Loyalty Badge from The Green Mill, Uptown, Chicago Jazz Club

Currently on eBay, a nifty Loyalty Badge from The Green Mill.

Uptown's Buena Park: A Historic, Diverse Chicago Neighborhood Along the Lakefront

Editor's Note: Although the reporter missed the fact that Buena Park (like Margate Park, Andersonville Terrace, Argyle Park, Truman Square, Lakeside, Clarendon Park, and Sheridan Park) is part of Uptown, and not adjacent to it, all in all not a bad profile.

Buena Park: Tucked away next to everything
A historic, diverse neighborhood along the lakefront

"I never considered living north of Irving Park," said Khoi Nguyen, speaking from his three-bedroom condominium in Buena Park. Yet Nguyen and his partner packed up in November and left their contemporary home in the John Hancock Center on Michigan Avenue for a vintage building in historic Buena Park.

"Like most people, I was rigid when it came to looking [for a new home]," he said. "I wanted this, that, everything." The two looked in Lakeview and farther north but were disappointed in the cookie-cutter floor plans that they found. When they finally visited Buena Park, the professor says they were taken by surprise.

"I was amazed even," Nguyen said, referring to the range of properties in the small residential enclave that is bordered on the north by Montrose Avenue and Irving Park Road to the south, and from 1100 west in Graceland Cemetery to Marine Drive to the east...

Read more at Buena Park.

Matchbook, Broadmont Dine and Dance, 4404 Broadway

Broadmont = Broadway + Montrose. Clever.

The address puts it in the gorgeous blue and white terra cotta building that was torn down for the Wilson Yard project.

Image courtesy of Mr. Montrose on Flickr.

Woman Sues Edgewater Historical Society

The cost of history

Woman sues Edgewater preservationists for blocking sale: 'They were trying to ruin me'

BY MARK J. KONKOL
Staff Reporter/mkonkol@suntimes.com

The hulking Victorian villa in Edgewater has seen better days.

Its muscular concrete porch is cracked, propped up now by iron supports. A rear addition is slowly sinking into the backyard. Inside, a gut job would be needed to make it habitable once more.

But when members of the Edgewater Historical Society got wind of a developer's plan to buy the yellow-brick behemoth at 6018 N. Kenmore and tear it down to build condos, they rallied to save the place, seeing it as a potential city landmark.

Now, the neighborhood preservationists are being sued. Property owner Brigitta Riedel says she lost out on more than $1 million when the sale went south and is suing to the historical society and four of its board members, accusing them of carrying off a "calculated, sophisticated attack" to kill the sale...

Read more here.

Matchbook Foswyn Arms Hotel, 5240 Winthrop

The Foswyn Arms Hotel is now the Foswyn Apartments.


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Matchbook Howey's Old World Inn, 5120 Broadway

For additional images of the restaurant, see: Howey's Postcard.

Sheridan Park Station, circa 1908

As seen on eBay. For more information, go here.

Cocktails and Highballs at Henry's Tavern, Sheridan in Uptown

For those of you who might be in the mood for a highball--who cares if it's only Wednesday?--here's a recipe from Recipezaar.com:

Cuba Libre

In the 1930s, John O'Hara used to mention these in his novels. I'm sure that Ernest Hemingway drank a million of them! RC Cola works much better than Coke for this one. This is listed under "cocktails" but it's really a highball, only using one liquor. Enjoy!

8 ounces cola, Royal Crown (RC)
6 ice cubes
2 1/2 ounces light rum
2 lime wedges

Directions
In a frosted 12-ounce tumbler, pour in the ice cubes. Squeeze the lime wedges over the ice and drop them into the tumbler. Pour the rum over the ice. Slowly pour the RC Cola over the ice and stir.

So what's at the location these days?

That would be Nick's Uptown!


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Come See Some Treasures from the Uptown Theatre

A special day at the Sanfilippo Estate
2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009
Rain or shine
Make Your Reservation Today -- Seating is Limited

Information About the Event

Friends of the Uptown will host a special day of sightseeing and musical amusement at the one-of-a-kind Sanfilippo Estate in Barrington Hills, Illinois, in honor of the late designer and theatre historian Joe DuciBella, of Chicago.

We are fortunate to be able to offer this opportunity because Mr. Sanfilippo was one of Joe's two dream clients; the other being Willis and Shirley Johnson of Tivoli Enterprises/Classic Cinemas.

If you have not seen the Sanfilippo collection, if you have not seen it lately, or if you have friends, neighbors or family members who have not seen it at all, then we highly suggest that you put this date on your calendar and make plans to attend. You will not see anything else like it on Earth, particularly in the niche of American Victorian, Jazz Age, steam-driven and mechanical and musical amusements. The quality and scale of the things you will see here are truly beyond description.

In addition, the collection features many historical artifacts from Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Louis, including UPTOWN THEATRE treasures. What estate would be complete without a Pullman Palace Car and a French nouveau carousel?

We will spend the afternoon enjoying the Sanfilippos' artistic presentation of historical artifacts, musical machines, art, sculpture, furniture and chandeliers. We will also be treated to a theatre organ concert in the musical hall at 3:30 p.m.

Tickets are $40. Business casual attire requested. Your participation is requested. We can think of no better way to celebrate Joe and his work than to enjoy what he helped restore and create "for all time" at the Sanfilippo Estate.

Come with us, and get lost in Xanadu!

1. Ensure that you are signed up for the Friends of the Uptown list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/uptownadviser/

2. Please send your personal check or money order in advance for $40.00 U.S., per person, payable to:

Compass Rose Cultural Crossroads
P.O. Box 409095
Chicago, IL 60640-9095

3. Compass Rose is the nonprofit that is receiving individual checks for this event. You can read about their work and collection at www.compassrose.org

4. Note: This is not a fundraiser for Friends of the Uptown nor is it a fundraiser for the theatre itself. Your ticket price includes a $30 donation to the Sanfilippo Foundation and $10 for drinks, parking attendant and other event incidentals.

5. Business casual attire is requested. Guests should arrive promptly at 789 Plumtree Road, Barrington Hills, IL 60010.

6. Bridgeview Bank Uptown has generously allowed us to offer parking space for those who wish to carpool from the bank's eastern parking lot on this day. You may email your offer or appeal to share a ride to uptown1925@hotmail.com. We will compile the messages and publish them in Uptown Adviser in the coming weeks.

Related links:

http://www.uptowntheatre.com/Pages/JoeDuciBella.html

http://www.fishernuts.com/ibhp.asp

http://www.classiccinemas.com/

Spoiler warning! The link below shows some of the Sanfilippo collection: http://www.placedelamusique.org/index.html

Edgewater Beach Hotel -- On Clearance!

If you've ever considered getting a copy of Kerne Erickson's Chicago and Southern Air print, featuring the Edgewater Beach Hotel once located on Sheridan near Foster, now's your chance. It is currently on clearance here for only $12.98. It measures approximately 38x26. Other sizes are available as well.

Clarendon Park Memories

Looks like we've inspired a local resident to start a blog with memories of Clarendon Park. Be sure to visit The Park.

If you have memories of your own of Uptown you'd like to share, e-mail us at blog(a)compassrose.com.

Belle Shore Apartments, Bryn Mawr and Winthrop, Chicago

man on ladder
Originally uploaded by archer773

Just an interesting image on Flickr of a worker painting windows on the Belle Shore; in the background you can see part of the Edgewater Beach apartments.

With the mint green and cotton candy pink buildings, it looks more like Miami than Chicago!

Click image for a larger view.