Wrigley Building Chicago

Wrigley Building

Wrigley Building

Wrigley Building

Wrigley Building

Wrigley Building

The Wrigley Building is an iconic structure in Chicago located at 400-410 North Michigan Avenue just to the north of the Chicago River.   It consists of two towers.  Construction took place between 1920-1924.  The South tower was completed in 1921; The North 1924.

The building architects were Graham, Anderson, Probst, and White.  It is steel frame construction with outer facade of terra cotta.  Inspiration was the Giralda Tower of the Cathedral of Seville.  Architectural style is a fusion of Spanish Colonial Revival and  French Renaissance.

There  are walkways between the buildings at the ground level and at the third and the 14th floors.  The two towers are of different heights.  South tower is 30 stories and the North tower 21 stories.  Arising from the South tower is a clock with faces in four directions.

In 2011, the building was purchased by Zeller Realty and the Groupon Co-founders.    They added a Walgreens Store, a coffee shop and a fitness center.    As recently reported in Crain Chicago Business ( 6/29/2018), the investor group BDT Capital Partners has sold its interest in the Wrigley Building to Mansueto Properties (founded by Morningstar).  Purchase price is reported to be $255 million.

Unless otherwise noted, all photos and text is copywrighted

Sunset Drive In

This was located at 7320 N. McCormick Avenue in Skokie.  It opened in 1951.   It was a property of M and R Amusement.   It had a single screen.  Capacity was 1350 cars.    There was a concession stand and a playground near the screen.  It was located between Howard Street and Touhy Avenue on the west side of McCormick  Boulevard.  It closed in the mid 1978.   It was replaced by Felt Product Company.  The area is now a Federal Mogul Plant.

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Ad for the Sunset Drive In Theater

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Aerial Photo Sunset Drive In Internet Theater

 

Lion House Lincoln Park Zoo

Plaque at the entrance Lion House Lincoln Park Zoo

Entrance Lion House Lincoln Park Zoo

Interior Lion House Lincoln Park Zoo

Interior Lion House Lincoln Park Zoo

One of the most iconic buildings at Lincoln Park Zoo is the Kover Lion House. It was built in 1912. The architect was Dwight Perkins. The external walls are made of brick ornamented with terra cotta. There are lion mosaics. There is a vaulted ceiling of Guastavino tile. The building is 32,700 square feet. It was rehabbed in 1990, 1997, and 2007. It was named a historic landmark by the city of Chicago in 2005.

East Entrance

East Entrance

East Entrance Lion Mural

East Entrance Lion Mural

West Entrance


West Entrance


West Entrance Lion Mural


West Entrance Lion Mural


West Entrance

Dempster Street Purple Line Station

Dempster Street Purple Line Station

Dempster Purple Line Station

Dempster Purple Line Station

     The Dempster Street Purple Line Station is located at 1316 Sherman Street in Evanston.  The original station opened on May 16, 1908.  Its existence was short lived.  It was replaced with a new building in 1909 during the track elevation project of 1908–1910.

     This station is the current one.  It is a ground level building constructed of dark brick   Its style is Georgian Revival.

Lincoln Village Theater

Lincoln Village Theater

Lincoln Village Theater

Lincoln Village Theater

Lincoln Village Theater

Lincoln Village Theater

Lincoln Village Theater


Lincoln Village Theater

The Lincoln Village Theater was located in West Ridge at 6101 N. Lincoln Avenue.    It originally opened as a single screen large theater in August, 1968.  It was an auditorium type facility with a seating capacity of approximately 1000 seats.

It was split into three screens in December, 1983.

In the late 1980’s, Cineplex Odeon added a new building to the north of the original theater.  The new facility featured 6 screens.    The original theater was renamed the Lincoln Village Theater 7-9.  In the 1990’s, this theater was closed and demolished.   The new theater was renamed the Lincoln  Village 1-6.

The remaining  theater apparently was poorly managed.  It closed in 2005.  The reason provided was the lack of parking because of a dispute with the Metropolitan Sanitary District.   The theater has sat empty for years.

Recently a plan was developed for the unused facility.  The nearby car wash was torn down.   The plan was to modify the theater a a 3 story storage facility.

     Unless otherwise indicated, all photos and text are copyrighted

Plaza Theaters 1,2,3 West Ridge

Former Site Plaza Theater

Former Site Plaza Theater

Former Site Plaza Theater

     The Plaza Theater apparently opened in December, 1980.  It was located in a strip mall in a former discount store. Its address was 3343 West Devon in West Ridge.  It was across the street from the Lincoln Village Theater.  It had three screens.  During its history, it was operated at various times by Essaness Theaters, Plitt Theaters and lastly by Cineplex Odeon.  It apparently closed in 1987.