East Ravenswood Historic District

East Ravenswood is a neighborhood of about 1,700 buildings on Chicago's north side, roughly six miles north of the Loop, bounded by Lawrence, Clark, Irving Park and Ravenswood. Most buildings date from 1880 to 1929 and stand two or three stories tall, often on raised basements. Frame cottages and larger houses sit alongside brick two-, four- and six-flats, courtyard apartment buildings and corridor apartment buildings, many decorated with limestone trim and terra cotta. The area grew from the 1868 Ravenswood subdivision. After the 1871 fire, working-class and wealthier families moved there, drawn by cheaper wood-frame construction and distance from the city. Growth continued with streetcars, rail service, annexation to Chicago in 1889 and the extension of the elevated line in 1901. A light-industrial corridor along the railroad tracks and Ravenswood Avenue, together with commercial streets and many schools and churches, shows how the community developed. Its uniform scale and range of building types and styles make the district cohesive.