Explore Six Corners: Historic Gems, Movie Palaces & Behind-the-Scenes Access!

🎭🏬 Explore Six Corners: Historic Gems, Movie Palaces & Behind-the-Scenes Access! 🏛️

A SPECIAL complimentary, sponsored walking tour of the 6 Corners Shopping District!

Discover the history, architecture & hidden gems of the Northwest Side’s legendary shopping district!

🌳 Think you know Six Corners? Come see it with a guide! Join me for a FREE walking tour of what was once the largest shopping district in Chicago outside the Loop. We’ll see old movie palaces, grand department stores, historic banks, and businesses that have faded into memory, while discovering how new energy is bringing the district back. 🎭🏬

🎤 Led by your passionate, ever-curious guide (that’s me!), this walk is perfect for architecture lovers, history buffs, photographers, and anyone who enjoys being a tourist in their own city! 😊

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🌟 SPONSORED BY THE PORTAGE PARK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
This walk is sponsored by the Portage Park Chamber of Commerce, a nonprofit organization, and SSA 28-2014 (Six Corners). That means a break from my usual paid tours—this one is FREE and open to all! Includes complimentary lunch after the walk provided by Clarendale Six Corners!

For those who missed my summer tours of Portage Park East and West, here’s another chance to explore the area, this time focusing on Six Corners. 🏡

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📍 QUICK DETAILS
🗓️ Saturday, November 7, 2026
⏰ 10 AM–12 PM
☕ START: Clarendale at Six Corners, 4715 W. Irving Park Rd.
🏁 END: Clarendale at Six Corners, 4715 W. Irving Park Rd. (end where we start)
👟 Approximately 1.8 miles, outdoors
💰 FREE TOUR BUT REGISTRATION REQUIRED
🎟️ Register here on Evenbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/explore-six-corners-historic-gems-movie-palaces-behind-the-scenes-tickets-2004096219742

🌦️ Casual pace | Rain or shine
👥 Multi-group event! Expect a great crowd.
⚠️ SPACE IS LIMITED, SO REGISTER NOW!

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🎁 WHAT MAKES THIS WALK SPECIAL?
🔑 Behind-the-scenes access! We’ll get inside several buildings.
🥪 FREE boxed lunch! Complimentary boxed lunches are included after the walk. Provided by Clarendale Six Corners. Enjoy yours with a scenic view of the Six Corners intersection at one of Six Corners' most recognizable buildings or take it home.
🎉 Treats and surprises along the way.
📸 Not a strict photo walk, but there will be plenty of photo opportunities!

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🌿 TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
🏡 Chicago’s famous Bungalow Belt
🎭 Historic movie palaces & entertainment venues
🏬 Classic Six Corners shopping corridors
⛪ Historic churches & neighborhood institutions
🏦 Historic banks & commercial buildings
🌳 Parks, green spaces & community gathering spots
📎 Local trivia & unexpected hidden gems
👥 Meet fellow Chicagoans, history lovers & curious explorers!

🗺️ POINTS OF INTEREST (stops subject to change)
🏦 Former Inland Bank, now Clarendale at Six Corners (tour starts here!)
☕ City News Café
🗿 Portage Indian Sculpture
🎎 Fantasy Costumes
🍺 Former site of the old Dickinson Tavern
🎭 Portage Theater
🏛️ National Veterans Art Museum
🎭 Filament Theater
🛁 Distinct Bath & Body
☕ Junebug Café
🍻 Community Tavern
🏢 Former Klee Store, now Klee Plaza at Six Corners
🎨 Portage Park Makers Market
🌮 Tata’s Tacos
🍦 Culver’s & the Six Corners Mural
🏦 Former site of Northwest Federal Savings and the Northwest Chicago Film Society, now Binny’s
🧵 Singer Factory Distributor
💡 Former People’s Gas Store, now Lydia Home
💊 Former Borovik Drugstore site, now a mattress store
🎭 Former Grayland Theatre, now Rasenick’s
🌭 Jeff’s Red Hots
🏬 Former Sears Store, now Six Corners Lofts
🏦 Former Inland Bank, now Clarendale at Six Corners (tour ends here!)

We’ll explore several of these in detail, including behind-the-scenes access! ✨

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📜 WHY SIX CORNERS?
Six Corners gets its name from the meeting of three major thoroughfares: Irving Park Road, Cicero Avenue, and Milwaukee Avenue.

The area developed into a major commercial hub and became known as Chicago’s largest shopping district outside the Loop. Its stores, theaters, banks, and neighborhood businesses attracted shoppers from across the Northwest Side and beyond.

The district features significant architectural landmarks, including the Art Deco Sears and Klee buildings, the classical-style Portage Theater, and the distinctive former People’s Gas Irving Park Neighborhood Store.

Like many traditional shopping districts, Six Corners has faced challenges as shopping habits have changed. But new development, historic preservation, and independent businesses are helping write its next chapter. 🏬✨

We’ll look at how this neighborhood evolved, what made it such a destination, and what its historic buildings reveal about Chicago’s commercial and cultural history.

🏡 A LITTLE ABOUT PORTAGE PARK
Portage Park is known for its classic Chicago bungalows and its namesake park, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The park hosted the 1959 Pan-American Games and the 1972 U.S. Olympic Swim Trials.

The neighborhood is also home to a vibrant Polish community, the National Veterans Art Museum, the Portage and Patio theaters, and Merrimac Park. 🌳🏊‍♀️

There’s a lot more to this Northwest Side neighborhood than meets the eye!

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🎒 WHAT TO BRING
👟 Comfortable walking shoes
💧 Water bottle
🍂 Weather-appropriate clothing for Chicago in November
📸 Camera or phone

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🚗 PARKING & TRANSIT
🅿️ Metered parking is available along Irving Park Road, Milwaukee Avenue, and Cicero Avenue. Free parking may be available on nearby side streets—watch for permit restrictions and no-parking signs!
🚇 Taking public transportation? Use the CTA Trip Planner or Google Maps.
🌐 https://www.transitchicago.com/planatrip/

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📱 LOST OR RUNNING LATE?
Call or text Giovina at 312-835-4259
👋 Please check in with Giovina when you arrive!

✨🏡 Come explore beyond Six Corners! Discover the theatres, bungalows, businesses, churches, parks, architecture, and hidden stories that make Portage Park one of Chicago’s most fascinating neighborhoods. 🌳🎭🏛️

Whether you're a longtime Northwest Sider or visiting Portage Park for the first time, come see the neighborhood through fresh eyes — and be a tourist in your own city! 🌆😊
— Giovina

📍 How to Find Us – Meet OUTSIDE the Clarendale at Six Corners near the large window, 4715 W. Irving Park Rd. Look for the group gathered - we are hard to miss!

🛑 Note: This is an outdoor walk. Remember walk ends where we start so plan your parking or transit accordingly.

📞 Lost or running late? Call or text me at (312) 835-4259.
Want to Learn More About the Group? Check out our Meetup page here:🔗 1001 Things to See in Chicago Before You Die https://www.meetup.com/1001-things-to-see-in-chicago-before-you-die/