Inspired by the memory of author Ernest Hemingway who was born and raised in Oak Park, the District adjoins historic Scoville Park, a central town square at the corner of Lake Street and Oak Park Avenue. The park itself is a classic square, and conveniently adjacent to many restaurants and one-of-a-kind local stores.
Within a stone's throw of the park, you’ll find:
The Ernest Hemingway Birthplace Museum, at 339 N. Oak Park Ave. In this Victorian home you’ll discover the youthful poems and love letters that inspired his seminal novel, A Farewell to Arms. Learn about his first 20 years as an Oak Park youth and World War I survivor and the many other adventures that make this man such a compelling, polarizing legend.
Scoville Square, a rare Frank Lloyd Wright retail building
The contemporary Oak Park Public Library
Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021 after a multiyear, $25-million restoration.
The Oak Park Post Office, designed by architects White and Weber (Charles E. White Jr. and Bertram A. Weber) and completed in 1936, is an Art Deco and Art Moderne style building.
You're also only a 5- to 7-minute walk west on Lake Street to downtown Oak Park and the Pleasant District. A 5-minute walk due east will take you past historic Oak Park and River Forest High School (better known as OPRF), which Ernest Hemingway and his siblings attended.
Hemingway District Community Block Party
Hundreds came out on April 11 for a block party to support local businesses during construction. Kids played in a huge sandbox, folks got their construction questions answered, and everyone enjoyed entertainment by School of Rock. Oak Park Avenue may look closed, but all sidewalks—and their stores and restaurants—are open every day with free 90-minute parking at the convenient Avenue Garage. Take a look at some of the photos from the event showing how this community plays and works together.
Photo credit: VOP-TV Manager, Joe Kreml
Hemingway District Restaurants
Almost any time of day you can travel the globe with the world-class cuisine choices to be found throughout the Hemingway District. Meet friends for breakfast. Pick up warm baked goods for a meeting or dinner for the family. Unwind over craft cocktails after work. Tuck into a down-home meal at your favorite restaurant.
Restaurants, bakeries, caterers, and bars are lined up (literally) to welcome you along the Lake Street corridor, up and down Oak Park Avenue, even around the corners on North and South Boulevards.
Oak Park Avenue Trivia
Throughout the 2026 Renew The Avenue project, we’ll share vintage photos and facts about the businesses, people, news events, and points of pride of this historic corridor. We thank the Oak Park River Forest Museum for access to its extensive research and photography archive.
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Two separate train lines use the elevated embankment through Oak Park, so there are two answers to the question: 1910 and 1962.
The elevation of today’s Union Pacific Railroad (which purchased the Central & North Western Railroad) was completed around 1910.
The elevated CTA Green Line (formerly known as the Lake Street ‘L’) through Oak Park opened in 1962.
According to The Trolley Dodger website, ongoing thanks are due the Village of Oak Park and its informed process of working with all partners so that the dangerous, slow, street-level Lake Street L line wasn’t truncated at Laramie Avenue. The final plan resulted in the elevation of the outer 2.5 miles of train track from Laramie to Harlem Avenue and benefited all parties:
Oak Parkers continued to enjoy fast, convenient and a much safer commute to and from downtown Chicago.
The Village of Oak Park improved services, tempered traffic flows, and avoided construction costs by using the C&NW embankment.
The CTA cut costs and reduced risk by eliminating 22 unsafe crossings.
The C&NW welcomed new revenue from renting out its embankment, which was wide enough to accommodate the Green Line.
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Tony’s Shoe Clinic, on the lower level of 115 N. Oak Park Avenue, has been in business at two different locations along Oak Park Avenue since opening its doors on December 3, 1946. This shoe and leather goods repair stalwart is a ‘tale of two Tonys.’ The current owner, Tony Muñoz, bought the business from his longtime boss – Tony José – more than 30 years ago. (Muñoz first began working at the shoe clinic back in 1979.) Today, Tony’s family helps the Mexico native and competitive cyclist repair just about anything for the Oak Park community. Find more information and photos in this Wednesday Journal article.
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Gilmore’s Department Store was located at 137 N. Oak Park Ave. in the historic Masonic Block Building from 1917 until its closing in 1976. Its elegant Art Deco façade occupied the southwest corner of the Lake Street and Oak Park Avenue intersection. Buying wedding dresses and formal gowns there was a rite of passage for many Oak Park women, who also appreciated its second-floor tearoom. You’ll find more information and photos from its colorful history in this article reprint from 1976.
