5841 S. Elizabeth and 5863 S. May


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5841 S. Elizabeth and 5863 S. May
Posted by: Chistorian51 ()
Date: November 14, 2014 10:48AM

I drive past here weekly and always wonder about the structures at these addresses. The are parallel to the old tracks but Im not sure if they were railroad related. Check out the google aerial views and street views, anybody have any info on what these are remnants of?

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Re: 5841 S. Elizabeth and 5863 S. May
Posted by: WayOutWardell ()
Date: November 15, 2014 12:44AM

Interesting find!

Just based on how they look from above they're probably related to sidings which led whatever businesses were there, from the main line. It looks like there were several right along here - there looks to be another remnant between Throop and Ada, too.

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Re: 5841 S. Elizabeth and 5863 S. May
Posted by: ldkleidon ()
Date: November 15, 2014 04:50PM

I'm about 99% certain that those concrete structures were coal pockets for the many coal yards that were pretty prevalent throughout the city till the 1940s & 1950s. The coal was sold by different grades(sizes of the chunks) which explains the bin-like pockets. The railroad coal hopper cars would be positioned over the proper bin and dumped.

I grew up on 58th & Campbell(a little over a mile west) during the '50s & '60s. Most of the houses in my neighborhood had been converted to natural gas boilers(forced air heat wasn't very common when those houses were built)but it wasn't that uncommon to see the coal truck dump a couple of tons on the street and a laborer spend the whole day moving it to the basement of the house with his scoop shovel and a wheelbarrow.

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Re: 5841 S. Elizabeth and 5863 S. May
Posted by: rjmachon ()
Date: November 17, 2014 07:16PM

Here is an a older street view of 5833 S. May from 2007.

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.7876471,-87.6534749,3a,75y,90.97h,92.21t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sXdZw1XiuzdhYvuWoMBQijw!2e0

and 2011,

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.7876586,-87.6534751,3a,75y,90.97h,92.21t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sg7H29heB1zM9caUl28LlZg!2e0

I saw similar concrete structures on the north side at Bell Fuels in the late 1960's.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/17/2014 07:26PM by rjmachon.

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3757 West 57th Street, Chicago ( The Hamlin Club)
Posted by: Leila O'Shea ()
Date: August 01, 2015 04:12PM

I'm Researching my children's great grandfather and from what I can deduce he owned this building during the years 1920 through 1930 or 31. He was a real estate broker at that time. Does anyone have any idea of his having owned this?

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Re: Hamlin Club
Date: August 04, 2015 02:06AM

Can't say I ever heard of it, but looking at www.historicaerials.com/?poi=9875 it sure looks like that club has been there since 1938.

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