Neighborhood Information
SOUTH LOOP
The Chicago neighborhood of the South Loop has steadily increased in popularity, driven by its proximity to The Loop as well as the lakefront and Grant Park. Many loft conversions, luxury new- construction buildings, and the new Soldier Field have further broadened the neighborhood's appeal to visitors and prospective residents alike. Bordered by Lake Michigan, Cermak to the south, and Canal Street to the west, the South Loop includes the historic row houses of Printer's Row and the Dearborn Park residential development.
Like the Near South Side, the South Loop is a major player in the city's residential and business plans for the next decade. Columbia College and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) bring many young artists and students to the area. Chicago's Museum Campus is the cultural anchor of the neighborhood. Almost every day of the year, it attracts an abundance of tourists and culture-seekers to the world-famous Field Museum of Natural History, Shedd Aquarium, and Adler Planetarium.
Transportation in the South Loop is a snap, with access to Metra, the Chicago El's Blue, Red, Green, and Orange lines, and CTA buses on many major streets. The South Loop also borders Interstate 90/94 on its western edge and I-41 along the lakefront.
MOTOR ROW DISTRICT
Chicago's Motor Row District, which roughly parallels South Michigan Avenue between 14th and 24th streets, is considered to be the largest, intact early "motor colony" in the United States. "Automobile rows" had developed in numerous cities shortly after the turn of the century, as car companies sought to create districts where the sale and repair of cars could become an easy urban shopping experience.
The range of buildings in Motor Row illustrates the evolution of the automobile showroom and other related product and service buildings from their beginnings at the start of the 20th century through the 1930s. The buildings highlight the dramatic changes in the automobile-related building types, from simple two-story structures used for display and offices, to multi-story buildings housing a variety departments for the repair, storage, painting, and finishing of automobiles. The oldest building, the Ford Showroom at 1444 S. Michigan Ave., dates from 1905. The names of the early auto companies, such as Buick, Hudson, Locomobile, and Premier, still are visible on the brick and terra cotta facades.
The "streetwall" formed by the continuous masonry fronts of these showroom buildings forms an indelible urban image of Chicago at the beginning of the 20th century, when the automobile became a standard feature of American life.
--Motor Row District Landmark Designation Report (2000). City of Chicago: The Commission on Chicago Landmarks.