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Another forgotten Chicago road: Columbia Malt Dr.
Posted by:
MisterDrexciya
(---.adsl.online.nl)
Date: June 12, 2014 06:52PM
I found out that there once was a Columbia Malt Drive on the SE side (acc. my 2005 Chicagoland seven county street atlas from American Map). The road (or what's left of it) runs in parallel with the B&O railroad and runs from 100th street, just north of the Chicago Skyway, SE to a dirt field just west of the IL/IN stateline.
This road once provided access to the long-gone Albert Schwill / Falstaff Malting Brewery ("plant 11"). Google maps does not show and list that road anymore, neither are there any streetsigns mentioning this road. It's now just another gritty, no-mans land fringe part of Chicago, crossed by busy highways & railroads, high-voltage lines and covered in trash and weeds.
Does anyone have any stories about this road and brewery/maltery? This place radiates strange vibes (if there is such a thing)...
More info on that brewery/maltery: http://www.falstaffbrewing.com/falstaff-brewery-photo.htm
This road once provided access to the long-gone Albert Schwill / Falstaff Malting Brewery ("plant 11"). Google maps does not show and list that road anymore, neither are there any streetsigns mentioning this road. It's now just another gritty, no-mans land fringe part of Chicago, crossed by busy highways & railroads, high-voltage lines and covered in trash and weeds.
Does anyone have any stories about this road and brewery/maltery? This place radiates strange vibes (if there is such a thing)...
More info on that brewery/maltery: http://www.falstaffbrewing.com/falstaff-brewery-photo.htm
Re: Another forgotten Chicago road: Columbia Malt Dr.
Posted by:
bowler
(---.chipublib.org)
Date: June 12, 2014 08:29PM
Google Maps does show a Columbia Malt Drive running Northeast from 105th St. and connecting with Indianapolis Drive:
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.7046449,-87.5268547,18z
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.7046449,-87.5268547,18z
Re: Another forgotten Chicago road: Columbia Malt Dr.
Posted by:
bowler
(---.chipublib.org)
Date: June 12, 2014 08:36PM
According to the street guide listed at the Chicago Historical Society:
Columbia Malt Drive, 3960E 10456 to 10548S Street facing the Columbia Malting Company the
closed in 1964.
http://www.chsmedia.org/househistory/namechanges/start.pdf
Columbia Malt Drive, 3960E 10456 to 10548S Street facing the Columbia Malting Company the
closed in 1964.
http://www.chsmedia.org/househistory/namechanges/start.pdf
Re: Another forgotten Chicago road: Columbia Malt Dr.
Posted by:
WayOutWardell
(---.dsl.chcgil.sbcglobal.net)
Date: June 12, 2014 11:07PM
No memories of it aside from passing it on the Skyway bridge, but it was massive. Don't know how true it is, but the lore is that they tore it down after someone fell while exploring it in the '90s.
Re: Another forgotten Chicago road: Columbia Malt Dr.
Posted by:
MisterDrexciya
(---.adsl.online.nl)
Date: June 13, 2014 09:52AM
@ bowler: I never saw that stretch before on Google Maps between 105th street and Indianapolis boulevard. For some weird reason, that stretch only shows up on the new version of Maps but not on the classical version.
On satellite view, there's no road anymore to be seen. Time to check out historic aerials...
@WayOutWardell: a bit OT but there are similar silos still standing at Damen and 29th, just north of the Stevenson's. Great location for movie shooting, urban exploration but quite dangerous to climb.
http://newcity.com/2010/06/02/grain-of-truth-taking-stock-of-the-relics-of-chicagos-era-as-the-worlds-stacker-of-wheat/
On satellite view, there's no road anymore to be seen. Time to check out historic aerials...
@WayOutWardell: a bit OT but there are similar silos still standing at Damen and 29th, just north of the Stevenson's. Great location for movie shooting, urban exploration but quite dangerous to climb.
http://newcity.com/2010/06/02/grain-of-truth-taking-stock-of-the-relics-of-chicagos-era-as-the-worlds-stacker-of-wheat/
Re: Another forgotten Chicago road: Columbia Malt Dr.
Posted by:
WayOutWardell
(199.101.76.---)
Date: June 13, 2014 02:46PM
September 15, 1990 Tribune:
The shuttered Falstaff Brewing Co. plant, with its broken windows and peeling paint, has for many years been an eyesore for Southeast Side residents and drivers along the Chicago Skyway.
Yet, despite the ``no trespassing`` signs and the barbed-wire fence that encloses what was once the brewer`s malting division, the site can look like a great adventureland for a bored kid.
``It`s humongous. It`s empty. It attracts the kids because it has so much possibility,`` Lolly Rodriguez said.
``It`s a big monster of a place to play,`` said her husband, Bob.
For Ricky Rodriguez, their 10-year-old cousin, the forbidden clubhouse became a death trap.
On April 26, the boy and four friends climbed 15 flights of stairs to the top of a grain silo inside the factory grounds. According to police, Ricky lost his balance as he was jumping up and down on a large conveyor belt and fell through a hole to his death.
The shuttered Falstaff Brewing Co. plant, with its broken windows and peeling paint, has for many years been an eyesore for Southeast Side residents and drivers along the Chicago Skyway.
Yet, despite the ``no trespassing`` signs and the barbed-wire fence that encloses what was once the brewer`s malting division, the site can look like a great adventureland for a bored kid.
``It`s humongous. It`s empty. It attracts the kids because it has so much possibility,`` Lolly Rodriguez said.
``It`s a big monster of a place to play,`` said her husband, Bob.
For Ricky Rodriguez, their 10-year-old cousin, the forbidden clubhouse became a death trap.
On April 26, the boy and four friends climbed 15 flights of stairs to the top of a grain silo inside the factory grounds. According to police, Ricky lost his balance as he was jumping up and down on a large conveyor belt and fell through a hole to his death.
Re: Another forgotten Chicago road: Columbia Malt Dr.
Posted by:
MisterDrexciya
(---.adsl.online.nl)
Date: June 13, 2014 05:10PM
Intriguing story, Wardell. I just found out that there's more to it, the story was more like a Stephen King-uesque novel:
"More tragedy hits, this time at the old Falstaff grain elevators on the south side of Chicago. Ignoring their parents' warnings not to go there, 10 year old Ricky Rodriguez falls to his death while playing in plant 11 near Chicago. Ricky was bouncing on conveyor belts in the plant with two other boys when he fell through a 3 x 5 foot hole which was used as as inspection port at the top of the silo. The others, afraid to tell the authorities what has happened, says the boy has been kidnapped. Ricky's body is found five months later when one of the older boys has nightmares about the accident and finally tells his girlfriend what has happened. Community pressure builds and the site is finally torn down. Source: Ft Wayne Brewkettles - thanks to Tom Clark"
http://www.falstaffbrewing.com/interest.htm
http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20113667,00.html
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/13/2014 05:13PM by MisterDrexciya.
"More tragedy hits, this time at the old Falstaff grain elevators on the south side of Chicago. Ignoring their parents' warnings not to go there, 10 year old Ricky Rodriguez falls to his death while playing in plant 11 near Chicago. Ricky was bouncing on conveyor belts in the plant with two other boys when he fell through a 3 x 5 foot hole which was used as as inspection port at the top of the silo. The others, afraid to tell the authorities what has happened, says the boy has been kidnapped. Ricky's body is found five months later when one of the older boys has nightmares about the accident and finally tells his girlfriend what has happened. Community pressure builds and the site is finally torn down. Source: Ft Wayne Brewkettles - thanks to Tom Clark"
http://www.falstaffbrewing.com/interest.htm
http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20113667,00.html
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/13/2014 05:13PM by MisterDrexciya.
