Friday, January 16, 2009

Now & Then, Uptown Square


Check out how the view has changed at Lawrence and Broadway from the early 90's (above) to today. We sure don't miss that blue siding covering the now beautifully restored Riviera Building.
(bottom photo: Strannik45 Flickr)
By -

19 comments:

  1. billyjoeJanuary 16, 2009 at 10:19 AM

    Note that the rooftop gables are now missing from the facade of the Uptown Theater. Im guessing they were removed to prevent them from crumbling and falling piecemeal on pedestrians below.

    This is also the first time I've seen the term "Uptown Square" used to refer to this section of Broadway. Sounds rather high-falutin' . . . almost like it was dreamed up by the same real estate agent who coined the term "North Coast" for the lakefront area of Rogers Park.

    ReplyDelete
  2. IhatemondaysJanuary 16, 2009 at 11:31 AM

    Agreed BJ, pretty soon we'll be able to call WY "food stamp square," "crack town" or if any of you are familiar with The Wire, "Hamsterdam."

    ReplyDelete
  3. quietlyconsciousJanuary 16, 2009 at 11:34 AM

    "Uptown Square" sounds "high falutin'" to you? Dude, you're reaching here. The use of the term "square" (as in "public square") is about as populist as you can get.

    Being a contrarian for contrarian's sake is also about as lame as you can get.

    ReplyDelete
  4. JoanneJanuary 16, 2009 at 11:37 AM

    The work was done in 2005 as part of a continuing effort to stabilize the exterior of the theatre. Many of the bricks and pieces of ornamental terra-cotta were removed, numbered, and stored for safekeeping. Where parts of the building’s facade were, the area was strapped and bagged to hold it in place and covered to weatherproof it.
    The work was done by an engineering firm and a masonry contractor, under the direction of a circuit court judge and the court-appointed receiver at the time.

    Uptown Square Historic District is the official name of the area, listed with the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

    ReplyDelete
  5. DJanuary 16, 2009 at 11:50 AM

    I do find it amusing the new "neighborhoods" that pop up.

    I refuse to call it Edgewater Beach, SoPo, SoNo or God forbid - SoFo (like Andersonville hasn't gotten high falutin' enough!)

    Well, if it gets stuff selling, there's gotta be some good in it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Buena BoyJanuary 16, 2009 at 12:21 PM

    Doesn't the very name "Uptown" come from the original designation of Uptown Square for this location?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownSeptember 25, 2014 at 3:56 PM

      Yes, I believe you are correct. Loren Miller was a local businessman and department store owner. If you search his name with Uptown, the first link will open a Word Document that includes:

      "Miller, for one, has often been credited as having coined the name "Uptown" as a way to jazz up the neighborhood's image. Previously, the area had been known only by the less romantic "Wilson Avenue District." During the 1920s, in the hopes of making the intersection of Lawrence and Broadway into another Times Square, Miller pushed the name "Uptown Square." "

      Delete
  7. AnonymousJanuary 16, 2009 at 12:34 PM

    I am totally telling people that I live in Uptown Square now.... that is hliarious. BJ and IHM you made me laugh! I'll tell some of my friends, well, you live in Uptown, by I live in Uptown Sqaure....

    ReplyDelete
  8. Edgewater Crime BlotterJanuary 16, 2009 at 12:51 PM

    We're thinking of changing our name to the "East Andersonville Crime Blotter." What do you guys think?

    d, "Edgewater Beach" is OK IMO. That is a historic name for the area in and around where the Edgewater Beach Hotel once stood.

    ReplyDelete
  9. allenpgJanuary 16, 2009 at 1:41 PM

    BTW, Target is not opening in a store Uptown. It's opening one in "North Lakeview" at the corner of Montrose and Broadway.

    ReplyDelete
  10. miss kittyJanuary 16, 2009 at 1:49 PM

    "Uptown Square" is not a new term - its been around since the 30's, although the name never really caught on in the general public.

    http://chicago.urban-history.org/dist/uptown/uptown2.shtml

    I don't think the term "Uptown Square" is trying to rename the neighborhood, its a term to designate this unique intersection.

    ReplyDelete
  11. PhredJanuary 16, 2009 at 2:20 PM

    I remember the days when real estate folk (and rental property owners placing ads in the Chicago Reader) referred to sections of Uptown as "East Ravenswood."

    I guess the switch to "Uptown Square" represents progress.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Edgewater Crime BlotterJanuary 16, 2009 at 2:30 PM

    Don't forget "Buena Park." You know, the southern part of Uptown.

    ReplyDelete
  13. JoanneJanuary 16, 2009 at 3:24 PM

    Actually, Buena Park predates the rest of Uptown. It was developed in the 1880s when a Robert Waller subdivided his land. The poet Eugene Field, best known as the author of Wynken, Blynken, and Nod, wrote a poem about Buena Park.

    ReplyDelete
  14. AnonymousJanuary 16, 2009 at 3:42 PM

    Green Fairy,

    You are so wicked cool, that was awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Edgewater Crime BlotterJanuary 16, 2009 at 4:36 PM

    Yes, thanks! I thought it was another invented term for an area.

    ReplyDelete
  16. jamesJanuary 17, 2009 at 12:46 AM

    I want to get into real estate, just so I can coin the name "NoMo" for North of Montrose.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Bob's Yer UncleJanuary 17, 2009 at 8:19 AM

    Is the top photo really from the 1990s? I moved here in 2000 and I swear some of the letters of Uptown were still on hanging from the Uptown theater.

    ReplyDelete
  18. IrishPirateJanuary 17, 2009 at 8:47 AM

    I like DAMN-Dreaded Area Montrose North.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)