My walking tour: The Edgewater neighborhood

The scene from Kathy Osterman Beach (Allan Scott Walker)

For over 100 years, the Edgewater neighborhood in Chicago has been one of the city's landmark communities. And in recent years, this lakefront community area has been one of the most diverse communities in the United States, with over 70 ethnic groups living in the area. It's landmarks are represented in my walking tour, as represented by this map:

   
The Swedish-American Museum at 5200 is a special venue, representing the Swedes who founded the Edgewater neighborhood of Andersonville in the late 19th century. King Carl XVI of Sweden was present at its founding. This week, it is being used as a strike camp for Chicago Public School teachers.

Edgewater Beach Apartments is the only remaining part of the Edgewater Beach Hotel complex, started by Marshall and Fox in 1918. This massive, Spanish-style “Pink Palace” was connected to the hotel by a three-block beach promenade for decades.