July 1940. Another view under the elevated tracks in Chicago. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration.
Submitted by Madame Maracas on Fri, 06/06/2008 - 1:30am.
The photographer appears to be standing in the intersection of State Street (left to right) and Van Buren, looking Westward.
More recently this area was used in the remake of Ocean's Eleven, it's where Matt Damon pulls the business card out of his pocket that Danny Ocean swapped for the wallet Matt had just lifted from the unsuspected El rider.
Submitted by EvenSteven on Sun, 03/23/2008 - 10:34am.
Not only the Table sign there was usually a Ladies Entrance which bypassed the bar and led directly to the table section.
I remember the local neighborhood taverns in Baltimore would have those signs and alternate entrances which no self respecting man would use no matter if it were pouring down rain and you had to walk an extra 20 to 50 feet for the Bar entrance.
Oh Fred, thanks for having such a searchable name. Fred Potthast's restaurant was at 4 West Van Buren, per a 1933 Chicago Tribune article about Loop taverns reopening in the wake of Prohibition's repeal. "Below stairs Fred Potthast, the second generation of his name and occupation in that premises, has his license tucked away against the impending change, but won’t need to hire any carpenters to build him a brand new bar. He’s quite satisfied with the one that was installed there forty-four years ago [1889] by his father, famous for his sea food cuisine."
Even more significant: we are looking at the block on which Jake and Elwood blues lived in the SRO hotel in "The Blues Brothers"--the block ostensibly destroyed by a homicidal Carrie Fisher.
The space is now a vacant lot that was supposed to become a park when the library was built but never has. Lotta history dere though.
Submitted by Dilated Pupil on Tue, 01/15/2008 - 12:19am.
It's Jewelers Row, all right, but I think you're shooting a bit too far to the north. The facade of the building does not match the second story of the Carson Pirie Scott building on that intersection. We should be thinking closer to Jackson Boulevard or Van Buren. I've seen the Schlitz marquees before.
Submitted by Christy on Sun, 01/06/2008 - 12:49pm.
It's one of the corners of the Loop ... my husband thinks the street going away from the viewer toward the vanishing point is Wabash, and the street crossing it is Lake. This is how it looks today. (Google Map Street View).
