Prince previously rented the mansion in Beverly Hills where the Menendez Brothers killed their parents. They had a pre-planned alibi for the night of the murder & tried to buy tickets for the 1989 film Batman but it was sold out. And who wrote the movie’s soundtrack? That’s right, folks…Prince.
My photo of the Patterson-McCormick Mansion, located at the NW corner of Burton & Astor in Chicago’s Gold Coast, with a blue sky and neighboring high-rises in the background. A woman walks in front of the four-story building. It is a Neoclassical design w/Roman brick & terra cotta trim created by Stanford White of the firm McKim, Mead & White in 1893. The structure was threatened with demolition in the 1970s, but it survived and is now subdivided into nine condos.
The Patterson-McCormick Mansion, located at the NW corner of Burton & Astor in Chicago’s Gold Coast, is a Neoclassical design w/Roman brick & terra cotta trim created by Stanford White of the firm McKim, Mead & White in 1893.
Lol. Now you got me worried when you visit me. No, I think he heard this one guest ask about the house across the street, “How old is that one?” and that was his snarky response.
I’m officially an old lady, shaking my head at kids today while I was giving an architecture tour. A group and I were standing at the corner of Astor & Schiller when a young guy driving west rolled down his car window & shouted at us, “You stupid fucks. It’s old as shit.” Definitely killed the mood.
My photo of Astor Street in Chicago’s Gold Coast showing the James Charnley House (1891-92) with various high-rises and a beautiful blue sky in the background. It looks like an Eastern Redbud blooming.
My photo of Astor Street in Chicago’s Gold Coast showing a brick high-rise with balconies and what looks like an Eastern Redbud blooming next to it.
Are we sick of seeing these kind of pictures yet? Sorry not sorry.
It did, and now that it's been almost 40 yrs and people really hate these scary giant vehicles that have taken over our roads, I think pedestrianizing it again would be a good idea.
I still occasionally think of an argument I had with a longtime friend after she discussed with me how she wanted to pick & choose how her taxes were spent. It got so heated that she walked out of the restaurant, and we never spoke again. I wonder what she thinks about how her taxes are spent now?
1980s photo of a pedestrianized Lake Street in Oak Park, IL with beautiful spring flowers and park-like setting instead of car traffic. (Village of Oak Park Archives)
1970s photo of a pedestrianized Marion Street in Oak Park, IL. People instead of car traffic. (Village of Oak Park Archives)
1975 photo, a year after it opened, of a pedestrianized Lake Street in Oak Park, IL with people sitting on benches in park-like setting instead of dealing with car traffic. (Village of Oak Park Archives)
A crowd of people in a 1980s photo of a pedestrianized Lake Street in Oak Park, IL enjoying the day outside instead of dealing with car traffic. (Village of Oak Park Archives)
Throwback: As a former Oak Parker, remembering when both Lake and Marion Streets were pedestrianized. Lake from Harlem to Forest 1974-1988. Marion from Lake to North Blvd 1974-2007.
Here's the real history of the house, which involves reading actual words (I'm so sorry!) and not watching a video of AI slop:
chicagology.com/chicagostree...
Screenshot from FB AI slop made by "digital creator" Vanished Chicago - "In 1882, industrialist Joseph Sears asked the young firm of..."
Screenshot from FB AI slop made by "digital creator" Vanished Chicago - "...Burnamon Route to design his new home at 1815 South Prairie"
Another gem from everyone's favorite digital creator Vanished Chicago - "In 1882, industrialist Joseph Sears asked the young firm of Burnamon Route to design his new home at 1815 South Prairie."
MY FAVORITE BURNAMON & ROUTE BUILDING!!!
Remember when Rick Perry wanted Americans to pay taxes on postcards? It was only 14 yrs ago but we all know one year of a Trump presidency feels like 14,000 lifetimes.
youtu.be/5D6vZ_vMKIc?...
We love the selfie shoes!
Historic black and white photo of Adler & Sullivan’s Chicago Stock Exchange (1894-1972) at the SW corner of Washington & LaSalle.
Historic black and white photo of Adler & Sullivan’s Garrick Theatre/Schiller Theater (1891-1961) at 64 W. Randolph.
Historic black and white photo of an early work by Adler & Sullivan, the Troescher Building (1884-1979) at Market (now Wacker) and Madison. It was described as an unimportant building when it was demolished.
Historic black and white photo of the Albert Sullivan House was a home located at 4575 South Lake Park Avenue in the Kenwood neighborhood of the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, from 1892 to 1970. Sullivan himself, as well as his mother, lived here. Though the limestone facade was saved (though it is kept in storage) it is still an empty lot.
As your architecture obituary queen, I will remember my boy Louis Sullivan, who died on this day (April 14, 1924), with four buildings that should never have been demolished imo. But hey, it’s the Chicago way! (I’d like to add that house built for his brother Albert Sullivan is still an empty lot.)
Target has their own forensics lab that works with law enforcement for free (Walmart does too). They have developed their own algorithm to track customers. The future’s scary, but it’s here, people.
Thank you. I had some thoughts on Richard Nickel and the possibility of forever losing the Chicago Stock Exchange Room.
The Goodman House! (Howard Van Doren Shaw, 1914)
Ghostly image of Richard Nickel taken inside Adler & Sullivan’s Garrick Theater in Chicago before its demolition in 1961.
Richard Nickel documenting and photographing an Adler & Sullivan veiling during its demolition.
Richard Nickel posing in front of Adler & Sullivan’s Garrick Theater in Chicago during its demolition in 1961. This terra cotta facade with busts was reconstructed at Second City.
A young Richard Nickel with one of his cameras.
Remembering Richard Nickel who went missing #onthisday inside the partly demolished Chicago Stock Exchange in 1972. We are grateful to him for documenting architect Louis Sullivan's work, senselessly torn down during urban renewal. Ironically he died almost 48 yrs to the day of Sullivan’s own death.
My photo, taken around 2000-2001, of historic corner commercial buildings in Chicago’s Lincoln Park that were demolished shortly after I took the picture. One of the buildings has a sign that says “First German Hungarian Bakery.” I believe they were located at Lakewood & Dickens or somewhere near there.
A photographic reminder from when I lived in Chicago’s Lincoln Park in the early 2000s. Notice the "First German Hungarian Bakery" sign. These buildings were demolished shortly after I took this photo. I believe they were located at Lakewood & Dickens or somewhere nearby.
My photo of an obnoxious pink-hued McMansion with giant columns, fountain, and a lion statue in South Barrington, IL.
My photo of a surprisingly symmetrical McMansion in South Barrington, IL.
My photo of a Storybook-Style McMansion in South Barrington, IL.
My photo of a McMansion or MegaMansion in South Barrington, IL.
The McMansions of South Barrington. As quoted in the Chicago Tribune, South Barrington Mayor Paula McCombie said her residents chose to live in the village for “the way it looks and feels.” Yeah, I guess if they want to feel hot because they’re living in hell.
www.chicagotribune.com/2026/04/12/j...
Barrington Hills, not South Barrington, requires the 5-acre lots. Then Cook County Zoning Board President Andrew Dallstream got it incorporated in 1957 due to encroaching development in the original Barrington & nearby Carpentersville & Bartlett. Rich white men wanted to protect their precious land.
I've known some people in Oak Park who worked with VDF/HomeCure who do window restoration. They're definitely committed to sustainability. www.vdfconstruction.com/window-resto...
My friend's old website is still up with some references: glenellynpreservation.org/site/restore...
Screen shot of comedy writer Jim Downey doing his Jeffrey Epstein joke on Conan Needs A Friend podcast.
I have also never been friends with Jeff Epstein, the New York financier with the island I have never been to. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Afrika was an important hip hip pioneer, and so was Kurtis Blow. I believe he was the first rapper ever signed to a major record label.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulBh...
Real estate photo of a 1970s modernist design, a single-story light brick home, by architect Peter Roesch in South Barrington, IL.
Real estate photo of a 1970s modernist design, a single-story light brick home with walls of glass connecting the inside with the outside, by architect Peter Roesch in South Barrington, IL.
Real estate photo of a 1970s modernist design, a single-story light brick home, by architect Peter Roesch in South Barrington, IL. This interior shot shows one of the three bedrooms with a private walled brick outdoor space.
Real estate photo of a 1970s modernist design, a single-story light brick home, by architect Peter Roesch in South Barrington, IL. This interior shot shows the living room with the sunken conversation pit and the sculptural copper hood over the fireplace.
Like a miracle, in the land of McMansions, you find the only decent home in South Barrington. You can talk shit about your neighbors’ dumb houses in the conversation pit! I never expected a design by a Mies student (Peter Roesch) to exist in this godawful suburb.
www.redfin.com/IL/South-Bar...
A black and white photo of my grandfather points and crouches next to a “No Dogs” sign, taken in the 1940s.
A black and white photo taken in the 1940s of my grandfather giving a treat to his dog in the kitchen, with what appears to be a “linoleum rug,” a type of flooring I just learned about - you can roll it up and move it from room to room if you want. There’s a radio on top of the fridge.
He also really loved dogs. So I think I got that from him. Here’s to Stosh!
Screenshot from an old family movie of my grandfather holding my mother in the backyard. A brick garage with an open door is in the background.
Screenshot from an old family movie of my grandfather holding my mother in the backyard. A brick garage, a tree, and the alley is in the background.
I was raised by a single mom so my grandpa was the closest I ever had to a father figure when I was a kid. Thinking of him today on his birthday.
A photo collage of side by side black and white photos showing my grandmother’s cousin Florence and her brother Eddie as they pose near the family house at 2147 N. Latrobe in Chicago’s Belmont Cragin neighborhood around 1942. No sidewalks. Dirty alleys. Hardly any trees.
My grandmother’s cousin Florence and her brother Eddie posing near the house in Chicago’s Belmont Cragin around 1942. Wow the city looks really dirty & gross! Also excuse me where are the sidewalks?
My photo of my great-grandfather’s two-flat, a frame building with covered front porch built around 1912, located at 2147 N. Latrobe near Chicago’s Hanson Park. My family lived here for a good fifty years.
My photo of my great-grandfather’s two-flat, a frame building with covered front porch built around 1912, located at 2147 N. Latrobe near Chicago’s Hanson Park. My family lived here for a good fifty years.
My great-grandfather’s two-flat at 2147 N. Latrobe. He lived to be 90. When I was a kid I remember being creeped out by the guy who lived upstairs, and also being bored because my Polish grandfather didn’t speak English, except for “Two dollars” & “Chicago Cubs.” My family sold it for $36K in 1987.
What did you learn in school today, dear little boy of mine?
I learned our Government must be strong, it’s always right and never wrong
Our leaders are the finest men and we elect them again and again
And that's what I learned in school today
That's what I learned in school.
Some photos of my two Cavalier King Charles Spaniel I’ve taken over the years with them posing as the Easter bunny. Pics include them in front of an Easter floral display, a chalk drawing of an Easter basket, and them in front of the beautiful art glass window at Pleasant Home in Oak Park. 🐰 🐶
Timeline Cleanse: Easter Puppy Edition 🐣 🐶 🐰