The "Sheff" was the Sheffield exchange for Hammond. Growing up in Hammond, our phone number was Sheffield 9411M, with the M telling others that it was a party line. These prefixes were changed to WESTMORE (or 93x) as the phone system and the community grew. We were part of "Illinois Bell System"

http://www.hhs59.com/bell.htm

Enjoy!

The first year for power steering on Chevrolets was 1953, not 1954, according to original factory brochures, and it was offered on all models.

That's a 1936 Smoot-Hawley, sporting the 582 cubic inch triple overhead cam option and it looks to have about 61,379 miles on the odometer, give or take a league or two. Ambient temperature is 38 degrees centigrade, the highest recorded figure for the month of February in Old Lower East Flotsam, Connecticut, since they began keeping records in 1612. Oil filter needs changing.

I'm always amazed at the detective work done by Shorpy members. I am a bit surprised, however, that the make and model of the car hasn't been mentioned. It's a 1954 Chevy.

The year 1959 was Abraham Lincoln's 150th birthday, so Indiana honored him by replacing the "Drive Safely" slogan on their passenger car license plates with "Lincoln Year." An example of the license plate is below. The "Drive Safely" slogan was used all other years from 1956 through 1962.

The car in the parking lot is a 1954 Chevrolet 210 Deluxe Series 4 door sedan, the mid-level model between the lower model 150 Special Series and the upper model Bel Air. Base price was $1,771 and it weighed 3,230 pounds. This was the first year that Chevy offered power steering ($135), power brakes ($38), power front seat ($86), and electric front windows ($86). With 235,146 of this model produced it was the Deluxe Series' most popular model.

It's fascinating.

I've been trying to discover the exact location of the bench and the camera angle. The puzzle led me to the concrete bases of the 'parking' obelisks to be discovered, in the streetview pics right next to the fence on the right. The back one is crooked, the front one is right next to the fence.

Well, it looks like the Shorpy Nation has solved the easy part. Now let's find out who the woman is...

Hammond might be correct but you wouldn't expect to see green foliage and short sleeves in December.

[Slide mounts were printed with the month the film was developed. -tterrace]

Thanks to everyone for the great detective work in finding out the location of the photo!

Looks like she was waiting on State Street. The white building with tan brick next to the car is still there. If you "drive" down Sohl Avenue you can see it. The parking lots are still there, just fenced now.

Here's the Street View of where she was standing:

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Hammond, Indiana, was the home of Jean Shepherd, and locale of many of his stories.

Star Sheet Metal was at 5334 Sohl Avenue in Hammond, Indiana. The building is still there, recognizable in Google Street View.

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Listed June, 1961

STAR SHEET METAL WORKS, INC. ESTABLISHED 1910
General and Industrial Sheet Metal
5334-5338 Sohl Avenue--Hammond, Ind.
WEstmore 2-0633

http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/54752482/

I did a google search and found: MANDEL'S RELIABLE FURNITURE CO. 544 State St. Ph. WE 2-2910

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nwitimes/obituary.aspx?pid=169753768

http://newspaperarchive.com/us/indiana/hammond/hammond-times/1969/03-02/...

Obituary
David Roth Mandel, 93 of Munster, IN passed away on Monday, February 17, 2014.
David was the owner of Mandel's Reliable Furniture in Hammond, IN.
Birth: Apr. 16, 1920
Death: Feb. 17, 2014

Looks like Mandel's Reliable Furniture and Star Sheet Metal Works were both in Hammond, Indiana. But I'm guessing I'm not the first person to get that far.

David Roth Mandel, 93 of Munster, IN passed away on Monday, February 17, 2014. He was the owner of Mandel's Reliable Furniture in Hammond, IN.

David Roth Mandel obituary

Let's try Hammond, Indiana.

There was a Mandel's Reliable Furniture in Hammond, Indiana.

So that's a place to start, but given that Hammond is on the border between Gary and Chicago, and that this is the age of the car, the ad on the bus bench could pretty far away. Anyway, it's a start.