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Paul-Mont Apartments

Posted by Ravenswood Historical Society Webmaster on September 9, 2012
Posted in: A Walking Tour of Old Ravenswood. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , .

4400 North Paulina Street

Note the Montrose Avenue facade, which is far superior to Paulina facade. Covered stucco cornice with brick prairie school patterns, elegant window transom patterns, coved bulkheads, and an arched door. Interior has mosaic tile entrance hall.
Like many of the buildings of architect Samuel N. Crowen (l872~1935), this apartment block has a kind of Egyptophile Art Nouveau quality to it. Crowen was considered “the architect of the future” in 1918, and designed a number of elegant Chicago apartment blocks, including the Sherland Apartment Building in Sheridan Park, the apartment houses at 415 W. Surf and at 4346 M. Clarenden near Montrose Avenue. He
also designed the Willoughby Tower (8 South Michigan Avenue) and the Stewart Manufacturing Company Plant. A native of Germany, he was largely self–educated, and designed a number of houses and apartment buildings on the South Side between 1894 and 1897 through a predecessor firm, Crowen & Richards. He had worked previously in the office of Solomon S. Beman, the architect of Pullman. Crowen had a distinctive design approach, and this building is excellent example.

4400 N Paulina. Credit: Google Street View

4400 N Paulina. Credit: Google Street View

HISTORICAL FEATURES


Crowen was the first owner as well as the architect of this building, which cost $75,000 in 1905. When the apartment block first opened in 1905 it featured 4-, 5-, 6-, and 7-room apartments with rents ranging from $32.50 to $40 a month.

SOURCES


CCL Survey; Permit #18752 on 5/22/1905. American Contractor 5/27/1905.

WALKING DIRECTIONS TO NEXT LOCATION

Continue the tour to 4420 North Paulina Street.

  1. The next building is about 256′ north from you.
  2. Click the ‘Continue the Tour’ button below when you’ve reached your destination.

MAP OF DIRECTIONS TO NEXT LOCATION


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Spring 2012 Newsletter

Posted by Ravenswood Historical Society Webmaster on May 28, 2012
Posted in: Newsletter. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

RLVHA Spring 2013

Download the PDF file .

Bennett Apartment Block

Posted by Ravenswood Historical Society Webmaster on December 9, 2011
Posted in: A Walking Tour of Old Ravenswood. Tagged: , , , , .

4500 North Paulina Street

Decorative diamond-pattern brickwork in frieze and pronounced corner turret. Rusticated limestone on first floor, with small stone porches with Ionic columns. Its architect, Morrison H. Vail, boasted that the building had fronts of pressed brick with Bedford stone trimmings, hardwood [interior] finish with mantels, sideboards, and consoles, gas and electric fixtures, and steam heating, among other
features (Inland Architect). It cost $25,000 to build.

HISTORICAL FEATURES

This building was commissioned by Robert Bennett, who asked Morrison Vail to design the structure. Vail worked extensively in Ravenswood and also lived here. His house was in the 4200 block of Paulina (now the playground of the former Courtney School at Paulina and Berteau) and one of his offices was in the Bennett Building on the northeast corner of Ravenswood and Wilson avenues. He and Bennett worked together frequently. In 1895 alone Vail announced plans for three apartment buildings on land owned by Bennett. Vail also designed the first YMCA building for Bennett at the back of the Bennett Building (now demolished) and the apartment block at 4625-4627 N. Paulina.

4500 N Paulina St. Credit: Google Street View

4500 N Paulina St. Credit: Google Street View


After living in Ravenswood for years, Vail and Bennett both moved to Pasadena, California in the early twentieth century.

SOURCES

CCL Survey; Permit N1035 on 8/10/1895, Economist. 8/17/1895.

WALKING DIRECTIONS TO NEXT LOCATION

Continue the tour to 4601 North Paulina Street, the American Indian Center.

  1. Continue north about a tenth mile to the next street, Wilson.
  2. Click the ‘Continue the Tour’ button below when you’ve reached your destination.

MAP OF DIRECTIONS TO NEXT LOCATION


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American Indian Center (Masonic Temple)

Posted by Ravenswood Historical Society Webmaster on January 9, 2011
Posted in: A Walking Tour of Old Ravenswood. Tagged: , , , , .

4601 North Paulina Street

Masonic lodges were very active in Ravenswood in the late 19th and eary 20th centuries, as they were in other comunities. In 1885 Edgar Galloway, who had the house we saw on Hermitage, and other local residents began the process of establishing a lodge. They received a charter the following year for the Ravenswood Lodge. They met in a building on Wilson near East Ravenswood, until taking over Library Hall at Hermitage and Montrose in 1894. By 1926 the masons had outgrown that building and commissioned the architectural firm of Allen Webster to design this building at an estimated cost of $300,000.

Americaqn Indian Center, 4601 N Paulina. Credit American Indian Center

Americaqn Indian Center, 4601 N Paulina. Credit American Indian Center

SOURCES

aic
Permit A-8684, N38, P 98. Historical records

WALKING DIRECTIONS TO NEXT LOCATION

Continue the tour to 1512 West Wilson Avenue, the Truc Lam Temple.

  1. Turn right to the east on Wilson. You’ll cross an alley. Continue, it’s about 407′. A major street will obstruct you. This is Ashland. Your destination is the white building diagonally across the intersection.
  2. Click the ‘Continue the Tour’ button below when you’ve reached your destination.

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Chief Raven

Posted by Ravenswood Historical Society Webmaster on April 10, 2010
Posted in: A Walking Tour of Old Ravenswood.

Native Village

Early maps indicate a Native American encampment in Uptown along what is now Wilson Avenue. The encampment was located somewhere east of Clark Street, which is still about two blocks further east.

We know it was east of Clark Street because Clark Street is an old trail leading to Green Bay. Clark Street exists on what were once low sand ridges formed between the North Branch of the Chicago River and Lake Michigan.

And we know because there were archaeological finds documenting the village.

This photo from 1928 is of a Potawatomi Chief named Dick King. Taken on Parry Island, Ontario by Frederick Johnson. Credit: Smithsonian Collections

This photo from 1928 is of a Potawatomi Chief named Dick King. Taken on Parry Island, Ontario by Frederick Johnson. Credit: Smithsonian Collections

The name Ravenswood, as well as its boundaries, have been subject to a long-standing, but generally good-natured debate for decades. The nearby village may have been led by a Potawatomi chief named Raven. Pat Butler, in his Hidden History of Ravenswood and Lake View1 suggests this was actually Potawatomi Chief Black Partridge.

Black Partridge, his native name was Mucktypoke,  warned Fort Dearborn’s commander,  Captain Nathan Heald, that young Potawatomi warriors were upset that the post had destroyed excess arms and whiskey in anticipation of leaving the fort.2

That destruction violated a verbal agreement that might have led to safe passage of the Heald party to Fort Wayne.

But it was too late. Retreating from Fort Dearborn, Heald led the US forces into a battle along the lakefront that has become known as the Fort Dearborn Massacre and more recently the Battle of Fort Dearborn.

Chief Mucktypoke is considered a hero of the battle, having saved Margaret Helm, the wife of the fort’s lieutenant, from being tomahawked.3

This statue, originally called the Fort Dearborn Massacre, was placed on the site of the battle by property owner George Pullman about the year 1893. The bronze work by Carl Rohl-Smith fell into disrepair. In 1931 it was acquired by the Chicago Historical Society. The statue was moved to the lobby of the museum. In 1972 the subtitle "The Potawatomi Rescue" was added to the monument. It was returned to Prairie Avenue in the 1980's, according to historian John Schmidt. It was removed from the Clarke House grounds in 1997, being put in storage. The statue and the subject of the American relations with native nations remains a politically sensitive subject. Credit: Library of Congress/ Chicago Daily News with the closeup provided by WBEZ.

This statue, originally called “The Fort Dearborn Massacre”, was placed on the site of the battle by property owner George Pullman about the year 1893. The bronze work by Carl Rohl-Smith fell into disrepair. In 1931 it was acquired by the Chicago Historical Society and moved to the lobby of the museum.
In 1972 the subtitle “The Potawatomi Rescue” was added to the monument. It was returned to Prairie Avenue in the 1980’s, according to historian John Schmidt. It was removed from the Clarke House grounds in 1997, being put in storage. The statue and the subject of the American relations with native nations remains a politically sensitive subject. Credit: Library of Congress/ Chicago Daily News with the closeup provided by WBEZ.

The incident, however is loaded with political overtones and meanings. For example, a statue of the famous rescue has moved about Chicago from the home of George Pullman in the Prairie Avenue District, to the lobby of the Chicago History Museum, back to the Prairie Avenue District and is currently warehoused by the city.4

Discussions about exhibiting it at the new park opened at the battle site were snuffed.

In any case, the name of the village of Ravenswood may derive from the native chief of the village that was once near here. After the jump we’ll discuss a few other ideas on this subject.

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Truc Lam Temple (Ravenswood Club)

Posted by Ravenswood Historical Society Webmaster on April 9, 2010
Posted in: A Walking Tour of Old Ravenswood. Tagged: , , , , .

 

1521 West Wilson Avenue

Just down Wilson from the Masonic Lodge on Paulina, on the southeast corner of Ashland, is another Masonic hall, the Paul Revere Lodge, now the Truc Loc Temple. The building started out as the “Ravenswood Club,” a private membership organization similar to a country club. It received a state charter in 1898. Initiation fees were $50; annual dues were $40. The club house, which was open daily, had a reception hall, parlor, dining room and billiard hall on the first floor; a dance hall on the second floor; and a bowling alley and kitchen in the basement. In later years the club also offered ping pong and fencing.

Truc Lam Temple, 1512 W Wilson Ave. Credit: Uptown Update

Truc Lam Temple, 1521 W Wilson Ave. Credit: Uptown Update

By 1917 the club was having financial problems and three years later, in 1920, it sold the building to the Paul Revere Masonic Lodge.

WALKING DIRECTIONS TO NEXT LOCATION

Continue the tour to 1601 West Leland Street, Our Lady of Lourdes Church.

  1. The next building is about a tenth of a mile north on Ashland at Leland.
  2. Click the ‘Continue the Tour’ button below when you’ve reached your destination.

MAP OF DIRECTIONS TO NEXT LOCATION


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Our Lady of Lourdes Church

Posted by Ravenswood Historical Society Webmaster on February 9, 2010
Posted in: A Walking Tour of Old Ravenswood. Tagged: , , , , , , , , .

1601 West Leland Street

Many stone details and tile and copper trim enliven a yellow brick structure. Also note cast iron lamps outside doors; metal fretwork over front door; and dome with copper lantern at crossing. The church’s cruciform floor plan, large windows, high ceilings and grand size make for an inspiring worship experience.

Henry Worthmann (1857-1946) and J. G. Steinbach also designed, among many other churches. St. Mary of the Angels on Hermitage Avenue just south of Armitage Avenue, and St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral, 2238 West Rice Street at Chicago Avenue. This church was designed in a Spanish Romanesque style; the architects were equally at ease designing Renaissance and Neo-Byzantine structures.

HISTORICAL FEATURES

In 1929 this church was moved across Ashland Avenue and turned 90o, one of the largest building relocation projects in US history. Due to the need to widen Ashland Avenue, the church: whose front door previously faced Ashland from the southeast corner of Ashland and Leland, was moved across Ashland in early 1929 so that its front door now faces Leland. It was also lengthened 30 feet, increasing the seating from 800 to 1,370.

1601 W Leland, Our Lady of Lourdes. Credit: Uptown Update

Our Lady of Lourdes as it looked on the east side of Ashland, prior to 1929. Credit: Uptown Update

Today, the church serves a very large congregation with a large number of masses, all well attended. One of its most unusual ministries is a small chapel just west of the church’s south end (accessible off the alley west of the church). This chapel, which simulates the Grotto at Lourdes, France, houses the Blessed Sacrament. Is continuously manned by volunteer laity from the parish 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This means that anyone can go to this church at any time to pray in the grotto. It is often quite crowded.

The grotto inside Our Lady of Lourdes. Credit: Flikr

The grotto inside Our Lady of Lourdes. Credit: Flikr

SOURCES

Original Permit was A12954 on 5/28/1913, N5, page 135, 87411, file 39365. A second permit, presumably for the move, was 28038 on 8/31/1928 (Plan AB340; Water 13575; File 196741; N$$, page 201). See also George Lane’s Chicago Churches and Synagogues (Chicago: Loyola University Press, 1981), and History of the Parishes of the Archdiocese of Chicago Volume I, published 1980 by the Archdiocese, pages 701-706.

WALKING DIRECTIONS TO NEXT LOCATION

Continue the tour to Chase Park, diagonal from the church.

  1. The next destination is diagonally across the street, about 33′ from you.
  2. Click the ‘Continue the Tour’ button below when you’ve reached your destination.

Chase Park (Gunther Park)

Posted by Ravenswood Historical Society Webmaster on January 9, 2010
Posted in: A Walking Tour of Old Ravenswood. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

4701 North Ashland Avenue

This park was originally a semi-professional baseball park named Gunther Park. Built in 1905, it had a seating capacity of 5,000. It was home to the Gunther Nine of the Chicago City League, The Chicago Green Sox of the United States Baseball League.
The Gunther Nine played their first game against the Spauldings here in April 1905, winning 4-3, according to Leslie A. Heaphy in her history of black baseball.

Chase Park, 4701 N Ashland. Credit: Chicago Park District

Chase Park, 4701 N Ashland. Credit: Chicago Park District

Attorney Jonas Hoover was enlisted by local residents to sue park owner J. D. Cameron in 1907. The residents objected to the noise from the park.
The Chicago Cubs played here too, taking on the Leland Giants in 1909.
The most noted game here was against the Leland Giants in 1910. The Giants played in a field located at what is now the Wentworth Gardens. The Gunthers broke the 35 game winning streak of the Giants in a 3-1 decision.
The field had a wooden fence in the outfield and a covered grandstand. It was abandoned in 1913 after the construction of Wrigley Field.
In 1914 the Ravenswood Improvement Association and local residents petitioned the Lincoln Park Commission to convert the former baseball stadium into a public park. The park commission acquired the land in 1920. Within two years tennis courts, a playground, an athletic field, a wading pool and a field house were constructed.
Each of the seven neighborhood parks created by the Lincoln Park Commission were named in honor of President Abraham Lincoln’s cabinet members. Salmon P Chase (1803-1873) served as Lincoln’s Secretary of the Treasury from 1861 to 1864. In late 1864 Lincoln appointed Chase Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court. Chase was known for defending runaway slaves and was a leader of the anti-slavery movement.
As one of his first acts as Chief Justice, Chase appointed John Rock the first African-American attorney to argue before the Supreme Court.
In 1934 the Lincoln Park Commission was consolidated into the Chicago Park District. The original field house was replaced with the current building in 1976.

SOURCES

Chicago Park District, Leslie A. Heaphy, Black Baseball and Chicago: Essays on the Players, Teams and Games of the Negro Leagues’ Most Important City McFarland 2006

THIS IS THE CURRENT END OF THE TOUR. To return to the Metra Station follow these directions:

  1. Walk north along the west border of the park, Ashland Ave., to Lawrence Ave, a distance of up to a tenth of a mile.
  2. At Lawrence Ave., turn left to the west. Follow Lawrence past Paulina and Hermitage, about two-tenths of a mile, till you reach Ravenswood. The Metra station is across Lawrence on your right.


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New Website

Posted by Ravenswood Historical Society Webmaster on February 9, 2006
Posted in: Posts.

The Ravenswood Lake View Historical Association announces the establishment of its new website at ravenswoodlakeview.com. Principally the work of talented web designer Dan O’Neil, the website is our attempt to further our mission through the internet. Initially, the website is intended to establish our presence on the web and provide quickly accessible information about the Association.
Someday soon we hope that our site becomes more than just the typical website. We are excited to assist the Chicago Public Library in making the Sulzer Library Historical Collection’s photos fully accessible over the internet. Internet patrons will be able to download photos and hopefully other material directly from the internet. Stay tuned for further details.