Broadway Lawrence Racine, 1920

This image kind of reminds me of waiting for election results during the last aldermanic race!

Here we see the results of some election being projected onto the front of the Sheridan Trust Savings Bank (before it moved across the street into what is now the Bridgeview Bank building).


Original caption: View of a crowd at North Broadway and West Lawrence Avenue in the Uptown community area of Chicago, Illinois, watching election returns on the night of Nov. 4, 1920. The returns are projected on a large screen stretched above the crowd. DN-0009882, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society, Library of Congress

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.

Wilson Avenue, 1983

Hey fellow Uptowners--this 1983 image of the Wilson Station is currently available on eBay. Strange to see the bank building without the giant "B".

Wilson Yard, 1961

My guess is that this picture was taken from a top floor in the Uptown Bank Building, looking south toward Wilson Yard. You can spot the Broadway Building in the foreground, the distinctive tower of St. Mary's Church at the top of the photo, and the McJunkin Building just below that. It is one of the many fabulous photos that appear in The Chicago "L" by Greg Borzo.

Caption reads: "In 1908, the 'L' extended service to Howard and beyond to Evanston at ground level. In 1914-1922, it elevated the track from Wilson to Howard on an embankment rather than a steel structure. This was done to support the weight of freight cars that the 'L' handled from 1920 to 1973 between Church Street in Evanston and Irving Park Road in Chicago. A huge yard was built at Wilson in 1900. Much later, a massive four-track repair and maintennce building, seen in the center background of the view south in 1961, was added. A continuous four-track main line had just been completed here, replacing a two-track bottleneck."

Greg Borzo is a co-author of The Windies' City: Chicago's Historical Hidden Treasures.

My birthday is coming up on Thursday (hint-hint), and this would make a terrific addition to my book collection. :-)

Uptown (Plymouth) Uptown Hotel, Broadway at Leland, Built in 1912

Uptown Hotel
Fireproof
4700 Broadway at Leland
Chicago Illinois
The Uptown Hotel's Location is Perfect Winter or Summer
Theatres, Beaches, Shops, Chicago's Best Transportation
Elevated Express, Street Cars, and Buses at Door. Metropolitan Bus Station in Hotel.
Weekly Rates $7.00 to $12.00
Courteous Service. 150 Large Rooms. Telphone LONgbeach 6400

The Plymouth Hotel, built in 1912, was one of the oldest buildings in Uptown when it was torn down in 2003 as part of a development project. Preservation groups tried to get the developer to incorporate the building into its plan, as it was structurally sound and, according to Landmarks Illinios, capable of being adaptively reused. Unfortunately the developer felt otherwise.

The Plymouth was designed by George Kingsley, best known for his Reebie Warehouse on North Clark. It was the favorite hotel of Essanay's silent film stars. In the lobby of the condo portion, visible from the western side on Racine, is a rather large fragment of the original terra cotta ornamentation. For photos of the Plymouth and its destruction, go to Landmarks Illinois.

Wilson Avenue Theatre

This is probably my favorite image in my collection. It is of the Wilson Avenue Theatre, now a TCF Bank, on Wilson near the northeast corner of Broadway. (You can see a bit of the Uptown/Wilson El Stop in the lower left corner).

The image below, captured from Google maps, shows the same stretch of Wilson. The theatre/bank is the only building left.

I have heard rumours--unconfirmed--that an entertainment company wants to buy the bank and renovate it as a small theatre space. Can anyone confirm this?

Howey's 5120 Broadway at Winona

Neither one of these images of 5120 Broadway show the building as it is today. The first one shows it as a single story! The second one, circa 1983, shows a tower quite different from what is seen now:
Today, the building houses the South-East Asia Center. I have to admit, a small part of me wishes that the building still served as an entertainment destination. It would make a fabulous beer garden today, wouldn't it?

View of the McJunkin Building

The McJunkin Building was designed by Arthur Gerber, who also designed the Wilson El Station across the street. It was built on the former site of the Lower Wilson station.

Update: I originally thought this photo was from the 80s, based on the date listed for it, but Irish Pirate pointed out that the cars are older, so perhaps it's from the early 70s.
Image courtesy HAARGIS.

Tunnels of Uptown Video Tour by Ric Addy

A series of tunnels can be found below the streets of the Uptown Entertainment District at Lawrence and Broadway. Ric Addy, owner of Shake Rattle and Read / The Book Box, takes the viewer on a tour of Uptown’s underside.

To play video, click on arrow in the center of the image.

Weird and Haunted Chicago: The Green Mill

I'm a sucker for Chicago walking and bus tours, but one group I haven't toured with yet is Weird and Haunted Chicago, which has an interesting story on the history of the Green Mill on their Web site.

I'm pretty busy this month, so I don't think I'll have time to hop on the bus and see some ghosts, but if any of you get the chance, I'd love to hear about it. A number of their tours are still available.

Green Mill Destroyed by Fire

From The Chicago Daily Tribune, April 27, 1933:

Acts to Rebuild Green Mill, Lost in $100,000 Fire
Six Firemen and Woman Spectator Injured

Plans were made yesterday to rebuild the Green Mill building, Broadway and Lawrence Avenue, which was destroyed in an early morning fire with an estimated damage of $100,000. Tom Chamales, owner of the two-story structure, announced that he planned to replace the building with one of similar proportions.

Six firemen were injured, one of them severely, and one woman was overcome with smoke in the blaze that started in a Walgreen Drug Store at 4800 Broadway. The fireman most seriously injured is Lt. James W. O'Malley of Engine 128, 5908 Leonard Street. His back was crushed and he suffered internal injuries.

Other Firemen Injured
The other firemen hurt are Oscar Stewart of Engine 128, 6124 Melrose Street; Fred Kinsler of Engine 128, 3007 Cullerton Street; Frank J. Kubik of Rescue Squad 4, 2508 North Menard Avenue, Lt. William Shay of Squad 4, 3230 Eastwood Avenue; Capt. Raymond J. Howe of Engine 70, 6419 North Albany Avenue.

Mrs. Ella Winters, 39 years old, 1001 Sunnyside Avenue, a spectator, was overcome by smoke and motor gas fumes and taken to the Lakeside Hospital for treatment.

Lt. O'Malley was injured when he went to the rescue of Fireman Kinsler, who was trapped beneath a pile of falling debris in the Green Mill Restaurant at 4806 Broadway. Lt. O'Malley was pinned to the floor as part of the roof gave way. Both men were carried to the street by rescue squads.

Half Dozen Shops Destroyed
The fire was discovered by workers in the drug store at 7 o'clock in the morning. It spread northward through the half block long structure, which extends to 4810 Broadway, and also damaged a Fannie May candy shop at 4812 Broadway. The Wolff Jewelry Shop, the Stop and Eat restaurant, the Excell Photo studio, and the Green Mill ballroom, all quartered in the building, were destroyed in the blaze. The fire was prevented from spreading to the Uptown Theatre, 4814 Broadway, firemen said, by the fire walls of the structure.

Green Mill Cocktail Plate

This looks like a later plate from what is now the Green Mill Jazz Club then the one previously posted, as they dropped the "gardens" from the logo. It's very small, just under four inches across, and was probably used for lemon slices for cocktails or something like that.

Green Mill Gardens, Chicago

I picked this up early last year. It is one of my favorite Uptown memorabilia pieces. It's a simple dinner plate from the early days of the Green Mill Jazz Club, when it boasted a rather extensive beer garden.

I am always interested in buying Uptown collectibles. If you have something of interest, please drop me a line.

Sheridan Road and Evanston Avenue (Broadway)

A few days ago, I posted an image of the intersection of Sheridan/Montrose/Broadway. Here is another view, taken from further back, showing the same building. I don't have an exact date for it.

At one time, Broadway Avenue (off to the left in this image) was named Evanston Avenue because it went, well, up to Evanston. Sheridan Road goes off to the right in this photo.

Montrose, Sheridan, Broadway

Many thanks to my friend Andy for finding this terrific historic postcard, postmarked 1910. With all the other rehabs going on in the neighborhood, wouldn't it be great to replicate the original ornamentation at the top of this building?

Arthur Gerber Train Stations: Uptown at Wilson and Broadway

One of the five new banners flying over Uptown this fall features the Uptown Station as conceived and designed by architect Arthur Gerber. Surfing tonight when I should have otherwise been working on a client project, I came across this Web site that discusses other stations designed by Gerber: Arthur U. Gerber, Chicago's Transit Architect.

What I wasn't aware of is that Gerber was also the architect of the McJunkin Building across the street. Somewhere around here I have a photo of what that looked like back in the day; it's a nighttime image, all lit up with ornamental lights. That must have been a sight! I'll try to dig it up sometime soon.

Broadway Near the Uptown Theatre

This image was taken in August 2000, according to the Historic Architectural/Archaeological Resources Geographic Information System, although based on the cars, it looks a good decade or so older. My guess is it was taken in the late eighties or early nineties. The first Uptown Community Portrait, below, was taken in 2000, and the vertical marquee on the Uptown Theatre is missing. I'll have to double-check the date that was removed.

In any case, it's amazing how different this stretch of Broadway looks now with Annoyance, FatCat, Marigold, and other businesses opening up. Change always seems to happen slowly in Uptown, but when you compare what it looked like not too long ago, it's astounding.

Portrait image courtesy Friends of the Uptown.

Buena Memorial Presbyterian Church, Buena Park, Uptown Chicago

When the roof of Buena Memorial Presbyterian Church collapsed in 1996, it was the beginning of the end. Years of neglect and deferred maintenance had taken their toll, and the century-or-so-old church was to be demolished.

Buena Memorial was located at 4247-4301 N. Sheridan Rd., near Montrose and Broadway, on that little peninsula-like piece of land where The Mark condos now stand.

Additional photos of the interior—including closeups of the collapsed roof—can be seen at King Richard's Religious Artifacts, the company responsible for the salvage operation. Fortunately, a great deal of the stained glass and other fixtures were saved.

A very depressing photo of the final destruction can be seen at Midwest Wrecking.

Honolulu Harry's Waikiki

Seriously, why don't we have any good tiki bars in Uptown anymore? This one was located near Broadway and Wilson back in the 1930s. The back of the card reads, "Honolulu Harry's Waikiki, 4541 Broadway. The best Hawaiian Entertainment in all Chicago. Original tropical cocktails and appetizers."

Recently, my fiance Ted and I found a facsimile edition of the famous Savoy Cocktail Book at Shake, Rattle, and Read/The Book Box. It was originally published in the 1930s, and has a huge number of cocktails that aren't very familiar today, some even featuring absinthe. I found one called the Houla-Houla Cocktail, and I think I might try it later tonight. (Well, actually not until Wednesday, because tonight is an "off" cocktail night.) I don't have orange curacao, only blue, so the color might not be quite right, but it should taste authentic. If anyone else tries it out, let me know what you think.

Houla Houla Cocktail

1 part Orange Juice
2 parts Gin
Dash of Orange Curacao

Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass.

The Savoy Cocktail Book also has this recipe:

Honolulu Cocktail

1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Orange Juice
1 dash Pineapple Juice
1 dash Lemon Juice
1 glass Dry Gin
A little Powdered Sugar

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Sounds yummy. Cheers!