Uptown Chicago History

At 96, He Says He's Ready to Go

2008-07-09T15:16:00.004-05:00

Editor's Note: I suspect that G.K. is talking about Uptown neighbor Studs Terkel...

At 96, he says he's ready to go

But I sense he wants to hang around until November, to see for himself whether Obama wins the White House.

by Garrison Keillor

July 9, 2008 | I stopped by to visit an old friend in Chicago last Sunday, and by "old" I mean 96 years but with all his faculties intact, which makes him a natural wonder you could exhibit on the carnival circuit for 2 bucks a head, children under 10 admitted free with a parent: SEE MAN BORN ON DAY TITANIC WENT DOWN -- HE TALKS, HE MAKES SENSE.

The Wonder was sitting in a deep chair under an Einsteinian burst of white hair, nibbling blueberries, his walker handy and a bottle of J&B, when I arrived around noon. Strewn on the floor were newspapers the Wonder reads to keep close tabs on the Cubs and Barack Obama. I offered to show him how to read the paper online. "That'd be like trying to bounce a meatball," said his son, across the room. "You think Obama can do it?" the Wonder asked me. "It's in the bag," I said. He frowned. He's worried. Too good to be true. I got the idea that he was planning to hang on until November and find out for himself...

You want to read the rest? Go to Wonder Has Plenty to Say

Uptown Chicago Wiki Coming Soon!

2008-05-15T16:17:00.009-05:00

May 15, 2008
Uptown Chicago

Compass Rose Technologies, Inc. is pleased to announce the upcoming launch of a brand new Wiki for the Uptown Chicago community.

"If you are familiar with Wikipedia," says Ted Calhoun, president of Compass Rose Technologies, "this is essentially the same concept. Any user will be able to create, modify, and edit content. With hundreds of articles already input and six interactive maps, the Uptown Chicago Wiki is one of the most complete neighborhood wikis around.

"A lot of effort has gone into this project; we've been working with community members and organizations on it since last summer. We're very excited about the benefits a local Wiki can offer the Uptown community. Unlike a blog or other types of community Web sites, anyone will be able to create new entries. All of the articles contained within will relate in some way to Uptown. If you own a business you'd like your neighbors to know about, know of a restaurant that shouldn't be missed, or a historic building you'd like to share the history of, we welcome the addition to the site. The possibilities are endless. And every entry that includes an address will also show up on one or more of the interactive maps."

The Uptown Chicago Wiki is scheduled to go live early June. If you would like more information or to take part in the beta testing, please write Ted Calhoun at wiki@compassrosetech.com.

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Letter from a Former Uptown Resident

2008-05-15T02:51:00.006-05:00

I get a lot of readers, but I don't always hear a lot of feedback on this little ol' history blog, so e-mails like this just make my day:

I really love the website that you have created, I’m a product of uptown, I lived there from the late 1950’s until 1970 and the moved back for 2 years in 1975. Your website has brought back many memories, I went to school at Stewart, then transferred to Brenamen on Clarendon & Montrose and from there I was sent to Catholic school at St. Thomas of Canterbury on Kenmore and Lawrence. I had my first paper route delivering the American on Winthrop from Lawrence to Argyle in 1962. We use to go to the Lakeside theater on Saturdays and see three movies for a quarter, and the Uptown theater was the coolest, you get lost in that place and it was so fabulous inside, I remember a section that was hard to find that was all enclosed in glass and was located in between the upper balcony and the lower balcony all the seats were blue velour with polished brass it was definitely made for the elite. I spent many days at the Robert R. McCormick Boys Club on Sheridan and Gunnison what a great place for a boy to stay out of trouble. I can’t think of many places in uptown that I didn’t see as me and my brother wandered the streets all summer. Well I could go on forever about the great life I had there, so keep up the good work and if you ever have any questions about uptown I would love to share. -- R.C.

Thanks for reading, R.C.!

And what's your favorite memory of Uptown? Write me at blog(a)compassrose.com and I'll feature it here!

Uptown Travel Guide

2008-05-13T01:11:00.003-05:00

From WikiTravel.com:

Uptown is the result of a divine message received by men with a tremendous amount of money in the early 1920s. Here, by the lake, there was to be an entertainment district of such magnificence that it would shift the entire center of Chicago to the north, and within a few years, overtake even Manhattan for supremacy in the nation. Up went canyons of Art Deco magnificence: hotels, department stores, palaces of music and the arts; all in accord with the vision. Ever see a movie where cigar-chomping gangsters escort gorgeous molls into a damn good jazz club? That's the Green Mill. Where thousands of earnest teens dance their hearts out for a famous live radio broadcast? That's the Aragon Ballroom. And the crowning achievement was the Uptown Theater, the "acre of seats in a magic city," where every man could see a movie like a king.

But there was the small matter of the stock market crash in 1929. Right as Uptown was reaching its peak, new construction slammed to a halt and Uptown never recovered. Needing tenants, many buildings were carved up for low-income housing, and maintenance was lowered to match the rent. There was still revelry, but it was seedier, and less of a destination for the fresh-faced teens of yesteryear. Unlike other parts of the city, which were reinvented by changing fortunes across the decades to come, Uptown stayed on the mat, beaten down by poverty.

At last, though, Uptown is reaping the rewards of that heritage. Years of cheap living created a diverse community that's still resident there today, highlighted by the amazing Southeast Asian pocket on Argyle between Sheridan and Broadway. (It's sometimes mistakenly known as "Little Saigon" or "North Side Chinatown," but it's too diverse for one label.) For the first time in decades, the entertainment district is growing again, with the survivors holding strong and joined by some great new options. In an area where a dilapidated pancake house from the 1950s still counts as new construction, the seedy atmosphere of Uptown can be absorbing like few others in the city, and makes for a memorable night out.

Want more? Go to: WikiTravel.

Broadway Lawrence Racine, 1920

2008-05-06T01:25:00.004-05:00

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

Rainbo Gardens in "Silent Movie," a Work in Progress

2008-04-21T23:22:00.007-05:00

Thanks to Dave S. for the head's up on this one. On Live Journal there is a novel in progress called Silent Movie, part of which takes place in Uptown's Rainbo Gardens:

Silent Movie

Chapter thirty-four

November 21, 1923, Uptown, Chicago, Illinois

Outside the hotel, the Uptown streets were lit up with a neon glow. Men and woman walked the snowy sidewalks arm in arm, bundled up in their winter coats, trying to stay warm as they headed out to enjoy the city's nightlife. And one thing was for certain, the bad weather wasn't going to put a damper on anyone's night.

The front door of the Sheridan Plaza Hotel opened. Bam and Ville ran out to the awaiting taxi, with smiles on their faces, and quickly got inside...

Read more at Silent Movie

Fred Mann's Rainbo Gardens

2008-04-15T19:59:00.007-05:00

Here is a series of three postcards showing the interior of Rainbo Gardens. The location was a top Chicago entertainment destination for about a hundred years, and it was here that vaudevillians Ted Healy and Moe Howard asked Larry Fine to join their comedy act that eventually became The Three Stooges.

Host to a variety of amusements and some of the early twentieth century's best-known celebrities, Fred Mann's Rainbo Gardens was one of Chicago's premier entertainment venues. Located at 4812-36 North Clark Street, Rainbo Gardens lured patrons from across the city with its eclectic mix of traditional vaudeville acts, trendy jazz bands, extreme sports events, and easy-going dance and liquor policies...

For more, go to Jazz Age Chicago.

Today, the site is home to Rainbo Village. For a series of images of the demolition of the original building, go to Landmarks Preservation Council.

Postcard images courtesy J.C.

Sheridan Trust Lobby

2008-04-15T00:05:00.003-05:00

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.

Hotel Lafayette, 4606 N. Racine (at Wilson)

2008-04-12T00:11:00.002-05:00

Sheridan Road and Irving Park, 1928

2008-04-11T00:40:00.003-05:00

It looks like that might be Immaculata High School in the upper left corner.

Original caption reads: "View of a road in front of the construction site of a new drive at Irving Park Boulevard and Sheridan Road in Chicago, Illinois. A roadblock, a building, and a horse-drawn wagon are visible in the background."

Cite as: DN-0085752, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society, Library of Congress.

Wrigley Field, 1929

2008-04-10T00:49:00.006-05:00

What I want to know is what they're all drinking.

Original caption reads: "Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois, waiting to enter the ballpark for a 1929 World Series game between the National League's Chicago Cubs and the American League's Philadelphia Athletics. A crowd is surrounding the men, and a dog is standing in the foreground. Image of a group of men and a boy holding thermoses, sitting on crates outside Wrigley Field is located at 1060 West Addison Street and bounded by West Waveland Avenue, North Seminary Avenue, North Clark Street, and North Sheffield Avenue in the Lake View community area."

SDN-069134, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society, Library of Congress.

Search for more historic images at All Posters! Click here.

Essanay Studios, Early Chicago Filmmaking

2008-04-08T16:46:00.004-05:00

From the Chicago Tribune:

Plenty of movies have been made about Chicago. Plenty of movies have been shot on Chicago's streets. But the city itself has never been a center of international studio filmmaking, except for one brief golden age that lasted only a decade. That single 10-year span commenced in the summer of 1907, when Essanay Studios was formed to enter the new business of making movies. During those years, Chicago had a studio that was the Disney or Warner Brothers of its day.

Essanay boasted among its contract players the world's number one box-office star (Charlie Chaplin), a great matinee idol (Francis X. Bushman), a glamor queen (Gloria Swanson), and the dean of cowboy stars (studio co-founder Gilbert "Bronco Billy" Anderson). The studio was located in the 1300 block of West Argyle Street in the city's Uptown neighborhood...

Continue reading here.

Thanks to Dave S. for the head's up on this story.

Immaculata High School, Irving Park and Marine Drive

2008-04-06T23:01:00.001-05:00

Summary from Wikipedia: Immaculata High School was an all-girls' Catholic high school located in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. It was open from 1921 to 1981. The campus buildings received Chicago Landmark status on July 27, 1983. Still standing at Irving Park Road and Marine Drive, they were designed by Prairie School architect Barry Byrne, a onetime apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright.

Image courtesy John C.

Jam and Live Nation Fight Over Uptown Theatre

2008-04-06T13:37:00.003-05:00

From today's Sun Times

Concert promoters in tug-of-war over 'jewel'

Legal battle between Jam, Live Nation drags on as Uptown Theatre crumbles

A redeveloped Uptown Theatre is seen by many, including 48th Ward Ald. Mary Ann Smith, as the key that finally could turn Uptown from a "war zone" into a thriving entertainment district -- the only one in the city where live music is the main attraction.

Now the theater itself has become what may be the bloodiest battleground yet in Chicago's long-raging war between two powerful concert promoters: national giant Live Nation and Chicago-based Jam Productions. And the fight is just heating up.

For rest of article, go to Sun-Times

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

2008-04-05T22:45:00.002-05:00

Image courtesy John C.

Sheridan Sunnyside Service Station, 4501-4507 Sheridan, 1926

2008-04-05T01:35:00.002-05:00

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.

Grateful Dead at the Aragon Ballroom, Chicago

2008-04-05T01:25:00.005-05:00

Here's a poster I'd love to bid on if I could. Designed by Chicago underground cartoonist Daniel Clyne and featured in the book Art of Rock.

Search for more historic images at All Posters! Click here.

Mountain / Bob Segar Concert Poster, Aragon Ballroom, early 1970s

2008-04-05T01:19:00.006-05:00

Currently on eBay and out of my price range, a Mountain / Bob Segar System Aragon Ballroom Concert Poster. Designed by Skip Williamson.

Lake View High School, Ashland and Irving

2008-04-04T01:24:00.005-05:00

My grandmother Elsie graduated from Lake View High School in the 1930s; I forget which year off hand. She married my grandfather Edwin shortly after.

My Family's Connection to John Dillinger

2008-04-02T14:51:00.004-05:00

Okay, it isn't a strong connection. After John Dillinger was shot outside the Biograph Theatre, my great Uncle Otto--who had been born in Poland but came to the U.S. with his parents-- hopped on his motorcycle to follow the body to the morgue, where crowds of thrill seekers filed past to get a look at the famed gangster. As far as I know, he was not one of those who dipped his handkerchief in Dillinger's blood as a souvenir.

Today's Trib has an article on Dillinger's Haunts, which include several locations in Uptown. The funeral home where he was embalmed is at 4506 N. Sheridan, a gorgeous old building which still stands. It's worth checking out the article, which includes an interactive map.

Wilson El a Hundred Years Ago

2008-04-01T02:59:00.005-05:00

View of North Western terminal (elevated train station) at West Wilson Avenue in the Uptown community area of Chicago, Illinois, 1907.

DN-0051864, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society, Library of Congress, American Memory Collection.

View of St. Paul tracks at Wilson Avenue looking south towards Wilson Ave. This is the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad. The tracks are located in the Uptown community area of Chicago, Illinois, 1907.

DN-0063226, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society, Library of Congress American Memory Collection.

Winona Beach, Chicago

2008-04-01T01:06:00.006-05:00

You can see a bit of the Edgewater Beach Hotel at the top.

Search for more historic images at All Posters! Click here.

Meet Me in Uptown, The Mighty Blue Kings

2008-03-29T20:27:00.006-05:00

Meet Me in Uptown is another Uptown-inspired tune by The Mighty Blue Kings. It's available as an mp3.

Meet Me in Uptown
Ain't no use in waiting 'round
You know that Uptown
It's the greatest place around...

Sounds like it should be an anthem for Uptown, doesn't it? Something to rally the neighborhood.

The Mighty Blue Kings will be playing at Schubas on May 2nd.

Jumpin' at the Green Mill, The Mighty Blue Kings

2008-03-29T20:11:00.004-05:00

I found this great jazz tune called Jumpin' at the Green Mill by The Mighty Blue Kings. It's available as an mp3.

Let's go on out and have a party tonight
Ride your wick *
Put on your fancy clothes
We'll go to that place that everybody knows
We'll be jumping, having ourselves a time!
We'll be jumpin' at the Green Mill...

*I think they're saying "Wick," I can't quite tell!

Restoration of an Uptown Mansion

2008-03-28T02:19:00.003-05:00

Excerpt from the Chicago Reader:

David Teplica has Helen Brach’s sink. Apparently, one of the many things the candy heiress left behind when she disappeared in 1977 was an American art deco fixture in precisely the right style, vintage, and shade of white to go with the milky glass walls in one of the bathrooms at Teplica’s 98-year-old north-side mansion. He tried to get by with French deco porcelain at first, but the color was wrong. Brach’s basin, which he bought at Salvage One, was perfect, right down to the two little pegs in its feet that matched up so satisfyingly with two old dents in the bathroom floor.

Details like those pegs have been Teplica’s obsession since he bought the mansion he shares with his partner, Kalev Peekna, in 1997. Designed by the prestigious firm of Schmidt, Garden & Martin, the place first belonged to Levant M. Richardson, who made his fortune on a patent for the use of ball bearings in roller skate wheels. Teplica supposes the house—near what was then the lakefront—served as Richardson’s “little getaway” from the stresses of life downtown...

For full article and more yummy pictures, go to The Restorer.