Streeterville facts for kids
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Streeterville is a cool neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois, located just north of the Chicago River. Most people agree it's bordered by the river to the south, the famous Magnificent Mile (part of Michigan Avenue) to the west, and Lake Michigan to the north and east. This means it includes the Magnificent Mile and everything east of it.
You'll find fun places like Navy Pier and Ohio Street Beach stretching into the lake from Streeterville. Much of the land here was actually created from sand that built up over time.
This neighborhood is named after George Streeter, a very interesting character. Today, Streeterville is a mix of hotels, restaurants, offices, tall apartment buildings, universities, hospitals, and cultural spots. In recent years, many empty spaces have been turned into new buildings, especially in the southern part of the neighborhood. Streeterville also saw big building booms after World War I and World War II.
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A Look Back: Streeterville's History
Long ago, before Chicago was a big city, the shoreline of Lake Michigan changed a lot. Storms would wash away parts of the land and build up new areas. By 1803, when Fort Dearborn was being built, a sandbar blocked the Chicago River's mouth. This made the river bend south before it reached Lake Michigan.
In 1821, the lake's edge north of the river was roughly where North Saint Clair Street is today. This is just east of Michigan Avenue. In 1834, a long pier was built to create a channel through the sandbar. Sand and dirt then piled up north of this pier, creating new land. This new land was called "The Sands."
George Streeter's Claim
In the late 1880s, a man named George Streeter said his boat hit a sandbar near the Chicago shoreline during a storm. At the same time, new land was being created by dumping dirt to build Lake Shore Drive. This created about 186 acres of new land along the lake. Streeter claimed this new land was his own! He even called it the "District of Lake Michigan" and said it was an independent territory.
For many years, Streeter kept trying to prove his claim. He even sold and taxed the land he said was his. The local newspapers loved his story because he was such a bold character. Chicago Mayor William Hale Thompson tried to remove the Streeters from the land. After many tries, Streeter ended up in jail. In 1918, the courts finally decided that his claim was not valid. Today, this area has some of the most expensive properties in Chicago.
Building Up the Neighborhood
In 1920, the Michigan Avenue Bridge opened. This was part of a big city plan called the Burnham Plan. This, along with the good economy of the 1920s, brought a lot of money to the eastern part of the Near North Side. It helped create a fancy shopping area on North Michigan Avenue.
Investors built tall apartment buildings and grand hotels. The bridge connected to North Michigan Avenue, which used to be Pine Street. Pine Street had warehouses and factories near the river, and large homes further north. During the 1920s, buildings on the Magnificent Mile were designed in classic styles like Beaux-Arts and Gothic. These new buildings changed Chicago's skyline and made the city look more modern.
After World War II, there was another building boom. In the 1950s, a real estate developer named Arthur Rubloff helped make North Michigan Avenue even better, calling it "The Magnificent Mile." This success led to more tall apartment buildings and new investments in the area. Because so many tall buildings were built close together, Michigan Avenue started to look like an "urban canyon" with buildings towering on both sides.
Streeterville Today
Today, Streeterville is known for its tall skyscrapers, fancy stores, hotels, and restaurants. While most people say its western edge is the Magnificent Mile, the city of Chicago and a local group called the Streeterville Organization of Active Residents say it goes one block further west to Rush Street.
Learning and Healing
Even though its main campus is in Evanston, Northwestern University has a campus here in Chicago. The Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine is on this campus. It's next to several important hospitals, including Northwestern Memorial Hospital, the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, and the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. These hospitals provide excellent medical care.
Other parts of Northwestern University, like its law school, are also nearby. The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago is also in Streeterville. You can also find the downtown campus of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business here, right by the Chicago River.
Streeterville is home to Navy Pier, which is the most visited attraction in Chicago. The John Hancock Observatory is also here, and it's one of the most visited spots in the city too.
For much of the 20th century, the area east of Michigan Avenue and north of the Chicago River was split. The northern part had nice homes, shops, and universities. The area near the Chicago River and Navy Pier had shipping and factories. But by the end of the 1900s, homes and shops took over the whole area. Now, Streeterville is known as a fancy place to live, balancing out the more industrial western part of the Near North Side.
In the early 2000s, many old warehouses and empty lots in the southern part of Streeterville were developed. This included the River East Center, which is a main shopping area besides the Magnificent Mile. Many new skyscrapers are being built or planned in South Streeterville.
Historic Places in Streeterville
Streeterville has several places that are considered historic. The East Lake Shore Drive Historic District has a row of fancy apartments built in the early 1900s. The Old Chicago Water Tower District is on Michigan Avenue. It has the only public buildings that survived the terrible 1871 Great Chicago Fire. Also, part of the Michigan–Wacker Historic District is in Streeterville. It has many tall buildings from the 1920s.
The neighborhood also has many individual landmarks. A very important one is the Jean Baptiste Point Du Sable Homesite. This was the home of the first non-Native person to live in Chicago. Other famous places listed on the National Register of Historic Places include the Drake Hotel, the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago, Navy Pier, and the Palmolive Building.
Other important Chicago Landmarks here are the Allerton Hotel, McGraw-Hill Building, and Tribune Tower.
Tall Buildings in Streeterville
Streeterville is home to many impressive skyscrapers, especially along the Magnificent Mile:
- John Hancock Center (1,127 feet)
- 900 North Michigan (871 feet)
- Water Tower Place (859 feet)
- Park Tower (844 feet)
- Olympia Centre (725 feet)
- One Magnificent Mile (673 feet)
- Chicago Place (608 feet)
- Palmolive Building (565 feet)
Other tall buildings not on Michigan Avenue include:
- Lake Point Tower (645 feet)
- River East Center (644 feet)
- North Pier Apartments (581 feet)
- Onterie Center (570 feet)
- Elysées Condominiums (529 feet)
- 401 East Ontario (515 feet)
- The Streeter (514 feet)
- Streeter Place (554 feet)
- 400 East Ohio Street (505 feet)
- One Bennett Park (837 feet)
Some other notable buildings are the Wrigley Building and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.
Hotels
Streeterville has more than 25 hotels. This includes some of the most luxurious hotels in the Midwest, like the Ritz Carlton, The Peninsula Hotel, and the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago. The historic Drake Hotel is also here.
Economy
Many businesses and offices are located in Streeterville. For example, Qatar Airways has an office in the John Hancock Center.
Several countries also have consulates (offices that help their citizens and promote their country) in Streeterville. These include Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Chile, Denmark, Greece, Japan, Lithuania, and Switzerland.
Education
The Chicago Public Schools system runs the public schools in Streeterville. Ogden International School serves students from kindergarten to 8th grade in the community. For high school, Streeterville residents usually go to Wells Community Academy High School. If you finish 8th grade at Ogden, you can automatically go to Ogden's high school program.
Getting Around Streeterville
Streeterville is easy to reach by car using Lake Shore Drive, which has several exits. You can also use Chicago's 'L' train system. The Red Line has stops at Chicago and Grand stations, which are just west of the neighborhood. If you're coming from the Kennedy Expressway, you can take the Ohio Street exit right into Streeterville.
Many Chicago Transit Authority buses run through the neighborhood, especially on Michigan Avenue, Grand Avenue, and Chicago Avenue. During warmer months, you can take water taxis and sightseeing boats on the Chicago River, which borders the south side of Streeterville. Navy Pier also has boat tours on Lake Michigan.
Healthcare
Streeterville is a major center for healthcare, thanks to Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. The main hospital is Northwestern Memorial Hospital. There are also special hospitals like Prentice Women's Hospital, Lurie Children's Hospital, and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. Besides the hospitals, there are many medical research buildings that help support patient care.
