Henry's hamburgers, it's been a long time since I've thought about that franchise. When I was a kid, we lived near Riverview Park in what is now the Roscoe Village neighborhood. It was probably mid to late '50s that a Henry's opened on the east side of Western Avenue, just south of Roscoe, almost across the street from the main entrance to Riverview. The business was probably hurt a bit when the o
Forum: General Discussion

I was in 4th grade at St. Benedict's in the North Center neighborhood and found my Mom listening to the live coverage on the radio when I got home that day. I remember her telling my sister and me that, if this were to happen at St. Ben's, just get out of the building. I believe there is still something disturbingly unsaid about this, the fact that Catholic schools in those days demanded - and
Forum: General Discussion

"Does anyone remember where Heck's bakery was located?' Yes, I do, Skip. Heck's was on Roscoe just west of Damen Avenue across from Hoffing's Department Store, just a door or 2 away from the old Roscoe theater. Our family lived at Roscoe and Oakley from about 1955 to 1963 and Heck's was a neighborhood institution: wonderful coffee cakes, sweet rolls, and rye bread, always crowded, now just
Forum: General Discussion

The dime stores I remember were the Woolworth and the Kresge on Lincoln Ave at School St. near Lincoln, Belmont, and Ashland. IIRC, Woolworth was on the northwest corner and Kresge was on the southwest, right across the street from Wieboldt's department store. The Woolworth disappeared in the early '60s and the Kresge probably around '65 or so, but the Kresge had a lunch counter where my Mom would
Forum: Forgotten Chicago Sightings

I grew up in North Center, St. Benedict's parish. IIRC, being an altar boy who served at funerals in the parish, most seemed to be from either Burkhardt's just the other side of Leavitt St. from the church or Grein, located on the north side of Irving Park Road about a block east of Leavitt. There was Herdegen's on Lincoln and Mee And Ramme further west on Irving but with a German parish, it was
Forum: Questions and Answers (Q&A)