Rainbo Gardens in "Silent Movie," a Work in Progress

Thanks to Dave S. for the head's up on this one. On Live Journal there is a novel in progress called Silent Movie, part of which takes place in Uptown's Rainbo Gardens:

Silent Movie

Chapter thirty-four

November 21, 1923, Uptown, Chicago, Illinois

Outside the hotel, the Uptown streets were lit up with a neon glow. Men and woman walked the snowy sidewalks arm in arm, bundled up in their winter coats, trying to stay warm as they headed out to enjoy the city's nightlife. And one thing was for certain, the bad weather wasn't going to put a damper on anyone's night.

The front door of the Sheridan Plaza Hotel opened. Bam and Ville ran out to the awaiting taxi, with smiles on their faces, and quickly got inside...

Read more at Silent Movie

Fred Mann's Rainbo Gardens

Here is a series of three postcards showing the interior of Rainbo Gardens. The location was a top Chicago entertainment destination for about a hundred years, and it was here that vaudevillians Ted Healy and Moe Howard asked Larry Fine to join their comedy act that eventually became The Three Stooges.

Host to a variety of amusements and some of the early twentieth century's best-known celebrities, Fred Mann's Rainbo Gardens was one of Chicago's premier entertainment venues. Located at 4812-36 North Clark Street, Rainbo Gardens lured patrons from across the city with its eclectic mix of traditional vaudeville acts, trendy jazz bands, extreme sports events, and easy-going dance and liquor policies...

For more, go to Jazz Age Chicago.

Today, the site is home to Rainbo Village. For a series of images of the demolition of the original building, go to Landmarks Preservation Council.

Postcard images courtesy J.C.

Sheridan Trust Lobby

Here's an interior scene of the lobby of the Sheridan Trust Bank when it was located in what is now the Borders Building. For an image of the exterior, go to the Cafe Press shop.

Hotel Lafayette, 4606 N. Racine (at Wilson)

Sheridan Road and Irving Park, 1928

It looks like that might be Immaculata High School in the upper left corner.

Original caption reads: "View of a road in front of the construction site of a new drive at Irving Park Boulevard and Sheridan Road in Chicago, Illinois. A roadblock, a building, and a horse-drawn wagon are visible in the background."

Cite as: DN-0085752, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society, Library of Congress.

Wrigley Field, 1929

What I want to know is what they're all drinking.

Original caption reads: "Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois, waiting to enter the ballpark for a 1929 World Series game between the National League's Chicago Cubs and the American League's Philadelphia Athletics. A crowd is surrounding the men, and a dog is standing in the foreground. Image of a group of men and a boy holding thermoses, sitting on crates outside Wrigley Field is located at 1060 West Addison Street and bounded by West Waveland Avenue, North Seminary Avenue, North Clark Street, and North Sheffield Avenue in the Lake View community area."

SDN-069134, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society, Library of Congress.

Essanay Studios, Early Chicago Filmmaking

From the Chicago Tribune:

Plenty of movies have been made about Chicago. Plenty of movies have been shot on Chicago's streets. But the city itself has never been a center of international studio filmmaking, except for one brief golden age that lasted only a decade. That single 10-year span commenced in the summer of 1907, when Essanay Studios was formed to enter the new business of making movies. During those years, Chicago had a studio that was the Disney or Warner Brothers of its day.

Essanay boasted among its contract players the world's number one box-office star (Charlie Chaplin), a great matinee idol (Francis X. Bushman), a glamor queen (Gloria Swanson), and the dean of cowboy stars (studio co-founder Gilbert "Bronco Billy" Anderson). The studio was located in the 1300 block of West Argyle Street in the city's Uptown neighborhood...

Continue reading here.

Thanks to Dave S. for the head's up on this story.

Immaculata High School, Irving Park and Marine Drive

Summary from Wikipedia: Immaculata High School was an all-girls' Catholic high school located in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. It was open from 1921 to 1981. The campus buildings received Chicago Landmark status on July 27, 1983. Still standing at Irving Park Road and Marine Drive, they were designed by Prairie School architect Barry Byrne, a onetime apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright.

Image courtesy John C.

Jam and Live Nation Fight Over Uptown Theatre

From today's Sun Times

Concert promoters in tug-of-war over 'jewel'

Legal battle between Jam, Live Nation drags on as Uptown Theatre crumbles

A redeveloped Uptown Theatre is seen by many, including 48th Ward Ald. Mary Ann Smith, as the key that finally could turn Uptown from a "war zone" into a thriving entertainment district -- the only one in the city where live music is the main attraction.

Now the theater itself has become what may be the bloodiest battleground yet in Chicago's long-raging war between two powerful concert promoters: national giant Live Nation and Chicago-based Jam Productions. And the fight is just heating up.

For rest of article, go to Sun-Times

St. Mary's of the Lake, Sheridan and Buena

Image courtesy John C.

Sheridan Sunnyside Service Station, 4501-4507 Sheridan, 1926

An advertising postcard from Sheridan Sunnyside Service Station, 4501-4507 Sheridan, 1926. Love their advertising slogan: "So much depends on proper lubrication and greasing." Indeed.

Grateful Dead at the Aragon Ballroom, Chicago

Here's a poster I'd love to bid on if I could. Designed by Chicago underground cartoonist Daniel Clyne and featured in the book Art of Rock.

Mountain / Bob Segar Concert Poster, Aragon Ballroom, early 1970s

Currently on eBay and out of my price range, a Mountain / Bob Segar System Aragon Ballroom Concert Poster. Designed by Skip Williamson.

Lake View High School, Ashland and Irving

My grandmother Elsie graduated from Lake View High School in the 1930s; I forget which year off hand. She married my grandfather Edwin shortly after.

My Family's Connection to John Dillinger

Okay, it isn't a strong connection. After John Dillinger was shot outside the Biograph Theatre, my great Uncle Otto--who had been born in Poland but came to the U.S. with his parents-- hopped on his motorcycle to follow the body to the morgue, where crowds of thrill seekers filed past to get a look at the famed gangster. As far as I know, he was not one of those who dipped his handkerchief in Dillinger's blood as a souvenir.

Today's Trib has an article on Dillinger's Haunts, which include several locations in Uptown. The funeral home where he was embalmed is at 4506 N. Sheridan, a gorgeous old building which still stands. It's worth checking out the article, which includes an interactive map.

Wilson El a Hundred Years Ago

View of North Western terminal (elevated train station) at West Wilson Avenue in the Uptown community area of Chicago, Illinois, 1907.

DN-0051864, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society, Library of Congress, American Memory Collection.

View of St. Paul tracks at Wilson Avenue looking south towards Wilson Ave. This is the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad. The tracks are located in the Uptown community area of Chicago, Illinois, 1907.

DN-0063226, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society, Library of Congress American Memory Collection.

Winona Beach, Chicago

You can see a bit of the Edgewater Beach Hotel at the top.