I drove down Armitage the other day. I am pretty sure the bar was located at 7009-7011 W. Armitage. Now there are 2 houses at those addresses that were built in 1988, according to a few different online sites. That was about where I remember the bar being located, and those are the only newer houses on that stretch. Perhaps someone else remembers the bar, what its name was, and whether it was
Forum: General Discussion

The bar was in the middle of the block. I don't remember now whether it was the 6900 block or the 7000 block, but I know it was on the south side of the street. If I drove by again I could point it out. I tried on the assessor's website last night but could not find it. It may have been a private or semi-private club, but it definitely had neon signs advertising beer showing through the window
Forum: General Discussion

That building (6944 W. Armitage, according to the Assessor's website) was Pete's, a small neighborhood grocery store. The owner was Pete Calderone, I think. Someone from the neighborhood will be able to confirm that last name or give the correct one. My grandmother lived down the street and she used to take us there all the time. She would go there almost every day. The store had everything you wo
Forum: General Discussion

Captain, thanks for the photo of the 22nd/Damen station and the Algren quote. I grew up near the Chicago/Laramie police station and my relatives ran a tavern a block from the 23rd/Damen station back in the 1st half of the 20th century. By the way, the house used for Eliot Ness' house in the 1987 Brian DePalma "Untouchables" film (at least some of the exterior shots) was on 22nd Pl. j
Forum: General Discussion

Captain, the Racine Street police station (as it was known) figures prominently in some of Nelson Algren's fiction, in particular the short story "Bottle of Milk for Mother" (1946, I believe) which takes place almost entirely in the station and includes descriptions of the neighborhood sounds (St. John Cantius' bells, streetcars passing) as heard by a young kid who hears them from a cell
Forum: General Discussion

The Division Street Riots did take place in July, 1966. It seems incredible to believe now, but at the same time, riots were taking place near Roosevelt and Racine following police closure of a fire hydrant on a hot day, and at the very same time, the Richard Speck manhunt was going on.
Forum: General Discussion

On Saturday 7/17/10 I was walking by a vacant lot at the SW corner of Illinois and New Street. The lot is surrounded by about 6-ft high fence covered with opaque cloth of some kind. On the Illinois side there is a driveway cut in the sidewalk and a gate and opening in the fence. As I walked by this opening, I saw about 5 or 6 newspaper boxes, and noticed that at least a few of them were from ol
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

One other historic feature of this area is Shedd Park, with the fieldhouse designed by Prairie School architect William Drummond. Apparently the park, while small, used to be extensively landscaped.
Forum: General Discussion

There are some remnants of Victory Gardens throughout the city, usually flagpoles, plaques, star-shaped ornaments, or cement planters set into the sidewalk. Right now I can think of one in Bridgeport, maybe 29th street near Canal, and another at the intersection of Barry and Leavitt on the north side. I know that I have seen others, but I can't recall specifically where right now.
Forum: General Discussion

The one on 16th and Canal was not part of Schoenhofen. It was about a block north on the opposite side of Canal. It did have a long wooden walkway to get to the door, which was probably about the 2nd floor because the sidewalk was well above the ground at that point because it slowly rose (as the street did) to clear some railroad tracks below. The building is still standing, as far as I know, but
Forum: General Discussion

This is interesting, because since the Old Edgebrook page came up I've looked for evidence of the old streets every time I am in that area and it really doesn't look to me like there were ever real "streets" in some of the places the map seems to indicate.
Forum: General Discussion

According to the AIA Guide to Chicago, p. 266, "The concrete bases of lamp standards marking Jenney's northeast entrance to the park still stand at the corner of California and North Aves." According to the same page, Jenney worked on the park from its creation in 1871 to 1877.
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

There are two City Seals high on the facade of the Firehouse on the West side of Ridge in between Hollywood and Senn High School. They appear to be bronze or some other metal. I have driven by the station almost every day for five years and I just noticed the seals the other day.
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

Up until a couple of years ago there was a building in the 1800 block of California on the East side of the street that I think was a part of this facility. It had a company name (it could have been "Lund Coal" but I don't recall for sure) in concrete letters above two garage doors, and tracks (for coal cars?) ran out of the garage doors into the street, where they went under new asphalt
Forum: General Discussion

According to the latest Preservation Chicago newsletter, the building was originally known as the Vassar Swiss Underwear Building: http://flickr.com/photos/bwchicago/2459294715/
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

Thanks, Captain. Below's my old post on Kopielski's. I've been looking at old Tribunes for some of the others and haven't come up with anything yet. I'll try to look up the articles I found about Kopielski's. They were about someone getting beat up or killed there or near there, and the bar then getting hit with license or code violations, I think. The Wanda's house thing will be fun to trac
Forum: General Discussion

How were you able to figure out where the Milwaukee Ave. scenes were? Great work again. By the way, according to the Tribune, on 10/20/59 the bar at 1034 N. Milwaukee was known as the Brown Jug Tavern, and got its liquor license revoked.
Forum: General Discussion

I'm afraid I haven't, but I've been looking for it. Does anyone know any bars or liquor stores that are carrying it? If anyone does, please post.
Forum: General Discussion

Not exactly the right thread, I guess, but the mention of the Marigold Bowl prompted me to mention that the structure across the street that is now a church used to be the old Marigold Gardens, where wrestling and boxing were held (sometimes televised) in the 1950's. The lot that the church is on (including the big parking lot and the IHOP site) was known as the Marigold Gardens at least since
Forum: General Discussion

I remember this thing. It was either just west or just east of Oak Park avenue (I'm pretty sure just east), just north of Grand/Fullerton. It stood in a vacant lot or parking lot. It wasn't an expressway overpass, but it looked EXACTLY like an expressway overpass, except that it only ran for about half a block. It curved a little bit too. I remember adults explaining what it was to me when I
Forum: General Discussion

At 5034 N. Western there is a building that looks like an ordinary two-flat with an old storefront addition (not currently in operation as a business) added to the first floor. However, on the facade above the doors there are two City Seals. They are not carved or set into the facade (its wood); nor does it seem are they painted on. instead, they appear to be large decals. I'm wondering if
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

There is a big abutment for that bridge just north of Kinzie kind of hidden in a yard or loading dock area. If I remember correctly its stone and brick and may contain an arch or other design feature. There might be another abutment a little further north in another yard, before you get to Hubbard.
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

There is also another building at the NW corner of Huron and Damen that has a stone corner sign with the street names "Robey" and "Huron" carved into it.
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings