Were the Earliest Residents? The Logan Square area was first settled in the 1830s when it was outside the city limits of Chicago. There were three small towns in the area named Jefferson, Maplewood and Avondale, and among the most influential early settlers was Martin Kimbell, whose contributions were honored (despite a misspelling) when Kimball Avenue was named for him. As the area grew in the second half of the 19^th Century, most of its residents were from Scandinavia, primarily Norwegians and Danes. Then in the early 20^th Century, the area attracted many Jewish and Polish immigrants, while after 1950 the area drew at steady stream of new arrivals from Puerto Rico and Mexico and other parts of Latin America.  Bucktown, on the other hand, was settled in the 1830s by Polish immigrants who were joined in 1848 by an influx of Germans. The name Bucktown is thought to have originated as a slightly disparaging reference to the many goats that its residents kept in the area’s earliest days, as male goats are called bucks.

What Are Its Claims to Fame? Logan Square itself is among Chicago’s most notable public spaces. Designed by William LeBaron Jenney, the architect who created the world’s first steel frame “skyscraper,” and famed landscape architect Jens Jensen, it is capped by the Illinois Centennial Monument, built in 1918 to mark 100 years of statehood. Just a few blocks south at Kedzie and Palmer Avenue is Logan Square’s smaller companion, Palmer Square, named in honor of John McAuley Palmer, another Civil War era military man who later was elected Illinois governor and then U.S. Senator. Logan Square has also had many famous residents, including newspaper columnist Mike Royko, legendary football coach Knute Rockne, cartoonist and author Shel Silverstein and architectural preservation leader and photographer Richard Nickel, all of whom grew up in the area.  Chicago’s former mayor Lori Lightfoot is a Logan Square resident.