Street Renaming


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Street Renaming
Posted by: Elf Odin ()
Date: February 22, 2011 03:52PM

I'm familiar with the c.1909 street renumbering (I've got a PDF of a book listing the old/new house numbering), but where can I find a list of all of the streets that have been renamed? I'm particularly interested in the north/south streets along Midway Plaisance, after the 1983 Columbian Exposition.

The maps which I've seen (mostly at the Encyclopedia of Chicago) have names that have been obviously changed. Woodlawn Avenue, Cottage Grove Avenue, and Stony Island Avenue are present, but the streets between them do not have the same names today. For example, there's a "Madison Avenue", which is probably today's Dorchester Avenue.

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Re: Street Renaming
Posted by: PKDickman ()
Date: February 22, 2011 04:47PM

The Chicago History Museum has a page on architecture and building history.
They have a number of useful links

http://www.chicagohs.org/research/resources/architecture

One of those links is this:

Street names also changed periodically throughout Chicago's history. The Museum’s street name changes document is based on a 1948 compilation with updates by Father John McNalis.

http://www.chsmedia.org/househistory/nameChanges/start.pdf

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Re: Street Renaming
Posted by: WayOutWardell ()
Date: February 23, 2011 12:58AM

Elf Odin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm familiar with the c.1909 street renumbering
> (I've got a PDF of a book listing the old/new
> house numbering), but where can I find a list of
> all of the streets that have been renamed? I'm
> particularly interested in the north/south streets
> along Midway Plaisance, after the 1983 Columbian
> Exposition.
>
> The maps which I've seen (mostly at the
> Encyclopedia of Chicago) have names that have been
> obviously changed. Woodlawn Avenue, Cottage Grove
> Avenue, and Stony Island Avenue are present, but
> the streets between them do not have the same
> names today. For example, there's a "Madison
> Avenue", which is probably today's Dorchester
> Avenue.

You're right, Madison Ave. became Dorchester. Then heading west, Monroe Ave. became Kenwood, Lexington became University and Jackson (north side of the Plaisance) became Maryland. Around where the IC tracks cut across, Hope St. became Harper and Edgerton St. became Blackstone. South of 64th, Myrtle St. became Minerva Ave.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/23/2011 01:53AM by WayOutWardell.

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Re: Street Renaming
Posted by: Elaine W ()
Date: February 24, 2011 12:33AM

For Hyde Park & Kenwood, specifically, a useful source is Jean Block's book "Hyde Park Houses" (published around 1980 by Univ. of Chicago Press), which discusses houses and apartment buildings from the early history of the community until 1910. One Appendix in the back of the book lists all the extant houses and apartment buildings (as of the date of publication) by street, and it gives old and new street names for those that have been changed.

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Re: Street Renaming
Posted by: Elf Odin ()
Date: February 26, 2011 02:25PM

Thank you, all!

> The Museum’s street name changes document

Now that's what I'm looking for! I already knew that I once lived on a renamed Robey St.

The reason for my interest in the area around the 1893 Exposition is that I've read a novel, "World's Greatest Sleuth!", that takes place in and around the White City area. There was a mention of a "Sheridan", and I thought "but Sheridan Road has always been *north* of downtown!". Now, I know.

Ed.

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