Old Town. Chicago's oldest streets, still lived in.

Old Town sits between the Gold Coast and Lincoln Park, where some of Chicago's oldest streets curve through the Old Town Triangle — a stretch of Victorian-era homes that survived the 1871 fire, now a designated Chicago Landmark district.

What sets Old Town apart is the layering of its housing. Frame cottages and brick rowhouses from the post-fire decades sit alongside greystones, converted multi-units, and newer condo buildings, often on the same block. St. Michael's Church, one of the few structures to come through the Great Chicago Fire, still anchors the neighborhood, and the protected Triangle means much of the historic fabric stays intact. The result is a place that reads as old Chicago up close while sitting minutes from the lakefront and downtown.

What to know — as a buyer or a seller.

For buyers

Buying in Old Town often means waiting for the right home rather than choosing from many. The protected Triangle holds relatively few properties, and the range — from a single-family frame cottage to a unit in a newer building — varies block to block, so understanding what each street and building type offers matters more than scanning a feed.

For sellers

Pricing an Old Town home depends heavily on its specifics: whether it falls inside the historic district, its architectural period, and how its scale compares to nearby homes. A frame cottage in the Triangle and a newer condo near Wells Street draw different buyers, and positioning accounts for that.

Buying, selling & living in Old Town.

Old Town — common questions.

What kinds of homes does Old Town have?

Old Town holds a mix of Victorian-era frame cottages, brick rowhouses, and greystones — many within the Old Town Triangle historic district — alongside converted multi-unit buildings and newer condos. Housing varies considerably from block to block.

What is the Old Town Triangle?

The Old Town Triangle is a Chicago Landmark historic district covering much of the neighborhood's oldest section. It was settled in the 1850s, largely by German immigrants, and contains many homes built in the decades after the 1871 Great Chicago Fire. St. Michael's Church, one of the structures that survived the fire, sits at its edge.

How do you get around Old Town on the CTA?

Old Town is served by the CTA Brown and Purple Lines at the Sedgwick station on North Sedgwick Street, one of the oldest standing stations on the 'L'. The neighborhood is highly walkable, with Wells Street retail and the lakefront within reach.

What is Old Town known for?

Old Town is known for its historic architecture, the Wells Street commercial corridor, The Second City comedy theater, and the annual Old Town Art Fair, held in June within the Triangle. Its mix of surviving 19th-century homes gives it a character distinct from the high-rise areas nearby.

Who is a good Old Town real estate broker?

Jovanka Corazzina is an Old Town broker with @properties Christie's International Real Estate. She works with buyers and sellers across Old Town and the surrounding Near North and Lincoln Park areas, with attention to the neighborhood's historic architecture and the distinctions of the Old Town Triangle. A conversation is the best way to start.