Albany Park: Chicago’s Gateway to the World

Located on Chicago’s Northwest Side, Albany Park is one of the city’s most diverse and culturally vibrant neighborhoods. Bordered by the North Branch of the Chicago River to the east, Montrose Avenue to the south, Cicero Avenue to the west, and Foster Avenue to the north, Albany Park is a living mosaic of immigrant stories, historic architecture, and strong community roots.

Trivia Question:
Which major Chicago university had its original campus located in Albany Park before relocating to the South Side in the 1890s?

(Answer at the end!)

Albany Park by the Numbers

Origins and Early History

Albany Park was developed in the late 1800s by four investors, including DeLancy Louderback and his business partner, who named the neighborhood after Albany, New York. They envisioned a well-planned suburb with wide boulevards and green spaces to attract Chicagoans seeking respite from the city center.

The developers added electric streetcars in 1896 and the Northwestern Elevated Railroad extended the Ravenswood branch to the Kimball terminal on December 14, 1907. This led to a building boom in the area. At this point in development, the north branch of the Chicago River meandered greatly, and therefore the Chicago Sanitary District straightened the river. This expanded and defined property lines and sewage in Albany Park.

In the early 20th century, the neighborhood’s population surged after the extension of the Ravenswood elevated train (today’s Brown Line) reached Kimball Avenue in 1907. The transit access catalyzed real estate growth, drawing waves of European immigrants, primarily from Sweden, Germany, and Russia.

Transformation and Evolution

By the 1930s, Albany Park was known as a stronghold of Jewish life in Chicago, boasting dozens of synagogues, kosher bakeries, and Jewish-owned businesses along Lawrence and Kedzie Avenues.

In the latter half of the 20th century, as white flight and suburbanization affected many Chicago neighborhoods, Albany Park’s demographics shifted. By the 1970s and 1980s, new waves of immigrants from Korea, the Philippines, Mexico, Central America, and the Middle East moved in—revitalizing the commercial corridors and turning Albany Park into one of the most linguistically diverse neighborhoods in the country.

Today, more than 40 languages are spoken in Albany Park public schools.

Historical Landmarks and Structures

• Kimball Brown Line Station (Opened 1907): The final stop on the Brown Line, this station catalyzed early 20th-century development and remains a vital transit hub.
• Volta Elementary School (Built 1908): A Chicago Landmark, this Prairie-style school building was designed by Dwight Perkins, a notable architect and advocate for progressive education.
• River Park (Established 1920s): Nestled at the confluence of the North Branch of the Chicago River and the North Shore Channel, River Park features a waterfall, athletic fields, and scenic trails. It was an early product of the Chicago Park District’s effort to create natural oases within city limits.

Historical Figures from Albany Park

• Saul Bellow: The Nobel Prize-winning author of Herzog and The Adventures of Augie March grew up in Albany Park. Bellow often referenced the neighborhood in his writing, capturing its immigrant soul and urban rhythms.
• Irv Kupcinet: Famed Chicago Sun-Times columnist and talk show host, Kupcinet attended Von Steuben High School in Albany Park. His writing shaped generations of Chicagoans' perspectives on politics, sports, and city life.
• Paul Simon (Congressman and Senator): Though later associated with southern Illinois, Simon was born in Eugene, Oregon, and moved to Albany Park as a young child when his father became a pastor at a local Lutheran church.

Little-Known Historical Facts

• Korean Commercial Hub: In the 1980s and early 1990s, Albany Park was considered the unofficial center of Chicago’s Korean-American community, with a dense concentration of Korean restaurants, churches, and grocery stores—particularly along Lawrence Avenue.
• Historic Apartment Courts: The neighborhood is filled with early 20th-century courtyard apartment buildings that helped define Chicago’s residential landscape. Many are still in use today and are part of historic preservation efforts.

Current Trends and Redevelopment

Today, Albany Park continues to reflect the stories of global migration. While gentrification has affected neighboring communities, Albany Park has largely retained its working-class character, thanks in part to long-standing community activism and tenant protections.

New restaurants, art spaces, and community gardens have emerged alongside enduring family-owned businesses. The cultural corridor along Lawrence Avenue remains a showcase of the neighborhood’s international flavor—offering everything from Middle Eastern shawarma to Salvadoran pupusas and Filipino halo-halo.

Meanwhile, organizations like the North River Commission and Centro Romero continue to advocate for equitable development and immigrant rights in the neighborhood.

Conclusion

Albany Park isn’t just one of Chicago’s most diverse neighborhoods—it’s a living chronicle of the city’s immigrant experience, resilience, and community spirit. With its roots deeply planted in movement, change, and inclusion, Albany Park represents the very essence of the true Chicago story—one defined by growth, grit, and unity.

Trivia Answer:
The original University of Chicago, founded in 1857, was located near present-day Albany Park. After it closed in 1886, the current University of Chicago was established in Hyde Park in 1890, with support from John D. Rockefeller.