North Avenue stores from Central to Harlem Ave


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North Avenue stores from Central to Harlem Ave
Posted by: spine (---.98.20.98.dynamic.ip.windstream.net)
Date: May 27, 2014 01:38PM

I lived right off North Avenue just west of Central, I am trying to remember the store's there in the 50's and 60's. I do remember quite a few but I forgot quite a few too. Anybody from that area ?

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Re: North Avenue stores from Central to Harlem Ave
Posted by: mikebos (---.hsd1.tn.comcast.net)
Date: May 27, 2014 11:36PM

ok, the only thing that I can remember is the drag queen show place on the north side of North ave. just west of central. I lived just south of north ave between Cicero & Larime.

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Re: North Avenue stores from Central to Harlem Ave
Posted by: spine (---.99.20.98.dynamic.ip.windstream.net)
Date: June 03, 2014 01:08AM

Yes it was called The Blue Danube .

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Re: North Avenue stores from Central to Harlem Ave
Posted by: Dunning1 (---.dhs.gov)
Date: June 03, 2014 12:29PM

Actually, it was the Blue Dahlia Show Lounge, located at 5640 W. North Avenue. My aunt and uncle were night club types, and I remember some vague references to the place as a kid. My father would get really upset when they mentioned it within earshot of us kids. Interestingly enough, I believe the owner lived somewhere on Wabansia, near Sam DeStefano at Wabansia and Sayre.
One place I have memories of is the Ferrera Manor banquet hall, which was probably about just across the street from the Blue Dahlia, on the south side of North Avenue just west of Central. I can remember several family affairs taking place there over the years. It was a remodeled theatre and quite nice.
I recently read about the Walgreens at Mobile and North Avenue being scheduled to close, but I remember that before the Walgreens was there, Rosario D. Salerno's Sons Funeral home was there. I was always kinda fascinated by the building as while the main building was built up on the hill like the current Walgreens, there was a garage door facing out onto North Avenue built into the face of the hill which must have led to a basement garage at the funeral home. The trolley bus terminal at North and Narragansett used to have a small snack shop in the turn around, where the Dunkin Donuts now sits. Our family dentist, Dr. McDonald, had an office across the street in the Rossel Building, and my mother would take us there for lunch after a dentist visit. The turnaround was also interesting because of the unusual CTA service there. As the North Avenue bus was a trolley bus, rather than extend the bus to the city limits, the CTA combined a North Avenue extension to Harlem with the Narragansett bus, as well as an extension of the Irving Park trolley bus, which ended at Neenah Avenue, to Cumberland. The bus, therefore, ran east on North Avenue to Narragansett, connected with the North Avenue trolley bus, turned north on Narragansett to Irving Park, then turned west, connected with the Irving Park trolley at Neenah, and continued west to Irving and Cumberland. While we travelled on North Avenue a lot, our family actually did a lot more shopping and such at North and Pulaski, and as our family doctor, Dr. Jacobs, had his office over the old Tiffin Theatre, I have a lot more memories of that area than further west on North Avenue.

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Re: North Avenue stores from Central to Harlem Ave
Posted by: Bill_Baar (---.8.81.66.valencehealth.com)
Date: June 24, 2014 01:52PM

There were some pretty good lookin guys at the Blue Dahlia,
http://queermusicheritage.com/fem-blue.html

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Re: North Avenue stores from Central to Harlem Ave
Posted by: the_mogra (---.hfc.comcastbusiness.net)
Date: October 08, 2015 03:18PM

in the '70s I enjoyed a restaurant @ 6822 w. north ave that I can't remember the name of anymore (no, before Amarinds). and I went to MusiCraft a lot in the 7000 block (the Oak Park side) for fancy stereo equipment back then too

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Re: North Avenue stores from Central to Harlem Ave
Posted by: Dunning1 (---.dhs.gov)
Date: October 08, 2015 03:25PM

I was actually down on North Avenue yesterday. My dentist moved about a year ago to a new building on North just east of Harlem. I remember the restaurant you are talking about, on the north side of North just west of Oak Park. Our second dentist had his office over it probably back in the early 197os before moving to Cameo Towers. Do you remember the pet store that was in the building that was replaced by the strip mall? It took up several of the storefronts. Also, on the Oak Park side there was a large funeral home, Columbian Funeral Home (?) that seems to have moved to Grand near Mannheim Road. I also bought my first new car at Park Chrysler Plymouth which was at about 6600 W. North Avenue on the Chicago side. I noticed that the Onion Roll Deli is still operating, I have to stop in there some time. On Harlem, just south of North, on the east side of the street, there is a really interesting 1950s style building that has rounded, enclosed balconies coming out from the middle of the building just on the top floor. Always wondered about that building!

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Re: North Avenue stores from Central to Harlem Ave
Posted by: the_mogra (---.hfc.comcastbusiness.net)
Date: October 08, 2015 03:56PM

how could I forget - Van Oak's Pet Shop, 6808 w. north ave, a favorite of mine in the '70s - early '80s. that whole corner was wiped for a strip mall by the time the '90s came around

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Re: North Avenue stores from Central to Harlem Ave
Posted by: PKDickman (---.lightspeed.cicril.sbcglobal.net)
Date: October 08, 2015 07:37PM

Dunning1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was actually down on North Avenue yesterday. My
> dentist moved about a year ago to a new building
> on North just east of Harlem. I remember the
> restaurant you are talking about, on the north
> side of North just west of Oak Park. Our second
> dentist had his office over it probably back in
> the early 197os before moving to Cameo Towers. Do
> you remember the pet store that was in the
> building that was replaced by the strip mall? It
> took up several of the storefronts. Also, on the
> Oak Park side there was a large funeral home,
> Columbian Funeral Home (?) that seems to have
> moved to Grand near Mannheim Road. I also bought
> my first new car at Park Chrysler Plymouth which
> was at about 6600 W. North Avenue on the Chicago
> side. I noticed that the Onion Roll Deli is still
> operating, I have to stop in there some time. On
> Harlem, just south of North, on the east side of
> the street, there is a really interesting 1950s
> style building that has rounded, enclosed
> balconies coming out from the middle of the
> building just on the top floor. Always wondered
> about that building!

The funeral home on grand was always Columbian (now Cuneo Columbian)
The one on North was Columbian Chapels. I don't know if they were affiliated.

I rode the bus past Columbian Chapels for a decade, there were always Mafioso looking types climbing out of limos, dressed to the nines. I always suspected it to be a gambling den.

They tore it (and the convalescent home next door) down 10 years ago to build a bank that promptly went out of business. I think it's still vacant.

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Re: North Avenue stores from Central to Harlem Ave
Posted by: Jeff_Weiner (---.sub-70-194-99.myvzw.com)
Date: December 27, 2015 11:33PM

Btt.

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Re: North Avenue stores from Central to Harlem Ave
Posted by: Jeff_Weiner (---.sub-70-194-98.myvzw.com)
Date: January 30, 2016 03:44AM

BTT!

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