The Story of Lincoln Square

WTTW Chicago by "L" / by Meredith Francis / January 2025

Two green, metal archways emblazoned with “Lincoln Square” bookend a popular strip of Lincoln Avenue from Leland to Lawrence avenues right off the Western Brown Line stop. In this neighborhood, people can find everything from European-style pastries and books to authentic German beerhalls and brats. Though many Chicagoans think of it as a small neighborhood, Lincoln Square is the name of a large community area made up of smaller neighborhoods, including Ravenswood, a portion of Ravenswood Manor, Budlong Woods, and Bowmanville.

In the mid-nineteenth century, Swiss, German, and English farmers settled what was then mostly prairie, according to the Encyclopedia of Chicago. They mass-produced flowers and pickles and declared the area the celery capital of America. But by the turn of the century, electric streetcars and the Ravenswood elevated train began operating in the community. This allowed people to move outside the city center. According to the Lincoln Square Chamber of Commerce, the neighborhood’s proximity to the trains allowed the community to grow quickly. The Ravenswood line eventually became the CTA Brown Line, with stops at Montrose, Damen, Western, and Rockwell. Read More Here.