What was South Side Chicago like in the 1950s? 02. (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. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 7238 is southbound on Western at the Douglas Park L on April 22, 1955. This portion of the old Humboldt Park line was not demolished for another decade, and the story goes that it would have been used by Chicago Aurora & Elgin interurban trains as a midday storage area, if service on that line could have continued after 1957. 0:56 PCC car 1557, Route 20 Cabin John line, July 19, 1953 Total time 73:14 1960. Why not mention that the Panama Ltd and the City of Miami operated there on the tracks nearest to Cottage Grove; not to mention IC freight activity and such trackage rights New York Central trains as the James Whitcomb Riley and the Twilight Ltd? 10:36 (recorded May 3-7, 1958 line abandoned July 1958) Puerto Rican people are the second-largest Latinx group in Chicago. But when industrial employment dried up in the 1950s and '60s, it descended into poverty and crime. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 7253 is on Western at Leland (by the Ravenswood L, now the Brown Line) on June 10, 1956. Keep up the excellent effort. Note the circa 1953 Cadillac at left. 11. The station was closed in 1952, probably just a few months before this picture was taken. St. Louis Public Service: While in the South Side Chicago hoods along 83rd, 87th, and 95th streets the Black P. Stones have had a dominant presence since the 1970s. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 4053 at Western and Leland on June 10, 1956. For Shipping to Canada: You can hear our 19-minute conversation here. Immigrants typically lived in inadequate housing near railroads and industryin bunk houses, boxcars, and section houses. From the Original Master Tapes (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 4373 is on Western near the Douglas Park L on October 5, 1953. What makes this picture so interesting is the road sign, Keep left of tracks. Thats because, precisely at this spot, the streetcar tracks moved off the street and onto private right-of-way between Vincennes Ave. and the main line of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific railroad. The River Tunnels Our friend Kenneth Gear recently acquired the original Railroad Record Club master tapes. Andre Kristopans says it is Crossing under CNW and PRR at Rockwell. Also, its wonderful to see all the old advertising signs on the street cars and the buildings. White Flight, which I titled "Midnight Flight: One family's experience of White Flight and the racial transformation of Chicago's South Side (an online novel)" which you can read here for free . 04. RRCNSLR 4 Board of Trustees/Directors minutes May 1952-Oct 1956 draft copy. 02. There were 28 buildings which was originally housed for 11,000 residents but soon became over 27,000- Population Crisis I always knew about racism growing up in the 70s, recall seeing the hippies in Old town. By the 1960s, Black residents had moved into "grade B" (blue) communities in the South Side, such as Roseland and Beverly. At this time, the temporary Van Buren trackage was still under construction, and this picture was taken from the Garfield Park L station, then still in use. 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. 03. 16. While Chicago Housing Authority was right on target for claiming the programs of urban redevelopment, urban renewal and public housing which . For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 153 is northbound at Halsted and Congress on October 5, 1953. Children listen attentively at Hollstein School in 1952. The tracks going to the right were for the 67th/69th/71st line, which used Western to travel between 69th and 71st. 10. Railroad Record Club Traction Rarities 1951-58 Will Guy Fieri Cook The Bean Before It's Windexed? Chicago, Illinois, December 17, 1938 Secretary Harold Ickes, left, and Mayor Edward J. Kelly turn the first spadeful of earth to start the new $40,000,000 subway project. 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. With maybe at least a few St.Louis-built cars being included in some of those orders; the Pullman cars were largely gone from the streets by the end of 1955. Maps of Chicagos early ethnic composition show that immigrants and their descendants lived in clusters. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 7189 is passing through an area where tracks are being worked on at Western and Cermak on October 15, 1954. 4:19 Interurbans #83 and #80, October 1954 Look at the bottom of the photo. Thank you. The city, which had been 85.9 percent white in 1950 and 76.4 percent in 1960, saw that proportion fall to 65.6 percent in 1970 and 49.6 percent in 1980. 05. Chicago Skyline Downtown Chicago Chicago Restaurants Chicago Illinois Chicago Area Chicago City White Castle Restaurant White Castle Hamburgers South Side Chicago Your caption says this streetcar is on 77th St. No, it is on Vincennes Ave., in front of the 77th St. barn, heading north. CHA high-rises were stigmatized by the city and the media, which portrayed them as vertical drug-ridden ganglands. If youre ever in the neighborhood, the TV house is located at 2119 South Homan Ave, Chicago, IL, 60623. Despite the high-stakes campaign led by the Young Lords and the Rainbow Coalition against the Citys urban renewal plan, they were priced out and pushed to Humboldt Park and Hermosa, and in recent years they have been partially displaced again by new development. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 7157 is northbound on Western at 67th on June 15, 1955. Stunning Vintage Historical Photos Show What Chicago Looked Like In The 1960s. Extending trolly lines is much easier and economical than L tracks. Black residents did not enjoy the same geographic freedom. The conductor then raises the trolley pole onto the parallel wire. There were three subway anniversaries in 2018 in Chicago: I grew up on the South Side of Chicago in the 1950s and '60sliterally across the street from U.S. Steel. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA PCC 4101 is westbound on Madison, but where did it cross the Chicago & North Western? Chicago, city, seat of Cook county, northeastern Illinois, U.S. With a population hovering near three million, Chicago is the state's largest and the country's third most populous city. In its aftermath, white flight from Chicago accelerated. Chicago Photos . Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. On the one hand, the South Side of Chicago was the "capital of black America." It was home to the nation's most powerful black politician, Democratic congressman William L. Dawson; the most prominent black man in America . (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA prewar PCC 4027 (at left) passes a postwar car on Western at 24th on June 7, 1956. It radiates and lies south of the city's downtown area, the Chicago Loop . South Side Weekly partnered with WTTW and the Invisible Institute to co-publish text and visual reporting and analysis covering the impact racial divisions have on individuals, the city, and our region. 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. Order Our New Book Building Chicagos Subways In addition, the greater Chicagoland areawhich encompasses northeastern Illinois and extends into southeastern Wisconsin and northwestern Indianais the country's third largest metropolitan area and . 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. 75 years since the State Street Subway opened (October 17, 1943) Required fields are marked *. It's a glorious and sloppy mess, but one that represents home for many South Siders. The only way to get there (still with usable tracks and live trolley wires) was along 69th St. to Wentworth (200 W.), south to 73rd St. at Vincennes, then southwest on Vincennes to the barn at 77th. You can see the streetcar trackage reverting to street running headed south. With all the different types of people Chicago attracted at this time, the entertainment industry became a powerful force to be reckoned with. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 4227 is on the turnback loop at Clark and Howard, the north end of Route 22. Chapter Titles: 04. You can see the shadow of the now-gone Ogden Avenue viaduct at the bottom of the photo. Median income and employment plummeted, and L ridership fell. But CHA maintenance began to fall off quickly, and by the 1980s the War on Drugs and mass incarceration created crises of crime and concentrated poverty in the densely populated towers of the Robert Taylor Homes, adjacent Stateway Gardens, and Cabrini-Green. White residents in several neighborhoods left the city for suburban areas, and the real estate industry made vast sums by blockbusting. But the largest group of projects was the Street State corridor in the former Bronzeville Black Belt, which had a total of 7,938 units. These have been digitized, and we are now offering over three hours of 1950s traction audio recordings that have not been heard in 60 years. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 7213, the last streetcar to operate in Chicago, is on Western at 21st on July 16, 1951. #536 is a companion picture from the street to #534. Squad cars block entrance to a block on Chicago's South Side after disturbances during which 10,000 persons milled about the area. Looking back at Chicago in the 1960s and the racial tensions that divided Blacks and Whites, I decided to write a book about that experience. 03. The City of Chicago broke ground on what would become the Initial System of Subways during the Great Depression and finished 20 years later. 06. Death of an Interurban Store which was acquired by the Sears interests who replaced the original Becker-Ryan building. To replace workers at local factories, business brought in w. Seems to have been a good choice since the same building is still a Ford dealer today. This series was produced for WTTWS FIRSTHAND: SEGREGATION, an award-winning FIRSTHAND multiplatform, multi-year initiative focusing on the firsthand perspectives of people facing critical issues in Chicago. A rapid exodus of Jews from the South Side began in the 1960s due to white flight. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 4060 is on Western at the Logan Square L on June 8, 1956. (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. 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. 1954 One of my enduring childhood memories, growing up in the 1970s and 1980s on Chicago's South Side, was something I called the "boundary." (1) The red-and-white bus in the background belonged to the South Suburban Safeway Lines. Yusay beer stands out on a lot of the photos. 4:04 The Second Ghetto Unfortunately, public housing did not solve Chicago's housing problems. I wish they could just appreciate from afar without taking and still destroying everything in their way. (Wien-Criss Archive), Riverview Park at Western and Roscoe on June 10, 1956. 12. https://thetrolleydodger.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/pic566.jpg The plan was ostensibly intended to decentralize Black poverty and relocate residents to mixed-income housing in integrated neighborhoods. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 4020 on Western at 73rd during track work on June 26, 1955. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 4408 on Western at 66th on July 16, 1951. 29:34 (Johnstown Traction recordings were made August 9, 1953) The date is June 16, 1954. (Wien-Criss Archive). Total time (3 discs) 215:03. https://thetrolleydodger.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/pic544.jpg As he led a march through Marquette Park on the Southwest Side, he was attacked with bricks by a racist white mob. Baltimore Transit: A bit of detail on photos (pic571.jpg & pic572.jpg) at 71st & Western, the temporary facing crossover was installed without a corresponding crossover overhead wire. It would have made Chicago a much more commuter friendly city. He would later say, I have been in the Civil Rights Movement for many years all through the South, but I have never seen not even in Alabama or Louisianamobs as hostile and hateful as this crowd. The Fair Housing Act was passed in 1968. The YMCA Hotel was on the west side of the street; the car is northbound, as evidenced by the Downtown head sign. the streetcar tracks turning between Halsted and 63rd. 5 . It should be taught in school. Total time: 79:30 3:32 Box motor #5, May 24, 1953 5:09 Passenger interurban #9 Western Ave. cars had used the carbarn at 69th and Ashland until it closed. Newly rediscovered and digitized after 60 years, most of these audio recordings of Chicago, North Shore and Milwaukee interurban trains are previously unheard, and include on-train recordings, run-bys, and switching. Visit the website (wttw.com/firsthand) to explore the elements of the project. 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. (Wien-Criss Archive), CTA 7236 is at Archer and Western on November 17, 1954. Altoona & Logan Valley: It is very unlikely that he will ever be able to recoup his investment, but we support his efforts at preserving this important history, and sharing it with railfans everywhere. 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. In 1991 the Chicago White Sox began to play in a new Comiskey Park across the street from the old stadium. What Time is Halloween Trick-or-Treating in Chicago? Photos depict intersections, streets, bridges, snow removal and other traffic features in the city, mainly along major streets. The southeast corner building was nondescript, although at one point it was a Stineway drug store. But the most creative period for the city was the 1950s, when rivals Chess and Vee Jay battled for supremacy in the rhythm-and-blues market. The station was closed in 1952, probably just a few months before this picture was taken. 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