McCormick Row House District, Lincoln Park Chicago

The McCormick Row House District is a Chicago Landmark district of about 56 brick row houses and homes in Lincoln Park, built between 1882 and 1889 by McCormick Theological Seminary to earn rental income. It sits on Fullerton Avenue, Belden Avenue and a private street, Chalmers Place, between the two halves of DePaul University’s campus, and the Chicago City Council designated it a landmark on May 4, 1977.

The houses have been privately owned since 1975. This guide covers the district’s history, architecture, landmark rules and how to see it, as of October 2026.

McCormick Row House District at a glance

Location	800 block of W. Chalmers Pl., 2300 block of N. Chalmers Pl., 828–58 W. Belden Ave. and 831–931 W. Fullerton Ave. (City of Chicago)
Built	1882–1889 (City of Chicago); some sources give 1884–1889
Built by	McCormick Theological Seminary, as rental housing
Architects	Listed by the City as “various”; press accounts credit A.M.F. Colton & Son
Style	Simplified Queen Anne, red brick, around a private street and park
Size	56 townhomes sold to residents in 1975 (district marker); DePaul counts 54 row houses and two freestanding homes
Chicago Landmark district	Designated May 4, 1977
National Register	Inside the Sheffield Historic District (listed 1976); not individually listed
Ownership	Private homes; Seminary Townhouse Association
Nearest ‘L’	Fullerton (Red, Brown, Purple lines), 943 W. Fullerton Ave.

Where the district is

The district is in the west-central part of Lincoln Park, in the area the Sheffield Neighborhood Association covers and locals often call “the DePaul area” (see our Lincoln Park neighborhoods guide). The City of Chicago’s landmark listing defines it by four address ranges: the 800 block of W. Chalmers Place, the 2300 block of N. Chalmers Place, 828–58 W. Belden Avenue and 831–931 W. Fullerton Avenue.

In practice that means a long row on the south side of Fullerton running east from the Fullerton ‘L’ station, a shorter row on the north side of Belden, and Chalmers Place between them, with a green median down its center. DePaul’s buildings flank the district, and its Holtschneider Performance Center (2330 N. Halsted St.) sits just past the east end of Chalmers Place.

History

The seminary comes to Lincoln Park

McCormick Theological Seminary began in 1829 in Hanover, Indiana, as a Presbyterian school. In 1859 reaper manufacturer Cyrus H. McCormick brought it to Chicago with an endowment for four professorships, according to DePaul University’s archives. On land given to it in what is now Lincoln Park, the school opened its first building, Central Hall (later Ewing Hall), in 1864; the City’s district marker dates the seminary’s occupancy of the site from 1863 to 1975. It was known as the Theological Seminary of the Northwest until 1886, when it was renamed for Cyrus and Nettie McCormick. Our Lincoln Park history page places the seminary in the wider story of the neighborhood.

Row houses as an investment

The City of Chicago says the row houses “were built to produce rental income” for the seminary. Cyrus McCormick died in 1884, and the Seminary Townhouse Association’s history says the rents were meant to supplement the school’s endowment. Over time many units became homes for faculty, staff and married students. A 2021 Crain’s Chicago Business report, summarized by Preservation Chicago, says Nettie McCormick influenced the design and conceived the central green, and that the seminary originally built 64 rental units.

Not all of them survived. The association’s history records that a row on the 900 block of Belden was demolished in 1959 to build McCabe Hall for married students, and that the single-family house at 835 W. Chalmers was moved from Belden in 1896 to make room for the Virginia Library.

The 1975 sale and the DePaul connection

In 1974, when residents learned the seminary planned to sell its roughly 20-acre campus and move to Hyde Park, they formed the Seminary Townhouse Association. The seminary agreed to sell the houses separately from its institutional buildings, and in 1975 the association’s members bought them. A marker at the east end of Chalmers Place credits resident Robert Berkhoff (1939–1991) with leading the purchase of 56 townhomes.

DePaul University then bought the rest of the campus in two parts, in 1976 and 1977, and reused several seminary buildings; McClure Chapel, for example, became the School of Music’s Concert Hall, according to DePaul’s archives. DePaul says the homes are privately owned and not affiliated with the university.

Architecture

The City describes the houses as a “simplified Queen Anne style” arranged around “a private street and park at the development’s center,” and calls the district “a fine example of late-19th century residential architecture and planning.” Most are three-story red brick row houses with arched doorways and windows. The longest unbroken row runs along Fullerton, from 833 to 927 W. Fullerton, according to the Driehaus Museum.

The planning is as notable as the buildings. Instead of facing every house onto a busy street, the seminary set many of them along Chalmers Place, a double lane divided by a green median, which still keeps car traffic low. When DePaul built its art museum at 935 W. Fullerton around 2011, the architects designed its facade to echo the neighboring rows, the Driehaus Museum notes.

The City lists the architects as “various”; Crain’s and other secondary sources credit A.M.F. Colton & Son.

What landmark designation means for owners

The City Council’s 1977 designation makes the district subject to the Chicago Landmarks Ordinance. According to the City’s owner Q&A, building permit applications for property in a landmark district are checked for their effect on the district’s “significant historical and architectural features,” which for most districts are the exterior elevations visible from the public right-of-way (demolition is reviewed regardless). Work affecting those features needs approval from the Commission on Chicago Landmarks.

No separate permit. Review happens inside the normal building permit process. The City says most landmark permits are approved in one day.
Who decides. Staff of the City’s Historic Preservation Division handle most reviews. Larger projects, such as additions, new construction and certain demolitions, go to the Commission at a public meeting.
Standards. The Commission applies criteria based on the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and its own published guidelines.
Routine work. Painting and minor repairs that do not need a building permit are not reviewed.
Pre-permit advice. The City encourages owners to request a pre-permit review before filing.
Incentives. The City’s landmark incentives flyer lists a building permit fee waiver (apply before work starts) and a 12-year property assessment freeze for owner-occupied homes rehabilitated with an investment of at least 25% of market value.

Landmark status sits on top of private rules. Wikipedia’s summary of the district notes that covenants among the owners govern exterior maintenance and the shared areas, including the private park. The district is also inside the National Register–listed Sheffield Historic District, but that listing is honorary and does not by itself restrict owners. If you are thinking about buying here, our Lincoln Park real estate guide covers the wider market.

How to see the district

The district is small enough to see in 20 to 30 minutes. A simple route:

Start at the Fullerton station (943 W. Fullerton Ave.), served by the Red, Brown and Purple lines and the #74 Fullerton bus, according to the CTA. The station is accessible.
Walk east on the south side of Fullerton from 931 to 831 W. Fullerton to see the longest row.
Look into Chalmers Place where it meets the public streets. The City’s district marker stands in the median near 834 W. Chalmers, and the Robert Berkhoff marker is at the east end. Chalmers Place and its green are private, so stay on public sidewalks unless you are a guest, and follow posted signs.
Finish on Belden at 828–58 W. Belden, then head east to Halsted Street.

From Belden, Armitage Avenue is about three-eighths of a mile south along Halsted. Our Armitage Avenue walking guide picks up from there through the Armitage-Halsted landmark district.

Nearby landmark districts

The McCormick district is one of several Chicago Landmark districts within walking distance, most of them also inside the Sheffield Historic District, according to Landmarks Illinois:

Armitage-Halsted (designated 2003): 19th- and early 20th-century storefront buildings on Armitage between Halsted and Racine, and on Halsted between Armitage and Webster.
Burling Row House (November 15, 2000): 1875 row houses at 2225–2245 N. Burling St.
Fremont Row House (March 10, 2004): 1875 row houses at 2100–2144 N. Fremont St. (even numbers).
Bissell Street (2007): flat buildings on the 2100 block of N. Bissell St.
Mid-North (August 31, 1977): a larger district east of Lincoln Avenue.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the McCormick Row House District?

It is in the Lincoln Park community area, just east of the Fullerton CTA station and between the east and west parts of DePaul University’s Lincoln Park campus. The City of Chicago lists the district as the 800 block of W. Chalmers Place, the 2300 block of N. Chalmers Place, 828–58 W. Belden Ave. and 831–931 W. Fullerton Ave.

When was the McCormick Row House District designated a Chicago Landmark?

The Chicago City Council designated it on May 4, 1977, according to the City’s Chicago Landmarks website and the district’s official marker. It was one of the first Chicago Landmark districts in Lincoln Park; Mid-North followed later the same year.

Who built the McCormick row houses, and when?

McCormick Theological Seminary built them as rental investments between 1882 and 1889, according to the City. The City lists the architects as “various”; press and secondary accounts credit the firm A.M.F. Colton & Son. Some accounts give 1884 as the start of construction.

Are the McCormick row houses owned by DePaul University?

No. Residents formed the Seminary Townhouse Association and bought the houses from the seminary in 1975, and the homes are individually and privately owned. DePaul bought the rest of the former seminary campus in 1976 and 1977, which is why the university surrounds the district.

Can I walk through the McCormick Row House District?

The Fullerton and Belden Avenue rows face public sidewalks and can be seen at any time. Chalmers Place and its central green are a private street and park maintained by the homeowners, so view them from the public way and follow any posted signs. The district’s two markers stand in the Chalmers Place median.

Do McCormick row house owners need city approval for renovations?

Yes, for work that affects the district’s protected features. In landmark districts those are typically the exterior elevations visible from the public right-of-way, and any building permit for such work is reviewed by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks’ staff, which the City says approves most permits in one day. Painting and minor repairs that do not need a building permit are not reviewed.

McCormick Row House District: A Lincoln Park Guide