WBEZ 91.5 Chicago

How well did you find your way around 1956 Chicago? The clue is the railroad crossing gates visible above the bus.

 How well could you find your way around the Chicago of the past? This 1956 photo was taken on the South Side — somewhere between 26th and 79th streets, east of Western Avenue. 

From 1912 through 1920, the three-flat graystone was home to Sam and Minnie Marx and their sons, better known by their stage names – Chico, Harpo, Groucho, Gummo and Zeppo.

St. Basil’s was built in the Byzantine style, along the lines of the famous Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. Granite columns rose from steps on the portico and the interior contained frescoes and mosaics in bright colors. 

 The directors of the 1893 Columbian Exposition wanted to outdo the Paris World’s Fair. The hit of that fair had been Gustave Eiffel’s soaring iron tower. On June 21st, the world saw Chicago’s answer to the challenge: George Washington Ferris’s giant wheel.

How well did you find your way around 1935 Chicago? We reveal the mystery South Side location depicted in Thursday's photo.

Can you guess the mystery South Side location depicted in this 1935 photo? Though the street traffic and store names were different 77 years ago, most of the buildings are still there today.