South of Wicker Park, in the Windy City lays the quintessential neighborhood of Ukrainian Village. Like Wicker Park, Ukrainian Village is one of the many distinct neighborhoods that comprise West Town.
The mainstay of the Ukrainian Village is its large Ukrainian community which settled here in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. In fact, at a time when this neighborhood was being threatened on all sides by increasing urban deterioration, the safety and sanctity of this middle-class neighborhood was preserved largely due to the orthodox and catholic faith of its residents. Famed architect Louis Sullivan’s creation – the Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Cathedral has continued to be a famous landmark of the Ukrainian Village since 1906 and catholic education is available right from kindergarten at both the St. Nicholas Cathedral School and the St. Helen School. There is no escaping the neighborhood’s Ukrainian heritage and institutions such as the Ukrainian National Museum and the Ukrainian Cultural Centre will serve to educate generations-to-come of their roots despite rapid socioeconomic change to this neighborhood due to urban gentrification.
In a bid to preserve the heritage of this neighborhood, in 2002, the Ukrainian Village District was designated a Chicago Landmark District. The designated district covers Thomas Street, Haddon Avenue and areas of Leavitt, Damen and Hoyne Avenue.
Today, though the name of this neighborhood continues to embody its origins, the population of the Ukrainian Village has become quite diverse. Due to its convenient location and plentiful City Transit Authority bus routes connecting it the Loop, real estate in this area is quite in demand. Though in about one-third of the Ukrainian Village i.e., its vintage avatar, a home for sale is difficult to come by, the remaining two-thirds of the Ukrainian Village has plenty to offer by way of attractive apartments in red brick lined buildings. So appealing is the historic style of the Ukrainian Village that modern architects ensure that all new buildings conform to and complement the neighborhood’s signature style.
