You'll find those tracks under a lot of streets. They we left in place as they act as a current return for the el system, so traction current doesn't cause corrosion of water and gas mains.
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

While we are on the subject of Happy Foods, I'm pretty sure that what recently was recently called Nate's, on Northwest Highway was once a Happy Foods. It reopened twice recently, and unfortunately closed twice in rapid succession. And my cousin disputes my recalling it as a Happy Foods, so now I'm not sure. The store was southeast of Devon, and well southeast of the Edison Park store, which is st
Forum: General Discussion

Mornac Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > davey7 Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > I can't remember if that one got > > bought by like Jewel. > > --It was bought by a small independent, Cermak > Fresh Market, which apparently has six other > stores in the city. I don't know when they will &
Forum: General Discussion

Mornac Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > The one on Central north of Devon. And not only > was it a Dominick's - it was one of the early ones > in the expansion. Store number four or five. Interesting. It seems like in the past few years, and Dominick's store that was closed was torn down, until Safeway exited the Chicago area last year. Their newest
Forum: General Discussion

EHSresearch Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Before it was Happy Foods, it was a Dominicks. > I'm counting from 1967. Which one? The one on Central, north of Devon, in Edgebrook? Or the one on Northwest Highway, up in Edison Park?
Forum: General Discussion

KCgeno Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I grew up at 55th and Oakley. We got our milk > delivered to the door by Angelo Lordis, in his > Seeley Dairy van. I remember in the late '60s > (early '70s?) that Seeley was bought-out by > Wanzer. > > I also remember my mom and I walking past the > Seeley plant at 48th and Seeley when I wa
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

BTW, CDOT employees get a sign with their name on it when they retire. They used to use the brown Park District background, but the latest one I saw at a former cowrker's retirement luncheon used the green film.
Forum: General Discussion

There was one on Cicero, near Roscoe, now a post office. Another on the Southwest Side, on west 63rd. I was soooo young then!
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

CrazyIvan25 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I was just driving up from 290 today up Cicero, > and was surprised at just how many of these lots > they made for it! they even have lighting Don't let LAZ Parking know, as they may want to charge people to park there!
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

Ok, I pulled up some of the timings I had done about the time the project had begun. They were drawn up in 1989, and one I looked at in particular was installed in 1994, so I'm going to say that these were set up in the early 1990's. Again, CDOT would know if they were returned to their original owners or the City still has some claim to them. Something like these, if they could replace all th
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

CrazyIvan25 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > That is what I had heard at one time too, but the > person i heard it from also wasnt sure. Now that > is interesting. Do you know when was this > reconstruction of Cicero ave? Oh, now you have me stumped! And I worked on the signal timings, so you'd think I would remember. Has to be the late 90's, e
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

These were set up by the City as parking areas during the last reconstruction of Cicero Avenue. I don't know if they reverted to private ownership or if the City still owns/leases them, but if it were the latter, I'm sure LAZ would have put in parking kiosks!
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

Richard Stachowski Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > What year was that? I have been a TV service > technician since 11957 and don't remember that > meter. C.E.T. I think stands for Chicago > Engeniers for Televivion. I saw these commercials back in the 1960's, maybe even the early 1970's. These were mainly on tv's that were being paid for on
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

I was talking to my wife about something regarding meters, and this popped into my mind (funny how that happens). Anyway, I was trying to remember which seller used to advertise this thing, meant to help you put your spare quarters to work paying off your installments on your nre color tv. Was it C.E.T.? It was a paybox like you see on those little kiddie rides in front of stores, or mounted on
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

davey7 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I think Evanston had like 11 people during the > 90's, partially to make sure signals were > synchronized and met current traffic needs. So, > thanks, you pretty much confirmed what I heard. Chicago may have had more, overall, until the early 2000's. I know after 2005 the engineering side lost people. There
Forum: General Discussion

davey7 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Jeff - I remember hearing that the CoC had a > smaller traffic department than Evanston in the > 90's. Is that a true statement? Well, the ranks of electricians and traffic engineers has shrunk over the years, with unfilled positions eliminated to "save money". When I started in 1983, I was the sixth
Forum: General Discussion

WayOutWardell Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Jeff, > I see what you mean re signal problems in cold > weather...the electromechanical one at the end of > my block has been stuck on a green light for N/S > traffic for the better part of two hours. Yep! Tis the season for stuck EM controllers. One group of intersections that received the l
Forum: General Discussion

Surprisingly, for the 27+ years I worked for the City, I never had to deal with either street or labe mileage. However, in building the City's first computer signal database, the question was how to count intersections, particularly boulevard style streets. My supervisor at the time instructed me to count the discrete intersections, so if it was on the boulevard-like stretch of W. Randolph Street,
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

davey7 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > They are somewhat similar to the Metra Electric > stations in places (though they were mostly brick > built under wide viaducts rather than "inside" the > fill of the viaduct. It's called a "box" abutment, or "vaulted" abutment. I encountered these while working on plans for a
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

Having followed this thread, I was inspired to look at www.chicago-l.org this weekend, and noted from the pictures they do have of one of the Kenwood stations that they were spartan, except for the woodwork and plaster walls. I'm surprised the Chicago Junction bothered, since an all-concrete station would have been more robust and probably less expensive. If you were to get a look under the plates
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

nordsider Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Jeff, Thanks for the suggestion. I would need > help. > > I am also puzzled by street guides that give Canal > Street's location at 500 West, and Normal at 501 W > and 504 W; and yet a building located about mid > block, between Canal and Normal, on the north side > of 24th Place is, 454 We
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

nordsider Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I am very curious about the history -- for a lack > of a better term -- of the land use within this > block. The 1886 map shows "Consumer Gas Light & > Fuel Company", however, I wonder how long did it > operate there, beyond 1886. > > The 1930 Census of Ward 1, Enumeration Distric
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

WayOutWardell Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > If you check Historic Aerials in 1973 for the > corner of North Ave. and Throop and pan slightly > east, there's a gas holder just east of the river > on the north side of North Ave. across from what > was then the Proctor & Gamble plant (now Home > Depot). > > I wonder how many of
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

Recently, we have been doing a dance macabre with Peoples Gas, regarding getting our gas meter fitted with a radio-equipped dial assembly. The young man who showed up earlier this week found that the position of our existing meter, facing out behind a glass black window, gave him no room to remove the old dial assembly and install the new, so we have to have another go round to have a new meter in
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

I went to Marquette Elementary, graduating in 1969. The early summers were hot, and I would have loved to have air conditioning. There were only lunch tables in the kindergarten "suite", and we got Wanzer milk and Salerno Butter cookies for a mid-class snack, while having to bring a bag lunch from home. From first grade on to eighth I had to go home for lunch, which was no hardship since
Forum: General Discussion

davey7 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Jeff_Weiner Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > > > My grandparents' old apartment, located on the > SW > > corner of Halsted and Roscoe, had a gas-fired > > heating stove in the dining room, and a > gas-fired > > water heater in the k
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

davey7 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > nordsider Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > > > And a question: Were the first household > kitchen > > gas stoves, in Chicago, in use by the 1920s? > > > I think the first readily commercially available > gas ranges were for sale in
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

PKDickman Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > That makes sense. > That way they had producers on both sides of the > river and didn't need to run a pipeline across. > > The firemaps show it. > 1914 vol 5 pgs 120,121 Probably every location on an old aerial photograph showing gas holders was a producer gas plant. Nasty stuff, it w
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

The Peoples Gas facility at Elston and Division was once a producer gas plant. If you look at the picture of it in the thread about gas holders, you'll see the old buildings and the original open-frame holders. There were probably others where there were the old style tanks.
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)

querencia Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I shopped at the High Low that was either on E > 63rd or near it, don't remember. What I do > remember is the bins of ten-cent items. One of > these was cans of Apple Bay Applesauce, the best > canned applesauce I have ever tasted, faintly pink > and very apple-y tasting. Another was cans of > m
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)