Explore Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood

The Edgewater Historical Society was founded in 1988 in order to preserve and share the history of what was once one of the wealthiest areas of Chicago.  The Historical Society purchased an abandoned firehouse from the city for $3,000 and went to work renovating the museum at 5358 N. Ashland Avenue.  Founder Kathy Gemperle said there was little heat in the building and no working bathrooms when they started.  “When the bathrooms were finished, we had a party,” The museum opened in 2002 and houses exhibits and videos on the founding of the neighborhood by developer John Lewis Cochran, the famed Edgewater Beach hotel, and even past area crimes. The fully volunteer-staffed museum is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.  One of the more popular events the Edgewater Historical Society hosts is a house walk, held on the third Sunday in September every year, during which guests tour five to nine neighborhood historic homes.Next door to the Swedish American Museum, at 5207 N Clark, Street, Ann Sather is open for breakfast and lunch, although breakfast is what the restaurant is known for.  Ann Sather ran her first restaurant, on Belmont Avenue, for over 30 years before turning over the reins to Tom Tunney.  Tunney opened the Anderson location at 5207 N Clark in 1987.  The traditional blue, yellow and white color scheme and the Swedish folk lore paintings create a Scandinavian ambiance.  Painted on the wall are the words “God Mat – Husmanshost From Kollar Minnen Om Barndomen,” which a waitress at the restaurant said translates to, “Simply good food that brings back childhood memories.”  And good food it is, from the Swedish pancakes with lingonberries to the Swedish potato sausage or potato pancakes.  Be sure to order one of the famous cinnamon rolls, big, warm, fluffy, and dripping with powdered sugar frosting.Located on the third floor of the Swedish American Museum, the Brunk Children’s Museum of Immigration tells the same story as the Swedish American Museum but with interactive exhibits.  Children begin in the Swedish cabin, then can pretend to board the ship that brings them to the United States.  They can don period clothing and pretend to milk a cow or tend the garden in the new land.View the list »
This Swedish cabin is the first of several dioramas and artifacts in the museum that depict a Swedish family’s emigration to the United States in the mid to late 1800s and life in the United States for Swedish immigrants during that time period.  Plan to spend about an hour in this second floor permanent exhibit learning about the immigration process, typical occupations, religion, traditions and notable Swedish immigrants.  The third floor of the museum houses the Brunk Children’s Museum of Immigration, and the first floor includes a gallery and plenty of space for special events. The Swedish Museum is located at 5211 N. Clark Street.

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Long before Chicago’s city limits crawled north several miles from the city’s center, Swedish and Luxembourger farmers settled in the area of Lakeview Township that became known as Andersonville. More Swedish immigrants followed when, after the 1871 Chicago fire, wooden houses were banned in the city. Unable to afford brick or stone, the immigrants settled along Clark Street north of Foster. Andersonville was in the area that became the suburb of Edgewater, which was annexed into the City of Chicago in 1889. By 1900 Chicago became home to one in ten Swedish-Americans, making the city home to more Swedes than any other city in the world besides Stockholm, and Swedish businesses dominated the commercial strip along Clark Street.

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Today Andersonville is diverse, with a mix of Asian, European, Middle Eastern and Latin American restaurants and other businesses, but its Swedish roots are still prominent. You can enjoy authentic Swedish food from a restaurant, bakery or deli and spend an hour or two in the Swedish American Museum. Then visit antique shops, galleries, and a host of other shops and boutiques. Step over a block to Ashland Avenue and stop into the Edgewater Historical Society Museum for a glimpse at the history of the entire Edgewater area, including the former swanky Edgewater Beach Hotel, a lake resort frequented by the wealthy in the early- to mid-1900s. Andersonville was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.

Andersonville is host to several special events throughout the year, including the St. Lucia Festival of Lights in December and Midsommarfest in June, one of Chicago’s oldest street festivals.

Andersonville is bounded by Bryn Mawr (5600 North) on the north, Winnemac (5000 North) on the south, Broadway (1200 West) on the east, and Ravenswood (1800 West) on the west.

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  • This Swedish cabin is the first of several dioramas and artifacts in the museum that depict a Swedish family’s emigration to the United States in the mid to late 1800s and life in the United States for Swedish immigrants during that time period.  Plan to spend about an hour in this second floor permanent exhibit learning about the immigration process, typical occupations, religion, traditions and notable Swedish immigrants.  The third floor of the museum houses the Brunk Children’s Museum of Immigration, and the first floor includes a gallery and plenty of space for special events. The Swedish Museum is located at 5211 N. Clark Street.
  • Located on the third floor of the Swedish American Museum, the Brunk Children’s Museum of Immigration tells the same story as the Swedish American Museum but with interactive exhibits.  Children begin in the Swedish cabin, then can pretend to board the ship that brings them to the United States.  They can don period clothing and pretend to milk a cow or tend the garden in the new land.
  • Next door to the Swedish American Museum, at 5207 N Clark, Street, Ann Sather is open for breakfast and lunch, although breakfast is what the restaurant is known for.  Ann Sather ran her first restaurant, on Belmont Avenue, for over 30 years before turning over the reins to Tom Tunney.  Tunney opened the Anderson location at 5207 N Clark in 1987.  The traditional blue, yellow and white color scheme and the Swedish folk lore paintings create a Scandinavian ambiance.  Painted on the wall are the words “God Mat – Husmanshost From Kollar Minnen Om Barndomen,” which a waitress at the restaurant said translates to, “Simply good food that brings back childhood memories.”  And good food it is, from the Swedish pancakes with lingonberries to the Swedish potato sausage or potato pancakes.  Be sure to order one of the famous cinnamon rolls, big, warm, fluffy, and dripping with powdered sugar frosting.
  • The Edgewater Historical Society was founded in 1988 in order to preserve and share the history of what was once one of the wealthiest areas of Chicago.  The Historical Society purchased an abandoned firehouse from the city for $3,000 and went to work renovating the museum at 5358 N. Ashland Avenue.  Founder Kathy Gemperle said there was little heat in the building and no working bathrooms when they started.  “When the bathrooms were finished, we had a party,” The museum opened in 2002 and houses exhibits and videos on the founding of the neighborhood by developer John Lewis Cochran, the famed Edgewater Beach hotel, and even past area crimes. The fully volunteer-staffed museum is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.  One of the more popular events the Edgewater Historical Society hosts is a house walk, held on the third Sunday in September every year, during which guests tour five to nine neighborhood historic homes.
  • Over 90 artisans make up the three-floor Galleria that showcases works from paintings to jewelry, baby clothes to specialty foods.  If you time it right, you may get to sample goodies from Mama’s Nuts like Gingersnap Almonds or Coconut Curry Cashews, or some of Salted Caramel’s ever-changing selections, like Bacon Bourbon Caramel Corn.  The Andersonville Galleria is located at 5247 N. Clark Street.
  • Erickson’s Delicatessen, 5250 N. Clark Street, has been a fixture in Andersonville since 1925.  Ann Marie Nillson and her daughter, Ann Brit Nilsson, took over the shop in 1978.  Here you’ll find an abundance of hard-to-find Scandinavian foods.  Stock up on lingonberries, and use them as a topping for Swedish pancakes.  Ann Marie suggests adding them to plain yogurt for a healthy treat.  The small deli can get hanging-out-the-door crowded around the holidays with folks coming in for their traditional Swedish holiday smorgasbord items, so other times of year are best to visit for the best opportunity to browse.
  • Andersonville is home to several antiques and collectibles shops, like Brimfield at 5219 N. Clark, whose core business is upholstery and whose niche is plaid.  The front of the store focuses on lake homes and cottages, while the back half focuses on cabins, a north woods feel.  You’ll find lots of collectibles for the home or items for outdoor use, like picnic baskets.  They even have a vintage Air Stream trailer, which is currently undergoing renovation.  Downstairs is the “man cave” featuring vintage clothing, barware, and a military plaid, as opposed to the Brimfield plaid prominent on the main floor.  Brimfield also has a room upstairs that can be rented out for events.  The room is furnished in leather sofas and chairs set in conversation clusters.  Shelves of barware line the walls, and a pool table and large screen television round out the masculine setting.
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, Chicago Travel Examiner

Connie Reed, a lifelong Chicago area resident, loves to explore new places and share her stories. She recently began her own blog, www.midwestwanderer.com, and has been named as an Enjoy Illinois Mile Marker Ambassador for the Illinois Office of Tourism web site.

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