We thought we’d celebrate the start of construction season with these photos taken just a short dash to the east of Heart of Italy, where city workers were repairing sidewalks yesterday.
In the disease-infested 1850s, Chicago’s streets were impassable marshes of rain, sewage and other waste. The city summoned Boston engineer Ellis S. Chesbrough to design the country’s first comprehensive sewer system. He found that the streets were too low to provide adequate drainage, so he built streets – and sidewalks – above ground level.
The 2300 block of West 23rd Place, where these photos were taken, has these so-called “vaulted sidewalks.” We’ve seen many of these throughout the city that appear to be aging and in need of repair.
The repairs are funded by the city or by individual aldermen’s offices, according to Francisco Lassio from the office of Ald. Danny Solis (25th).
