Lincoln Square, Ravenswood

The North Side neighborhoods of Lincoln Square and Ravenswood combine the Old World charm of German village architecture and plenty of German food with hip, urban boutiques and retailers. The cobblestone stretch of Lincoln Avenue that most people associate with Lincoln Square is a picturesque row of storefronts that includes a gourmet cookware store, an authentic German restaurant and tavern, a European patisserie and an old-fashioned apothecary among many other unique businesses.

Lincoln Square: Chicago’s German Heritage Comes Alive

Written by Alan Solomon, with research assistance from the Chicago Neighborhood Tourism Project.

The neighborhood, familiar to Chicagoans as the heart of the city's German culture, was called "Lincoln Square" even before they put the president's statue there in 1956. In truth, the speck of an island where Lincoln, Lawrence and Western Avenues meet was never exactly monumental, but it was enough to give this community a name and the statue room for a pedestal.

There's much here in Lincoln Square. Rosehill Cemetery, the largest in Chicago, takes up the far northeastern chunk of it. Permanent residents include eleven Chicago mayors, Oscar Mayer, Richard Sears of Sears and Aaron Montgomery Ward of Ward's, the Hinkley of Hinkley & Schmidt and the Hertz of Hertz Rent-a-Car. The limestone gate off Ravenswood Avenue is on the National Register. 

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