West Loop walking tour shows off forgotten Chicago history
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Statue of former Chicago Mayor Carter Harrison in Union Park. Photo: Justin Kaufmann/Axios
If you ask most Chicagoans, they'll say the West Loop is a new neighborhood with hot restaurants and sleek condo buildings, devoid of any real history.
The big picture: Historian and author Connie Fairbanks is trying to change that by partnering with the Chicago History Museum for new walking tours of the neighborhood, focusing on history from the 19th century to the present.
What they're saying: "I wanted to show Chicagoans and the West Loopers that the area is rich with history and architecture," Fairbanks, author of "Chicago's West Loop Then and Now," tells Axios. "Contrary to popular belief, it has not all been torn down."
Zoom in: Fairbanks points out that the West Loop has several historical landmark designations, mostly from bygone eras.
- When we took the tour, we were treated to incredible sites like a Near West Side church that survived the Chicago Fire and the Lyon & Healy building that has been making harps for over 100 years.
- We also walked past where Mary Todd Lincoln once lived along Washington Street and gawked at the Mayor Carter Harrison statue in Union Park.
- "I don't want Chicagoans to forget these pioneers and what we can learn from them," Fairbanks added.
What's next: If you want to join Fairbanks' walk and talk about the neighborhood, she's lacing up her walking shoes this Saturday for a tour of the eastern part of the neighborhood, closer to Halsted Street.