5714 W. Madison... was it good food? Building is gone now. Found this in the Chicago Trib archives. Looks like they moved to a Hyatt up North in 1961.
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

Here's the cite to the Chicago Daley News on the name change to Damen in 1927 "Change Name of Robey Street to Damen Avenue." Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963): 1. Jun 16 1927. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Chicago Tribune (1849-1989). Ald Dennis Horan introduced it and it passed without debate. Father Damen was Ducth by the way. There's a bunch of stories in the paper subsq
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

Google "Manufacturers Junction Cicero" and you'll get hits to images and video. Also the Roman writer "Cicero" who's sort of a curse to those of us interested in Cicero history. Always end up sorting out the Roman from the hits.
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

Here's a useful link https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=213041250395756644804.0004b02ee8c544dc026d2 The tracks along 49th Street were the Grant Trunk. The tracks along 59th were the Englewood Connecting line of the Pennsylvania RR. Would be nice to see the Englewood tracks become a tool for pumping some new life into the community similar to the Bloomingdale Airline.
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

It's the Central Illinois Railroad http://casr.dhke.com/casr204.htm serving the Lumber District (PDF file) http://www.cityofchicago.org/dam/city/depts/zlup/Historic_Preservation/Publications/Cermak_Road_Bridge_District.pdf Photos of the CB&Q serving it here http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locoPicture.aspx?id=107745 and a video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=br3E8NSjecw
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I'm guessing many were residential hotels. Closely related are the many large homes that were divided up into boarding houses. We looked at a home in Oak Park once close to the Blue Cab garage on South Blvd. The third floor of this Victorian had five or six small bedrooms with sinks and transoms over the doors. The realtor told me at one time many cab drivers had boarded there.
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Facebook's Austin Neigborhood group has some recollections and photos of the restaurant.
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Found a picture of this K of C hall on West Madison in the Austin West Side Archive on Face Book. https://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.121405181328672.20637.100003775737401&type=3 It's also available on Chuckman's site http://chuckmanchicagonostalgia.wordpress.com/2011/03/22/photo-chicago-knights-of-columbus-building-4711-w-madison-1924/photo-chicago-knights-of-columbus-building-47
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Interior of the store http://baarswestside.blogspot.com/2005/12/baars-five-and-dime-1260-w-103rd-st.html
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

My Grandfather opened the store in 1944. He lost a big job at the Fair Store downtown when Montgomery Ward bought the Fair, and he went into business for himself. It was not a great time for a middle aged guy to open a small Dime store because there were so few consumer items to sell. Everything was war production, but he had many contacts from having been a buyer with the Fair and was able to s
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

My Grandfather's Dime store on West 103rd http://baarswestside.blogspot.com/2005/12/baars-five-and-dime-1260-w-103rd-st.html He had another at 1544 E. 63rd Street.
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

Also this: http://digital-libraries.saic.edu/cdm/search/collection/mqc/searchterm/%20Wozniak's%20Casino%20Lounge%20No.%202/mode/exact I used to eat at Bruna's in the late 70s early 80s. I never went to Wozniak's and don't have much of an image of the building as it was surrounded by trees. I just knew it because Vrdolyak would use it for events so it was in the paper a lot.
Forum: General Discussion

A bit on Stan Woziak http://outstandingcommunityleaders.blogspot.com/2010/02/stan-wozniak-outstanding-nightclub.html Chicago Trib did an article not so long ago I think on Wozniak's Casino. I can only search the pre-86 and you'll find some nice articles on Reagan's visit to Wozniak's.
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Some video of Chicago Billboards in 1942 over at Retronaude http://www.retronaut.com/2010/09/chicago-billboards-1942/ I had to run out and buy a pack of camels after watching this.
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Reminds me of Doc Gandolf's General Store. It was on Lake Street just east of Austin. The Alum have a facebook page https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/364888284477/ Gathering point for folks who were someway, somehow involved in the late '60s somewhat hippie type gathering place located in the Austin neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois Specifically, we had a storefront on Lake Street, just
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

I was buying a ticket at Olgive Center (which I still call the Northwestern Station) and the agent asked me if I was a "real estate developer". I have no idea why he asked that 'cept I was dressed for a job interview maybe. I replied "No", paused, and asked, "if I was though, then I would like to know what he thought the next hot neigborhood was going to be".
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

Good question. St Pauls left the Midway sometime just before or after the start of WW2. The U of C has pictures of the building in use by the Army Signal Corps. Sometime in the late 40s you'll find references to the Blackstone building and then to YMCA locations over on 71st or 75th street by south shore. They finally seattle down in the mid 50s over at this new building on 83rd and Ingleside.
Forum: General Discussion

I've never visited this Church but their website has a nice history of the building. http://greaterunionchurch.org/7243.html They're located at 1956 W. Warren Blvd. From the website, A contemporary description of the Church of the Redeemer is instructive of late Victorian taste: “A broad staircase leads to the auditory which materially differs from the usual pattern, being a large rectangul
Forum: General Discussion

Here's a reference to the Chicago Trib of Oct 10, 1954 on the plans for the new First Universalist Church to be built at 83rd and Ingleside. "Inclosing Wall to Mark Design of New Church." Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963): 1. Oct 10 1954. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Chicago Tribune (1849-1989). Web. 8 Jan. 2013 . One of the city's most ununusual church buildings, the new $160
Forum: General Discussion

Here's a link from the Beverly Church with their History including a reference to the Peoples Liberal Church of Englewood and the connection to Rev Bradley http://www.beverlyunitarian.org/castle-more-century-history A character in the Soap Opera "Guding Light" was inspired by Preston Bradley by the way, as was the name of the show. I think that can be found in the People Church's his
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

Preston Bradley was inspired by the Peoples Church of Englewood. Here's a postcard of it. http://www.cardcow.com/69599/peoples-liberal-church-englewood-chicago-illinois/ I'd have to dig into my files to find the preacher at Englewood who inspired Bradley. The Peoples Church movement was widespread at the turn of the 19th century. The Englewood Church merged into what's now the Beverly Unitari
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I remember their float in the St Pat's Day Parade. They billed themselves "The Irishmen's favorite Polish sausage".
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Skid row went further west than Halstead. There were still bars west of Halstead that catered to the skid row demographic. I worked as far away as 1033 West Van Buren at Philmaid Lingerie and we would have to shag winos off the loading doc in the morning. There was industry further west but certainly skid row denizens too.
Forum: General Discussion

I did a search of the Chicago Trib through my local Library. There's an ad under the by line of a Sally McCormik in the Apr 22, 1971 paper. Braverman's had been owned by Mr Zenon Pappas for two years by then. This was propably the ad that prompted my Dad to drive us down there for a sandwich. Cheap Eats in the Apr 13, 1979 Trib has a review of the Braverman's relocated to 441 N. Wabash as Br
Forum: General Discussion

I suggest a Green River float over at the Polar Bear in North Riverside. They're open only Spring through Oct... http://www.yelp.com/biz/polar-bear-north-riverside I first had a Green River float from a similar custard shop on Ogden Ave in Berwyn around Clintion or Home in the 60s. My grandparents would drive down there from Oak Park.
Forum: General Discussion

My Dad took me to Braverman's on Chicago Ave just west of Ashland probably around 1974. It had just been reviewed in the Trib or Sun Times. My Dad had corned beef on rye, and I had brisket but my favorite was the potato pancakes. I never had anything to quite match what they offered at Braverman's. Anyways, here's the legacy book for Sam Braverman . He passed just this past March. As I
Forum: General Discussion

I went to O'Rourkes http://www.chibarproject.com/Memoriam/O'Rourke's/O'Rourke's.htm just after Algren left Chicago for New Jersey because I had read Algren used to drink there. The Bar Tender told me Algren was a pain in the tail, and especially rude to women. I remember Roger Ebert was sitting at the bar too. He describes the look of the place in the link above although I think the picture o
Forum: General Discussion

My Grandfather and Dad had a time store at 63rd and Blackstone. I think it was on the north side of the street. All of the buildings have been torn down and replaced, or vacant lots now. The operated from 1955 to 1965 before selling the business. Anyone has memories or photos I'd love to see them. I remember a few stories from my Dad about 63rd street. He'd say, "they're hasn't been
Forum: General Discussion