WICKER PARK — Goodbye, 2015!
It's been a transitional year on many fronts — Wicker Park's iconic Double Door music club is in flux, a new bike trail opened to rave reviews, and a number of new housing options were unveiled.
Here are 6 stories that mattered to those living in the northwest neighborhoods of Wicker Park, Bucktown, East Village and West Town.
1. A Car-Free Way to Get Around. The 2.7-mile-long elevated Bloomingdale Trail opened on June 6 and runs through Bucktown, Wicker Park, Logan Square and Humboldt Park.
There are no bathrooms along the path, which has caused a spike in requests. And one homeowner thinks he lives too close to it, but in general the Bloomingdale path, part of The 606 system of parks, has been a boon for cyclists, walkers, joggers, skaters, folks in wheelchairs and entrepreneurs. Headed there? Read our guide and etiquette tips.
2. Nation's First Boozy Taco Bell Tops New Restaurant Flurry. A Taco Bell serving up alcohol drew big crowds, while a neighborhood group asked the franchisee at 1439 N. Milwaukee Ave. to hire a bouncer and restrict booze selling hours.
Meanwhile, the food year (go in-depth on 2015 trends here) ended with the Big Star group getting bigger and taking over the shuttered Francesa's Forno.
On the casual side, BIG and Little's made a splash with fried soft shell crab sandwiches and Columbus Curry, from a former Bollywood star, offers hearty vegetarian meals.
Notable 2015 restaurant openings include Boeufhaus, A German and French bistro-style steakhouse; Taus Authentic, which took over the former Prasino; Presidio, which replaced Bluebird; and Cotton Duck livened up a stretch of Damen in East Village.
Closings that saddened fans included Birchwood Kitchen, Riverside Cafe and Bob San.
3. Historic Preservation Matters. A Wicker Park family lost a long battle with the Landmark Commission over a request to remove a staircase. When a new homeowner removed a "spite wall," erected during a Victorian feud, locals were alarmed. On the rental front, apartments untouched since the 1970s are getting a facelift!
Even the bar scene got an unearthed "time capsule." In November, Heisler Hospitality reopened a tavern at 2025 W. Division St., that was untouched for 40 years, naming it "Queen Mary."
4. Bike Commuters, Transit-Oriented Apartments Changing Neighborhood Demographics
"ONLY this horrible reporter would inquire about the necessity of BIKE RACKS in front of a car dealership," wrote a reader on Neighborhood Square, in response to a story about a new Ford dealership.
Plenty of folks in Wicker Park, though, including a penny farthing teacher and this reporter — who started the year writing about Divvy as "a gateway bike" and ended it by cycling behind a courier who delivered a 9.5-foot-long Christmas tree by bike — have embraced biking.
In March, a flurry of orange bikes, part of a new fitness chain's marketing efforts, took up much-needed bike parking. Later in the year, new "end cap" bike lanes confused car drivers and cyclists.
Several Transit-Oriented Developments underway, such as a 57-unit building near the CTA Blue Line Division "L" stop; a 60-unit apartment building at 1660 W. Division St.; and a 36-unit apartment complex around the corner from the CTA Blue Line Damen station will offer hundreds of new dwellings by this time next year.
Most of the buildings will offer little to no car parking spots and developers say that renters who don't own cars will be drawn to the units. And just introduced: A 189-unit development that could revitalize a sleepy area near Division and Ashland avenues.
5. Traffic Headaches Were Plentiful
With transition comes construction. Continued work on the Northwest Tower at 1600 N. Milwaukee Ave., set to become a boutique hotel offering 89 rooms, two restaurants and a pool, narrowed a lane of traffic on Milwaukee and caused gridlock.
The Damen, Elston and Fullerton intersection's long overdue remake has started, so most locals have found alternative routes.
Repairs on the Cortland Street Drawbridge created a cyclist and pedestrian friendly passage all summer and reopened to cars in October, a relief for motorists who wanted their shortcut between Lincoln Park and Bucktown back.
6. Goodbye, Old Bars, Hello New Watering Holes. Beachwood Inn closed in June and Danny's was saved, as a result of a social media outcry.
O's Tap debuted at 2044 N. Western Ave. and Pub Royale replaced Division Street's SmallBar.
A plan to bring a Nelson Algren-inspired bar, the Golden Arms, to the former Club Foot was nixed during a controversial month when Ald. Joe Moreno (1st), who retained his seat at the helm of the 1st ward by a slim 51-percent majority in February — called members of the East Village Association "NIMBIES."
Other stories (or moments) of note:
Vinyl sales surged with the openings of Shuga Records and Reckless's sunnier and less claustrophobic mega store.
Oba Maja, a poet and longtime fixture on Milwaukee Avenue, died and got a crowd-sourced funeral.
A heckler upset over the closing of city mental health clinics surprised Mayor Rahm Emanuel at a neighborhood meeting. During that same month, the mayor (and noted music lover), running for re-election, also popped by music club SubT on Three Kings Day.
A "bum bait" sign that appeared to compare homeless people to rodents angered many but could have just been satire.
A community-funded ice rink in Wicker park's namesake park was erected in early December. Once open, the rink — paid for through crowd-sourcing, a grant from the Special Service Area Taxpayer District No. 33 and the WPB Chamber of Commerce — will appeal to the rising number of young families, recreational skaters and hockey enthusiasts.
Wicker Park lost its K-Mart but gained a Lowe's, set to open this spring. A long shuttered Circuit City became a Fresh Thyme Farmers Market and Local Foods opened near the Hideout, offering a cafe plus locally-sourced meats and veggies.
