Category: Chicago history
Historical information about Chicago, its neighborhoods and its housing.
Signs of the times on Chicago streets
In the pantheon of urban blight, you've got to rank bad store signage at or near the top of the list. Back-lit plastic signs are the scourge of the [...]
Suburban name trivia question
Which Chicago suburb takes its name from being the dump site for dirt from the 1893 Columbian Exposition? [...]
New in Loop: casino, water park, softball field!
Mayor Richard M. Daley today announced plans to turn the highly coveted parcel across from Marshall Field's flagship store on State Street, the so-cal [...]
The pink beacon of Sheridan Road: Edgewater Beach Apartments
It's our own little taste of South Beach right here in Chicago, and given the Midwestern sensibility that permeates the city more than any of us would [...]
N Sheridan Rd: beachfront living, mainland prices
Often thought of as tatty hinterlands--when thought of at all--N Sheridan Rd boasts several buildings that once represented Chicago's highest standard [...]
Millennium Park bean update
Close to three years after it was unveiled, Anish Kapoor's monumental sculpture, Cloud Gate, will be completely open to the public. City officials s [...]
Biograph Theater nearing completion
The historic Biograph movie house, at 2433 N Lincoln Ave in Chicago, the spot where the Lady in Red duped Public Enemy No. 1 John Dillinger, is in i [...]
Livin' large on E Lake Shore: top location, confusing address
The Commission on Chicago Landmarks includes eight buildings in the elite East Lake Shore Drive district, but residents of only six of those high-ri [...]
Open your eyes, Chicago
Got 'em open? Take a look at Gary Johnson's wonderfully eclectic Chicago history Web site, including his walking sample of downtown, and his brief tak [...]
Livin' large on E Lake Shore: The Mayfair's $8 million record breaker
And the granddaddy of all downtown condo sales, at least for now, is...drum roll please...an $8 million condo on the 18th floor of The Mayfair, 189 E [...]
Livin' large on E Lake Shore: $6.2M unit for sale at The Breakers
Earlier this week, we mentioned that a nearly $5 million condo available at 209 E Lake Shore Dr ranks among the priciest homes on the exclusive stri [...]
The shady side of Beverly
For anyone who happened to sojourn south (or north or east or west) yesterday for the South Side Irish St. Patrick's Day Parade in the Beverly neighbo [...]
The Buddhists are coming (to save Ravenswood landmark)!
It's a subtle change on a structure that has stood for more than 100 years, but the new name on the front of what's been commonly known as the Paul [...]
The VOCAL activist preservationists love to hate
Dee Grant has become the activist that preservationists love to hate. Chicago Magazine raised her profile this month with a feature about Grant and he [...]