Wicker Park Getting Another Place to Hold All our Money

By Timmy Watson in News on Mar 24, 2007 6:50PM

We are growing here at Chicagoist, recently adding some new faces to the group so that we can provide you with plenty of mind candy. That's why we are sad to report that one of our satellite offices is closing down. The Chicago Journal, via Gapers Block, reports that Filter, in Wicker Park, is closing. Swank Frank, our favorite place to get a fried twinkie at 2 a.m. will also be closing.

Bank of America, who expects to be in by 2007 or 2008, will be taking over the spot. Our favorite part of the article is the first line, "Wicker Park hipsters, hold onto your berets, because you just got gentrified." Because, you aren't gentrified when you have two banks on the corner, you are gentrified when you've got three.

Bucktown-Wicker Park Chamber of Commerce executive director Paula Barrington said she hates to see Filter leave, but "we certainly welcome additional financial institutions into the community, and we encourage them to invest in the neighborhood." Because, what developers need are more sources for construction financing in the area. Pretty much every day we walk down the street and curse Wicker Park for their lack of options for free checking or home equity loans.

While we are extremely sad to see this happen, it was undeniably inevitable. Bob Berger, the building's owner, hasn't released any information regarding the move. We talked to people about this last night and the overall feeling was dismay, most people responding that they don't visit either of the spots, but as staples in the neighborhood and the bank moving isn't a positive thing for the neighborhood. We, on the other hand, will mourn those dirty old couches we spent many hours working on.