Chicago Transit Authority One of our areas of focus at Forgotten Chicago is signage. Vintage signs, though often ignored, are a visual link to the past, often referring to buildings or institutions that no longer exist. Perhaps the most uniquely Chicago type of vintage sign that exists around the city
James F. Eppenstein, Architect, Architectural Catalog Co., Inc., 1938 This is the final article in the series of Forgotten Chicago articles on the (previously) forgotten work of architect and design professional James F. Eppenstein. It follows part one and part two. Eppenstein’s tremendous skill in commercial projects extended to
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)
Left: The Economist, 1938 Center: 1854 map of Chicago courtesy Newberry Library Right: Chicago Tribune, 1946 Details of a pre-Great Chicago Fire shipping canal in the heart of the Gold Coast were discovered in early 2014 by Forgotten Chicago, shown above. The Grand Haven Slip was part of a partially-built
Christopher Holt/Chicago Department of Transportation The bridge shown above might be celebrating its 95th Anniversary at Roosevelt Road (formerly 12th Street) were it not for World War I. The impressive and novel steel construction of this bridge could easily be dismissed by today’s standards, but at the time