Katherine San Fratello, 44, has lived in Lincoln Park her entire life. She says her parents invested in the neighborhood long before it became one of the city’s most desirable and expensive areas. She grew up in a three-flat masonry home on Belden Avenue, though she now lives in Old Town.
She prefers Old Town because its landmark status preserves the character of streets and the area’s distinctive rowhouses and apartment buildings. When we asked San Fratello how her beloved Lincoln Park has changed, here’s how she replied:
“Oh my gosh, it was never so popular and it wasn’t nearly as congested,” she laughs. “There wasn’t all the money there is now so it’s really changed. There were families before, but they weren’t yuppies. . .now they build these McMansions, which have changed the scale and look of the neighborhood.”
“The neighborhood has changed because institutions like Children’s Memorial Hospital and DePaul buy up as much as they can,” she continues. “It’s good for the neighborhood but you lose character.”