If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. 3:32 Box motor #5, May 24, 1953 (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 4053 on Western and 66th on July 31, 1955. At this stage, it appears the Western Avenue bridge over the Congress Expressway was not yet finished, as the streetcar (and auto traffic) are using a shoo-fly. At the end of Shameless, Lip has decided to sell the Gallagher house for a mere $75,000 a far cry from the $250,000 he was offered by a developer before he pushed too hard and lost that deal. The postwar relocation of urban whites, known as white flight, was facilitated by the new expressways that connected them to the developing suburbs west of the city limits, where Black, Latinx, and the growing Asian population were kept out. This gigantic construction project, a part of the New Deal, would overcome many obstacles while tunneling through Chicagos soft blue clay, under congested downtown streets, and even beneath the mighty Chicago River. Skilled workers and factory workers lost their jobs during the crisis. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 640 is running under the L on Halsted at 63rd Place on May 25, 1954. It appears that the street has already been made a one-way, which did not happen until November 16, 1953. The River Tunnels 17:34 Car #172, February 20, 1954 as broadcast on WJEJ, February 21, 1954, with host Carroll James, Sr. Another clue that helps pinpoint the date is the light lettering on dark background seen on license plates in this image. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 7240 is at 69th and Morgan on October 25, 1954. First, they were all taken in Chicago during the 1950s. 80 years since subway construction started (December 17, 1938) CHA high-rises were stigmatized by the city and the media, which portrayed them as vertical drug-ridden ganglands. 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). Women approach a news stand in Chicago in 1940. IIRC, Jalens Snack Shop, the new occupant, was up and running by the Summer of 54 and for many years after that. Constructed over alleys through the South side, the Alley "'L" opened for regular service on June 6, 1892. . The New York Times - August 2, 1964. There are different types of segregation beyond the Black-white binary that normally, and rightfully, comes to mind. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. Western Ave. cars had used the carbarn at 69th and Ashland until it closed. Looks like between 1950 & 55 Burke Desoto/Plymouth became Burke Ford. We thank him for his generosity. One of my enduring childhood memories, growing up in the 1970s and 1980s on Chicago's South Side, was something I called the "boundary." (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 248 is at Crosby and Larrabee on May 17, 1954. This move included the expansion of popular music styles, bringing jazz to Chicago and the rest of the country. $5 from the sale of each set will go to Kenneth Gear, who has invested thousands of dollars to purchase all the remaining artifacts relating to William A. Steventons Railroad Record Club of Hawkins, WI. Chicagos first rapid transit subway opened in 1943 after decades of wrangling over routes, financing, and logistics. Chicago's South Side in black & white May 12, 2016 SJNN By Alden Loury Looking West down 79th Street at Western Ave, Chicago, IL. I was born on the south side then raised in Logan Square. Many immigrants were fleeing poverty and war, with many others coming to Chicago in pursuit of economic prosperity. The original objective was to treat basic illness and to train nurses and interns. What was South Side Chicago like in the 1950s? To replace workers at local factories, business brought in w. The Southeast Side is a description that the city itself continues to resist, including this neighborhood with all of Chicago's South Side communities. https://thetrolleydodger.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/pic566.jpg In the early years of the twentieth century, Chicago was the fastest-growing city in the U.S. The tracks going to the right were for the 67th/69th/71st line, which used Western to travel between 69th and 71st. Is BCD Travel a good company to work for. 3. Disc One With a location just south of the ever-expanding University of Chicago in Hyde Park, however . (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 4375 is at 69th and Hamilton on November 5, 1954. This meant that what was once the Black Belt saw many of their upwardly mobile residents leave public housing and the immediate area. Tens of thousands of Black residents are also leaving their traditional South and West side neighborhoods in recent years, as has been extensively reported, in what some are calling an outmigration or a reverse migration. The citys Black population peaked in the mid-twentieth century and is now at its lowest level since then, with 787,551 Black residents as of 2020. First, a nit: I think this picture is at 107th rather than 105th. All those seem to date between 1952 and 1954. So the suburban bus line went as far as 63rd Place and Halsted (next to the L station). (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 7123 at Western and 69th on January 28, 1954. It's a glorious and sloppy mess, but one that represents home for many South Siders. March 20, 2019. Chicago Youth Organize Townhall for Mayoral Candidates, Op-Ed: Chuy Garca Isnt Running as a Progressive This Mayoral Bid, Chicago Rapper 8MatikLogan Gives Himself A Second Chance, IRS Approves Federal Nonprofit Status for South Side Weekly NFP, Mayoral Debate was a Poor Night for Chicago, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. You would be forgiven for not recognizing this location, but thats the Western Avenue station on the Humboldt Park L, just north of North Avenue. Todays photos have two things in common. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA PCC 7271 is northbound on Clark at Roosevelt. The cars have 1953 license plates. 29:34 (Johnstown Traction recordings were made August 9, 1953) Illinois Terminal: (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 7253 is on Western at Leland (by the Ravenswood L, now the Brown Line) on June 10, 1956. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 4050 is southbound on Western at the Douglas Park L on November 11, 1955. PCCs were taken off Madison on December 13, 1953. Take a trip underground and see how Chicagos I Will spirit overcame challenges and persevered to help with the successful building of the subways that move millions. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 7160, viewed from the Douglas Park L (todays Pink Line), is operating on Western at 21st on June 15, 1955. Second, they were all shared with our readers by Jeffrey L. Wien of the Wien-Criss Archive. The bulk of the items are from the 1920s-1950s. 5 . In 1991 the Chicago White Sox began to play in a new Comiskey Park across the street from the old stadium. The sign indicates that this bridge is going to be converted to one man operation, meaning that it will be operated from only one tower instead of two. And we thank you for sharing this helpful bit of history! Total time (3 discs) 215:03. Railroad Record Club Traction Rarities 1951-58 During its heyday, there was Soft Sheen Products, a $100 million-a-year. The Near North Sides Cabrini-Green complex at one time had 3,606 apartments. From the 1920s through the 1950s, Chicagos South Side was the center for African-American culture and business. 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), The date at which this photo of CTA PCC 4421 could have been taken, southbound on Clark at Van Buren, is a bit of a mystery. It radiates and lies south of the city's downtown area, the Chicago Loop . 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. The 1919 Race Riots, which were part of the racial violence seen across the country during a period known as the Red Summer, were provoked by an attempt to enforce segregation in the waters of Lake Michigan. The materials include articles, correspondence, flyers, news clippings and reminisces. Rear View of Apartment House with Wood Staircase, South Side, Chicago, Illinois, USA, Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration, April 1941. The South Side has been home to some of the most significant figures in the history of American politics. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 4393 is on Western at 21st on July 6, 1950. The deadliest tornado hit on April 21, 1967, traveling through Oak Lawn and the South Side of Chicago, killing 33 and injuring 500. . Racially restrictive covenants were also common in the Chicago area, as in the rest of the country. It is such a same they did not have the foresight to keep these lines going. As he led a march through Marquette Park on the Southwest Side, he was attacked with bricks by a racist white mob. Notice the Yellow cabs waiting for L passengers. The restaurant that once occupied this corner space had been gutted in a spectacular fire during the Summer of 1953, along with a tavern next door on the North Avenue side. They were simultaneously subject to predatory practices such as contract selling, in which realtors would deceive buyers into signing contracts to buy marked-up houses on installment with high interest rates and no guarantee of title. Chicago Southside 1950's 95 square miles of the 228 square miles were considered the "south side". (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 7227 is on Western at Bross on October 15, 1954. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA PCC 4108 is northbound at Kinzie Street. Railroad Record Club North Shore Line Rarities 1955-1963 Note that the platforms have been moved to the east and no longer extend over Halsted St. 16:26 sounds recorded on board a PCC (early 1950s) Third Avenue El (New York City): The Union Stock Yard finally closed its doors on August 1, 1971, after nearly 106 years of operation. Your caption says this streetcar is on 77th St. No, it is on Vincennes Ave., in front of the 77th St. barn, heading north. Capital Transit: (312 . 4. Your email address will not be published. 12. Store which was acquired by the Sears interests who replaced the original Becker-Ryan building. Photo 530 is at the south end of the Vincennes Ave. private right-of-way segment at the 10800 block of Vincennes (108th St. did not go through to Vincennes, there were no intersections along Vincennes between 107th St. and 109th St.). (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA prewar PCC 4008 is southbound on Wabash at about 900 South. One day I got off at Damen and walked under the tracks to see where they went. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 7118 is southbound on Western at Van Buren on November 3, 1954, with a train of wooden L cars about to cross Western on the temporary right of way for the Garfield Park L during expressway construction. They turned east on 63rd to Union Ave. (700 W.), then south to 63rd Place, then west to alongside (south of) the Halsted L station, then back north on Halsted. 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