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The Old Town area began as a group of farms around the Church of St. Michael the Archangel. The farmers came from the Nekkar Valley in Germany. They tilled the wet sandy soil, grew winter vegetables, won praise for white asparagus. The vegetables were carried in wagon and later truck to city markets, the new hotels and private homes.
The first church was a small block-house still standing. It was secure and virtually windowless because of fierce and marauding Indians. The Army came. Captain Wells led them. Wells described himself as an Indian fighter. A high street, which is now Wells Street, lay along the riverbed. Butcher shops, shoemakers, small factories and all the businesses needed for village life followed.
In the 1960’s, a vibrant art community drew an alternate theater community which drew an alternate music community which attracted the hippies. Candle shops, cutting edge retailers, drug paraphernalia shops and sin shops drew large crowds from the suburbs. In the 1970’s, gentrification began. Property values escalated and we come to today.
Old institutions like Second City and the Old Town School of Fold Music endure. Modest cottages, new $4 million dollar mansions, working class cottages, modern townhouses and condominiums share tree-lined quiet streets. Prices continue to rise.
Today the area is vibrant, diverse, exciting, lively and urban. Theater, fine restaurants, casual restaurants, art galleries, small shops, florists, an ancient wine shop and fine food stores draw large crowds. The locals perambulate. Visitors park in the parking lots and walk about. Old Town is a happy and interesting place.
The lake, its parks, the zoo and Michigan Avenue are steps away. The Gold Coast is just to the east. The downtown business district is a neat two miles distant.
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