Chicago's South Side in black & white May 12, 2016 SJNN By Alden Loury Looking West down 79th Street at Western Ave, Chicago, IL. Todays photos have two things in common. I wish they could just appreciate from afar without taking and still destroying everything in their way. So, my best guess is this picture was taken during the summer of 1954. Properties covered include: Mexicans and Mexican Americans account for the vast majority of the 819,518 Latinx residents currently living in Chicago and continue to live in or right next to polluted industrial corridors on the Southeast, Southwest, and Northwest sides. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The shots of Chicago will surprise you. Title Building Chicagos Subways The light green paint originally used on these cars faded badly and was hard to match. So we're diving into that jet-setting, Mad Men time when Michigan Avenue became the "Mag Mile.". The YMCA Hotel was on the west side of the street; the car is northbound, as evidenced by the Downtown head sign. Your caption says this streetcar is on 77th St. No, it is on Vincennes Ave., in front of the 77th St. barn, heading north. (Wien-Criss Archive), Here, a CTA Pullman PCC is northbound on Clark at Roosevelt Road. The rest of Madison was bussed. The photographer who took the black-and-whites is not known, but it seems possible it was someone who did not live in this area, but came to visit. All rights reserved.. Espaol: Gua de recursos COVID-19 en el sur de Chicago, The Geography of Fear: Policing a Segregated Chicago. To commemorate these anniversaries, we have written a new book, Building Chicagos Subways. 4:51 The African-American population in Chicago now makes up 25 percent of the city, but racial segregation is high, and much of the South and West sides have become densely populated, marginalized, low-income areas. . There were 300 Pullmans in all. along with a sign alerting northbound motorists to stay left of the open running tracks. Southside 1-1000 - 1950 is rated/received certificates of: Finland:K-16 Sweden:15 USA:Passed (National Board of Review) USA:Approved (PCA #14768) West Germany:16. chicago Go To Homepage Before You Go (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 7227 is on Western at Bross on October 15, 1954. Greektown, the south side's Chinatown, South Asians on Devon Street, Pilsen's Mexican Americans, and the Polish Triangle are just a handful of the vibrant communities in Chicago - famously. One comment, the photo of CTA 687 is at Division and Crosby, not Larrabee. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 4060 is southbound on Western at 66th on October 9, 1955. Between 1950 and 1960 Chicago's population shrank for the first time in its history, as factory jobs leveled off and people moved to the suburbs. This is our 241st post, and we are gradually creating a body of work and an online resource for the benefit of all railfans, everywhere. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA prewar PCC 4008 is at Cottage Grove and 115th, south end of Route 4. Potomac Edison (Hagerstown & Frederick), Capital Transit, Altoona & Logan Valley, Shaker Heights Rapid Transit, Pennsylvania Railroad, Illinois Terminal, Baltimore Transit, Niagara St. Catharines & Toronto, St. Louis Public Transit, Queensboro Bridge, Third Avenue El, Southern Iowa Railway, IND Subway (NYC), Johnstown Traction, Cincinnati Street Railway, and the Toledo & Eastern This northeast corner was originally occupied by the long defunct Becker-Ryan Dept. Known as "Bronzeville," the neighborhood was surprisingly small, but at its peak more than 300,000 lived in the narrow, seven-mile strip. (Wein-Criss Archive), Northbound CTA PCC 7206 is on Western Avenue, passing a two-car train of PCC rapid transit cars on the Garfield Park temporary trackage in Van Buren Street. So, where is the Shameless house located? Chicagos first rapid transit subway opened in 1943 after decades of wrangling over routes, financing, and logistics. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 4037 is on Western at the Chicago River on June 10, 1956 just one week before the end of streetcar service on Route 49. Halsted cars ended their runs at 63rd. (Wien-Criss Archive), Passengers are getting off northbound CTA 7192 at Western and Van Buren on October 10, 1952. Photos depict intersections, streets, bridges, snow removal and other traffic features in the city, mainly along major streets. To reach Englewood, this bus line ran east on 95th to Vincennes, north to 87th, west to Morgan, north to 63rd, then east to the Englewood L. This bar is well-known by DePaul University students who frequent here on the weekends, and god knows also the weeknights. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 4373 and others at the Western and 79th loop on November 23, 1952. Our friend Kenneth Gear recently acquired the original Railroad Record Club master tapes. In the 1960s, the population of Chicago shrank dramatically. By 1928, there were at least six Mexican settlements parallel to Lake Michigan that were referred to as colonias. One of my enduring childhood memories, growing up in the 1970s and 1980s on Chicago's South Side, was something I called the "boundary." The interactive map shows that by the 1950s, Black residents had started to trickle into "grade C" or "yellow-lined" European immigrant neighborhoods on the West and Southeast sides. Note the difference in fonts used for the numbers. In my book Chicago Trolleys (page 107) there is a picture of track work being done at this location on July 17, 1954. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 4053 on Western and 66th on July 31, 1955. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 453 and 190 are on Halsted at 63rd Place on May 21, 1954. 4. White residents in several neighborhoods left the city for suburban areas, and the real estate industry made vast sums by blockbusting. From the 1920s through the 1950s, Chicago's South Side was the center for African-American culture and business. Black families in Chicago lost between $3 billion and $4 billion in wealth because of predatory housing contracts during the 1950s and 1960s, according to a new report released Thursday. A 1920s map by sociologist Frederic M. Thrasher placed the Polish and Bohemian enclaves throughout the entire West Side, including the Lower West Side near Halsted Street; Germans occupied the northern lakefront, with Jewish people settling north of Madison Street and also along the southern lakefront. During the 1950's, the time that the Younger family was living in Chicago, whites and blacks were living completely separate lives and a majority of the blacks were living in poverty. But when industrial employment dried up in the 1950s and '60s, it descended into poverty and crime. The growing Black population eventually formed settlements farther south and up north in isolated and undeveloped areas along the Kinzie rail lines, Roosevelt, and the North Branch of the Chicago River. Another treasure trove of photos thanks to the Wien-Criss Archive. 01. The first order to build rapid transit cars from PCC streetcars was in June 1953 for 150 cars; followed by a 100 car order in Feb. 1954, a 20 car order in Dec. 1954, an 80 car order in June 1955 and a 50 car order in Dec. 1955. CHICAGO Perched along a quiet, tree-lined street on this city's South Side, the worn brick and concrete building on South Champlain Avenue is hard to miss.The tall structure stands out among . Western Ave. cars had used the carbarn at 69th and Ashland until it closed. In any case, thanks again for all you offer on this website. Do you recall the L that ran across Chicago Ave near Goldblatts in the 50s it crossed Chicago Ave between Ashland & Wood St. Im trying to find a photo but cant locate one. The suburban bus company had two routes into Englewood one north along Western, then east on 63rd (this was the Harvey bus), the other north along Halsted St. from the south (this was the Chicago Heights bus). (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 7213, the last streetcar to operate in Chicago, is on Western at 21st on July 16, 1951. 143 followers . 07. Nob-Hill Club 5228 Lake Park Avenue 1950's Lefty Bates CD Oct. 10, 1953; Ben Webster and Miles Davis CD Dec. 5, 1953 Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, University of Chicago 1156 E 59th Street Duke Ellington Sacred Concerts, CD Sept. 25, 1967 St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 55th and Kimbark Count Basie, CD Jan. 22, 1975 Shameless fans, you are welcome to come inside the gate and take pictures on the porch, a sign in front of the house reads. (The Census Bureau didn't begin to identify "non-Hispanic whites" as a separate category until 1980, when that group accounted for . Appearing to rise above the L platform is the corner tower of the Sears Building, looking carefully on the enlarged view, the SEARS name can be seen. CHA high-rises were stigmatized by the city and the media, which portrayed them as vertical drug-ridden ganglands. Note the dark areas where some touch-up painting has been done on the PCC. (1) The red-and-white bus in the background belonged to the South Suburban Safeway Lines. Nowadays, transit agencies have style manuals, used to maintain consistency, but such was not the case in the early 1950s. It was converted to apartments in 1985. So the suburban bus line went as far as 63rd Place and Halsted (next to the L station). Then, Douglas Park L trains used these tracks from 1954-58. Close to a third of Chicago neighborhoods were given a D grade and marked red on a mapthus, redlined. These areas, all of which were predominantly Black communities, were deemed undesirable, and residents from these neighborhoods were usually denied bank loans and insurance, severely limiting their housing prospects and mobility. IND Subway (New York City): 18. 1:43 Toledo & Eastern: (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 7243 is on Western at the Chicago River on June 10, 1956. 1:39 This picture was taken on June 17, 1955 at Western and 71st. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 7208 is on Western near 34th on September 3, 1950. There are different types of segregation beyond the Black-white binary that normally, and rightfully, comes to mind. In 1991 the Chicago White Sox began to play in a new Comiskey Park across the street from the old stadium. On the northeast corner, the 1933 art deco Sears store building with its tenant, the Hillmans Pure Foods grocery store are partially obscured by the Arthur Murray sign and the one in back of it. Early 1960s: Unequal learning opportunities lead parents in Chicago's South Side to protest public school . 5 . As always, if you have any information to share about these pictures, or simply have a question or comment, do not hesitate to let us know. These demarcations were shaped by racist sentiments toward Black residents and non-whites and manifested through urban planning, housing policies, discriminatory banking, and other practicesall effectively confining people from different demographic groups to certain parts of the city. 3. Many of the photos show the same area from a number of different angles, giving a snapshot early transportation worked and everyday life through a look at businesses, fashion, architecture and more. CHICAGO If you think your neighborhood has changed since you first moved in, you should see what it looked like 60 years ago. The Union Stock Yard finally closed its doors on August 1, 1971, after nearly 106 years of operation. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 4373 is on Western near the Douglas Park L on October 5, 1953. We look forward to hearing from you. 16:26 sounds recorded on board a PCC (early 1950s) 4:17 Car 306 (ex-AE&FRE), September 27, 1953 03. Back then, you could live that close to the steel mills. ?etc The streetcar in the photo is headed northbound, with the Rock Island Main Line to its right and Vincennes Ave to its left. Prior to its more official naming, the media referred to the Bronzeville neighborhood and adjacent areas using derisive names such as the "Black Belt," "Black Ghetto," and even more appalling names such as "Darkie Town." You can hear our 19-minute conversation here. You can help us continue our original transit research by checking out the fine products in our Online Store. Many thousands gathered to celebrate the starting of work on the subway. 4:04 My Auntie Stell and her co-workers, Chicago. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 7123 at Western and 69th on January 28, 1954. 2008- University of Michigan launch a study Moving Towards Opportunity. September 3, 1950 Crosby, not Larrabee any case, thanks again for you. Traffic features in the 1950s and & # x27 ; 60s, it descended into poverty crime... 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