As a lifelong Chicagoan and real estate broker with deep roots in our amazing city, I have witnessed many neighborhoods grow, shift, and reinvent themselves, but few transformations compare to what has happened in Fulton Market.
I have vivid memories of walking through the Fulton Market District in the 1960s with my father. Back then it was all also about the food, but not the kind that came with a wine list! We went for the essentials like our weekly meat, fish and produce. Fulton Market was a daily early morning destination for restaurant owners and local grocers, who would come to source ingredients from vendors located inside the massive warehouse buildings that defined the district. While it was mostly a place for those in the trade, a few regular families like ours came to shop too. It was loud and chaotic and I loved it!
Over the last two decades, Fulton Market has undergone a dramatic transformation: as the meatpacking industry moved out, restaurants and entrepreneurs moved in. The bones of the old industrial buildings and warehouses – exposed brick, high ceilings, and iron beams – were the perfect foundation for reinvention. Some of the original cobblestone streets remain, particularly in the core historic areas near Fulton Street between Halsted and Racine.
Today, many of Chicago’s most popular restaurants are located in Fulton Market along with gorgeous loft-style offices and luxury condos and apartments. And, of course, Google too – though of course it will move to the Thompson Center in 2026. In fact, the building that is now home to Swift & Sons, one of the city’s best steakhouses, was once owned by a client! A few of my favorite Fulton Market restaurants: Beatrix for breakfast and coffee, Rose Mary for Italian, and Aba for the best Mediterranean.
Fulton Market is a center for fun, luxury, great food and iconic Chicago architecture. It is the perfect example of something I think Chicago does particularly well: preserve history while simultaneously modernizing.
A few other quick reasons I love showing Fulton Market to clients:
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Few minute walk to world-class restaurants
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Loft-style living with high ceilings, huge windows, great natural light, and open floor plan
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Easy highway access and commute to downtown
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Many sought after schools in the area
Please reach out if you would like to discuss this amazing neighborhood more, I would love to reminisce with you!
