Kid stuff

A family-run business in Roscoe Village

Story by Alison Soltau | Photography by Marc PoKempner 

Baby boom follows condo boom in West Lakeview neighborhoods

The Baby Jogger puts many small cars to shame. The souped-up stroller has a padded seat that reclines to 23 degrees, a retractable sun canopy, all-terrain tires and handy compartments for cell phones, BlackBerrys and the like. One of these $350 baby SUVs is parked under track lights on the gleaming hardwood floors of Kickin’, 2142 W. Roscoe St., a maternity boutique that Trudy Robinson Foley opened three months ago.
The West Lakeview store is designed for active, urban (and urbane) new moms. Here they can buy $187 maternity jeans by 7 For All Mankind and attend “hump parties” where women celebrate passing the halfway mark of their pregnancies.

Foley didn’t have to look far to know that West Lakeview was a fertile market. Kickin’ is located on the ground floor of a condo building where at least five of the eight units are occupied by women who have recently had babies or are about to.

Family haven

High-tech strollers and high-maintenance Golden Retrievers have become so prevalent in West Lakeview that it’s tempting to explain away the baby boom as the byproduct of some anomaly in the water supply.
Victory's Banner, 2100 W. Roscoe St., is a popular vegetarian restaurant in Roscoe Village.But locals are quick to point out that reputable schools, good parks, a convenient location and quiet streets lined with single-family houses are more likely factors behind the trend in the neighborhood bounded roughly by Ashland Avenue on the east, the river on the west, Diversey Parkway on the south and Irving Park Road on the north.

During the 1990s, professional couples started turning their backs on arduous suburban commutes and opted to stay in Chicago, close to restaurants, good shops and cultural attractions as they bought condos and houses. Some, especially those with, or planning to have, kids, wanted city neighborhoods with a suburban quality. West Lakeview, with its quiet tree-lined streets, single-family homes, proximity to dog-friendly parks and easy commutes to the Loop, O’Hare and the northern suburbs, was a good candidate.
During the last several years, West Lakeview, which includes the smaller neighborhoods of Roscoe Village, North Center, St. Ben’s and Hamlin Park, has become even more livable, as retailers and restaurateurs cater to the area’s new, often affluent homeowners.
Looking at new designer boutiques like The Denim Lounge, 2004 W. Roscoe St., where parents and kids shop side by side for designer jeans, it’s hard to believe that 10 years ago West Lakeview was predominantly a working class neighborhood with a strong Latino community. Over the last decade, some Latino homeowners were able to cash in on rising house prices in the neighborhood and many moved to the suburbs. Others who didn’t own their homes could no longer afford rising rents and left less willingly.
When observers talk about West Lakeview “becoming” a family neighborhood, they’re missing the fact that historically, it always was one. The number of working-class families diminished during the ’90s as the area gentrified and young professional couples and singles bought homes. The trend people note today is only the latest wave of babies as these newer residents decide to stay in the neighborhood, at least for now, as they begin or expand families.
Lulu's Extraordinary Vintage

New residents

Molly and Michael Foster, who live in one of the condos above Kickin’ and are expecting their first child in October, are typical of many new homebuyers in West Lakeview. The Fosters used to live in Lincoln Park but moved to an apartment in Roscoe Village to check it out, before buying a condo there three years ago.

“It’s like the suburbs but without losing the city feel, and it’s changed so much in the last two years,” Molly says. “I’m a shopper, and it just keeps getting better and better.”
Neighborhood renters and newcomers to Chicago account for much of the condo market in West Lakeview, says Tim Sheahan, of Century 21 Sussex and Reilly. “The out-of-staters know the name Lincoln Park and know it’s safe and comfortable, but they see the prices and come to Lakeview,” he says.
Still, by many people’s measure, West Lakeview’s home prices are high. During the first
seven months of 2006, the average price of a condo or townhome was $398,616, a jump of 49.5 percent over the same period in 2000, according to real estate brokerage At Properties.
Between about 2001 and 2004, locals fought hard to keep the neighborhood’s quiet side
streets zoned for single-family homes, and as a result, condo projects have mostly sprung up along commercial corridors such as Roscoe Street and Ashland, Belmont and Damen avenues. A condo development at 3054-56 N. Clybourn Ave. is typical of this new construction. The three-bedroom units, priced from the $420s to the $470s, have granite counters, stainless steel appliances and private roof decks accessible by an elevator.

Teardown trend

Single-family homes dominate West Lakeview’s leafy side streets, but developers have been snapping up old vinyl, frame and brick single-family homes and two-flats to demolish, replacing them with expensive new homes. A new two-story brick home might cost $1.8 million in the popular southeast corner of West Lakeview, but prices drop some as you head west. The same house might cost about $1.2 million west of Western Avenue, Sheahan says.

In 2006, the general cool down of the real estate market appears to have affected single-family home prices, says Howard Wilcox, of real estate sales and appraisal firm The Wilcox Company. In the first seven months of 2006, the median price of a single-family home was $695,000, down from $816,500 for the same period in 2005, he says.
These new-construction homes on Wellington Avenue are typical of the $1 million-plus houses springing up across West Lake View.

New single-family houses in West Lakeview tend to be single teardowns, not multi-unit developments. A notable exception is Centrum Properties’ Bradley Place development, on a site at Addison Street and the Chicago River. The 24 detached homes in phase II of the project are priced from $1.25 million. They have five bedrooms, 3.5 baths and up to 4,600 square feet, with 9.5-foot first-floor ceilings, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, red oak floors and carpeting.

The biggest selling point at Bradley Place, however – and a clue to Centrum’s target audience – is the message, plastered all over the project’s Web site, that the homes sit in close proximity to the highly rated Alexander Graham Bell School, 3730 N. Oakley Ave. Many parents and parents-to-be have moved to the immediate area to live within the Bell School district, ranked near the top for Chicago public grade schools, or close to St. Benedict’s, 2215 W. Irving Park Road, a Catholic church with highly regarded elementary and high schools.

How highly regarded? While many Chicagoans identify themselves by parish, St. Ben’s has become the official name of the neighborhood bounded by Damen and Western avenues, Irving Park Road and Addison Street. The quality of local schools is a key factor stoking demand in this area. It has pushed home values north and is one reason the stable, built-out neighborhood has little room for new residential development.
Dining al fresco in West Lakeview

Townhomes, which can accommodate families but tend to be less expensive than detached houses, are in hot demand, but few are available in West Lakeview. Bluestone Development got lucky when it picked up a former industrial site in an area developers have taken to calling “West Roscoe Village,” an enclave close to Riverview Plaza, which has a Dominick’s, Jewel, Walgreens and Toys R Us.
The site was big enough for townhouses, so Bluestone designed Fletcher Row, a collection of 20 three- and four-bedroom townhomes priced from the $600s to the $850s on the 2400 block of West Fletcher Street.

Retail growth

Anne Marie Cook and her two sons are browsing the goodies at the brightly colored Suckers Candy, Inc., 3256 N. Damen Ave. Cook says she and her husband spent two years searching for the perfect home before building a house on Henderson Street. “We wanted yard space and we felt like it was a terrific investment,” she says, adding that stores like Suckers make the neighborhood a perfect fit for kids.
A family shops for clothes at maternity boutique Kickin', 2142 W Roscoe St.West Lakeview residents have a wealth of retail and restaurants at their disposal. Much of the stretch of Lincoln Avenue between Belmont Avenue and Irving Park Road has matured into a destination for dining and home wares. Wishbone, 3330 N. Lincoln Ave., is a favorite weekend brunch spot for many families; The upscale Sola, 3868 N. Lincoln Ave., serves contemporary American fare with Asian and Hawaiian influences, and the sleek T Spot Sushi & Tea Bar, 3925 N. Lincoln Ave., offers an almost bewildering array of teas.

The stretch of Lincoln north of Addison Street still feels a little bleak, but trendy new shops such as Homey Home and Garden Products, CB2 and Trader Joe’s are now complementing the antique stores located close to Irving Park Road.

Dogs are part of the family too in West Lakeview, with stores such as Pooch Chicago, 2307 W. Belmont Ave., catering to upscale pets. Pooch bills itself as “a boarding hotel, daycare, health club, spa and boutique” where canines can have “paw-dicures” and aromatherapy baths or enjoy a swim in a climate-controlled saltwater lap pool.

Andrew Lee, who owns Bei Shaolin martial arts studio, 2112 W. Roscoe St., chuckles over the changes as he surveys the street. “This area used to have a greasy restaurant that was a hillbilly joint with slot machines,” he says.

Local restaurants with hip décor and good cuisine draw young singles and couples, but the eateries manage to stay kid-friendly too, offering children’s menus and making sure they feed toddlers before tempers fray. The Italian restaurant La Mora, 2132 W. Roscoe St., goes one better, hosting a weekly “penny wine night” where new moms can get together and socialize with children in tow.

Roscoe has a Starbucks, naturally, but for the most part, the new retailers are quirky independents rather than chains. The campy Kitsch’n on Roscoe, 2005 W. Roscoe St., was a pioneer on the quaint strip, serving comfort food such as Twinkie Tiramisu and Tang martinis with a side of ’70s and ’80s nostalgia. Kitsch’n replaced an old diner that was just the sort of place it lovingly lampoons.

However, real signs of an older Roscoe Village are still visible on Roscoe Street, including Big Hair, 2012 W. Roscoe St., with its punk rock vibe, and Hard Boiled Records & Video, 2010 W. Roscoe St. At Sal’s Barber Shop, 2021 W. Roscoe St., Ottavio Sal Mineo hung up his clippers in 2004 after 37 years, and veteran barber Joe Munoz bought the business and the building. A unisex spa nearby is courting men with an offer of $50 highlights, but Munoz has made few changes to Sal’s, where a haircut is 15 to 20 bucks, depending on age and hairline.

“This is just a men’s domain over here, no hair coloring,” Munoz says, and judging from the steady procession of guys who occupy his chairs, Marilyn Monroe watching from a poster on the wall, business isn’t suffering.

Steeper taxes

But West Lakeview’s rebirth hasn’t been painless. Rising home values combined with the new residential and retail development have caused a significant jump in property taxes and rents, locals say. Munoz’ property taxes went up 22 percent this year, and the cost of a haircut at Sal’s rose accordingly.
Waveland Bowl, 3700 N. Western Ave., which opened in 1959. Every day, the bowling alley cues the fog machine and the dance lights for “You see people making $1.2 million homes,” Munoz says. “I think they can afford it if I raise the price of a haircut from $17 to $20.” Kids, seniors and men with receding hairlines still qualify for the special $15 rate, he adds.
Renters and homeowners, especially those who have lived here for years, have been feeling the pinch of an increasingly popular neighborhood. Six years ago Robert Darrow and his partner Steve West bought a townhome on Wellington Avenue. The couple is appealing a 32 percent property tax increase that would bring their annual tax bill to $8,000. “This is my dream home; I hope I can stay,” Darrow says. “If I can keep them under $10,000 next tax bill I’ll be happy.”

The recent news that the Chicago Housing Authority will redevelop Lathrop Homes into 1,200 units of public, affordable and market-rate housing, may push home values even higher on surrounding blocks. Some residents of Lathrop, which is on highly desirable land bordered by the river, Clybourn Avenue and Damen Avenue, in Hamlin Park, fear displacement despite the CHA’s promises to the contrary.

If the future is uncertain for some locals, the writing is on the wall for others.

Jessica Chislett, 25, and her roommate are moving out of their two-bedroom apartment in Roscoe Village when their lease expires later this summer because the landlord is raising their rent to $1,350 from $1,200 a month.

Culture clash

Chislett says that in some ways, her West Lakeview neighborhood is getting a little, well, boring. She muses that the number of locals who sport tattoos and artists “without 9-to-5 jobs” has noticeably dropped over the last year and says once-busy bars like the Four Moon Tavern, 1847 W. Roscoe St., are now “dead” by midnight or 1 a.m. The influx of children isn’t all positive, according to Chislett.

“There’s a sense of entitlement with a lot of families,” Chislett says. “Kids run rampant. They let them run and they throw creamers on the floor [in restaurants].”
Enjoying a drink at the chic Volo Restaurant & Wine Bar, 2008 W. Roscoe St.But given the amenities available for kids, it’s not likely the number of children will diminish here any time soon. On hot summer days, moms and toddlers beat the heat under the fountains at Felger Playlot Park. Hamlin Park, 3035 N. Hoyne Ave., has a playground; basketball, football and baseball facilities; a field house that offers programs such as martial arts and boxing; and a topnotch swimming pool that’s crowded in summer.

The Hamlin Park Baseball Association’s membership jumped to 720 in 2006, up from 600 in 2005, says club president David Williams. Locals bring lawn chairs to watch games and let their dogs run free in Hamlin Park’s fenced off-leash area.

Making the grade

The baseball club’s growing membership is a sure sign that many families are choosing to stay here when their children reach school age. In addition to Bell School and St. Ben’s, parents are starting to pay attention to other local options, such as Burley Elementary, 1630 W. Barry Ave. When school resumes in September, 450 kids will be enrolled at
Burley, up from 370 in 2005, says principal Barbara Kent.
Over the last five or so years, teachers and parents have worked hard to improve Burley’s standardized test scores, and it is now a literature and writing magnet cluster school. Kent says more local parents are sending their children to the school and becoming involved.

“Five years ago, for Career Day, we’d say, ‘Ok, teachers, who do you know?’ and maybe someone had a cousin who was a firefighter,” Kent says. These days, the pupils’ parents organize Career Day, Kent says. Firefighters are still welcome, but the range of occupations has broadened dramatically. “Now we are getting CEOs, trial attorneys, pastry chefs and scientists,” she says.

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