The block reduces the city to a human scale and, for many Chicagoans, their block is their neighborhood. Nowhere in the city is it easier to make that identification than on Alta Vista Terrace, and nowhere in the city does the phrase “human scale” have greater resonance..
Alta Vista Terrace is a single-block neighborhood. This Chicago Landmark District runs from Byron St (3900 N) one-way south to Grace St (3800 N), at 1054 W in ZIP code 60613.
According to the Chicago Landmarks Commission “”Sometimes called ‘A Street of Forty Doors,’ Alta Vista Terrace displays a lively variety of architectural styles and detail, yet every townhouse on one side is duplicated with only minor variations at the diagonally opposite end of the block. The distinctly human scale creates a unity and harmony rarely found elsewhere in the city.”
See YoChicago’s nearly five dozen photos of Alta Vista Terrace at Flickr, or view the images as a slideshow.