Name the Chicago cultural venue and Marcia Skwarek has been there since moving into her new condo in Chicago. “Museums, theaters, concerts, the symphony, the library — everything is close by,” she said.
Skwarek moved to her one-bedroom place at Lakeshore East’s Aqua building from her River North condo in 2009.
“I’m a member of the Art Institute and the Gene Siskel Film Center and have season tickets to the opera,” she said. “If I’m not in heels, I can walk everywhere. I used to have to take the bus or get on the Brown Line.”
For homebuyers like Skwarek, living amid the arts is a priority. Now that she’s retired from her job as an accountant, she has time to take in the sights and eat out often.
“Friends come to my place for drinks, then we go out to eat,” she said. “We have a million restaurants nearby. Or we go to Hot Tix to get half-price tickets to shows.”
For former suburbanite Jim Thompson, moving to Lincoln Park in 2011 means “a 15-minute walk to night life.”
He bought an 1894 house, retained the front facade and built a modern, glass house behind it. Between the two is a courtyard.
“Kind of like living behind a Roman ruin,” said Thompson of his new-old house.
Architect Thomas Hickey said the makeover “kept the neighbors happy — not replacing the old house with a mini-mansion.”
“I get to the Art Institute four or five times a year,” said Thompson, an entrepreneur who works from home. “I meet friends at restaurants or at the theater. I’m precisely halfway between Steppenwolf and Victory Gardens (theaters).”
A Chicago Symphony Orchestra subscriber, Thompson can get to his seat in 30 minutes.
“To me, it’s stimulating to live with people with diverse points of view,” he said. “Every day I meet interesting people.”
Living in Chicago’s Loop has its perks, as securities trader James Yeung has learned.
In 2010, the Beijing native bought a condo in the 200 North Dearborn building, redeveloped and upgraded by American Invsco.
So far, Yeung has experienced a cultural odyssey.
“I’m young and single,” he said. “I wanted to be able to walk to work and to restaurants.”
There’s no shortage of things for Yeung to do in the Loop, including attending theatrical events, concerts and openings of new shows at museums.
“The Museum of Science and Industry is my favorite,” said Yeung. “I have to take the bus there. But otherwise I can walk.”
The buyers at Yeung’s 47-story building include a mix of people who use it as their primary residence and those who use it as their city home, said American Invsco Chairman and CEO Nick Gouletas.
“They’re from the suburbs, from other states and from Canada. They want to be in the heart of the theater district and close to museums and to the Magnificent Mile for shopping and window-shopping.”
One buyer lives at 200 North Dearborn but commutes to Kenosha to work, said Gouletas.
Long known as a baseball-and-bungalow community, the Bridgeport neighborhood in Chicago has a budding arts scene, including the Bridgeport Art Center and Zhou B Art Center.
“It’s not your father’s Bridgeport anymore,” said Jeff Benach, co-principal of Lexington Homes, developer of Lexington Square row homes there.
In the past few years the influx of new businesses, cultural amenities and residents has breathed new life into Bridgeport.
“It’s becoming one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in Chicago, and it’s now an artist community with art studios, and great new restaurants have opened here,” said Benach. “Bridgeport is no longer stuck in the 1960s.”
While some believe “culture” and “suburb” are antonyms, Jenn and Michael DiCosola beg to differ. They hired Oakley Home Builders in Downers Grove to build them a new house on a teardown site in Downers Grove in 2009 to be closer to community events.
“We lived in town already, but this house put us within walking distance of the library, restaurants, shops, concerts, farmers market, festivals, a grocery store where we can get sushi, and my sons’ favorite, the summer car shows,” said Jenn. “And we can walk to meet daddy at the train.”
Most weekends mean leaving their car at home and using their bicycles or double stroller. The family’s favorite excursions by car — the DuPage Children’s Museum in Naperville and Brookfield Zoo — are within a half-hour drive.
“We went to college in Chicago and got used to the convenience of having everything we need nearby,” said Jenn. “Downers Grove isn’t Chicago, but it has plenty for us to do.”
If you’re looking for a college town with cultural amenities, Wheaton is among the suburbs to consider. It’s home to Wheaton College, a Christian liberal arts college.
Proximity to the campus has its benefits for homebuyers at Airhart Construction’s new College Station single-family home development. The college offers venues for performing arts as well as art galleries showcasing student and faculty art. For retirees interested in sharpening their intellect, the Norton Institute for Continuing Education offers educational programs and lectures.
College Station also is near a Metra train station and the downtowns of Wheaton and Glen Ellyn.
“We forget that we’re very spoiled, living in or near Chicago,” Gouletas said. “We are surrounded by these museums and theaters, especially. Just the architecture of these old places is amazing. I worked as an usher as a kid and I still think they’re great.”
