Andersonville Commercial Historic District
Why it's listed
Along North Clark Street and Ashland Avenue in Chicago's Edgewater community, a continuous corridor of commercial buildings runs from Ainslie Street north to Rosehill Drive. The district includes 161 buildings, of which 116 contribute to its character. Most are two- and three-story brick buildings with limestone or terra cotta trim, housing retail stores, bakeries, restaurants, banks, garages and mixed-use buildings with apartments above. Most construction took place between 1905 and 1925, and the period of significance runs from 1894 to 1959. The Commercial Style dominates, though Neoclassical, Beaux Arts, Queen Anne, Art Moderne, Renaissance Revival and Spanish Baroque examples also appear. The district was formed as a self-sustaining area for early Swedish immigrants and the general Chicago population. Storefronts have often been reclad, but many upper stories keep original windows, cornices and parapets. Non-contributing buildings are either new construction or heavily altered. The Temple Theater building at 5233 North Clark Street is cited as a leading example.
Significance in brief: The district is described as a self-sustaining commercial area formed for early Swedish immigrants and the wider Chicago population. It keeps many early twentieth century commercial buildings with good integrity, including brick buildings with limestone and terra cotta ornament. The text only partly covers the statement of significance because the document is truncated.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 08000294, listed March 9, 2010. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 4900-5800 N. Clark St., Chicago |
|---|---|
| County | Cook County |
| Listed | March 9, 2010 |
| Reference number | 08000294 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1894-1959 |
| Architect / builder | Multiple architects named in the building inventory, including Niels Buck, Hall & Ostergren, Paul Frederick Olson, Carl M. Almquist, and Dubin & Eisenberg |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian; Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals; Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements; Modern Movement (predominantly Commercial Style) |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Entertainment/Recreation, European |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in commercial use, with a few residential units above stores. Many storefronts have been altered, but upper stories are often intact. |
| Acreage | 39.5 |
| Coordinates | 41.97985, -87.66962 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 08000294.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4754261
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.