Places that aren't there anymore...

[Bonster]

Hudson Motor Car Company Dealerships
http://home.comcast.net/~sarahdyoung/hudsondealerships2.html


Berwyn, IL:

Maple Motor Sales, Berwyn, IL. The building had 12,562 sq. feet of new car, service and showroom area
in the southwestern suburbs of Chicago. Richard Mazzuca, general manager of this dealership declares [in December
1953 Hudson Dealer News], "My partner, Peter Carrara and I were former Hudson salesmen. We believe Hudson
to be the finest road car ever built. We believe that the Jet will bring us the business of many economy minded
people. That's why we choose hudson and we believe that aggressive merchandising is going to pay off. We're
not araid of the future. That's why we invested our money in a Hudson dealership. We've six salesmen on the
selling team and we're doing good business."

[Jane]

Nepil's Supermarket and Johnny's Standard Station at Oak Park and Ogden

[berwynguy]

There is a lot of mention of the Comedy Womb on the couple of previous pages in this thread.  I saw this card while browsing e-bay.

[pkd50]

I remember that place

[brosro]

 
   1st job-Amphenol 18th&54th Cicero. My cousin worked across the street@Williams-Bowman Rubber Co.
   1st sport coat-Jack's Mens Shop Cermak Rd in Cicero
   1st car-Mahoney-Sirovatka Buick Cermak Rd in Cicero
   1st bus solo-West Town @ 13th&Oak Park north to 800 S. Oak Park to the Southern theatre in Oak Park.
   1st date-walk to Oakwyn theatre for Saturday cartoon festival.  Between Oak Park&Grove
   Pass Kriza's Butcher shop next to Oakwyn-best buchta in burbs. Verner's in Cicero, 2nd place.
   Intersection of Cermak&Oak Park-Andes Candies, Berwyn Ntl Bank, Walgreens, Newstand. In back of
   newstand, original Esquire restaurant. Above restaurant, Claire Powell Dance Studios. Some of Claire's
   dancers were on call by Magnam's Chateau. Esquire fire(?) re-opened one block east. This is my 1st post.
   I left area in 1972. A lot of places have come and gone since. More on the way.

[markh7658]

I'm new to the site and found this subject to be most interesting! I have Parents who are still in Berwyn & have been since 1971. I remember "Hoft Drug Store" where my Father would send me for a newspaper every morning before school. It was closed but the papers were by the front door and I believe it was a quarter and I'd leave it on the pile of newspapers. I also remember just east of Hoft was a store called "Jamie's" they sold food and alot of miscl. items. I also remember because I worked there as a kid the Berwyn News Agency located @ 32nd & Grove I see there's a Bar there now!

[Berwnite]

You must have known Kevin who worked for Gus at the news agency, he was guy who drove the step van like an Indy driver.

[markh7658]

This was in the early seventies and I don't remember anyone by name. I would go there sometime after midnite and my job was to roll and tie the papers for the morning routes!

[berwynson]

What about "Grant Works"? Heard it all my life, WTH was it, or where T.H. was it?
berwynson

[The Jackal]

Roosevelt to 16th, Cicero Ave to Laramie.

[Berwyn Patsy]

   Was that area always called Grant works?  I remember it was called that as the
Italian immigrants were moving in, but before that it was a predominately Lithuanian
neighborhood.   St. Anthony's school was a Lithuanian speaking church and school.

[berwynguy]

Patsy, the area has always been known as "Grant Works" all the way back to its beginnings in 1890.  The area was built up due to the opening of the Grant Locomotive Works that set up a factory building locomotives in the neighborhood.  They built housing for the workers that would work there.  The plant did not last long and closed a short time later.  I believe the original Grant Locomotive Works buildings still stand off of Roosevelt.  As you said, ethnically the neighborhood was Italians and Lithuanians.  In the 1960s southern whites began to move in, and in the 1970s the first Mexicans came into Cicero through Grant Works.  I personally find that neighborhood to be the most fascinating in Cicero.  

Here is an original promotional poster advertising the Grant Works subdivision in 1891 from my collection.  Note in the middle of the poster where it says "Grant Locomotive Works Addition at the Southwest Corner of 12th and West 48th St's. (Cicero Ave. used to be known as 48th Ave.)."

(Click twice to Enlarge)

[Berwyn Patsy]

  Interesting Frank, thanks.

[pkd50]

I know that Cicero goes east of Cicero Ave. down Roosevelt and a little south of Roosevelt.  What are the boundaries?   Is that also called Grant Works? 

[Berwyn Patsy]

    I thought if you went east on Roosevelt towards the viaduct, Cicero ended on the other side
of the viaduct which I think the 1st Street was Kenneth and the Chicago boundary.

[berwynguy]

The eastern border is kind of funny.  Grant Works stops at Cicero Ave, the Town of Cicero extends to the viaduct (47th Ave. is the last street in Cicero).  The first street in Chicago is Kolmar.  The area where Western Electric was is also Cicero, it was originally known as Hawthorne, IL.  But then you go south to where the race track is was sort of "kicked" out of Cicero and became part of Stickney. 

[Berwyn Patsy]

  Berwynguy, have you been over that way lately?  I totally forgot about 47th St. and
your right Kolmar Ave.  There used to be a lot of 2 flat big brick bungalow's along those
streets, wonder if they are still standing?

[berwynguy]

Patsy, I was there today, I took a friend of mine on an "old neighborhood tour."  The buildings are pretty much still standing.  It's amazing because once you go in that same area (Roosevelt-16th St.) in the area just east of Kostner (4400 West) the neighborhood is absolutely decimated.  I mean TOTALLY in ruins.  It looks like something out of a post apocalyptic sci-fi movie.  Half of what was originally there is gone and half of the half that still remains is either boarded up, burned out, or ready to literally fall over.  It's truly sad.  That part of North Lawndale (Kostner-Pulaski) was once a neat little Bohemian neighborhood called Merigold.  

Many of Merigold's residents moved to Berwyn when the neighborhood turned very bad by the 1950s.  Some of the businesses and institutions from there that moved to Berwyn were Joseph Nosek Funeral Home which was originally at 1511 S. Pulaski and Sokol Tabor which was originally at 13th & Karlov. Ironically both of those businesses moved to 16th St. within a block or so of each other.  

[Exit93]

Many of Merigold's residents moved to Berwyn when the neighborhood turned very bad by the 1950s.  Some of the businesses and institutions from there that moved to Berwyn were Joseph Nosek Funeral Home which was originally at 1511 S. Pulaski and Sokol Tabor which was originally at 13th & Karlov. Ironically both of those businesses moved to 16th St. within a block or so of each other.  

how do you know about this?

[Peridot 16]

My aunt & uncle worked at Western Electric in Cicero. I remember them referring to it as Hawthorne. My aunt referred me there for p/t work when I was in college. The place was huge, even had there own medical facility. I remember going to fill out a job application...getting a call to come in for an interview, was hired and had to take a physical exam.
Worked in the office, starting wage $5.50 an hour.