Bridgeport Tour...
Bridgeport Tour...
Posted by: caryatid62 (64.107.62.---)
Date: December 03, 2010 08:48PM

Hi-

First post here...excited to find this site.

I'm a teacher of Chicago History and I'm taking my students on a tour of Bridgeport/Bronzeville next week. We're getting off at the 35th St. El stop, then walking to Daley's home, down past Schaller's Pump and Shinnick's, then over to Chicago Chicken and Waffles, highlting the former Stateway Gardens and Robert Taylor on the way.

I'm wondering if anyone out there knows of anything else I should note while we're doing this tour. Basically, we're talking 35th-Pershing road (N-S) and Halsted to MLK (W-E). Is there anything else along the way that I should mention?

Thanks much!

Re: Bridgeport Tour...
Posted by: WayOutWardell (---.dsl.chcgil.sbcglobal.net)
Date: December 04, 2010 01:02AM

If you're going east on 35th, you'll pass De La Salle Institute, where the Mayors Daley went...and if you get a chance, stop into Meyer Ace Hardware on 35th and Calumet. It used to be a popular black-and-tan known as the Sunset Cafe (later the Grand Terrace) and there are still remnants of its nightclub days inside.
The Chicago Chicken & Waffles is actually in the building that used to contain the first version of the Grand Terrace, before moving to the Sunset Cafe. Have fun!

Re: Bridgeport Tour...
Posted by: daveg (---.lightspeed.joltil.sbcglobal.net)
Date: December 04, 2010 12:52PM

Welcome caryatid62. This is a friendly place to visit for all things Chicago.

Have fun with your students on the tour. And yes the Daley's attended De La Salle on 35th and Wabash. So did I. ;-)

As WayOutWardell has mentioned, lots of other interesting things to see in these areas.

Re: Bridgeport Tour...
Posted by: caryatid62 (64.107.62.---)
Date: December 06, 2010 07:39PM

Thanks for the recommendations! I'll let you know how it goes...

Re: Bridgeport Tour...
Posted by: ChicagoJoe (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: December 06, 2010 10:02PM

Somebody on this site probably has more details on this. The large building across the Ryan from Cellular Field was the state’s first woman college. I think it is a large red building.

Re: Bridgeport Tour...
Posted by: Elaine W (192.175.17.---)
Date: December 06, 2010 11:30PM

Chicago Joe--I think you're referring to some of the buildings on the IIT campus, but I don't think it was a women's college (and certainly not the first in Illinois). Most people know about all the Mies van der Rohe buildings at IIT, but the campus does include a couple of red-brick, 19th century building from Armour Institute (predecessor of IIT). According to the listing in "AIA Guide to Chicago" what is now the "Main Building" at IIT (1891-93, Patton & Fisher, architects) originally housed the "girl's department" at Armour Institute. Even late 19th century colleges that were ostensibly coeducational typically had separate sections for male and female students, which apparently was the case with Armour Institute.

Re: Bridgeport Tour...
Posted by: ChicagoJoe (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: December 07, 2010 09:07AM

Elaine I read a newspaper article about twenty years ago about the red building on the IIT campus being a woman’s college. After reading your post it may have been the city’s first woman’s college.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/07/2010 09:14AM by ChicagoJoe.

Re: Bridgeport Tour...
Posted by: bwalsh (---.dsl.chcgil.sbcglobal.net)
Date: December 07, 2010 11:00AM

Here's information on the Armour Institute:

http://archives.iit.edu/armour/

Click on 'Buildings' on the left hand side for a description of the IIT buildings - when they were built, where, if they are still standing, etc.

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