Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero


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Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero
Posted by: Cragin Spring ()
Date: June 25, 2015 01:33AM

The intersection of Addison and Central on the southwest side sits Resurrection Medical Center which this hospital had so many different names through the years. The hospitals before Resurrection always had a bad reputation. Kitty corner where now the CVS pharmacy sits was Dominick's for a long time. Before in that location was a Mayflower Supermarket. I remember all the billboards lining up the parking lot.
My question is where the J.J. Peppers is on the southeast corner of Addison & Central does anyone know what sat there before? Also on Addison & Cicero there was a J.J. Peppers now a 7-11 store. Does anybody recall what was on that corner? As a kid I passed up these locations many times but can't recall what took up these 2 corners.

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Re: Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero
Posted by: the_mogra ()
Date: June 25, 2015 11:54AM

good questions, both and I wish I could be of more help. from the early '80s (at least) I recall some nondescript stores being torn down on the SE corner of Cicero & Addison (making way for the strip mall now there). I don't like strip malls--who does--but at least there's always parking. You could ask these same questions about the SE corner of Cicero & Fullerton.

Addison & Central is an intersection I frequent for a few reasons (or at least I did up until recently)--and that includes the hospital (there're constant fire department ambulances blaring up central ave to get to the emergency entrance @ Eddy), plus a good fresh grocer, the big low-priced liquor store, and Cochiarro's for carry-out pizza. there used to be a good steakhouse too, and everybody knows Poretta's

me and my young daughter used to take long lazy bike rides down Cornelia to Shabonna park to go swimming in hot weather (and enjoy great Italian lemonade at the friendly little store that used to be there on Narragansett)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2015 11:57AM by the_mogra.

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Re: Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero
Posted by: Dunning1 ()
Date: June 25, 2015 12:24PM

Actually, I remember the SE corner of Addison & Central having a Sinclair gas station and car wash. Mayflower, later Kohl's, and eventually Dominick's, was on the northeast corner, the northwest corner, where the professional building now sits, had a cream terra cotta building with a Rexall Drug store right on the corner. On Central, you can see a Chinese restaurant, but the original Catania's Jolly Inn extended around the back of the building and had doors both on Addison and Central. When the hospital bought up the corner lot from the Catania building, they moved out to Irving & Neenah and founded the banquet hall that eventually became a Polish buffet. As part of the deal, the hospital also built a new "Catania Building" on Central, just north of the alley north of Addison, but that was also torn down a few years ago and is now an empty lot. The southwest corner of Addison and Central had a three story building, yellow brick, stores on the first floor and apartments above. I really don't remember what was in the stores, but I am pretty sure it was still there in the early 1970's. Across the street, where the garage now sits, was a row of nice, oversized Chicago brick bungalows. I remember the hospital originally being "Northwest Hospital," and it was just a one story building that was mainly an emergency hospital. If you look at the front of the hospital, the first floor part of the building that is now covered with white marble was about the extent of the original hospital. I believe it had about six rooms. I was pretty familiar with it due to frequent, all night long nosebleeds. The western end of the hospital, where the clinic and parking lot now sit, was also a three story building, stores on the first floor and apartments above. This was a red brick building. I remember a television and radio store being there on the corner, possibly Shipley TV?
I'd like to suggest a good source of photos on this area that you might not be familiar with: www.trolleybuses.net Click on the Chicago dot on the map, and most of the pictures of the Addison-Central area will be under the "Marmon-Herrington" group of pictures.

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Re: Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero
Posted by: the_mogra ()
Date: June 25, 2015 01:01PM

you misunderstood, read again, I was referring to SE corner of Addison & cicero (not central) at the start of my previous post

I really hate that parking garage across Addison ave the hospital built with the overhead walkway - ugly and a structure such as that doesn't belong at all in a residential neighborhood

there was a time - mid to late '80s, that old Dominicks did a good business

corners like Addison & Central used to be reliable spots for news-stands and your sunday papers

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Re: Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero
Posted by: Dunning1 ()
Date: June 25, 2015 02:30PM

OK, the SE corner of Addison & Cicero had a two story red brick building, with parking on the south side, and housed Martin's Liquors. There was an apartment or apartments upstairs. Just to the south of it was the original Steer and Stein Restaurant, which later moved north of Addison on the west side of the street. Behind Martin's Liquors, on Addison, a diner type restaurant was built in the 1960's. Don't remember the name but it never seemed to do that well.

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Re: Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero
Posted by: Dunning1 ()
Date: June 25, 2015 02:33PM

Reading a little further, I note you also mention the SE corner of Fullerton & Cicero. Quite familiar with that corner. Do you remember Snacktime and "Uncle Gus?" Uncle Gus was my grandfather. The restaurant was owned by his nephew, also named Gus, and my grandfather worked there at nights to keep busy up to a few months before he died in 1971.

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Re: Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero
Posted by: Dunning1 ()
Date: June 25, 2015 02:35PM

And, the_mogra, when I was referring to the intersection of Addison and Central, I was attempting to answer Cragin Spring's question in the original post.

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Re: Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero
Posted by: the_mogra ()
Date: June 25, 2015 03:17PM

[i]The hospitals before Resurrection always had a bad reputation[/i]

probably because in so many cases that's where us locals went to die, if inadvertently (a practice that continues)

remember the teeny-tiny savings and loan on Belmont a bit east of the Luna theatre?

I remember the old Irving Park post office (on cicero) when it was but a block south of irving park rd and I used to wonder why they gave that up in favor of the Steinberg-baum building (probably they got a good deal)

on corners like we're talking about and many others I recall old long-disused bank buildings; the one on the NW corner of Addison & kedzie comes to mind for example. they tended to drag the immediate area down. Only Community Savings has successfully weathered all the changes the city could throw at them (thanks to the Clevens). I worry (a little) about the old Pioneer Bank building



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2015 03:19PM by the_mogra.

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Re: Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero
Posted by: rjmachon ()
Date: June 25, 2015 09:52PM

Back in 1976 the hospital at Central and Addison was called Northwest Hospital. After being in the ER there, they sent me home and then called me back because they misdiagnosed my condition. No I didn't stay there.


Before the hospital in the 1950's the Jolly Club sat here on Addison and Central. This is WhatWasThere posted for that corner,

http://www.whatwasthere.com/browse.aspx#!/ll/41.9457550048828,-87.7667388916016/id/4834/info/sv/zoom/17/

Also here a 1977 picture looking east on Addison from 5700 west. Notice, no overhead walk yet. If I am not mistaken, the original overhead walk was replaced sometime around 1990. They also added a floor to the parking garage as well.

http://www.whatwasthere.com/browse.aspx#!/ll/41.94586,-87.76872/id/53540/info/sv/zoom/17/



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2015 10:23PM by rjmachon.

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Re: Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero
Posted by: West Town ()
Date: June 26, 2015 02:12AM

The Southeast Corner of Fullerton & Cicero from early 80's to the early 90's was a walk up & drive up for Cragin Federal Savings. I worked for them from 1985 thru the take over by LaSalle Bank (ABN-AMRO) until I was laid off in 2007 when they were bought by Bank of America. The location was closed and relocated to 5525 W. Diversey.

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Re: Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero
Posted by: the_mogra ()
Date: June 26, 2015 12:24PM

on the SW corner of Fullerton & Cicero there used to be a big, though not old, bank building called CAPITOL wasn't it? That's when the Walgreen's was on the NW corner there. That bank building was a waste IMO, few people saved there and the whole darn thing got torn down.

Remember the big ECKO housewares manufacturing building at Cicero & Armitage (where Home Depot now sits)? Over the years so many locals were employed there. But I never knew the correct identity of the large factory building that was torn down to make room for the WalMart (apparently it'd been closed many years)

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Re: Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero
Posted by: Dunning1 ()
Date: June 26, 2015 01:43PM

Yes, the bank at Cicero and Fullerton was Capitol Bank. I erred yesterday in stating Snacktime was on the SE corner, it was on the NE corner of Fullerton & Cicero. My dad, who grew up at Kostner & Armitage, would tell me about how the site of the old Ekco Products factory was a softball field when he was a youth, and they had to stop playing there when the factory was built. Ekco had kind of an interesting history as it was named after the founder, Edward Katzenbach, and I understand that he got into the business by buying the scrap sheet metal punch outs from GM, the scrap from when window were punched out of a car door, and reforming them into frying pans. I remember most of the buildings along Grand Avenue where Walmart now resides as being part of Continental Can Co. Our doctor was located over the Tiffin Theater, and North and Pulaski, and I can remember driving over there and always smelling that distinctive smell of hot oil on steel when driving down Grand Avenue. They had quite a few different buildings there, and you could also hear the hiss of the machinery in summer when the windows were open.

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Re: Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero
Posted by: the_mogra ()
Date: June 26, 2015 02:20PM

yes, now that you mention it Continental Can, there was signage over those buildings to that effect that I think lingered there for probably a long time when the buildings themselves went unused

at kostner & north there were silos, but my memory's imperfect, it was a coal yard of some sort. we're talking the '60s (where the jewel/venture/cook brothers eventually situated). and at division & central park NE corner the same type of thing, silos and/or a coal yard

on diversey 4600 west you had the large printing company HALL, that folded early '80s supposedly when they lost the playboy contract (maybe they just re-located)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/26/2015 02:22PM by the_mogra.

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Re: Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero
Posted by: Dunning1 ()
Date: June 26, 2015 02:37PM

That whole Cragin-Hermosa area used to be loaded with all kinds of industry, now mostly shuttered up. I remember when the Jewel, and a Pepsi distribution center, opened up at Kostner and Grand, but I don't remember what was there before that. You might well be correct with a coal yard or something, as I remember it was vacant land. Across the street, there was a building right on the corner that used to be the Keystone Emergency Hospital. My uncle told me that they just brought the real "goners" there from accidents who weren't expected to live. When I was growing up, it was a dance school. I remember being in my grandmother's basement, on Lowell Ave., when Helene Curtis blew up back in 1963 (?). It was a pretty big deal, but she told me that there was an even bigger explosion over at Central Soya, on Laramie just south of Grand, back in the 1930s. One building that always fascinated me was the building, on the north side of Grand, just east of Cicero, that appeared to be a loading dock or warehouse of some kind. I remember it being a wood molding company, but I wonder what it was originally. A local freight depot?

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Re: Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero
Posted by: WayOutWardell ()
Date: June 26, 2015 02:47PM

A photo with the EKCO factory - probably early '60s:

[url=https://chuckmanchicagonostalgia.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/photo-chicago-cta-service-vehicle-for-trolley-bus-wires-unknown-corner-ekco-products-company-package-liquor-store-1965.jpg]EKCO Factory, '60s[/url]

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Re: Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero
Posted by: the_mogra ()
Date: June 26, 2015 03:29PM

that is quite a fine old cicero & armitage photo there, thank you for that. one of my friends became the Ekco Housewares plant head of security in the mid-'70s

the building you allude to on grand east of cicero was the Chicago Dowel Co., in fact it may still be, they were in business at least until recently. I went there in the '70s when I worked for Playskool Toys (on augusta blvd) because we purchased doweling from them for our 'educational line'. though the building once had a companion structure (there on grand ave, and now gone) that was a builders supply / hardware store that I shopped at frequently through the '80s

I was still in grammar school when we heard that helene curtis factory explosion--nearly 2 miles east, and at first we thought it was a jet 'sonic boom'



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/26/2015 05:11PM by the_mogra.

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Re: Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero
Posted by: Cragin Spring ()
Date: June 28, 2015 01:14PM

Thanks all for the answers to my question and links that were added. About the Ekco company I know they had 2 more newer plants in the burbs that were running when the plant was still operating on Armitage & Cicero. One in Franklin Park and the other in Wheeling Il. I believe both now are closed in those locations but the buildings still stand with new tenants. About the corner of Fullerton & Cicero there was a newsstand for many years now gone where the Walgreens use to be on the northwest corner. A bit north on Cicero Ave. on the east side of the street was the West City Trust & Savings Bank at 2424 N. Cicero. The building was demolished about 4 years ago. After it was a bank it became many things including a banquet hall and a trade school.
Speaking of toy manufacturers, I can remember Tootsie Toy north of the Eisenhower Expressway on the west side of the street. Not sure where exactly? Maybe Pulaski?

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Re: Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero
Posted by: the_mogra ()
Date: June 28, 2015 08:16PM

TootsieToy was 600 n. Pulaski (I worked there a few months). They had a division closeby called ChemToy, the mfgr of the wands you blew soup bubbles out thru. Also right there on Pulaski was Newark Electronics, a great competitor to Allied Radio. BTW I liked that newsstand on Fullerton / Cicero

Does anybody remember the original Lincoln Log factory, I think it may've been on Cortland?

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Re: Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero
Posted by: Dunning1 ()
Date: June 28, 2015 10:43PM

Wasn't Strombecker of slot car fame also along Pulaski there south of Chicago Avenue? I remember going to Newark Electronics with my dad before they moved over to Pulaski Road, they used to be downtown, I believe on Madison Street. Allied over at Western and Washington was another frequent stop. Playskool, an old Chicago company is also kind of interesting as it was owned for a while by the Joseph family of Joseph Lumber Co. I think they sold it off before WWII.

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Re: Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero
Posted by: Cragin Spring ()
Date: June 29, 2015 02:21AM

@mogra, The Lincoln Log Company was started by Frank Lloyd Wright's father John Wright. The plant was just south of Cortland at 1750 N. Lawndale Avenue. Later in 1948 Playschool bought the building and took over Lincoln Logs.

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Re: Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero
Posted by: the_mogra ()
Date: June 29, 2015 11:43AM

Lawndale & Cortland for LincolnLogs, yes! I seem to recall I was told that plant operated until 1968, is that right? I was told by an old-timer (and years ago) who worked there named Hillard Czubek, who later went over to Playskool. Playskool @ 4501 Augusta was in a building that used to be occupied by Motorola, but they moved (to Schaumburg / Hoffman Estates) in 1974. Up till then Playskool was @ 3800 n. Kedzie but I'm probably a little off with that street number.

Playskool got bought by Milton-Bradley around that time (and later by Hasbro I think). Playskool inherited an incredible and huge completely automated machine that made sets of dominoes. That machine was built and operated for years at a bldg on Touhy ave about 4600 west but was dis-assembled and rebuilt on augusta blvd (1978). I watched it in operation a great deal and I wonder what became of it. It was a 100% deal--at one end of it you inserted the maple slats, and out the far end of it came boxed sets of finished ready to sell dominoes. I'm not exaggerating, it did everything with no human intervention between. And I recall some engineers would scratch their heads muttering the machine didn't operate quite as reliably since the move from touhy.

Yes Strombecker & TootsieToys were essentially the same, just south of the (new) Rezin Orr CPS. A lot of zinc die-casting going on there. I never knew Newark once was on Madison Ave; haven't they relocated to Ravenswood St? When I was young I sure wish I had the money then to buy one of those RCA 77 microphones that you saw in their thick electronics catalog (all I could afford were a couple microphone stands).

Underwriters Laboratories used to be downtown too (before opening up in Northbrook), an address on east Grand Ave as one approached Navy Pier. Of course the area was quite different then ('50s - '60s). That whole river north area contained a long stretch for the AMA & related.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 06/29/2015 11:51AM by the_mogra.

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Re: Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero
Posted by: Dunning1 ()
Date: June 29, 2015 11:48AM

Yes, the last time I heard Newark was located at Ravenswood and Irving Park Road. It seems to be more industrial electronics now, none of the things that us home radio repairers used to buy like in the old days. You have to get that stuff from Antique Electronics Supply in Arizona now. I was rather surprised to find out that Newark was bought out by a multinational called Premier Electronics. I was visiting my radio buddy in Germany, and his son in law was a salesman for their German division, and was well acquainted with Newark.

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Re: Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero
Posted by: PKDickman ()
Date: June 29, 2015 02:44PM

the_mogra Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Yes Strombecker & TootsieToys were essentially the
> same, just south of the (new) Rezin Orr CPS. A
> lot of zinc die-casting going on there.

I knew Myron Shure (who ran tootsie for dogs years). I met him through Intuit, the outsider art group, and we would bump into each other every now and then.

He drove around with the trunk of his car full of toys. He would hand them out to kids whenever he got a chance.

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Re: Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero
Posted by: the_mogra ()
Date: June 29, 2015 03:08PM

the LincolnLogs plant bldg @ Lawndale near Cortland still stands although boarded-up, and coincidentally that's exactly where the tail end of the new 606 Bloomingdale trail is. There should be some little sign there so users of the trail appreciate the significance of that crumbling building off to the left there (pardon my meagre sarcasm)

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Re: Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero
Posted by: Elaine W ()
Date: July 02, 2015 09:22PM

Re: Lincoln Logs--Cragin Spring--you have your generations mixed up. Lincoln Logs was invented by John Lloyd Wright (1892-1972), the second son of Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959).

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Re: Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero
Posted by: Cragin Spring ()
Date: July 04, 2015 01:16PM

Thanks for correcting me on that. I still am confused where the Lincoln Log building was? When I look at street view I don't see anything looking like a old factory in the vicinity of that intersection. I am not doubting anyone but just don't see it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/04/2015 10:51PM by Cragin Spring.

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Re: Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero
Posted by: the_mogra ()
Date: July 06, 2015 11:29AM

I google-map the 1750 n. Lawndale address and voila! 3-story long old brown brick factory building with red windows, on the west side of the street of course immediately south of the bloomingdale (606 trail) track viaduct. It appears in fine shape (I'll drive by it sometime soon to verify) and is probably used today for something. With an address like that it'd be more accurate to term its location as corner of Lawndale & Bloomingdale Aves (not Cortland), excepting the street Bloomingdale is absent at that particular block.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/06/2015 02:49PM by the_mogra.

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Re: Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero
Posted by: the_mogra ()
Date: July 06, 2015 04:18PM

here's a link you can click on that shows a fine & full (recent) view of this old (supposed) Lincoln Logs factory building (1750 N.):

https://www.flickr.com/photos/chiski/5569016997/in/photostream/

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Re: Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero
Posted by: 222psm ()
Date: July 07, 2015 09:43AM

the_mogra Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I google-map the 1750 n. Lawndale address and
> voila! 3-story long old brown brick factory
> building with red windows, on the west side of the
> street of course immediately south of the
> bloomingdale (606 trail) track viaduct. It
> appears in fine shape (I'll drive by it sometime
> soon to verify) and is probably used today for
> something. With an address like that it'd be more
> accurate to term its location as corner of
> Lawndale & Bloomingdale Aves (not Cortland),
> excepting the street Bloomingdale is absent at
> that particular block.

It appears it was or still is in use recently;

Felice Cabinet Inc
Cabinet Maker
Address: 1750 N Lawndale Ave, Chicago, IL 60647
Phone: 773-772-3700



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/07/2015 09:44AM by 222psm.

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Re: Addison & Central-Addison & Cicero
Posted by: Cragin Spring ()
Date: July 08, 2015 12:01AM

Okay that is the picture I took and glad it's the correct building. Thank you both for helping me out on that.

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