Clark and Leland, Chicago, 1955

This one is a little further out than we usually find for images of Leland. It is currently for sale on eBay

A Bit of Whimsy — San Francisco a Hundred Years Ago

Admittedly, this has nothing to do with Uptown, or even Chicago, for that matter. It is a slice of life in San Francisco before the great earthquake. But I imagine it is rather reminiscent of life in any major metropolitan area in the US a hundred years ago.

Almighty Gaylord Nation Card, circa 1980s

Currently available on eBay, a card for one of Uptown's gangs, circa 1980s.

Sunnyside and Kenmore, Uptown, 1961

Original caption is: Jean Durochak eating pancakes sold by Boy Scouts at the Uptown Folk and Art Fair at Kenmore and Sunnyside in Chicago, August 26, 1961. (Unfortunately, I don't know which one Jean is, or who the other girl is.)

Original image available from here: Sunnyside and Kenmore

Lions Club Parade Picture, Sheridan Plaza, Uptown Chicago

Love this image! The sign on the side reads: "Hotel Sheridan Plaza: The Home of the Uptown Lions Club." It's currently on eBay

Expansion of Combined Insurance Company, 1968

Mr. and Mrs. W. Clement Stone breaking ground for a new $4,000.000 addition to the Combined Insurance Company of America in Chicago's Uptown district, October 15, 1968.

Original available at time of posting from here:

Combined Insurance

Burny Bros. Bakery, Sheridan, 1960

Thanks to Amanda M. for sending this one in!

Does anyone know the exact address? I caught a reference that it was located near the Mode Theater.

Crowd at the Kinetic Playground, 1969

This crowd might seem a bit young for the historic Kinetic Playground, but they were here for a Head Start program. The children were watching a benefit show at Chicago's Kinetic Playground, July 31, 1969. Do you recognize yourself here?

More kids:

Boy at Edgewater Beach, 1929

Original available for purchase at time of posting from here: Edgewater Beach

Sunnyside and Magnolia, circa 1980s

Thanks to Admin_2 for the head's up on this photo near Sunnyside and Magnolia in the eighties. Go to Sunnyside and Magnolia Set, Chicago Lords of Uptown for more images and to learn more about Uptown's gang history.

I'm not sure of the exact street address for those buildings in the back, but the building on the left was no doubt abandoned, judging by the number of broken windows.

Foster and Sheridan, 1948

From our new favorite source for images, the IDOT collection at University of Illinois-Chicago.

Super High-Resolution of Argyle Street

We just learned a nifty trick for uploading the high-resolution images of the IDOT collection, so I'll spend some time in the next few days updating all the IDOT posts with close ups. Here's one image of Argyle. Click to enlarge (and click again), and you can practically see inside people's windows.

Before it Was Warren Park

A nice photo of the Edgewater Golf Club, dated by this seller as 1969. It is available at time of posting from here: Edgewater Golf Club

Sheridan and Castlewood Terrace

From the IDOT collection.

Source: Illinois Department of Transportation Chicago Traffic photographs
Collection: IDOT Chicago Traffic Photographs (University of Illinois at Chicago)
Repository: Special Collections and University Archives, University of Illinois at Chicago Library

Sheridan and Sheffield, Chicago, with View of Mode Theater

A few weeks ago, one of our readers mentioned going to the Mode theatre. Well, here are some fabulous scenes of that part of Sheridan Rd taken in 1937. The first is a captured detail.

From the IDOT collection.

Source: Illinois Department of Transportation Chicago Traffic photographs
Collection: IDOT Chicago Traffic Photographs (University of Illinois at Chicago)
Repository: Special Collections and University Archives, University of Illinois at Chicago Library

More from Montrose and Sheridan, 1936

Detail: I still mourn the loss of this gorgeous terra cotta building; even then, I had no idea of how beautiful it orginally was.

From the IDOT collection.

Source: Illinois Department of Transportation Chicago Traffic photographs
Collection: IDOT Chicago Traffic Photographs (University of Illinois at Chicago)
Repository: Special Collections and University Archives, University of Illinois at Chicago Library

Margate Terrace and Sheridan, Uptown Chicago, 1937

There were way too many IDOT images of Uptown to post them all last night, so I'm adding some more this evening. Here we have Margate and Sheridan, 1937.

From the IDOT collection.

Source: Illinois Department of Transportation Chicago Traffic photographs
Collection: IDOT Chicago Traffic Photographs (University of Illinois at Chicago)
Repository: Special Collections and University Archives, University of Illinois at Chicago Library

Gunnison and Sheridan, Uptown Chicago, 1937

Did you have any idea this stretch of Sheridan was once so beautiful?

From the IDOT collection.

Source: Illinois Department of Transportation Chicago Traffic photographs
Collection: IDOT Chicago Traffic Photographs (University of Illinois at Chicago)
Repository: Special Collections and University Archives, University of Illinois at Chicago Library

Lakeside Theater, 1936

The Lakeside opened in 1915 for the Ascher Brothers circuit and two years later was taken over by the Lubliner & Trinz circuit. It could seat well over a thousand people.

From the IDOT collection.

Source: Illinois Department of Transportation Chicago Traffic photographs
Collection: IDOT Chicago Traffic Photographs (University of Illinois at Chicago)
Repository: Special Collections and University Archives, University of Illinois at Chicago Library

Sheridan and Leland, Uptown Chicago, 1936

This series includes one of my favorite terra cotta buildings in Uptown, with the large faces at the top.

Looking back on the dozen or so posts from this evening, all I can wonder is "what happened, Uptown?" So many more fabulous buildings were lost than I ever imagined. Such vibrant, clean streets and lots of retail opportunities. I can see why it was the place to be back in the day.

Sheridan and Windsor, 1936

Here's another intersection we've never really featured before, Sheridan and Windsor.

From the IDOT collection.

Source: Illinois Department of Transportation Chicago Traffic photographs
Collection: IDOT Chicago Traffic Photographs (University of Illinois at Chicago)
Repository: Special Collections and University Archives, University of Illinois at Chicago Library

Sheridan and Gordon Terrace, 1936

I don't think we've featured anything from Gordon Terrace before, but here's the intersection of Sheridan and Gordon Terrace in 1936.

From the IDOT collection.

Source: Illinois Department of Transportation Chicago Traffic photographs
Collection: IDOT Chicago Traffic Photographs (University of Illinois at Chicago)
Repository: Special Collections and University Archives, University of Illinois at Chicago Library

Sheridan and Sunnyside, Uptown Chicago, 1936

Way back in 2008, we posted a 1920s  advertisement from a gas station at Sunnyside and Sheridan, the aptly named Sheridan Sunnyside Service Station.

This series from IDOT shows a photo of a Sinclair Station on the same corner in the 1930s.

Detail:

Sheridan and Buena, Uptown Chicago, 1936

From the IDOT collection.

Source: Illinois Department of Transportation Chicago Traffic photographs
Collection: IDOT Chicago Traffic Photographs (University of Illinois at Chicago)
Repository: Special Collections and University Archives, University of Illinois at Chicago Library

Sheridan and Irving, 1936

From the IDOT collection. This series includes a rare pic of the Sheridan Theater. If you go to the IDOT site, you can zoom in on these images.

Detail:

Source: Illinois Department of Transportation Chicago Traffic photographs
Collection: IDOT Chicago Traffic Photographs (University of Illinois at Chicago)
Repository: Special Collections and University Archives, University of Illinois at Chicago Library