Argyle Street (also known as Asia on Argyle, Little Saigon,[1] and New Chinatown) is a neighborhood located in the Uptown community area on the Far Northeast side of Chicago, Illinois. The neighborhood is roughly bounded by Foster Avenue to the north, Glenwood Avenue to the east, Ainslie Street to the south, and Sheridan Road to the west.
Argyle Street | |
|---|---|
Neighborhood and street | |
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 Interactive map of Argyle Street | |
| Coordinates: 41°58′24″N 87°39′33″W / 41.9732610°N 87.6591402°W, | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Cook County |
| City | Chicago |
| Boroughs | List |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
History
editArgyle Park
editThe neighborhood was established in the 1880s as a suburb called Argyle Park, named by Chicago Alderman and developer James A. Campbell for his ancestors the Dukes of Argyll in Scotland.[2] Development was centered on a station on the new Chicago & Evanston line of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway that opened in May 1885.[3][4]
The village, along with the rest of the Lake View Township, was annexed to Chicago in 1889.[5] In 1908 the Northwestern Elevated Railroad was extended north from Wilson Avenue, using the tracks of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad,[6] This linked the suburb into Chicago's 'L' network, and the area became popular with people of limited means who wanted to live on the Lake Michigan shore.[7] The railroad tracks were elevated onto an embankment between 1914 and 1922.
Many Austro-Hungarian Jewish immigrants settled in the area in the early twentieth century.[8] In 1922, the Jewish community commissioned Henry Dubin to construct the Agudas Achim North Shore Synagogue, which Preservation Chicago describes as "the last grand Chicago synagogue" due to its "magnificent" combination of Romanesque-Revival, Spanish and Art Deco styles; the building was converted into apartments in 2016.[8][9][10] Following World War II, the Selfhelp Home—a charity founded to serve Holocaust refugees and survivors—opened a senior home at 908 W Argyle.[11]
New Chinatown
edit
Chicago restaurateur Jimmy Wong bought property in the area in the 1960s and planned its rebirth as New Chinatown. He envisioned a mall with pagodas, trees and reflecting ponds to replace the empty storefronts.[12] The Hip Sing Association, a Chinese cultural group, moved its Chicago offices to Argyle Street in 1971,[13] and by 1974 Wong and the Hip Sing Association owned 80% of the three-block stretch on Argyle. Wong had an accident and broke both hips, leaving him unable to follow through on his plans. In 1979 Charlie Soo, founder of the Asian American Small Business Association, took up the cause, and the area developed not solely as a Chinese enclave but also including Vietnamese, Lao, Cambodian, and Japanese businesses.[14] Soo campaigned to get the Chicago Transit Authority to give the Argyle 'L' station a $250,000 face-lift, then in 1981 he started the "Taste of Argyle," an annual food festival. He also secured funds from Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne to fix the sidewalks, and later from Mayor Harold Washington to repair building facades. Because of his tireless work in promoting the neighborhood, Soo would later be known as the unofficial "Mayor of Argyle Street."[15] By 1986 it was estimated that Uptown had about 8,000 Chinese and Vietnamese residents.[13]
The concentration of Vietnamese restaurants, bakeries and shops, as well as Chinese, Cambodian, Laotian and Thai businesses along Argyle Street, centered on the Argyle 'L' station, has led to the neighborhood being nicknamed New Chinatown, Little Saigon, or Little Vietnam.[7]
West Argyle Street Historic District
editWest Argyle Street Historic District | |
 Argyle Street in 2010 | |
| Location | Chicago, Illinois |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°58′24″N 87°39′25″W / 41.97333°N 87.65694°W |
| Architect | Multiple |
| NRHP reference No. | 10000311 |
| Added to NRHP | June 3, 2010 |
On June 3, 2010, the area roughly bounded by Broadway to the west, Winona Street to the north, Sheridan Road to the east, and Ainslie Street to the south was entered into the National Register of Historic Places.[7][16] The historic district covers an area of about 41 acres (0.17 km2).[17]
Asia on Argyle
editThe name "Asia on Argyle" became popular in the area around 2013 with official city sponsored re-branding of the retail corridor on Argyle Street with a distinctive sign installed over the Argyle 'L" station.[18] The sign was removed as part of the CTA Red and Purple Modernization Project but the name is still used by the community.[19]
References
edit- ↑ Eng, Monica (November 29, 2017). "THE ESSENTIALS: Argyle Street". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
- ↑ Callary, Edward (2009). Place names of Illinois. University of Illinois Press. p. 13. ISBN 978-0-252-03356-8.
- ↑ "The Chicago & Evanston". Chicago Daily Tribune. May 22, 1885. – Clipping at Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Suburban". Chicago Daily Tribune. November 8, 1885.
- ↑ "Ten New Sister Wards". Chicago Daily Tribune. July 20, 1889.
- ↑ "Electrification of the Evanston Suburban Line of the Chicago Milwaukee & St. Paul". The Railway Age. 44 (14): 467. October 4, 1907. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
- 1 2 3 "Uptown's Argyle Street Named To Historic Register". CBS2 Chicago: Chicago Area Local News. CBS. June 14, 2010. Archived from the original on June 21, 2010. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
- 1 2 "Saving the Ark: Chicago's grand synagogue Agudas Achim". The Magazine Antiques. October 9, 2013. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Preservation Chicago Unveils the 2015 Chicago 7 Most Threatened... Agudas Achim North Shore Synagogue" (PDF). Preservation Chicago. October 4, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
- ↑ Feldman, Ari (April 25, 2019). "Majestic Abandoned Synagogue Reopened As Micro-Apartments By Lifestyle Brand". The Forward. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
- ↑ "History of The Selfhelp Home". The Selfhelp Home Senior Living Community. April 29, 2026. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
- ↑ Madhani, Aamer (July 6, 2001). "Jimmy Wong 1914–2001 – Restaurateur helped start 'new Chinatown'". Chicago Tribune.
- 1 2 Congbalay, Dean (March 31, 1986). "Argyle Street shopping strip weaves pattern of prosperity". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on January 13, 2024. Retrieved March 2, 2026. – Map seen in clipping at Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Heise, Kenan (November 20, 1981). "N. Side's Argyle Street takes on Far East flavor". Chicago Tribune. – Clipping at Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Lynch, Kevin; Janega, James (April 4, 2001). "Charlie Soo 1945–2001: Argyle Street 'Mayor,' bold promoter of Asian shops". Chicago Tribune.
- ↑ "Weekly list of actions taken on properties: 6/01/10 through 6/04/10" (PDF). National Park Service. Archived from the original on May 29, 2010. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
- ↑ "Transit Oriented Development Plan: Historic Preservation Plan - West Argyle Street Historic District" (PDF). Chicago Transit Authority. Chicago Transit Authority & City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development. 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
- ↑ Wright, Sharon (January 28, 2013). "Mixed Reviews for "Asia on Argyle" Sign". NBC. Archived from the original on September 28, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
- ↑ Ward, Joe (September 19, 2023). "'Asia On Argyle' Sign Removed For Red Line Construction". Block Club Chicago. Archived from the original on June 18, 2025. Retrieved March 2, 2026.