St James Lutheran School is a Christian private school in Lincoln Park founded on the principles of knowledge, inquiry, discovery and success. Located in Chicago’s North Side, the school serves many of the surrounding neighborhoods, as well as the areas covered by the 60614 and 60657 zip codes. We strive to improve every aspect of our students’ academic work. It is so important to us that every child receive the dedication of their teachers and the specialized learning required to achieve that strengthening. It is our aim to shape our students into a faith-nurtured and well-rounded individual.
Some of Our Academic Programs
- Elementary School (grades 1-4)
- Pre Kindergarten
- Preschool
- Middle School (grades 5-8)
Lincoln Park, Chicago
This notable neighborhood has humble beginnings stemming from the creation of a small cemetery in 1837. The city of Chicago designated a small piece of land as a cemetery for local residents, and it was used as such for many years. In 1864, it was deemed a health hazard. The land was repurposed as a park, called Lake Park at the time, but later renamed Lincoln Park to honor President Lincoln after his assassination in 1865. This park (Chicago’s largest at 1.2 thousand acres) is the entity for which the neighborhood was named.
The first inhabitants here were largely German immigrants, many of whom were farmers, often of cabbages. Like much of Chicago’s North Side, the area also attracted a large number of Polish immigrants and others from Eastern Europe. Lincoln Park was also home to the very first Puerto Rican immigrants in Chicago until they were later displaced by the rising costs of the neighborhood.
After the Great Fire in 1871 devastated much of the neighborhood, residents of Lincoln Park worked quickly to rebuild their community and move forward. A number of industrial factories sprang up throughout the area, providing work for many of the working-class residents on the western side of the neighborhood. The eastern side was home to middle-class families and upper-class business owners residing in impressive mansions.
After the conclusion of World War II, residents of many of Chicago’s neighborhoods were concerned with the conservation of their communities, and this neighborhood was no exception. In 1954 the Lincoln Park Conservation Association was formed and projects focused on urban renewal began throughout the neighborhood. Also during this time, Lincoln Park saw its first influx of Puerto Rican immigrants, a trend that would continue through the 1970s.
As time went on and renewal efforts continued, the Lincoln Park neighborhood became an increasingly expensive place to live, which made it increasingly difficult for many of its low-income residents to remain in the area, ultimately leading to the movement of many such individuals to other parts of Chicago.
Throughout its history, this neighborhood has cemented its status as a culturally significant area of Chicago. A number of museums covering a wide range of subjects are located in the area, as well as DePaul University and the Lincoln Park Zoo. The neighborhood also contains a number of Chicago’s most architecturally significant churches. One notable example of these churches is St. James Lutheran Church. The congregation was originally established by German immigrants in 1857 and is today a part of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Since then we have been able to open the St James Lutheran School, and we’ve been serving our community and congregation faithfully to this day.
