The West Loop in West Loop The West Loop lies along the western bank of the
Chicago River. It generally includes the districts of Fulton River, Fulton Market, and Greektown. It is approximately bounded by
Grand Avenue on the north,
Ashland Avenue on the west, the
Eisenhower Expressway on the south, and the Chicago River on the east. The area has experienced rapid
gentrification. A former manufacturing and warehousing area, many of the buildings have been converted to loft condominiums, restaurants, bars, and art galleries. Popular restaurants line
Randolph Street.
Oprah Winfrey's
Harpo Studios were located on Randolph Street; the site is now the recently constructed corporate headquarters of
McDonald's.
Fulton River District and Fulton Market The Fulton River District makes up the north east area of the Near West Side, on the Chicago River just west of the Loop. The related
Fulton Market area extends west of the
Kennedy Expressway as far as
Union Park. The district is a former manufacturing and current transportation corridor turned mixed-use commercial and residential neighborhood. The neighborhood includes warehouses that have been converted to
loft condominiums, new construction high rise condominiums and apartments, high rise and mid rise business offices, retail and restaurants. The Fulton River District is the home of the
Ogilvie Transportation Center (formerly Chicago & North Western Station), a major commuter rail terminal. The neighborhood was known for the aroma of
chocolate emanating from the
Blommer Chocolate Company which closed in 2024.
Greektown Greektown is a restaurant and nightlife corridor along
Halsted Street between Van Buren and
Madison Streets. In the late 19th century
Greek immigrants settled the area and competed with nearby
Italians for business and jobs. The area previously bustled with Greek restaurants but has seen Greek influence decrease as inhabitants moved to Chicago suburbs. Greektown is home to the
National Hellenic Museum, the nation's leading museum dedicated to the significant cultural contributions of Greek people. was formerly in the Near West Side.
Little Italy The neighborhood between the Illinois Medical District and UIC's east campus is known as Little Italy. An
Italian community developed in the late 19th century.
Italians never actually constituted a majority in the area, but the neighborhood has several Italian-American landmarks such as the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompei and the
National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame, as well as Italian-American
social clubs. Taylor Street is home to the Italian restaurants Rosebud, Francesca's, Pompei and
Al's No. 1 Italian Beef. Part of the
Italian-American population of the neighborhood was displaced in the 1960s and 70s by the construction of
University of Illinois–Chicago's east campus. The university is the source of the current name for the area, University Village. The 1980 novel
Paper Fish by
Tina De Rosa takes place in this community.
University Village/Maxwell Street University Village is a neighborhood consisting of residential and retail properties. University Village, along with other major developments such as University Commons and University Station, is located near the
University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) campus, the medical district, and Maxwell Street. The blocks around the intersection of Maxwell and Halsted Streets, the heart of University Village, once served as a weekly outdoor market. The area was also a center in the development of the
Chicago Blues in the mid-twentieth century. The Market was moved twice in the 1990s and 2000s, and continues on Des Plaines Street. In the 2000s, UIC led a redevelopment of the area, which included new dormitories, parking garages, commercial buildings, and housing. The borders are 16th Street to the south, the
Dan Ryan Expressway to the east,
Racine Avenue to the west, and Harrison Street to the north. Taylor Street is part of University Village.
South Water Market Chicago's original produce market sat along the south side of the Chicago River, west of what is now
Michigan Avenue. Incoming vessels could bring fruits and vegetables from the states located around the
Great Lakes. This market became known as South Water Market because of its location. By the 1920s, the market was congested and overcrowded. The City of Chicago built new streets parallel to the
Chicago River and moved the market to the neighborhood, alongside the
St. Charles Air Line. The three-story buildings were originally designed by the architects Fugard & Knapp. On July 10, 2003, the Chicago Planning Commission granted their approval on the sale of the produce market for a cost of approximately $36 million to Enterprise Companies of Chicago redevelop into retail and housing.
Illinois Medical District The Illinois Medical District is one of the largest medical districts in the United States, and the largest in the state.
John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County (formerly known as
Cook County Hospital), one of the largest county-run hospitals in the U.S. and inspiration for the TV shows
ER and
The Fugitive, is located here. The District had its start in the 1870s when Cook County Hospital, Rush Medical College, and the College of Physicians and Surgeons were established on the Near West Side following the great
Chicago fire of 1871. The cornerstone for the Medical Center was the building of Cook County Hospital in 1876. In 1877, Rush Medical College erected a building next to County at Harrison and Wood. Presbyterian Hospital (affiliated with Rush) was built in 1883. The University of Illinois at Chicago's origins in the District can be traced to the College of Physicians and Surgeons, founded in 1881. In 1917, the State acquired the vacated
West Side Park located at Polk and Wolcott for the university. The district is also home to
University of Illinois Medical Center,
Rush University Medical Center,
Rush University,
University of Illinois College of Medicine,
Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary,
UIC College of Dentistry,
UIC College of Pharmacy, Jesse Brown VA, The Neuropsychiatric Institute,
Ruth M. Rothstein CORE Center,
Chicago Lighthouse,
Illinois Forensic Science Center, West Side CDC, the Chicago Children's Advocacy Center, the Chicago office of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center,
Chicago Department of Public Health and the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.
Tri-Taylor The Tri-Taylor neighborhood lies directly west of the Illinois Medical District. The neighborhood area roughly resembles a triangle with the
Eisenhower Expressway,
Ogden Avenue, and industrial railroad tracks west of
Western Avenue as the borders. The neighborhood is traditionally an extension of the Little Italy neighborhood to its east, although it has consistently been one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Chicago as it was situated on the borders of African American, Irish, Hispanic, and Italian areas. It is a residential area for students from UIC. The neighborhood is also home to the Chicago Technology Park research center as well as the West Side Center for Disease Control, the office for the Medical Examiner of Cook County, and Chicago Hope Academy (a private Christian high school that opened in the former St. Callistus School in 2005).
United Center area The
United Center opened its doors in 1994, replacing
Chicago Stadium, which was located on the opposite side of Madison Street. The United Center is the home arena for the
Chicago Bulls and
Blackhawks. The United Center hosts over 200 events per year and has drawn over 20 million visitors since its opening. The venue can seat between 20,000 and 25,000 people, depending on the event. A
statue of Michael Jordan stands in the "atrium". The area around the United Center used to be known for its notoriously high crime rate and housing projects off
Lake Street and
Damen known as the
Henry Horner Homes, also known as "the Hornetz nest". ==Landmarks==