Devon Avenue Commercial District
2230-2800 W. Devon Avenue

Devon Avenue on Chicago’s far north side is known throughout the Midwest and even internationally as a destination for a wide variety of Indian, Pakistani and other South Asian restaurants and shops. This international marketplace highlights the great diversity of Chicago and attracts thousands of visitors to our city. First developed in the years following World War I, Devon Avenue exhibits a fine collection of modest early-1920s brick buildings, elaborate late-20s era terra cotta commercial flats, and art deco-influenced structures from the early-1930s. While the vibrant cultural melting pot of Devon Avenue flourishes, its architectural heritage is threatened by neglect, indifference and the city’s lack of enforcement of zoning and building codes. Current plans for new development could irreparably harm the character and quality of this important street and its surrounding neighborhood.

History
Originally known for its farms and greenhouses, North Town, as it was then called, began to attract residential and commercial development in the early 1920s. Developer Henry B. Rance opened the area’s first real estate office in a frame shack at the corner of Devon and Western Avenues. This temporary office was soon followed by a grand edifice of white terra cotta with Gothic detailing designed by William Presto.The 1920s was a period of rapid development with many fine buildings in a variety of styles by architects such as William Keller, A.E. Norman, Oldefest & Williams, Johnson & Anderson, Dewey & Pavlovich, Minkus & Gross and Adolf Woerner. Among the best are half a dozen two-story terra cotta commercial buildings spread across the length of Devon Avenue, designed by Oldefest & Williams. Adolf Woerner’s North Town Post Office and Apartments at 2626 W. Devon is one of Devon’s jewels with its yellow brick, red Spanish tile and recessed balconies. Diagonally across the street at 2635 W. Devon, Minkus & Gross transformed a prototypical corner commercial and apartment building with their lively geometric detailing.

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