The Gold Coast’s lakefront setting offers a blend of historic landmarks, retail options, and residential living. Its hotels, dining, cultural attractions, walkable streets, and services enhance everyday life for residents, and tourists in the area.[3] The area also provides schooling for children and teenagers living in the distirct.
As of 2011, Gold Coast ranks as the seventh-richest urban neighborhood in the United States with a median household income of $153,358.[4] The area is also a popular residential destiation for many notable figures.
History
The Gold Coast neighborhood grew in the wake of the Great Chicago Fire. In 1882, millionaire Potter Palmer moved to the area from the Prairie Avenue neighborhood on the city's south side. He filled in a swampy area which later became Lake Shore Drive, and built the Palmer Mansion, a forty-two room castle-like structure designed by Henry Ives Cobb and Charles Sumner Frost. Other wealthy Chicagoans followed Potter into the neighborhood, which became one of the richest in Chicago.
In 1886 the first apartment building was constructed. The Edward G. Pauling Apartments, designed by Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan, on the 1200 block of Astor Street. This development demonstrated how rapidly the neighborhood shifted from empty land to an active residential district, fulfilling Potter Palmer’s vision for the area’s development. By 1913, the small three-story building was removed to accommodate a larger apartment development, showing how quickly the district continued to evolve.[5]
The Gold Coast Historic District is one of Chicago’s residential areas, recognized for its retail, dining, cultural attractions, and preserved architectural landmarks.[8]
Retail
The Gold Coast is also a major destination for high-end shopping. Visitors can find upscale clothing, fine jewelry, and designer bags, along with unique specialty shops that showcase artwork and curated goods.[9]
The Gold Coast is surrounded by other shopping districts in the Magnificent Mile.[10]
Dining
The Gold Coast district features a diverse and upscale dining scene. Blue Door Kitchen & Garden offers a farm-to-table menu. The neighborhood is also home to Adalina, an upscale Italian restaurant with a culinary program led by a Michelin-starred chef. Another notable restaurant is Le Colonial, a French–Vietnamese restaurant overlooking Oak Street. The district also includes Maple & Ash, a steakhouse with elaborate service style, high prices, and nightlife energy. Another popular dining destination is the 3 Arts Club Café, located inside the historic Three Arts Club building and known for its distinctive atrium setting, combining dining with interior design and retail.[11][12]
Chicago’s signature deep-dish pizza is also represented in the neighborhood through Lou Malnati’s, one of the city’s most iconic pizzerias.[12]
Other dining in the area includes: Sushi by Bou, Sparrow, Pandan, Dublin’s Bar and Grill, The Bellevue, Gibson’s Bar and Steakhouse, Tavern on Rush, Adorn Bar and Restaurant, The Original Pancake House, Hugo’s Frog Bar, Gotham Bagels, Carmine’s, Luxbar, and Butch McGuire's.[11]
Hotels
The Gold Coast is home to two 5-star hotels, The Four Seasons and The Waldorf Astoria. Along with several other prominent hotels like the Ambassador Chicago, Thompson Chicago, and Viceroy Chicago, which are all in close proximity to the neighborhood’s major dining and shopping areas.[13][12]
Residents of the Gold Coast are zoned to Ogden School for grades K-8,[17] while for high school they are zoned to Lincoln Park High School.[18] Any graduate from Ogden's 8th grade program may automatically move on to the 9th grade at Ogden, but students who did not graduate from Ogden's middle school must apply to the high school.[19]
Historical images of Chicago's Gold Coast can be found in Explore Chicago Collections, a digital repository made available by Chicago Collections archives, libraries and other cultural institutions in the city.[21]
↑Don DeBat and Gary S. Meyers. "Manhattan transfer–Streeterville and the Gold Coast: Second plushest neighborhood in U.S. has it all". Chicago Sun-Times. January 13, 1989. 15.
↑"Map." Gold Coast Neighbors Association. Retrieved on December 21, 2016.
↑Home. Ogden International School of Chicago. Retrieved on October 10, 2018. "Head of Elementary: [...] Grades K-4 East Campus 24 W. Walton St. Chicago, IL 60610"
↑"Admissions". Ogden International School. Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2020. Graduates of 8th grade at Jenner Campus can automatically enroll in 9th grade at Ogden's West Campus. If your child graduated from a different middle school [...]
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Night on the Gold Coast (including East Lake Shore Drive District)
Luxury condominiums on Dearborn Street in the Gold Coast
Townhomes on East Division Street in the Gold Coast
Cooperative apartments on Lake Shore Drive in the Gold Coast
The Gold Coast is a prominent part of the skyline
Gold Coast from Streeterville
Palmer Mansion (demolished in 1951)
