Urbana Fireplaces — Authorized Dealer & Luxury Gas Fireplace Installation on the North Shore
Chimney Monkey is an authorized Urbana dealer serving Chicago’s North Shore, including Winnetka, Glencoe, Highland Park and Wilmette. Urbana builds bay, linear and traditional luxury gas fireplaces in North America, with adjustable ember lighting and a wide range of liners and burner media. Call 847-994-4388.
Get in touch Call 847-994-4388
Why we love Urbana
The flame looks right
This is subjective and we’ll own that, but it’s the reason we keep specifying them. Urbana’s adjustable ember lighting and burner media options produce a fire that reads as a fire rather than as a light show. In a room where the fireplace is on every evening from October to April, that difference stops being a detail.
Range without going custom
Bay, linear, and traditional in one product family, with two- and three-sided bay configurations, tall variants, screened options, and an outdoor traditional model. That covers most of what a North Shore renovation actually asks for, at catalog lead times rather than custom ones. When a client wants a specific look but doesn’t want to wait on a custom build, this is where we go.
It finishes cleanly
Liner choices, burner media choices, and venting kits designed as a system. The units land in the opening the way the drawings said they would, which sounds like a low bar until you’ve installed enough hearth products that don’t.
Made in North America
Shorter supply lines, better parts availability, and a service path that doesn’t run through an ocean. For an appliance we expect to be servicing in fifteen years, that matters more than it does on the day of installation.
What Urbana makes
| Line | Models |
|---|---|
| Bay (two- and three-sided) | U30, U50, U70 — plus Screened and Tall variants |
| Linear | U50, U70 — plus Tall Ultra and Tall Linear Screened |
| Traditional | U33, U37, U44 (indoor and outdoor), U55 |
| Halo fire pits | 40R, 41R, 44S, 47R, 60L |
| Fuel | Gas |
| Features | Adjustable ember lights, multiple liner options, burner media choices, venting kits |
Urbana is the right call when…
- You want a contemporary gas fireplace with clean sightlines
- The project has a schedule and a custom build won’t fit it
- You want a bay unit that opens to two or three sides of a room
- You’re converting an unused wood-burning fireplace into something used daily
- You want an outdoor gas fireplace or fire pit that matches the indoor one
- The look matters more than the heat output — and you want to be honest about that
If the opening is a size nobody makes, or the drawing calls for something genuinely unusual, Acucraft is the better path.
Installing an Urbana on the North Shore
Venting decides the location. Direct-vent gas fireplaces have tested vent configurations with limits on total length and number of elbows. In our housing stock — lots of two- and three-story homes, finished attics, and additions built over additions — the vent path is the constraint that determines where the fireplace can actually go. We check it first.
Termination clearances matter more than people expect. Vent terminations have required clearances to windows, doors, soffits, decks, gas meters, and property lines. On the tight lots common in Wilmette, Evanston, and parts of Winnetka, that regularly rules out the wall everyone assumed the fireplace would sit on. Better to know in week one.
Converting an existing masonry fireplace. A common North Shore project: an old, unused wood-burning firebox becomes an Urbana gas unit. That’s not a drop-in. It requires an inspection of the existing flue and firebox, a new listed liner sized for the appliance, and a properly sealed and supported installation. We inspect before we quote, because what we find in the flue changes the scope.
Gas load, verified. We confirm the existing gas supply can carry the new appliance alongside everything else in the house before it’s specified.
Commissioning and documentation. We start the unit, verify operation, photograph the installation, and walk you through the controls and the annual service the manufacturer expects.
What Chimney Monkey does on an Urbana project
Site evaluation and venting feasibility · unit selection and configuration · liner and media selection · framing and rough-in coordination · flue relining where we’re converting an existing fireplace · surround and hearth masonry by our own crew · chase, flashing, and termination detailing · installation, commissioning, and a documented walkthrough · ongoing annual service.
Chimney Monkey has served Chicago’s North Shore since 2017 from Buffalo Grove, with masons, inspectors, and researchers on staff and more than 1,100 Google reviews.
Common questions
Is Chimney Monkey an authorized Urbana dealer?
Yes. Chimney Monkey is an authorized Urbana dealer for Chicago’s North Shore. We specify, install, and service Urbana gas fireplaces in Winnetka, Glencoe, Highland Park, Wilmette, Deerfield, and Northbrook, handling venting, framing coordination, masonry surrounds, and commissioning from our Buffalo Grove location.
Can an Urbana fireplace replace my existing wood-burning fireplace?
Frequently, yes — it’s one of the most common projects we do. It requires an inspection of the existing firebox and flue, a listed liner sized to the new appliance, and proper sealing and support. We inspect first, because the condition of the existing flue determines the scope and the cost.
What’s the difference between a bay and a linear Urbana fireplace?
A bay unit projects into the room and is visible from two or three sides, which suits open floor plans and corner locations. A linear unit sits flush in the wall with a wide, low opening and a contemporary profile. The choice is usually driven by the room’s geometry and how many angles the fire needs to be seen from.
Does an Urbana gas fireplace produce real heat?
Yes, though output varies by model and configuration. If heating the room is a primary goal rather than a bonus, tell us during design — that changes which model and which venting configuration we recommend, and in some cases points toward an Enviro insert or stove instead.
How often does a gas fireplace need service?
Annually. Gas fireplaces accumulate debris on the burner and glass, the venting needs verification, and the safety controls need testing. We service Urbana units and other gas hearth appliances across the North Shore.
Do you install Urbana Halo fire pits?
Yes. Urbana’s Halo fire pits run gas and pair naturally with an outdoor Urbana fireplace. Outdoor gas features need a properly sized and permitted gas run, which we handle as part of the project.
Urbana installation across Chicago’s North Shore
Winnetka · Glencoe · Highland Park · Wilmette · Northbrook · Deerfield · Glenview · Lake Forest · Evanston · Buffalo Grove · Skokie · Lake Bluff · Highwood
Get in touch Call 847-994-4388
Chimney Monkey · 741 Hastings Dr, Buffalo Grove, IL 60089.
More brands we love: Acucraft · Enviro · Mason-Lite · Stûv · Lexington Hearth · All brands