War Memorial at Magnolia and Sunnyside

Photo of a war memorial at the southeast corner of Magnolia and Sunnyside; currently on eBay here:  War Memorial

From the original caption: Some may forget the sacrifices of Chicago's war dead, but not Madora Ashley. Again this year her pet project--a tiny war memorial plot at Sunnyside and Magnolia--reflects the tender care of one who remembers.

The flag pole on the plot has been freshly painted and blooming flowers brighten the area, thanks to Miss Ashley, a beautician of 4441 Magnolia.

In part, the plot's well-tended appearance resulted from help last year by friends and neighbors. At that time, Miss Ashley was in a hospital, ill and worried that the memorial would be neglected.

Readers of the Sun Times Briefs--371 of them--assured her with cards and letters that this would not happen. Neighbors tended the plot until she recovered. Then Miss Ashley again took over as the memorial's loving caretakers.

906 Sunnyside, Uptown Chicago, 1980

 

Currently on eBay, item 251039359118. The photo ran in the paper with the caption "The once-elegant Apartments on the 800 and 900 blocks of Sunnyside and 900 block of Agatite in southeast Uptown have fallen on hard times, but if Uptown Federal Savings has its way they will be rehabilited for moderate-income families as partof the proposed development.

Broadway South of Sunnyside, 1970

Currently on eBay: 260945563719

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

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.

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:

Paulina and Sunnyside

Currently for auction on eBay here: Sunnyside and Paulina

Uptown Folk Fair, Kenmore and Sunnyside, Chicago 1961

Judy Alt, an employee of the Uptown Federal Savings Bank, enjoying some cotton candy while the Uptown Folk Fair goes on beneath her, August 26, 1961 at Kenmore and Sunnyside in Chicago.

Original image available (at time of posting) from here: Uptown Folkfest

Shenandoah at Sunnyside and Kenmore

We've featured this image before, but I wanted to give readers a head's up that there is another original postcard available of it on eBay. Go here: The Shenandoah

Sunnyside and Magnolia, Uptown, Chicago, 1958

The Adolph Mueler Square War Memorial on the southeast corner of Sunnyside and Magnolia celebrates a rededication ceremony with Dr. Robert Bleier, the Illinois Commander of the Jewish War Vets. April 13, 1958.

Original photo available for purchase (at time of posting) from here: Sunnyside and Kenmore

Sheridan From Sunnyside, Uptown, Chicago

This stretch of Sheridan Road certainly has changed!


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While we don't have an exact date for this image, it is prior to the construction of the hotel at Sheridan and Agatite.

Growing Up in Uptown Chicago

Courtesy Johnny JB Brooks, on YouTube

The Shenandoah, Sunnyside and Kenmore Avenues

I'm not sure about the vantage point in this postcard image--which corner of Sunnyside and Kenmore are we looking at? I wonder if this stood on what is now the parking lot next to Graeme Stewart Elementary, on the northeast corner.


Top image courtesy John Chuckman. Middle image courtesy Google. Bottom image courtesy ChicagoPC.info.

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.

Chicago Lords of Uptown

While surfing the Net one night, I found this site: Chicago Lords of Uptown.

It provides a brief history of the Sunnyside and Magnolia Set of the Almighty Gaylords, a Chicago street gang with roots stretching back to the late forties/early fifties.

Since living in the neighborhood, I've found that people love to talk about and somewhat glamorize the early gang history of Uptown, the "Al Capone was here" kind of stories, or else they will have a lot to say about Uptown's current gang problems. Very few talk about the times in between, and the groups that, for good or ill, made their mark on the neighborhood.

The Chicago Lords of Uptown were prominent from the seventies through the late nineties. From the site:

"Uptown was a battle zone! Today, Chicago's Uptown community is more known for its jazz clubs and coffee houses than its gang wars. This area is one example of how the City of Chicago is eliminating its ghettos—almost overnight. The cleanup effort is good for the city, but the blood lost here battling for these blocks should not be forgotten."

To learn more about the history of Chicago's street gangs, visit the UIC Chicago Gang History Project.

900 Block of Sunnyside

Image courtesy John Chuckman.