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Horseshoe Buildings
Posted by:
bwalsh
()
Date: January 24, 2010 08:13PM
Does anybody remember or know of a row of buildings on the southside known as the Horseshoe Buildings or Horseshoe Flats? I remember my dad driving me past these once years and years ago. They may have been torn down. I believe they were close to the Visitation/St John of God/St Basil's neighborhood. They were like townhouses in a way - built right next to each other, but with their own doorways which were horseshoe shaped. I want to say they were on a north/south street, not a numbered east/west street. For some reason they popped into my mind and I can't remember where they were located.
Re: Horseshoe Buildings
Posted by:
Richard Stachowski
()
Date: January 24, 2010 11:00PM
[b]I know the area but can't remember such a thing although it sounds familiar. I will look it up on a satalite view.[/b]
Re: Horseshoe Buildings
Posted by:
captain54
()
Date: January 25, 2010 02:37AM
I grew up in that area, but moved out in the late 60's. As a kid we spent a lot of time in Sherman Park, and had to go to the Sherman Park Library to do homework assignments. The library was on the 5400 block of South Racine, about the middle of the block, in the park, on the west side of Racine.
I do vaguely vaguely remember a bigger office type building or apartments in a weird configuration further south on Racine, almost directly across from the library. A satellite view shows nothing there now, but the address was probably 5455 S Racine.
One interesting side note though, the google view shows the driveway still intact, which probably led to the parking lot, and if you look real closely, you can sort of make out the right side of the "horseshoe" brick foundation.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/2010 04:40AM by captain54.
I do vaguely vaguely remember a bigger office type building or apartments in a weird configuration further south on Racine, almost directly across from the library. A satellite view shows nothing there now, but the address was probably 5455 S Racine.
One interesting side note though, the google view shows the driveway still intact, which probably led to the parking lot, and if you look real closely, you can sort of make out the right side of the "horseshoe" brick foundation.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/2010 04:40AM by captain54.
Re: Horseshoe Buildings
Posted by:
BWChicago
()
Date: January 25, 2010 03:51PM
On http://www.historicaerials.com it just looks like a standard-issue courtyard apartment building.
Re: Horseshoe Buildings
Posted by:
captain54
()
Date: January 25, 2010 06:28PM
must have been an old timer because it's in the 1938 view
Re: Horseshoe Buildings
Posted by:
bwalsh
()
Date: January 26, 2010 11:47PM
These were facing a regular street just as a house or 2 flat would be configured.My dad grew up around 55th and Halsted, which makes me think that these may have been located in the 4000s somewhere, as they were a little bit out of his immediate neighborhood. The day that we drove by them, I think we may also have gone by St. Augustine Church so possibly they were in that area. I am 99.99% sure that this was not an apartment complex. They were definitely old buildings built before the '40s and probably long before that even.
Captain, my dad considered Sherman Park 'his' park - he was there that often. He would have been much older than you though as this would have been in the 1920s and 30s. Pretty sure that he didn't spend any time in the library though!
Captain, my dad considered Sherman Park 'his' park - he was there that often. He would have been much older than you though as this would have been in the 1920s and 30s. Pretty sure that he didn't spend any time in the library though!
