This building was probably most famous as Michael Jordan's restaurant but it was originally built to house horses for Chicago's brief but large trolley car system. The building has housed restaurants since the 1920's and today it is the home to "The Power Company" which is more a bar and nightclub. It is run by the same people who operate English seen as the last photo of part one. We had the oppurtunity to see the third floor where the hay would have been stored, today it has a somewhat small stage for entertainment. The horses were on the second floor and our guides had no clue on how they got up there.
On the backside of the same lot stand a power generation plant for streetcars. It was erected in 1910 and the CTA still owns the property.
Just north of the Power House stands the Chicago's Anti-Cruelty Society. Our guides explain the architecture of the orignal 1936 structure below.
We then headed west to Wells and north past Ohio where we saw the last standing SRO (Single Room Occupency) hotel. At one time the area was filled with these cheap places to stay.
We headed back east onto Ohio and at the corner of Ohio and La Salle stands Ohio House. Built in 1958 just three years after Chicago allowed motels to built within city limits, Ohio House still looks like a bit of a time warp.
We walk a little farther north to Chicago Avenue and there sits the other motel. Built as the LaSalle Motor Lodge, today it's a Howard Johnson's Inn!
This concludes part 2 of the tour. In part 3 we'll explore the residences north of Chicago avenue, take a look at Sanburg Village and stop by a mid-century bank!
1 comment:
That's interesting. The Ohio House does look a bit out of place. The doorway area looks just like a Travel Lodge Motel in Clearwater, Florida - smack dab in the middle of the downtown area too. I wonder if it was once a Travel Lodge?
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