I know the tourist office at the water tower has old Chicago signs for sale, although from what I recall they were mostly CTA signs. Finding those specific signs is probably like looking for a needle in a haystack.
There is always eBay!!!
How much are you willing to spend?
http://cgi.ebay.com/AUTHENTIC-CHICAGO-STREET-ROAD-SIGNS-STATE-MADISON_W0QQitemZ220264971744QQcmdZViewItem?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116
As JSK said, probably hard to find specific streets.
No, feel free to google it though.
This is what I found: http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/portalContentItemAction.do?BV_SessionID=@@@@0017619609.1218599081@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccdadeeligfgfecefecelldffhdfho.0&contentOID=536893165&contenTypeName=COC_EDITORIAL&topChannelName=SubAgency&blockName=Tourism%2FVisitor+Services%2FI+Want+To&context=dept&channelId=0&programId=0&entityName=Tourism&deptMainCategoryOID=-536884399
no contact info though. You may want to contact the streets department directly, perhaps that would provide some leads. Again, I wouldn't get my hopes up.
In the 1970s the City of Chicago had an ad in one of the large papers advertising the yellow signs that were removed for sale. A lady that I am friends with in my neighborhood called the number and they sent her a post card that she had to fill out with the ones that she wanted. The called her a few weeks later and told her to pick them up somewhere in the city. She got the signs for the street where she grew up at 28th & Kenneth in Little Village. The weird thing is she wanted the 30th and not the 28th sign because she grew up at the south end of the 2800 block. There was no 2900 block in that neighborhood so the sign she always saw was the one for 30th & Kenneth. They still hang in her Berwyn back yard today.
I also know another woman that has the yellow sign for Berwyn Ave. in Chicago hanging in her Berwyn back yard. I have been trying to buy it off of her. I am getting close to her caving in! :)
Oh, also when I was a kid my next door neighbor in North Berwyn had a Taylor Street sign (they were Itallians from the old neighborhood), unfortunately he has since passed away and the sign is long gone.
In my collection I have a 31st St. sign from the early 1900s from Cicero IL that was dug up in the back yard of a guy that I know who lives right off of 31st & Cicero Ave. He found it while metal detecting! How cool is that!
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/14/2009 03:08AM by Berwyn Frank.
N. State St & W. Madison Ave. Amazing condition, never hung signs. I spoke to the seller and he said that they came from the estate of an old Chicago cop. Auction ends in a couple of days.
I saw one today at an estate in Oak Park. S Bonfield. The thing is I could tell it was painted over a sign for W 8_ Ave. Not sure if it was authentic or not. I left it there.