Permanent Roofline & Christmas Lights in Uptown, Chicago
Custom Christmas lighting and permanent roofline lighting for Uptown, designed for terra cotta facades and courtyard buildings from the neighborhood's Jazz Age boom.
Christmas lights from $799 · Permanent roofline from about $3,000
The Unique Charm of Uptown
Uptown runs from Foster Avenue south to Montrose and Irving Park, and from the lake west to Ravenswood and Clark. In the early twentieth century it was the largest commercial and entertainment district in Chicagoland outside the Loop, and the buildings from that boom are still standing. The Uptown Theatre, designed by Rapp and Rapp in 1926 with nearly 4,500 seats, is the largest in Chicago. The Aragon Ballroom at Lawrence and Winthrop hosted most of the country's well known jazz groups through the 1920s and 1930s. The Green Mill at 4802 North Broadway was modelled on the Moulin Rouge gardens, and Chaplin and Gloria Swanson made films at Essanay Studios on Argyle. Three Red Line stations serve it: Argyle, Lawrence and Wilson. Three historic districts cover much of it.
Our Services in Uptown
From magical Christmas displays to permanent architectural lighting, we have professional solutions for every property and every season.
Residential Holiday Lighting
Uptown's residential stock is courtyard apartment buildings and walk ups rather than detached houses, so the work is elevation by elevation. A U shaped courtyard building has a street face everyone sees and inner faces only residents see, and those are separate decisions. Nothing gets fastened into terra cotta or cut stone. Every residential package is all inclusive: custom design, install, mid season maintenance, takedown and storage.
Commercial Holiday Lighting
Broadway, Lawrence and Argyle carry the commercial life, in front of building stock built to be looked at. Outlining a top edge or a marquee line works with facades that were designed for display in the first place, which is a rare advantage.
Permanent roofline lighting in Uptown
Uptown is mostly courtyard buildings and walk ups, so permanent lighting is a building decision more than a household one, and the plan goes to the association first. Nothing is fastened into the terra cotta, so the track follows roof edges and parapets where there is something to mount to. Once set, it runs warm white or color from your phone. Permanent systems start around $3,000 for a typical roofline. If you would rather keep it seasonal, color changing RGBW C9 lights start around $1,400 and cover Halloween through Christmas from one October install.
Terra cotta is not something you fasten to
The ornate glazed terra cotta that gives Uptown its Jazz Age face is a cladding, not a structure, and it is both brittle and effectively irreplaceable: the moulds are gone and a cracked panel is a restoration job rather than a repair. Nothing we install is drilled, screwed or anchored into it. We work from gutter and cornice edges, parapet caps and window reveals with removable fixings, and where an elevation genuinely offers no attachment point we say so rather than inventing one. Three historic districts cover much of the neighborhood, so this is a permitting question as well as a preservation one.
What an Uptown install costs
Seasonal lighting for an average house starts at $799 and up, depending on the complexity, height and access of the job. That describes a detached suburban house, which Uptown has very few of. Work here is quoted per elevation and by access: a two or three story walk up front is straightforward, a courtyard building is several elevations, and anything above the second story needs a lift rather than a ladder. We quote the whole job after we walk the roofline, never off a rate card or a square footage table.
See the full Chicagoland cost guideWhat Our Clients Say
5.0 average from 35 reviews on Google, Yelp and Facebook
- M MierGoogle★★★★★
Hanging Lights Club did an absolutely great job installing our new permanent lights. We had previously used them for our Christmas lights.After such a great experience, we decided to switch with permanent lighting. They are honest, professional and thorough with their work. It’s rare these days to find a company that you could trust and they exceeded our expectations. I highly recommend them!
- Tyler JordanGoogle★★★★★
This team is extremely professional and goes way above and beyond expectations. Will be using them every year!
- Mary McAnallyGoogle★★★★★
I feel so lucky to have found them! They did such a great job, it looks incredible and they were so easy to work with and communicate with. They spent so much time and made it look absolutely amazing.. I highly highly recommend them!
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Get your free Uptown quote
Tell us about your property and we will quote seasonal, color changing or permanent lighting, with an honest take on which one fits.