Forgotten Chicago Fans, Our friends at the Southeast Environmental Task Force are hosting their "Down in the Dumps" tour this Saturday from 10 AM - 2 PM. Learn how Chicago deals with its trash and waste on the Southeast Side -- we can think of nothing more "forgotten" than learning how this infrastructure works! For more details and tickets, visit: http://www.setaskforce.
Forum: Announcements

FC Fans, Check out this FREE brown bag luncheon by our good friend Greg Borzo, author of Chicago Cable Cars, the book which I was honored to write the foreword for: Chicago’s Cable Cars Thursday, June 6th, 2013 at 12:15 Chicago Cultural Center | Millennium Room Presenter: Greg Borzo When most people hear "cable car" they think "San Francisco." Yet for almost
Forum: Announcements

FC Fans, Be sure to listen to <A HREF="http://www.wbez.org/" target="parent3">WBEZ 91.5 FM</A> today (January 25) at 3 PM. I'll be on the Afternoon Shift with Rick Kogan discussing the recent Bridgeport warehouse fire and what it means for Chicago's historic industrial architecture and other vacant buildings in the city. UPDATE: Here is a link in case you didn
Forum: Announcements

FC Fans, Time for a little shameless self-promotion. I wrote the foreword for Greg Borzo's fantastic new book on Chicago's forgotten cable car system: http://www.amazon.com/Chicago-Cable-Cars-Greg-Borzo/dp/1609493273 Greg is having a free launch event at the Harold Washington Library at 6 PM on Thursday January 24. I will also be there and will speak about the subject. A raffle is include
Forum: Announcements

<A HREF="http://forgottenchicago.com/wp-content/uploads//2012/10/Masoleum-Style.jpg" target="parent3">Click here to view image.</A> <strong>There is literally no end to the surprising discoveries we here at Forgotten Chicago come across in our research.</strong> The image above (click link) is not Benito Mussolini’s Italy, circa 1942; this building
Forum: General Discussion

FC Fans, Our friends at the Jewish Chicago Historical Society are putting on a fascinating tour this Sunday (August 26): The big-shouldered splendor of 21st century Chicago can trace its history to the creativity and enterprise of our city's Jewish merchants, builders and artists. Professional Chicago Tour-Guide Association member, Herb Eiseman, takes you from today's architectural wonders i
Forum: General Discussion

The FC crew was cleaning up the office in preparation for #FC175, and we came across a short audio slideshow feature from WBEZ you may not have seen. This was produced by Robin Amer for our first-ever Goose Island tour in June 2011; you may recognize yourself if you attended: <A HREF="http://bit.ly/lsBpm1" target="parent2">Click here for the slideshow</a> E
Forum: Announcements

Yep, not sure when it became the lamp factory. 1951 fire insurance map states that its still the underwear factory. Textile factories were a major industry on the northwest side, especially along the C&NW railroad.
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

Couldn't find out much about it, but I did find out where it was. On California just south of Bloomingdale and the Bloomingdale branch (it was served by it) on the east side of the street, where the somewhat recent addition to Moos school was built.
Forum: General Discussion

Are you sure it was at or near Fairfield and Armitage? I looked around there in the 1950 fire insurance maps and didn't see a coal yard, unless it was already closed by then.
Forum: General Discussion

I noticed that building the other day. Its a mystery to me as well. Its pretty rare to see the city seal prominently displayed, even on municipal buildings. The firehouse on Desplaines and Van Buren has it though.
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

Hmm... thats pretty damn cool. It could possibly be included in the article or in a future article; we're including the whole metro region in the site, not just the city.
Forum: General Discussion

There were several firehouses in the Stockyards, that one was built in the 20s, I believe. It will definately be included in a future page; we're actually pretty certain that we know of every disused firehouse in the city.
Forum: General Discussion

Was the alarm box actually on the pole? I'd love to find one of those still hanging around somewhere. Actually the only places that fire alarms seem to still exist are in front of schools and theaters, for obvious reasons.
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Pole size varies. Probably unique to that industrial district; I bet it was covered with that type of pole originally when it was subdivided.
Forum: General Discussion

Its the former bridge for the Logan Square branch of the Met "L". Abandoned completely in the 60s.
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

Whoa -- that stucco (or whatever) re-fronting is awful, I guess thats why we probably never noticed it used to be a post office. Thanks though -- we'll add it to the page in a future update, along with some others we know of.
Forum: General Discussion

Yeah, but the crossing on 63rd really sucks as well. Wish they'd build another underpass under the Belt RWY as well (the N-S railroad just east of Cicero). There isn't one south of 47th.
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

Damen was actually a long art deco viaduct over the railroads (later the Stevenson too) and the canal. It was rebuilt along with the Stevenson reconstruction. The actual bridge probably was a bascule design similar to Ashland (and many other bridges in the city). Pictures are hard to come across for that one. Of course, there was the other famous viaduct on Damen, between Pershing and 47th. Al
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

There is indeed a trailer park in Hegewisch on the far Southeast side, but it is currently abandoned and due to be redeveloped with new housing. I can't think of another one.
Forum: General Discussion

One is obviously a church, but most of the others are being used for something we couldn't determine. A couple are outright abandoned.
Forum: General Discussion

Yes, the theater was completed in 1931, while the building the ads are on seems to date from the 1920s, so the ads must be from the late 20s or so.
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

I've heard something about an abandoned overpass that people used to think was part of the planned Crosstown Expressway. It was said to be near the Brickyard, so this sounds like it could be it. Interesting... anyone know of any photos?
Forum: General Discussion

Yeah, I believe that was in Jefferson Park, at the corner of Milwaukee/Lawrence. These is a bike shop in an outstanding example of a 1930s Jewel just east of that intersection on the south side of the street.
Forum: General Discussion

Of course I'll be there
Forum: General Discussion

A recent (last couple years) supreme court ruling declared that eminent domain could be used by public entities for private uses. This was not previously allowable. So, what is going on in Lincoln Square could not have even been proposed just a couple of years ago. If they wanted to tear those buildings down for a library or police station, sure, but not for a private development. Now, basically a
Forum: General Discussion

I don't think they're from that development; those buildings actually still stand, in an abandoned state. They never had any frilly art deco ornament; they were built to be inexpensive and straightforward. I'm pretty sure the ornament is from a building on one of the other corners, though.
Forum: General Discussion

I'm not sure when Robey changed to Damen either... my guess is sometime in the 1920s. Yes, 40th Avenue became Pulaski, but before it became Pulaski, lets not forget that it was Crawford. In fact, it still uses that name in some suburbs (Lincolnwood and Skokie come to mind). Interestingly, Crawford became Pulaski in the 1950s, but not without a big fight against the name change. Business ow
Forum: General Discussion