Wrigley Field Officially Awesome. It’s a Signed Document.
You don’t have to be a Cubs fan to consider Wrigley Field a national treasure. It’s been anointed so by the Department of the Interior. The north side ballpark was named a National Historic Landmark a few days ago, complete with an 8½ by 11″ certificate, suitable for framing. Wrigley Field gets a thumb’s up from the Department of the Interior The proclamation signed by Scribbly McPenmanship lists the following...
Le Colonial’s Former Colony Under Siege
It’s been a very long time since we would stand in the shadows outside of 937 North Rush Street and startle passing tourists who only noticed us out of the corners of their eyes. Good times. Back then, 937 was the home of Le Colonial, one of the Gold Coast’s social touchstones. A frequent haunt of shopgirls and their clients, ladies who lunch, and people trying to channel their inner Graham Greene or Somerset Maugham over...
The Last Big House in Edgewater Is Becoming a Landmark
Who doesn’t love a big, old house this time of year? All gussied up for Halloween, it makes you feel all Great Pumpkin inside. There’s a great old house in Edgewater that’s on its way to becoming a landmark. 6106 North Kenmore Avenue (Via Apple Maps) 6106 North Kenmore Avenue goes by the name Perkins-Nordine House. It was designed by Allen Pond and Irving Pond, who together made ripples in architecture circles as...
South Side Civil Rights Landmark Makes National List of Most Endangered Places
The South Side church where the 1955 funeral and visitation for Emmett Till was held has been named to a list of the most endangered places in America. Roberts Temple (via Apple Maps) The National Trust for Historic Preservation puts out a new list each year, highlighting the places that shaped the nation that are also in danger of disappearing. This year’s list has locations from Alaska to Puerto Rico, and includes the Roberts...
Historic Water Tower Gets Preservation Funds
When you live in a city as vast and interesting as Chicago, it’s easy to get lost staring at your own bellybutton. But there is a whole lot more Illinois beyond the south suburban pumpkin patches. One of those places is Havana, which is located about half way between Peoria and Springfield on the Illinois River. Like many downstate communities, it claims to be where Al Capone would go to get his nature on. More...
The New Kid on the Block in Wrigleyville
If you ever get to go to a Cubs game again, you’ll find that the tradition of staggering from the bleachers to the Taco Bell across the street is over. The Taco Bell is gone. In its place a new four-story commercial building is rising on the corner of Addison and the space that used to be the Chicago and Evanston Railroad. 1111 West Addison Under Construction (July 2020, Courtesy of Wrigleyville Spy Joel) Wrigleyville Spy Joel...
Wayback Wednesday: Greetings from Glencoe’s Past
If you haven’t traveled much lately — and you shouldn’t be traveling at all these days — you may not have noticed that postcards are becoming harder and harder to find. I’m one of those people who still sends postcards. They’re like Instagram in slow motion. Except with professional pictures, more privacy, and you can stick them to a refrigerator. Something currently not possible with an...
Underdog Buildings in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village May Get Landmark Protection
The Ukrainian Village Neighborhood Association is trying to get more properties added to the neighborhood’s landmark district. Recently, a worker’s cottage at 2047 West Augusta Boulevard was saved from demolition as the demand for housing and pressure for increased density intensifies in some Chicago neighborhoods. A number of worker cottages remain in Ukrainian Village, including 2047 West Augusta. the fourth...
Loop Skyscraper Inching Toward Landmark Status
Do you like skyscrapers? Do you like railroads? Do you like history? If you answered “no” to any of those questions, then what the heck are you doing reading this article, ya silly rabbit? If you like skyscrapers, railroads, and history, then your pulse will pound harder than a middle-age bridge jumper nailing a trifecta at Arlington Park when we tell you that 226 West Jackson has been recommended for landmark status. ...
Wayback Wednesday: Pedal-Powered Public Puppet Performances
Today’s Wayback Wednesday brings us to ten years ago today: January 22, 2010. That was the day we took this photograph of a puppet bike. A puppet bike on the corner of Randolph and Michigan on January 22, 2010. (File) A puppet bike is a large tricycle with a puppet theater grafted onto the back of it. They would be seen intermittently in the busier areas of downtown Chicago, entertaining tourists and being largely ignored by the...
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Erie Street Demolition Where A Hotel Expansion Was Planned January 18, 2021 -
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