Chicago: Kenwood Is Dope Pt. 1

ChiTownCity · #1 Posted **Apr 3, 2012, 10:33 PM**

Kenwood was once one of the most elite neighborhoods in Chicago and contains some of the largest homes in the city. After bottoming out around 1990, in the real estate boom of the mid-2000s, houses sold for in excess of $2 million dollars, and long-vacant lots were redeveloped with high-end luxury houses. -Wikipedia

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Sherman Cahal · #2 Posted **Apr 3, 2012, 10:38 PM**

Chicago is so nice to photograph. No overhead wires! Just get rid of those cobra heads!

Lovely split paint job!

the pope · #3 Posted **Apr 4, 2012, 1:39 AM**

it is dope, it is indeed. Nicely done.

the urban politician · #4 Posted **Apr 4, 2012, 2:55 AM**

Thanks for the tour!

Kenwood has a gorgeous housing stock. I am bullish on this neighborhood, long term. This goddamn recession really sucked the life out of this neighborhood's rebirth, but I still think it is on its way back.

What we need is more commercial development, hopefully of a non-strip mall variety

Kingofthehill · #5 Posted **Apr 4, 2012, 3:23 AM**

Great tour! I have long been a sucker for the greystones and other. stone-construction homes you see on Chicago's Southside. No doubt a quality neighborhood. The new homes in those photos look abhorring, though. Why do American cities have such a hard time with building good-looking infill?

Quote:

Originally Posted by the urban politician

What we need is more commercial development, hopefully of a non-strip mall variety

Is Chicago the last big, urban city doing strip malls? It really is disheartening to see that they *still* are building that shit. Same for the stand-alone banks and drive-thru restaurants. You would think that since we are in the 2010s, the popular consensus for the construction of such would, unequivocally, be "No". I don't even think LA is doing strip malls these days!

Centropolis · #6 Posted **Apr 4, 2012, 3:49 AM**

There's some housing styles (or hybridish styles) there I haven't seen before in Chicago (or anywhere).

cambi · #7 Posted **Apr 4, 2012, 5:36 AM**

Wow!! i love you Chicago

HomrQT · #8 Posted **Apr 4, 2012, 9:06 AM**

What amazingly diverse building stock this neighborhood has. Thanks for sharing!

Danny · #9 Posted **Apr 4, 2012, 1:24 PM**

Great thread!

Thanks for sharing. Very nice colorful pictures.

I like very much Kenwood, Chicago, though I´ve never been there. I´d like to visit it next time we visit Chicago. Wonderful neighbourhood, pretty houses.

Congratulations and greetings from Madrid, Spain!

diskojoe · #10 Posted **Apr 4, 2012, 2:34 PM**

Some nice hood there.

Segun · #11 Posted **Apr 4, 2012, 6:04 PM**

From 35th, all the way to the S.Shore, east to the Lake, with the Dan Ryan on the West, is one of the biggest areas of potential redevelopment in a city.

- Gorgeous Architecture
- 1 Rapid Transit Line/ Two Commuter Lines
- 2 huge, absolutely beautiful parks (Washington/Jackson Park)
- Lakefront beaches that rival the North Side's
- A thriving center already established in Hyde Park
- A top 10 university (U of Chicago)
- Historical, cultural significance
- A blueprint for seamless 2-4 story density.

And unlike the corridor between the South Loop and 35th, they didn't mar the area with towers in the park and suburban development. It remains to be seen how much it affects the hard working residents already there however.

musicmix96 · #12 Posted **Apr 4, 2012, 6:38 PM**

great!

ChiTownCity · #13 Posted **Apr 4, 2012, 7:30 PM**

Is anyone else seeing any glitches? First I noticed that the image quality has been dramatically reduced. Now I'm seeing 10 pics missing all together.... I don't think I'll be using Imgur again :/

J. Will · #14 Posted **Apr 4, 2012, 10:11 PM**

Beautiful homes, but I hate all the fenced-in front yards.

STLgasm · #15 Posted **Apr 5, 2012, 1:06 AM**

Such a solid, urban neighborhood. Love it.

ColDayMan · #16 Posted **Apr 5, 2012, 3:10 AM**

Easily one of the best neighborhoods, architecturally, in Chicago.

Nineties Flava · #17 Posted **Apr 5, 2012, 3:16 AM**

I had a feeling you would really deliver on this South Side series... Wow. I only vaguely remember passing through Kenwood on the way to Hyde Park. I definitely don't remember seeing all of the amazing stuff that's in this thread. Chicago has some of the most beautiful neighborhoods anywhere.

edsg25 · #18 Posted **Apr 7, 2012, 1:34 PM**

other than the ubiquitous Chicago 3-flat, you can how much of a different world the South Side is from the North. They could be in different cities.

Chicago, to its fault, has always, it seems, been oriented to the north. Often gone unappreciated is the South Side's own and distinct urban character, its own unique architecture, sense of place.

Sure, that comes across best in the parts of the South Side that have best resisted decay. It would be hard to deny that Hyde Park, and Kenwood, too, are drawn into that bubble around the U of C that give them a leg up on other parts of the South Side. But there is still so much character in the buildings throughout that portion of Chicago and the South Side remains a gem in its own right, despite how others might see it.

urbanpln · #19 Posted **Apr 7, 2012, 7:05 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kingofthehill

Great tour! The new homes in those photos look abhorring, though. Why do American cities have such a hard time with building good-looking infill?

Is Chicago the last big, urban city doing strip malls? It really is disheartening to see that they *still* are building that shit. Same for the stand-alone banks and drive-thru restaurants. You would think that since we are in the 2010s, the popular consensus for the construction of such would, unequivocally, be "No". I don't even think LA is doing strip malls these days!

I hard to get developers to build quality infill in poor or rebounding neighborhoods for two reasons. (1) Sometimes they build "as of right", meaning they own the land, meet the zoning criteria and, need nothing from the city. In these cases they slip thru the permit process w/o the community's input. Usually the alderman is contacted by the Dept. of Buildings by mail. If they can't contact the developer, you usually get the shit that you dislike. (2) In poorer hoods, the developers will not invest a lot of effort in designing quality buildings. Most alderman will not challenge those developers because they are desperate and don't want to chase development away. Elections are lost that way.

For the most part strip malls are not being built in the city. There are some areas of the city, mostly poorer neighborhoods, where smaller strip centers are being built. In the more affluent areas, residents are more vocal about their dislike for this type of development.

urbanpln · #20 Posted **Apr 7, 2012, 7:17 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Thanks for the tour!

Kenwood has a gorgeous housing stock. I am bullish on this neighborhood, long term. This goddamn recession really sucked the life out of this neighborhood's rebirth, but I still think it is on its way back.

What we need is more commercial development, hopefully of a non-strip mall variety

More is coming. The "Shops and Lofts at 47" is still in the hopper. The developers have signed a major tenant for the development and there was a redesign of the project. It still has an urban look although surface parking is now at the southern half of the site (40-50 spaces). Also the 53rd Street/Harper Court redevelopment is not that far from this neighborhood. You will see a lot more commercial development on 53rd Street because the University is investing heavily there. Several new restaurants, a 4 screen movie theater, Whole Foods, Akira and, other retail have announced projects there.