That’s me after finding these photos. Or maybe it’s one of the photos I found, dated 1949. Anyway, I’ve previously discussed my reasons for fascination with urban space, particularly the temporal component of so many different people and different buildings using the same space for different purposes over extended periods of time, each contributing to the uniqueness of that space. Aside from simple architectural beauty, this “flavor” of the urban fabric brought only by the chaotic mix of time and people are what give older cities their intense charm and character, and why newer, single-use suburbia is so bland and devoid of such character.
Chicago, perhaps the quintessential city whose development, structure, and existence epitomized the industrial revolution and rise of global capitalism (other cities were bigger in size of course, but their identity was generally forged before or after the IR), has acquired it’s unique and complex character ironically in part through conscious disregard for the value of uniqueness of place and historic architecture (”public goods” such as the “feel” of a particular neighborhood are notoriously poorly captured via market pricing, hence the existence of movements to implement zoning, historical preservation laws, and so forth). By this, I mean that Chicago has often rapidly and successively redeveloped the same urban space for the highest and best economic use, meaning almost no place in Chicago is frozen in time as a museum piece - rather, the oldest parts of the city (e.g. the Loop, Near North Side), which have seen dozens of waves of development, with perhaps 6+ buildings/uses and countless tenants inhabiting the same space over the short span of a mere 100-150 years, thus have a remarkably complex, assymmetric, interdependent identity and story.
Soooooo anyway, I came across this set of 400+ scanned slides of old Chicago photographs - street scenes, the people, the buildings - mostly 1950-1970, uploaded by user Zeus Of HollYWOoD. Many of them are either unlabeled or labeled very generally e.g. “Looking through a brick window” so my contribution here is the noodle-vault-scratching to identify the locations of each shot. Unclear if the user took them himself, but I suspect not, rather him being a vintage photo buff who thankfully(!!) scanned his slides for us. Obviously you should go check out the whole set, but I’ll share some of the gems.
For Volume 1, we’ll explore photographs of the Near North Side. As always, click the pic for full size. First, here’s the east side of Rush Street looking north from Chestnut in 1967:
Wow, eh? The block in the foreground (featuring ROVIN KIND GO GO GIRLS et al) is gone now, of course: the replacements are two luxury condo towers, 50 East Chestnut and the Bristol. Chicago used to have tons and tons of bright signage all over its commercial and nightlife districts, but at some point our culture determined these were a blight and they’ve basically been graduallypractically zoned out of existence. While Rush Street is still widely known as a nightlife district (with the triangle at Rush/State/Bellvue known affectionately as Viagra Triangle), by now this district really only extends from Oak/Rush north to Elm. Not only did this entertainment district used to extend southwards to Chicago Avenue, but this was also quite a bit seedier than the upscale restaurants and bottle-service nightclubs of today - full of burlesque houses, porn shops, and more.
The whole Near North Side had it’s dicy bits that have largely been sanitized - the intersection of Chicago/Clark was the epicenter of the Chicago prostitution scene, and a skid row extended down Clark from Chicago Avenue to the River, with flophouses and porn shops. Obviously about 90% of that’s gone, but to this day there is a surviving smut district with 4-5 porn shops concentrated around the intersection of Clark/Hubbard - grandfathered in from before the city passed an ordinance requiring adult uses be at least 1000 feet from any residential units.
Here’s a day time view of the NE corner of Rush/Delaware - Mammy’s Pancake House appears in the night photograph above as well.
The fun extends around the corner and went up and down Delaware, too. Heading east down Delaware, north side of the street:
At the eastern end of the block, visible in the second picture, was the elegant 900 N. Michigan building, an early example of large scale mixed-use with upper floor co-op apartments, I think some hotel, as well as ground floor retail and a courtyard restaurant. The entire block that housed the above two scenes was demolished in the late 1980s for the construction of the massive landmark postmodern skyscraper 900 N. Michigan. The western half of the block, former home of Mammy’s Pancakes, Tony’s Cellars, et al, now houses the 10+ story parking deck accompanying the skyscraper.
Looking the other way down Delaware:
Check out D’Agostino’s neon sign! Want. Some “BURLESX” too, please.
The fun continued northwards of course. Here’s a 1974 view of the west side of Rush looking south from Oak Street:
Oh, what’d I’d give to grab a sandwich at Punchinello’s then stop by Bourbon Street for the Revue - ideally having arrived in that blue AMC Gremlin. That building is long gone and replaced by sanitized retail, but interestingly that 4 story red brick building at the end of the block survived until very recently, housing a pizzeria on the first floor. The building was supposed to be rehabbed, but the owner/developer mysteriously “discovered” structural issues and just demolished the whole thing, and we’ll soon be graced by ever more bland one-story retail where one can buy… yoga apparel. Times change, eh? The Faces nightclub in the foreground also became some random upscale retail, and also was demolished only recently to make way for the new Barney’s New York store.
The Near North has always been a study of contrasts - even mid-century, the vice districts were immediately adjacent to elegant Michigan Avenue with its upscale retail and dining, such as Le Petit Gourmet in the Italian Court, shown here in 1955:
Obviously, this is gone now, replaced by… Eddie Bauer and a movie theatre.
That’s it, for now - next volume will be Old Old Town during it’s counterculture gentrification and possibly some other desktop-wallpaper city scenes. Stay tuned. Here’s a parting shot showing the Edgewater Beach Apartments in the distance, before the development of the north shore skyline in the 1950s and 1960s:
Also, a 1949 beach babe rocking the granny panties. Dude’s got a lot of photographs of babes.
My Mom was a singer in many clubs in Chicago in the 50’s I’m doing a scrapbook of her life(she’s passed) trying to get old pics of the clubs like La “Rue 32″ which was on rush street howabout “The Purple Onion” down there.” The Hollywood Show Lounge” on State St downtown.Her stage name was Jean Perris 54,55 to 1957. Thanks
Please help me
Greetings. Thanks for posting the vintage Rush Street photos. They really took me back. I grew up there during the `60’s & `70’s. I saw many stage shows at The Happy Medium, which was owned by the Marienthal Bros. who also owned the London House. I even saw the “Don’t Bother Me I Can’t Cope” show painted on the wall. A particular favorite was The Green Apple Nasties which featured a young Joel Higgin’s who later went on to “Silver Spoons” and a long stage career.
I have a funny story about Tony’s Cellar, the tavern next door. The owner would post ads looking for cocktail waitresses. When the girls would show up to apply, he’d tell them Tony would be right back and to have a seat. After a while he’d offer them a free drink while waiting. He’d eventually say Tony wouldn’t be able to make it in. It was really just a ruse to get women sitting in the bar by the windows.
Although there were many adult dance clubs and such in the neighborhood, it was exactly still that. A neighborhood. You would have those such establishments right next door to high end restaurants, adjacent to apartment buildings and my grade school Ogden a half block away. (Torn down this month BTW).
The annual Gold Coast Art Fair used to fill all those very streets pictured throughout the `60’s & `70’s. Sadly it was moved over to the self proclaimed “gallery district” by Well’s & Orleans in the late `80’s. Where it became just another street fair.
Mammy’s Pancake House was owned by the cousins of the original Carton’s Restaurant owners. Which was housed on the first floor of The Maryland Hotel pictured. Then relocated to 21 W. Chestnut for many years after that locale went through it’s own litany of restaurants. The Flying Frenchman, Great Gritzbies, The Garage and now an Ing Cafe.
There was a Chances R in the basement across the street with a huge floor mounted fireplace in the center. The Prow, Red Garter, Junius, (Jim) Sain’s later Doro’s then Lucianos all also rounded out the area. The Athenian Room preceded Faces next to Punchinello’s where writer Bruce Vilanch was a regular. And of course Mister Kelly’s & the Carnegie Theater.
I tried that Zeus of Hollywood link, but alas couldn’t find the rest of that Rush Street grouping of photos. Maybe you can post more when you have time. Thanks for the memories.
The Pigalle Club pictured would later be one of the first Ranalli’s.
Oh, and I forgot to mention my mom was a showgirl at the Silver Frolics at Kinzie & Wabash in the early/mid `50’s. She an my father a musician at the Sherman House met at Easy Street by Dearborn & Elm. And the rest as they say, is history.
does anyone have old photos of Hollywood Show Lounge state st. in the 50’s?
My family has lived and had businesses on and around rush street sense the 1930’s.
My Father was one of the owner’s of “the Talk of the town”in the 50’s and up to the mid 1960’s when it closed..It was on Clark and Division street.
The apartment I grew up in 30 E. Oak street is now owned by Prada.
My Father also had an Apt. at 14 W. Elm street,and his brother had a Barber shop down stairs.
I would love to see photo’s of the “Talk of the town” nightclub my father had..It was a GoGo bar.
I love the photo’s posted and would like to know where I can obtain copies or add to the collection of photo’s I have from my window at 30 E. Oak street in 1971.
What wonderful memories to see….Of a great old age on The Gold Coast.
Having worked on Rush Street(Rush Up, Rush Over and Rush Back)this was like going home…i change is always happening, but those really were the “good old days”…thank You for the trip down memory lane…
I’ve come to know someone that worked & partied in “The Rush-Up” where… as she claims… she has seen Chaka Khan perform. I think whatever chemicals she did during those days has blurred her memory slightly, and in light of these photos I think she really meant “The Happy Medium”. Either way, she was there… And now I know where she meant.
Hey Mike. It is very plausible indeed that your friend saw Chaka Khan at the Rush Up. Her and her band Rufus often played the smaller clubs. Including the Back Room which was on Rush just North of Oak St.
P.S. CTA later Chicago, Styx and others all played the Rush Up as well. I first saw Cheap Trick at Mothers on Division Street. So as they were coming up, they all played the smaller clubs. The Happy Medium did more revue type shows. Oscar Brown Jr. etc. When solo artists where there it was more along the lines of Maynard Ferguson.
Does anyone know the address of former Red Garter? My parents met there in the late 60’s and I’d love to see the spot.
I am watching “Looking for Mr. Goodbar” on Netflix as I write this. There is a great montage of Diane Keaton coming out of a theater and you can see Faces, The Cabaret, and some other clubs/landmarks in the background. I’ve tried to visualize where these spots were and this web site helped me do that. My former “bachelorette pad” was at 2 East Oak, which I believe was near the former Faces (if anyone knows what is there now, I’d love to know!). I think it may have been on the West side of Rush just South of Oak - where the Starbuck’s is now - but I’m not sure. What a great subject!! Keep up the great site and I will be bookmarking this for future evenings of research!
Kelley in Chicago
To Heather, the Red Garter Saloon was on Pearson St. between State & Wabash, on the South side of the street. Loyola’s Law School is now on the site. The red brick building.
i just received xbox 360 arcade , obviously no storage, if i desire to, could i buy a hard drive for it and expand it so i could set up game and play music too,please response hope you guys get what im saying, english is not my native speech.
Hey! What happened here!? This was supposed to be a blog-thread about old Rush & Division… Not another spam-site!
Say… Does anyone have pics or memories of Pulaski & Crawford in the ’60s/early-’70s? I just showed the friend I mentioned before the ones of Rush St. (Then & now) and she recalls fun times in what I just mentioned.
thanks dave! will check it out.
I remember going to a restaurant on Rush street in the mid-70’s. I think it was the Blackhawk, but not sure. I just remember the waiters preparing cesar salads table side. Was that the right name?
Also I went to a dark club on Rush and got a chance to see Oscar Peterson perform. Thought it was below the Blackhawk theater.
Please help me remember.
Thanks.