Historically, the area was previously known as Pickletown or Celeryville during the 19th century, when it was said to be the US celery capital. However, in 1925, the Chicago City Council would rename the area to Lincoln Square, to honor Abraham Lincoln, and a prominent statue would soon be erected in 1956 at the corner of Lawrence and Western.
Farming started in the 1840s, among German-American immigrants. A pickling venture was begun not far from what is now Berwyn and Lincoln, followed by flower fields and a greenhouse. The area was named Lincoln Square in 1925.
The Old Town School of Folk Music, the biggest independent school of community arts in the United States was originally located in the building that previously housed the regional library when it moved to a new building down before the turn of the century. Paying homage to its German heritage, the DANK Haus German American Cultural Center is located here and the area hosts Oktoberfest.
The Davis Theater, a nearly hundred-year-old establishment that recently underwent major renovation is one of the oldest theaters in the city and still hosts new releases to captive audiences.
At the south end of the neighborhood is Welles Park, established in 1910 and named after President Lincoln’s cabinet member Gideon Welles. Adjacent to the park is the Sulzer Regional Library, one of the largest libraries in the city outside of the Washington Library.
The CTA’s brown line runs through here. Inside the Western Brown Line station is a remaining piece of the Berlin Wall that was donated to the city in 2008.
The neighborhood’s quiet residential streets are lined with bungalows, greystones and brick two and three flats, many recently rehabbed. Lovely Victorian and Prairie School homes can be found along the North Branch of the Chicago River on the east side of Lincoln Square. Although single-family homes in Lincoln Square can run upwards of $1 million, vintage apartment buildings restored as condominiums offer an affordable option.
