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

Image courtesy John C.

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. :-)

4152 Sheridan

Image Courtesy HAARGIS.

This beautiful mansion was located at 4152 Sheridan Rd. It was once the Coombs (Rowland) Funeral Home, and in the 1940s it was purchased by St. Mary's for use as a parish clubhouse. The first parish carnival was held on the grounds. What's located there today? You guessed it, condos. The below image was captured from Google street views. You can see the top of the tower at St. Mary's at the far upper right.