Uptown is full of historic significance and tourist attractions and offers location, lakefront access and transportation mixed with affordability. The neighborhood took its name for the role it played as the northern end for the city’s railway lines.
From Aragon Ballroom, patterned after a courtyard in Spain, a top choice for big band performances in the 1940s, where Frank Sinatra acquired his break; to Graceland Cemetery, resting place of famous names, from boxer Jack Johnson to railway car inventor George Pullman.
There are other areas of interest such as Essanay Studios, a center for the American film industry before it moved to Hollywood. Montrose Beach, whose broad sandy beaches match those in Chicago and the Great Lakes. The Green Mill Cocktail Lounge, a favored spot for silent film stars and Chicago gangsters in the first decades of the 20th century, and now a venue for local performances and popular destination for both locals and tourists hoping for a glimpse of what it was like a hundred years ago; more so now as recent renovation, a hidden room was found that housed a speakeasy.
The Riviera Theatre, a film venue constructed in 1920 now used for concerts that has attracted famous performers through the years, including The Smashing Pumpkins for the release party for Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.
Uptown’s early glamour is still reflected in its historic buildings. The neighborhood’s commercial and cultural center is Broadway, with historic Uptown Square at its center.
Just north of Uptown Square, visitors can find Little Vietnam, a popular destination for food, groceries, shopping and cultural destinations.
The area experienced a housing construction boom following the World’s Columbian Exposition. Several of the neighborhood’s luxurious entertainment venues were built in the 1920s reflecting the ornate artistry of the Exposition pavilions.
