An interesting article about urban archaeologists in Chicago: http://www.wbez.org/series/curious-city/construction-work-boon-urban-archaeologists-104958 Also, the video: Urban Archeology Field School: The Charnley-Persky House Dig http://www.sah.org/about-sah/charnley-persky-house
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

shekaago, Thank you for your time and effort researching the Milwaukee/Halsted/Green triangle; it's most interesting! My wish, is that before the buildings are torn down, urban archeologists should be given an opportunity look at the site first; they just may find some interesting artifacts from 19th century Chicago . . . that's just my own peculiar interests. ;-) Also, some information I
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

MisterDrexciya Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Speaking of this intersection: > > what used to be in the -ugly grey painted- > building in the northwest corner (between Grand > and Milwaukee)? It has been boarded up for at > least 15 years. Yes, another mysterious group of buildings at this intersection. Again, Robinson's Atlas of the C
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

Jeff_Weiner Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > bob427 Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > do you remember at Armitage and cicero ? on the > > n.w. corner was a big company(carpet) on the > > outside you coould walk up to a water fall > that > > goes all the way down. i remember you had
Forum: General Discussion

rjmachon Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > It was a restaurant, Paul Kamos back in 1928 > according to the Polk Directory. rjmachon, Thanks for that past history. I wonder who occupied the building back 1878; but that's unknownable after 136 years.
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

zorchvalve Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Anyone remember the Dell Farm on North Ave.at > Larabee? Not at Larabee, but I do remember a Dell Farm grocery on the northwest corner of Halsted and North Avenue; the north end of the building ending at the El tracks that crossed Halsted. Although I had been inside the store once or twice with my parents in th
Forum: General Discussion

While viewing the buildings near the intersection of Grand, Halsted and Milwaukee, via Google street view, this building, located at the southwest corner of the intersection of Grand Avenue and Green Street caught my attention: https://maps.google.com/maps?q=grand+%26+green,+chicago&hl=en&ll=41.891113,-87.649061&spn=0.0004,0.000669&sll=39.739318,-89.266507&sspn=9.863297,22
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

One early Sunday morning in the mid 40s, my father and I stood waiting at the intersection of Halsted, Grand and Milwaukee, for a Grand Avenue street car that would take us to Navy Pier for a fun fishing excursion beneath the aircraft carriers docked there after the war. It was very quiet, with no street traffic, and a scene of old and seemingly lifeless surrounding buildings that left me with a
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

Jeff, I believe that the reason for building the plant is seriously flawed. One prime example is to bury "sequester" carbon dioxide anywhere, including the proposal to first pipe it from the plant at - Burley Avenue around 116th Street, between Lake Calumet and the I-90 expressway - to an underground site downstate.
Forum: General Discussion

Jeff, This forum should steer away from political controversy; I prefer scientific facts . . . time will tell.
Forum: General Discussion

A new coal-to-gas plant may be built on Chicago's southeast side. http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20110713/NEWS02/110719950/quinn-signs-bill-boosting-leucadias-coal-to-gas-plant#
Forum: General Discussion

Some examples of fixtures from the National Park Service - Gaslighting in America: http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/hcrs/myers/contents.htm Also, at Photographs from The Chicago Daily News 1902-1933 http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpcoop/ichihtml/ search: " gas lighting "
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

See these books at Google Books http://books.google.com/ and search: " architect Hermann von Holst "
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

When I was a kid in the 40s, I remember a "Victory Garden" in Lincoln Park, which I presume, had at least a better soil content than what one may expect in a vacant city lot. Chicago Victory Gardens http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5196
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

There is an urban/city farm at Division and Clybourn; do you have a neighborhood farm, and what do you think of them? http://cityfarmchicago.wordpress.com/
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

The singer Wee Bonnie Baker lived in an apartment building across the street from my elementary school in Lincoln Park in the late 1940s with her husband and baby. I would not have recognized her at the time, but her song on the radio "Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh", was very familiar.
Forum: General Discussion

daveg, Your photographs are always interesting, I am sure I passed some of the buildings many times as a passenger on an Archer Avenue bus in the 50s, and not aware their history.
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

I am curious to know the location of the school; was it in Bridgeport?
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

Another fine pictorial map: " A Map of Chicago, Incorporated as a Town, August 5 1833 " --- " Remake of 1833 map with vignettes of frontier life '". http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~266398~90040793:Chicago,1833-?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&qvq=q:Subject%3D%22Pictorial%2Bmap%22%2B;sort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

Some additional information and photograph - before 1936 - about the gas-works near 31st and Halsted " Gas Distribution Service Station @ 31st, Just West of Halsted ", from the book Bridgeport Chicago: http://bridgeportchicagobook.com/gas-distribution-service-station-31st-just-west-of-halsted/?doing_wp_cron=1404390864.8887948989868164062500 An interesting photo of the remnants
Forum: General Discussion

davey7 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > When did natural gas replace town gas? I'm > assuming sometime in the 60's in earnest since > that's when the bulk of old coal heating switched > to gas (partially pushed by pollution laws > partially but easier operation, i.e. no stoking). > My building was built with oil heat and town gas > range
Forum: General Discussion

Of the several gasworks shown on the map "Robinson's Atlas of the City of Chicago, 1886", http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/11064.html one example, in Volume 2, plate 27, is a gasworks shown as "Chicago Gaslight & Coke Co.", located within a block bounded by the streets: 31st, Halsted, 32nd and Lituanica (was Auburn). When the 1886 map is compar
Forum: General Discussion

Jeff_Weiner Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Any idea when the plant was closed and demolished? Jeff, According to "100 years of gas service in Chicago, 1850-1950", http://archive.org/stream/100yearsofgasser00peop/100yearsofgasser00peop_djvu.txt the gas works at Monroe and Markret (Wacker Drive) was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1871. ht
Forum: General Discussion

Jeff_Weiner Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Any idea when the plant was closed and demolished? Jeff, I have not found the date when the gas works at Monroe and Market ended operation; it is not shown on Robinson's Atlas of the City of Chicago, 1886 , except that the area is labeled "Ogden's Sub", this is a good detailed map that does show some ot
Forum: General Discussion

An item from Chicago's early life. Chicago's first gas company and first gas works, used for lighting, in 1850, was built on the south side of Monroe Street, near Market Street ( now Wacker Drive), and later extended to Adams. The city was lighted with gas for the first time on September 4, 1850; illuminating only 260 gas lamps, including 36 in city hall. The gas works included these fe
Forum: General Discussion

daveg, Thank you for the interesting photos. The photo of the Eugene Dietzgen Co building, reminds me of my late 1940s winter ice skating days, at the tennis courts across Fullerton at Sheffield; now occupied by a Dominick's grocery.
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

PKDickman, Thanks again for the information. Not exactly penitent to this topic/question, but it reminds me that the south branch of the river was straightened between Polk Street and 18th, removing a bend in the river that was close to Clark Street for the benefit of the railroads and land valuation. The City of Chicago actually published a book, which I have, on the project in 1928 called -
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

PKDickman, thank you for your reply. And, the Appleville Apartments at 501 West 24th Place is located just west of Canal Street, on the south side of 24th Place.
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

South Canal Street is 500 West, from 372 N to 4358 S. Why then, are the numbered addresses on 24th Street and 24th Place, just west of Canal Street, less than 500 West, as shown on Google Street View?
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

Well, who can say there were no sea monsters lurking in the waters near Chicago in 1931? ;-)
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings