These were dangerous days for the abandoned parts of town. Those districts of old warehouses and abandoned factories that suddenly seemed attractive to real estate developers. I made a point of wandering through those endangered zones, like a botanist collecting samples in some rain forest, just ahead of the slash and burn. It made me wonder what'll be lost when the condos and convienence stores finally come.
What secret languages of exile, what sub-species of solitude, what highly evolved examples of urban emptiness would disappear forever. Chicago has always been young at heart. This is a place where "newer" "bigger" and "taller" have always been buzzwords, resulting in amazing modern architecture. However, the side effect of this is that remnants of the past often tend to get paved over or torn down without much thought.
Aside from major well-known landmarks, what does remain often tends to be overlooked and forgotten about. With that said, the goal of Forgotten Chicago is twofold. First and foremost, our main goal is to discover and document little known elements of Chicago's infrastructure, architecture, neighborhoods and general cityscape, whether existing or historical.
What secret languages of exile, what sub-species of solitude, what highly evolved examples of urban emptiness would disappear forever. Chicago has always been young at heart. This is a place where "newer" "bigger" and "taller" have always been buzzwords, resulting in amazing modern architecture. However, the side effect of this is that remnants of the past often tend to get paved over or torn down without much thought.
Aside from major well-known landmarks, what does remain often tends to be overlooked and forgotten about. With that said, the goal of Forgotten Chicago is twofold. First and foremost, our main goal is to discover and document little known elements of Chicago's infrastructure, architecture, neighborhoods and general cityscape, whether existing or historical.
Services
Rogers Park National Bank was founded in 1912.
For the five years prior to the construction of this building in 1917, we presume that the bank occupied retail space elsewhere on Clark Street, although this has not been confirmed.
Notable as architect Karl Vitzthum's earliest extant bank design, Rogers Park National Bank is a typical classical revival style corner bank modeled after Stanford White's highly influential Knickerbocker Trust Company.
A stock subscription drive allowed the bank to regain enough capital to reopen Feburary 1934.
For the five years prior to the construction of this building in 1917, we presume that the bank occupied retail space elsewhere on Clark Street, although this has not been confirmed.
Notable as architect Karl Vitzthum's earliest extant bank design, Rogers Park National Bank is a typical classical revival style corner bank modeled after Stanford White's highly influential Knickerbocker Trust Company.
A stock subscription drive allowed the bank to regain enough capital to reopen Feburary 1934.
One of the most unique bridges in Chicago still carries train traffic through the Bridgeport neighborhood.
The history of the Chicago & Alton Railroad Bridge is intricately woven into the story of the neighborhood, the growth of the city, and the development of the Illinois & Michigan (I&M) Canal and the railroads as Bridgeport and Chicago became a key junction and national center for trade, transportation, and commerce.
In addition to writing articles, giving presentations, and conducting tours, Forgotten Chicago recognizes that an enormous amount of little-known yet invaluable information on Chicagoland history and development to date has never been cataloged, digitized, or made easily accessible to researchers (including us).
The history of the Chicago & Alton Railroad Bridge is intricately woven into the story of the neighborhood, the growth of the city, and the development of the Illinois & Michigan (I&M) Canal and the railroads as Bridgeport and Chicago became a key junction and national center for trade, transportation, and commerce.
In addition to writing articles, giving presentations, and conducting tours, Forgotten Chicago recognizes that an enormous amount of little-known yet invaluable information on Chicagoland history and development to date has never been cataloged, digitized, or made easily accessible to researchers (including us).
Reviews
Be the first to review Forgotten Chicago.
Write a Review
