Chicago Neighborhood News | Southport Corridor, Lakeview & Wrigleyville
Southport Corridor in Photos
The Southport Corridor is best understood on foot, one storefront at a time — and that is how this page was made. What follows is a resident’s-eye photo record of Southport Avenue in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood, photographed for this site from 2013 to today: the avenue in summer, spring, fall and holiday lights; its signs and storefronts; the festivals that close the street to cars; the days Wrigley Field shook the neighborhood in November 2016; the dogs who treat the corridor as their own; and the same beloved blocks photographed years apart. Every photograph is captioned with the business, block or event it shows, because on the Southport Corridor the details are the story.
1. The Avenue by Season
Four seasonal tours — summer 2015, spring 2019, fall 2016 and fall 2024, plus the avenue in its holiday lights — show how the same blocks breathe through the year.
Jeni’s Ice Cream, Gap and the Southport CTA station — Southport Avenue in summer, 2015.D’Agostino’s, The Butcher’s Tap and Uncle Dan’s beside Southport’s People Spot, summer 2015.Crosby’s Kitchen on Southport Avenue, summer 2015.Tree-lined streets of the Southport Corridor, spring 2019.SoulCycle, J. Crew, the Southport CTA, Gap, Potbelly, Kendra Scott and LensCrafters along Southport Avenue, spring 2019.Amazon Books on Southport Avenue, spring 2019.Capital One Cafe under construction beside SoulCycle and J. Crew, fall 2016.A bench beneath the fall trees on Southport Avenue, fall 2024.Little Goat, GG’s and Itoko at 3325 N. Southport Avenue — the former Southport Lanes building — October 2026.Southport Avenue homes, shops and restaurants, fall 2024.Southport Lanes decked out in holiday lights, December 2015.
2. Storefronts & Signs
The corridor letter by letter: the hand-picked signs of 2015 alongside the storefronts of the October 2026 walk-through — closing with the national arrivals of the past decade, from J.Crew and Lululemon to Vuori, Arc’teryx and Reformation, two of them greeted by Fuji, the Southport Golden.
Shamus by the sign at Jeni’s on Southport Avenue, from “Signs of the Southport Corridor,” 2015.The Southport CTA station sign, 2015.The Fleet Feet Southport sign, 2015.The Music Box sign, Southport Avenue, 2015.The Mercury Theater sign, 2015.The Cafe Tola sign, 2015.The Dog-a-holics sign, 2015.Colectivo Coffee at 3253 N. Southport Avenue, which opened in July 2026.Lush on Southport Avenue, October 2026.The opening frame of the October 2026 walking tour of Southport Avenue, from Roscoe Street toward Addison Street.The Music Box Theatre on Southport Avenue, spring 2019.Coalfire Pizza’s blade sign on Southport Avenue, 2014.Looking north on Southport Avenue from Addison Street, October 2026.Tuco & Blondie on Southport Avenue, October 2026.Finley (left) and Fuji, the Southport Golden (right, in her red gingham bandana), outside the Gap on Southport Avenue, in front of the store’s “WE ARE ONE” Pride window, 2018.Fuji, the Southport Golden, in her pink gingham bandana outside Abercrombie & Fitch at 3551 N. Southport Avenue.Vuori at 3443 N. Southport Avenue, photographed for its opening in December 2023.Arc’teryx at 3441 N. Southport Avenue, in the former Amazon Books space, photographed for its opening in March 2024.Lululemon at 3556 N. Southport Avenue, September 2024.J.Crew at 3423 N. Southport Avenue, spring 2016 — the store had opened that January.Reformation at 3452 N. Southport Avenue, which opened in May 2026 in the former Dr. Martens space.Gorjana on Southport Avenue, photographed in January 2025 ahead of its opening in the former U.S. Apothecary space.Framebridge at 3453 N. Southport Avenue, next to Crosby’s Kitchen, November 2021.
3. Festivals & Events
Taco Fest, the Halloween crawl, St. Patrick’s Day and the holiday strolls: the days the street closes and the neighborhood comes out.
Taco Fest on Southport Avenue — from the “Photos from previous Taco Fests” shared in the 2017 festival announcement.Taco Fest on Southport Avenue, from photos of previous Taco Fests shared in 2017.Taco Fest on Southport Avenue between Addison and Roscoe, from photos of previous Taco Fests shared in 2017.The first annual Lakeview Taco Fest on Southport Avenue, September 21–22, 2013.Lakeview Taco Fest in its first year, September 2013.Trick or Treat on Southport, October 26, 2014 — Southport Avenue was closed to traffic for the annual event.Trick or Treat on Southport Avenue, October 2014.Trick or Treat on Southport, October 2014.The Music Box during the holiday season, December 2013.Candyality, Cullen’s and the Mercury Theater during the holiday season north of Addison, December 2013.Sensational Bites during the holiday season, December 2013.
4. Wrigley & the Cubs
November 2016: the neighborhood around Wrigley Field in the days after the Cubs finally won the World Series — plus a coda from 2017: the corridor’s own golden retriever under the marquee.
The Wrigley Field marquee — ‘World Series Champions’ — November 2016.The whole ballpark: Wrigley Field dressed in bunting on November 3, 2016, after the Cubs won the World Series.Television crews and fans outside Wrigley Field, November 3, 2016.The ballplayer statue outside Gate D, November 3, 2016.“Harry Caray” — a chalk tribute left on the ballpark wall, November 3, 2016.Theo Epstein hanging around Wrigley Field after the World Series win, November 2016.Theo Epstein greeted by a Chicago firefighter beside Engine 651, November 3, 2016.Theo Epstein with the Chicago Fire Department at Wrigley Field, November 2016.Fuji, the Southport Golden, under the Wrigley Field marquee on Season Ticket Holder Family Day, 2017.
5. Dogs of Southport
From the Dog Days portraits of Fuji and Hudson to the 2026 Golden Balloons fundraiser, the corridor’s most photographed residents walk on four legs.
Fuji, the Southport Golden, at the Southport CTA station — from the 2023 tribute post.Fuji, the Southport Golden, at Schoolyard Tavern, August 2017.A shih tzu at Lululemon on Southport, photographed by Michele V. Wagner, August 2017.Fuji, the Southport Golden, at the Tuco and Blondie mural for #muralmonday, September 2019.Mr. T and Zeus, two pit bulls, posing on a hot afternoon in the Southport Corridor, July 2019.A goldendoodle — the “Heartthrob of Southport Corridor” — May 2019.Evie the Frenchie at Foxtrot on Southport for National Puppy Day, March 2019.Addison the Donut Dog at the Halloween Pup Parade, October 2018.Angus the bulldog at Do-Rite Donuts, January 2019 — New Year’s resolution: eat more donuts.Tito the Doberman, ready for Cubs season at Wrigley Field, March 2018.Finn the miniature dachshund, modeling outside Lululemon on Southport, May 2018.Clark the goldendoodle, Saturday morning on the Southport Corridor, September 2018.Brie Cheese, a wire-haired terrier, on a walk to Southport, August 2019.A golden retriever convention at Dog-A-Holics — seven of the eight attendees, January 2017.Lady — Lady Girl the Golden — in her taco costume for Taco Fest, September 2019.Lady in her lion’s mane for Trick-or-Treat on Southport, October 2017.Lady Girl in her natural element — the ladybug — for Trick-or-Treat on Southport, October 2018.Fuji, the Southport Golden, in bloom in Wrigleyville, August 2019.
6. Then & Now
Same businesses, same blocks, different years — pairings from the 2013–2015 tours against the avenue of 2019 and 2026, each frame labeled with its year.
THEN — The Music Box Theater on Southport Avenue, fall 2014.LATER — The Music Box Theatre on Southport Avenue, spring 2019.THEN — The Southport CTA entrance, from the original corridor tour, August 2013.LATER — The Southport CTA Plaza and its public art, spring 2019.THEN — Fleet Feet Southport under construction, fall 2014.LATER — Fleet Feet, open beside Elevare, spring 2019.THEN — Jeni’s Ice Cream on Southport Avenue, summer 2015.LATER — Jeni’s Ice Cream, spring 2019.THEN — Southport Grocery and Cafe, from the original corridor tour, August 2013.LATER — Southport Grocery & Cafe, spring 2019.THEN — Anthropologie on Southport Avenue, August 2013.LATER — Anthropologie, spring 2019.
7. The Corridor Today
The corridor as it stands today, walked in two successive falls: first the fall 2024 tour — storefronts old and new along Southport Avenue, the Brown Line overhead, and the quiet residential blocks behind the avenue — then an October 2026 walk from Belmont to Addison: new storefronts beside old stone, dining and drinking woven through the shopping, pumpkins under the Brown Line tracks.
Coda di Volpe on Southport Avenue, fall 2024.Evereve and Madewell on Southport Avenue, fall 2024.The Buck Mason sign on Southport Avenue, fall 2024.Alice & Wonder on Southport Avenue, fall 2024.Mini Wonder, the children’s shop on Southport Avenue, fall 2024.The D’Agostino’s sign — “Established 1968” — at Southport Avenue, fall 2024.Lululemon at 3556 N. Southport Avenue, fall 2024.Ella Elli and its patio on Southport Avenue, August 2021.The Brown Line elevated tracks and the Southport station stairs, fall 2024.A residential side street off Southport Avenue, fall 2024.A front stoop dressed for fall on a residential block off Southport, fall 2024.Golden hour on Southport Avenue, looking toward the Brown Line viaduct near Addison Street, October 2026.Aura Candle Bar on Southport Avenue, October 2026.Hotel Chocolat on Southport Avenue, October 2026.The Corridor Brewery & Provisions sign on Southport Avenue, October 2026.Itoko at 3325 N. Southport Avenue, October 2026.Coda di Volpe on Southport Avenue, October 2026.Bonobos on Southport Avenue, October 2026.Sephora on Southport Avenue, October 2026.A red door on a vintage Southport Corridor building, October 2026.Pumpkins and mums in a parkway garden on a residential block off Southport Avenue, fall 2024.Beneath the Brown Line tracks: a fall pumpkin display in the station plaza, October 2026.sweetgreen at 3601 N. Southport Avenue — the former Julius Meinl space — October 2026.The northern end of the walk: Southport Avenue at Addison Street, October 2026.
8. Great Homes of the Southport Corridor
Greystones and Victorians, turrets and wraparound porches — the best of the blog’s Great Homes and Dream Home posts, 2013 to today: the houses that make people slow down on the corridor’s side streets.
The former Theo Epstein home at 3618 N. Greenview Avenue — the brick-and-stone house the Cubs president bought in 2011, a month after taking the job.A red Queen Anne with a patterned turret — from the blog’s spring 2014 Great Homes tour.3628 N. Lakewood Avenue — a Dream Home of the Day in 2014.A stone Romanesque with a round turret — “nice work preserving this wonderful old structure,” 2018.A columned brick classic with a red front door, from the summer 2014 Great Homes tour.3745 N. Lakewood Avenue — a stone greystone featured as a Dream Home in 2014.Sunlight through the trees on a vintage Victorian, summer 2014.A purple-painted greystone, from the summer 2014 Great Homes tour.3624 N. Janssen Avenue in the snow — a white Victorian with a wraparound porch, featured in 2015.A turreted stone mansion behind its garden fence, summer 2019.A Craftsman with a stone-pillared porch, from the summer 2014 Great Homes tour.A white frame cottage at 3248 N. Southport Avenue, featured in 2014.3250 N. Southport Avenue — a modern brick home, featured as a Home of the Day in 2022.3744 N. Wayne Avenue — a dark-grey Italianate featured in 2014.A new brick single-family — “one of the Southport Corridor’s most distinguished,” 2018.
9. Throwback Thursday: The Corridor As It Was
Before the boutiques: streetcars on Southport, coal yards around Wrigley, the largest German restaurant in Chicago, and a department store’s last days. Drawn from a decade of the blog’s #TBT posts — the avenue and the ballpark as they were, from Blaine School’s first year in 1895 to the great blizzard of 2011.
Blaine Elementary School in 1895 — photographed when the school was first built.Southport Avenue looking south from Grace Street in the early 1900s — streetcar tracks down the middle, awnings on every storefront.Lincoln, Ashland and Belmont in 1915 — the six-way corner at the corridor’s south end.The Music Box in the 1920s — the marquee brags about its new Western Electric sound system, and Clara Mae’s candy shop sits next door.The Music Box in 1929 — this original print now hangs in the theatre’s lounge; it first appeared in the catalogue of the firm that built the marquee.Clark Street looking north at Wrigley Field in 1935 — streetcars and crowds outside the park.Wrigley Field from the air in its early decades — the ballpark ringed by coal yards and freight lines.Wrigley Field from the air, in color — rooftops and parking lots where the coal yards used to be.Zum Deutschen Eck at 2914 N. Southport — Chicago’s great German bierstube, a corridor fixture from the 1950s until it closed in January 2000.Southport and Clark in the 1950s — streetcars at the corner, in color.Wrigley Field in 1953 — the marquee is selling tickets for the Philadelphia series, June 23–25.Inside Wrigley in 1953 — from behind home plate to the hand-turned scoreboard.Wrigley Field in 1953 — down the line from the grandstand.Clark and Addison in 1958, looking north on Clark — the McDonald’s would one day stand off to the left.Belmont, Lincoln and Ashland in 1960 — shoppers crowding the six-way corner.Southport and Roscoe in 1975 — big sedans tucked under the Brown Line.Southport Avenue in 1977, in black and white.Summer at Blaine in the 1970s — kids and decorated bikes at the school fence, from Forgotten Chicago.Southport Lanes & Billiards in the 1980s — banquets, bowling and billiards.The Southport Department Store in 1991 — photographed during its going-out-of-business sale; the Mercury Theater stands here today.Southport Avenue in 1994.November 1995 — snow on Southport for the grand openings of Kinko’s and Mail Boxes Etc.Leon Engel’s at 3540 N. Southport in 1995 — the building is Anthropologie today.Yum Yum Donuts in the 1990s, in the shadow of Wrigley Field — shot on black-and-white film.The old Jewel on Southport.Candyality on Southport in 2009 — the “before” of the blog’s 2009-vs-2019 Decade Challenge.Schoolyard Tavern in the great blizzard of 2011.Leo’s Coney Island — remembered in the blog’s 2013 “Old Southport” series.Hye Bar on Southport Avenue — “Remember me?” the blog asked in 2017.Mystic Celt on Southport, dressed for fall.The old Starbucks on Southport Avenue — a #TBT from December 2016.Yesterday in Wrigleyville — the leaning shop with the perpetual used-VHS sale, 2017.Justin’s Bar & Grill — RIP, a Southport staple.
