When is Uptown going to really regain its buzz? Yes, we know it’s starting to get more expensive around there but really, with the lake so close by and institutions like the Aragon Ballroom, the neighborhood’s jazz history in its heyday and amazing bits of architecture here and there, it’s pretty underrated and quiet.
Uptown’s getting a new development called Rainbo Village – yes, it does sound like a retirement home for the good folk of Boystown, but it’s actually a community of mid-rises and Kinetic Lofts, a new-construction “loft” development. The site (4800-block of North Clark Street) was once home to a speakeasy, then it was a concert venue, then Rainbo Roller Rink, so the newcomers have got a lot to live up to.
Maybe this influx of people will help the area. The Aragon is also getting a new neighbor – the Theater District Lofts (another imitation loft project) is moving in across the road.