- Wow! Mother Nature!
Check back here for updates and information on tree planting to replace damaged boulevard trees. Thanks to the generous support of our donors, LSP will be able to replace a significant number of trees.
December, 2020 – We were able to engage a contractor to do the planting, in hopes of getting some new trees in during 2020. Unfortunately the required city permits could not be issued in time, so planting will be done in the Spring of 2021.
The early August storm damaged scores of mature trees in Logan Square. The Boulevards were hit particularly hard. Logan Square Preservation has raised funds to replace damaged trees according to the comprehensive plan for tree planting developed in 2016. Community support is critical – a planted tree will cost roughly $1,000 – and has been generous so far. Thank-you to all of our donors!
It's not too late to contribute to our tree fund. And remember, LSP is an all-volunteer, 501(c)3 organization. 100% of your money will go to trees.
Don't be square... be Square Aware
You have seen these Square Aware posters all around the neighborhood — but did you know there are over a dozen questions and answers?
LSP has organized Pillars & Porticos, a self-guided tour of historic Logan Square. Become more Square Aware as you walk, bike or drive our neighborhood guided by original, in-depth research and writing. Many current and historic photos make it equally valuable to read right at home.
Pillars & Porticos is available to all LSP members at no additional cost. Can't find the email with your login? Try to reset your password or you can contact us for help.
- 'Round the SquareThe newsletter of Logan Square Preservation
- Online SectionsBonus online-only content and past issues of 'Round the Square
Online Content
Fall 2019 – Extended Online Content
Logan Square's Lost Tunnel – Photos and Links
From the Chicago Tribune
Walkway Leads to Gang Turf, August 8, 1986
Angry Residents Close Down Gang Haven, August 25, 1986
Color Images
(click for full size)
- Markup of IDOT photo from the original construction of the Kennedy, showing the tunnel exit and railroad bridge over Campbell Ave.
- Markup of current aerial view showing path of Campbell Ave where the railroad bridge was removed. Aerial image - Copyright Google.
Current - Past Issues
Click to read past issues of 'Round the Square...
How to Research Your House Without Ever Leaving It
Part One of a New Home Research Guide – by Marcy Marzuki
There are two parts to researching the history of your house, and the first can be done without even leaving it. All you need is Internet access and some time to kill.
The Great Renumbering
The first thing you need to do is to determine what your address was before and after the great Chicago address “streamlining” of 1909. Fortunately, the original guidebook to old and new addresses is available online.
Scroll down to find your street and (they are listed alphabetically with north listed first, then south). Then find your current number under the New column (divided between odd and even numbers). This will be the address your house has had since 1909. The old number next to it is what it was prior to 1909. You will need to know both numbers to go forward with your research.
If you can’t find your street address as it exists today, your street may have changed names. Many Logan Square streets — especially north/south streets close to Humboldt/Sacramento Blvd. — changed names in the late 1800s and and early 1900s. Consult the following websites, and see what it was called before and after 1900. Or skip ahead and find the closest major intersection to locate your street.
Chicagology Street Name Changes – Chicago History Museum Online – Ancestry.com Street Finder
Sanborn Fire Maps
Next, go to the Chicago Public Library website. To continue, you will need a Chicago Public Library card. Log in with your card number and zip code. (If you don’t have one, go to the big house of books like people used to before Amazon. The Logan Square branch is at 3030 W Fullerton.) Once you are logged in:
Click Browse > Online Resources > A-Z Resources > Illinois Sanborn Maps
Select Illinois and Chicago
Select 1894-1897
Select Vol. 10 (1896)
Select street index (second page)Find your street and your pre-1909 house number in the street index. Beside it, you’ll see the sheet number. Go to that sheet to find your house. Once there, you‘ll see the original building’s outline, or an empty lot if your house was built after 1896. House numbers are written near the front of the buildings, running along the street.
Sanborn maps are surprisingly accurate. The outline will approximate the building’s original outer walls, including any protrusions such as a bay window. Other information is shown as abbreviations. An “S” marked on a building stands for store; “D” denotes a dwelling. There will be a number near the letter showing how many stories a house was when built, and B is sometimes written to indicate a usable or occupied basement. This Sanborn key will show you what other abbreviations mean.
Once armed with this information, check out a second set of maps to see changes or additions. Select 1905-1951 and Vol. 10 (1921). The content and numbering of the sheets is consistent across all of the Sanborn maps, so you can go directly to the same sheet number as the 1896 map. Note that your address will have changed to the post-1909 address.
You will be able to see any changes or additions to your house over the 25 years that elapsed between maps. Anything built onto your house will be shown. If your house was built as a single story, it might have changed to a 1½ story, meaning people have finished the attic and moved into it. Garages and sheds (or outhouses) tend to come and go. Depending on what was where on the two maps, you now know if your house was built before or after 1896 or 1921.
More Publications
If you live in a larger house or multifamily building, there is another way to research. Use your address to do an online search for building permits, which will tell you when your house was built, for whom, and who the architect was. Try both the pre-1909 and post-1909 addresses. Note that only a portion of permits are in the online database. To search all of the past permits, you might have to leave the house.
Before you go to that extreme, there is still some online research to do. There is often a story about the people who lived in your building when they were born, died, got married, won a spelling bee, got drafted, made the honor roll, were injured in a car crash or held up a bank. Before the 1970s, newspapers commonly ran the entire addresses of people mentioned, so these stories can be found by searching for your address in their archives.
Go back to the Chicago Public Library website and choose Browse > Online Resources > A-Z Resources > Chicago Tribune Historical ArchiveIn the search form, enter your address in quotes. Many times the directional was left off an address, so you will want to try every variation. To search 1932 N. California Ave, try variations like “1932 California” “1932 N. California,” “1932 North California,” etc. This will bring up obituaries, and articles about events involving the people who lived in your building. Classified ads are time-consuming to search through, but worth it. Display ads usually come up if a business was run from your property or if you live in a multiunit property that ran large ads seeking renters. In the case of rental ads for a building, they can often give you clues as to when it was built, as it was common to take out ads for new construction occupancy.
Note the names and ages of any person associated with your address to find even more by searching the Tribune archive, ancestry.com or another genealogical database. All of this will help build the history of your house.
You can also search names and business addresses you find on the Google e-books site. There are a lot of old trade journals there with classified ads and letters to the editor and all sorts of things can turn up. One of the residents of my house once held a patent, and Matt Bergstrom used it to discover that his long-gone next-door neighbor was a honeybee expert and advertised his own invention to spin the honey out of honeycombs.
And if the people that lived in your house weren’t all that enterprising or newsworthy, you can still find out who lived there in the late 1920s by using this online criss-cross directory. It’s similar to the 1909 directory – Find your street, then your number, and you’ll see who was living there. If you do not see the index or other display issues, try a different web browser. Note that the directory works best in Firefox.
Coming in Part Two
While you can get pretty far without leaving your house, there is so much more you can do that would not fit it in a single newsletter. In the next installment: getting offline and out the door. How to find your construction date (and other telling documents) at the Recorder of Deeds, and do in-person research at UIC, the Chicago History Museum and other locations.
Connect and Share
What is your experience of the pandemic in Logan Square?
Logan Square Preservation is collecting photos that document this unprecedented time. Send your photo with a name to credit and a caption (if desired) by email.
Street Pub 2016
Logan Square Preservation volunteered to staff the Deschtes Brewery event here in Logan Square
Thanks to Deschutes Brewery!
Bringing the community together with awesome beer.
Logan Square Preservation and the Alliance for the Great Lakes shared over $70,000 raised at this event.
Projects
Beautification and Preservation projects by Logan Square Preservation
- LSP Plants TreesSaturday, October 5th 2019
Logan Square Preservation joined with our Community Forestry partner, Openlands, to help reforest the Boulevard. Nearly 70 volunteers planted trees on the blocks of Sacramento, Mozart, Francisco and Richmond to replace those damaged or killed by the Emerald Ash Borer.
- Historic Windows Restored
The former Eleventh Church of Christ Scientist - 2840 W. Logan Boulevard
Restoration of the windows has been completed in April 2019. Thanks to your generous support, LSP exceeded the $12,000 goal which will allow additional needed work.
Designed by landmark architect Leon Stanhope and built in 1916 as the home of the 11th Church of Christ Scientist, the building at 2840 W. Logan Blvd houses the Central Hispanic Seventh Day Adventist Church congregation.
The fish-scale stained glass windows are an integral part of the design. They were in need of restoration, some held together by duct-tape. LSP campaigned to raise the $12,000 necessary to completely restore and back-light the windows so they will be visible on Logan Boulevard at night.
Restoring The Minnekirken's Windows
The Minnekirken (Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church) is one of the most prominent landmarks on Logan Square and the only church in our landmark district that is protected from demolition.
Working with experts, Logan Square Preservation (LSP) determined that the windows throughout the church were in need to substantial restoration. As a 501 (c) 3, LSP decided to partner with the church to enhance the built environment of the landmark district and aid a legacy congregation, the sole church in the district that opted in to landmark designation in 2004. The church plans to restore the sanctuary windows, while LSP committed to raising funds to restore the windows facing the Square. After a successful campaign, the Minnekirken agreed to backlight their windows at night, creating a striking backdrop for our square.
LSP raised $5,000 from its members to restore the first window, which was re-installed May 5, 2016. The change not only restored the window but also put the elaborate fretwork on display for the first time in more than half a century. Restoration of all the windows will transform the facade of the building.
Phase one of the project, the restoration of the large window about the church’s entrance is now complete. Phase two requires another $25,000 to restore the remaining windows on the front façade and all funds raised through this effort will go towards those windows.
About Us
Logan Square Preservation is a 501(c)3 Non-Profit.
© 2021 Logan Square Preservation