pole in 5900 block of N. Western


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pole in 5900 block of N. Western
Posted by: Deejo (74.222.36.---)
Date: November 01, 2010 01:05AM

On the west side of the street in the 5900 block of N. Western, there is a single, thin pole standing in the parkway. It is visible on Google Streetview - it is between the red pickup and the silver car parked along the west side of the street.

It is not a light pole (too thin). It does not appear in real life to be connected to any wires (on Streetview it does kind of look like it is connected to wires, but in reality it is not).

Is it an old trolley pole? Is it a pole for a now-defunct eruv? Is there some other explanation?

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Re: pole in 5900 block of N. Western
Posted by: 222psm (---.br.br.cox.net)
Date: November 01, 2010 10:20AM

It's possible it may be a pole the car dealership used to hang those muti-color triangle flags from. I seem to remember some other Western dealerships back in the day had those poles in the sidewalk further south.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/01/2010 11:01PM by 222psm.

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Re: pole in 5900 block of N. Western
Posted by: davey7 (---.dsl.chcgil.ameritech.net)
Date: November 01, 2010 08:18PM

Looks too thin to have been from the Trolley bus wires to me, but maybe it could have been...

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Re: pole in 5900 block of N. Western
Posted by: davey7 (---.dsl.chcgil.ameritech.net)
Date: November 09, 2010 04:58PM

I just drove up the stretch north of here and could have sworn I saw another just past (north) of Devon... I think I'd just forgotten this was south of Peterson across from the cemetery, not Warren Park.

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Re: pole in 5900 block of N. Western
Posted by: rjmachon (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: January 22, 2014 09:22PM

Whatever that pole was, it was still standing in the Google Street view of July 2011.

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Re: pole in 5900 block of N. Western
Posted by: Richard Stachowski (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: January 22, 2014 09:44PM

[b]I couldn't find it.[/b]

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Re: pole in 5900 block of N. Western
Posted by: rjmachon (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: January 22, 2014 09:59PM

It is just left of the Yellow Cab, 2127 when you look at the street view. It is also on the west side of the street.

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Re: pole in 5900 block of N. Western
Posted by: Mr Downtown (---.c3-0.drb-ubr1.chi-drb.il.cable.rcn.com)
Date: January 22, 2014 11:51PM

Much too thin to support streetcar or trolleybus wire. And Western never had trolleybuses.

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Re: pole in 5900 block of N. Western
Posted by: rjmachon (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: January 22, 2014 11:58PM

In the mid 1970's there use to be houses on the west side of the street. I wonder if someone put up a flag pole?

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Re: pole in 5900 block of N. Western
Posted by: WayOutWardell (---.dsl.chcgil.sbcglobal.net)
Date: January 23, 2014 01:32AM

In 1964, there's a listing for Commonwealth Plumbing at 5910 N. Western. Wonder if it has something to do with that.
Is that a finial on top of the pole or is it part of the tree?

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Re: pole in 5900 block of N. Western
Posted by: rjmachon (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: January 24, 2014 04:46PM

Thanks for reminding me WayOutWardell about the plumbing company there. This company put up a flag pole and was flying a US flag in the mid to late 1970's before the car dealer ship brought the property.

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Re: pole in 5900 block of N. Western
Posted by: WayOutWardell (---.dsl.chcgil.sbcglobal.net)
Date: January 27, 2014 07:27PM

I was curious about the car dealership, so some digging led me to find that 5940 N. Western was once Dick Johnson Pontiac. Mr. Johnson's 1988 obituary says he owned it until 1955, so a dealership has been there at least 60 years.

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Re: pole in 5900 block of N. Western
Posted by: rjmachon (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: January 28, 2014 05:42PM

The dealership was there, just north of the houses on Western Avenue. You can see the houses in the 1972 Historic Aerial photo. In the 1988 photo you can see that the dealership added on to the south, to Thorndale. The dealership at 5940 North Western, Dick Johnston Pontiac owned the property from 5928 to 5940 North Western according to city records. So the property at 5910 North Western was there in 1972. I am sure those houses were there in 1976, but I can't recall when they were torn down.

There was Northwestern Chrysler Plymouth dealership there around 1982. I believe they added on to the property to the south. My friend work there around 1989.

According to Cook County Assessor's Office, the car dealership now at 5916 North Western, Napleton has only been there 16 years. They own the whole side of the block from Peterson to Thorndale.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/28/2014 08:48PM by rjmachon.

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