🏰🍺 Hops, History & Haute Homes: A Wicker Park Walking Tour 🏛️🍺

🏰🍺 Hops, History & Haute Homes: Wicker Park Walking Tour 🏛️🍺

Step into Chicago’s Gilded Age and explore the Wicker Park Historic District, where stunning architecture, grand mansions, and rich cultural history await around every corner. Stroll down the legendary Beer Barons Row, once home to the city’s wealthiest brewers and industrialists, and uncover the stories of immigrants, artists, and entrepreneurs who shaped this vibrant neighborhood.

Marvel at exquisite examples of Queen Anne, Italianate, and Romanesque Revival architecture, while hearing the stories of the immigrants, industrialists, and artists who shaped this vibrant, distinctive community. This private guided tour, led by a passionate Chicago history enthusiast, highlights:
✨ Gilded Age mansions & grand architecture
⛪ Ornate churches & preserved streetscapes
🍺 Legendary “Beer Barons Row” & industrialist stories
🏘️ Immigrant neighborhoods & cultural evolution

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### 📅 Date & Time

Saturday, August 30, 2025
🕚 11:45 AM – 2:00 PM (~2 miles walking)
📍 Start: Wilderhouse – 1339 N. Damen Ave
🎯 End: Flatiron Arts Building – 1579 N Milwaukee Ave
💰 Cost: $20 (cash preferred; Zelle/Venmo/PayPal accepted)
🌦️ Casual pace | Outdoors | Rain or shine
⚠️ Walk ends ~4 blocks from start — plan parking accordingly

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### 📍 Route & Highlights

• 🏠 Wilderhouse – 1339 N. Damen (start)
• 🏡 Harris Cohn House – 1941 W Schiller St
• 🏘️ Dr. Nels T. Quales – 1951 W Schiller St
• 🚢 Ship Captain Double House – 1959–61 W Schiller St
• 🌳 Wicker (Charles, Joel) Park – 1425 N Damen Ave
• 🏫 Pritzker School – 2009 W Schiller St
• 🏠 William H. Thompson’s House – 1406 N Hoyne Ave
• 🏘️ Rapp House – 1407 N Hoyne Ave
• ⛪ Wicker Park Lutheran Church – 1505 N Hoyne Ave
• 🏡 Adolph Borgmeier House – 1521 N Hoyne Ave
• 🏠 Hermann Gaul House – 1530 N Hoyne Ave
• 🏘️ Hermann Weinhardt House – 2137 W Pierce Ave
• 🏠 Hans D. Runge House – 2138 W Pierce Ave
• 🏡 C. Hermann Plautz House / Cannon House – 1558 N Hoyne Ave
• 🛁 Luxor Baths / North Ave Baths – 2039 W North Ave
• 🏨 The Robey Hotel – 2018 W North Ave
• 🏦 Historic Noel State Bank – 1601 N Milwaukee Ave
• 🏛️ Flatiron Arts Building – 1579 N Milwaukee Ave (end)

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### 🎒 Bring:

👟 Comfortable walking shoes
💧 Water bottle
🌦️ Weather-ready gear
💵 $20 tour fee

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### 🍽️ Optional Lunch After

Join us for a bite nearby:

• 🥙 Sultan’s Market – 2057 W North Ave https://chicagofalafel.com
• 🥗 Cava Wicker Park – 1484 N Milwaukee Ave https://cava.com/locations/wicker-park-il
• 🌮 Big Star - 1531 N Damen Ave https://www.bigstarchicago.com/

Bring cash — some venues don’t split checks!

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### 🚗 Getting There

🚆 CTA: Blue Line / multiple buses — plan via CTA Trip Planner
🚘 Driving: Metered street parking along Damen, Milwaukee, North Ave; free on side streets (watch signs)
💡 Tip: Wicker Park parking is tricky — SpotHero / ParkWhiz recommended

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### 📝 RSVP & No-Show Policy

✔️ Keep your RSVP updated — no-shows prevent others from joining
❌ Please cancel if you cannot attend

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### 🌟 Why Wicker Park?

First settled by German & Norwegian immigrants, later home to Jewish & Polish families. Wicker Park evolved from an elite 19th-century enclave with industrial wealth to a creative, vibrant urban neighborhood. See grand mansions, historic churches, legendary Beer Barons homes, and charming streets that reveal Chicago’s immigrant roots and cultural history.

🌳 Step back in time, explore architecture & local history, and experience Wicker Park like never before!