Chicago's West Loop Neighborhood
Hog Butcher for the World,Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;Stormy, husky, brawling,City of the Big Shoulders:
Though not specifically about the neighborhood, the poem summed up the gritty West Loop of 100 years ago when cold storage warehouses and wholesale butcher shops lined the streets. The neighborhood's proximity to the The Loop and railroads which brought livestock from across the country made the West Loop an ideal location for the blending of broad shoulders and big business. It was here that local merchants formed the Chicago Butter and Egg Board in 1898 which became the Chicago Mercantile Exchange in 1919.
The broad shoulders and bloody aprons of the men who once worked in the West Loop have been replaced by young professionals with office jobs. Fulton street, once the heart of Chicago's meatpacking district, is now home to Google's new offices.
A few butcher shops still remain, but most of the warehouses have been converted into trendy and increasingly expensive loft condo buildings. Today's West Loop is home to some of the city's best restaurants. Stephanie Izard's Girl and the Goat, Au Cheval and Rick Bayless' Lena Brava are cornerstones of the Randolph street foodie scene, a.k.a. Restaurant Row.
West Loop Real Estate & West Loop Condos for Sale
West Loop luxury condo buildings have become fast selling favorites. New West Loop condos such as 111ume , 900 West Washington, The Hayden and The Embry are just some of the most recent additions.
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