In the mid-1800’s, the area now known as Old Town was nothing but meadows and swampland.  German immigrants resided in the area to the South of Old Town, but as the German population in Chicago grew, the German neighborhood expanded.  Skilled German farmers moved north into the swamplands and made their livings growing celery, potatoes and cabbages.  Among those who owned land here were Michael Diversey, William Rand, Andrew McNally, and William Ogden, the first mayor of Chicago.

     In 1852, a plan to build a Roman Catholic Church in the newly developing area was established.  The church was named St. Michael’s in honor of Michael Diversey, who had donated the plot of land on which the church was built.

     The establishment of a Church contributed to the development of the area.  In the 1860’s the population expanded to include Scotch, Irish, Italians and French.  Their means of survival were no longer limited to farming but now included crafts such as shoemaking, cloth cutting, beer brewing and laying rails for the new railroad lines.

     In the 1870’s, after the Chicago Fire destroyed most of the city, the lakeside cemetery was moved.  It was replaced by a large recreational area called Lincoln Park.  The park made the eastern portion of the neighborhood a more desirable place to live.  Large stone mansions and multiple-family row houses were built along LaSalle Street, facing the park, to accommodate the neighborhood’s increasing population.  In 1885, Daniel Crilly purchased a block of land in Old Town.  He built row houses and apartments and named the block Crilly Court.

     At the turn of the century, the elevated railroad was constructed to the south of the Old Town neighborhood.  Many of the Swedes who had been living there moved out, and the area became a predominately black neighborhood.  The Germans of Old Town started moving further north into Chicago’s newly annexed Lakeview neighborhood.  As the Germans left, a wave of Polish, Slovak, Serbian, Romanian, Hungarian, Italian and Hispanic immigrants moved in.  Apartment buildings were converted into rooming houses and single-family homes were divided into small apartments in order to accommodate the growing population.

     By the 1930’s and ‘40’s, the neighborhood had become grossly overpopulated.  Housing had deteriorated and began to resemble slums.  The task of maintaining the charm and beauty of the neighborhood seemed to be forgotten.