Month: November 2018

The Medinah Temple building is located at 600 N. Wabash in Chicago. It was built in 1912 by Shriner architects Huehl and Schmidt. It was built in the Moorish Revival style. It was originally a large auditorium with seating for approximately 4,200 people on three levels. It was best known for hosting the annual Shriner’s Circus and the Bozo 25th Anniversary Special on September 7, 1986 was also telecast from there. The acoustics of the building also made it a favorite site for recordings of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In 2000, the building exterior was restored and the interior was gutted and reconstructed for use as a Bloomingdale’s Home Store, which opened in 2003. It was designated a Chicago Landmark on June 27, 2001.

 

It’s begining to look a lot like Christmas…….everywhere you go (as the song goes). I went to Macy’s on State Street and Fox Valley Mall in Aurora and both were looking a lot like Christmas. I hope you enjoy these photos and maybe they’ll help motivate you in your holiday decorating. I started my holiday decorating today and could definitely have used some motivation!

Macy’s Photos:

 

Fox Valley Mall Photos:

 

Animal Kingdom was a pet store, but it was also so much more! It was first opened in 1944 at 3021 North Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood by owner Bernie Hoffmann. It later moved down the street to 2980 North Milwaukee Avenue and was owned by Bernie Hoffmann’s son Robert Hoffmann and his wife Sandra.

It started as a traditional pet shop selling puppies, kittens, and fish, but soon more non-traditional/ exotic animals were added to the fold. This was largely due to the growth of television. They started renting animals for TV show appearances and other events. This started when a magician came in and requested two doves to use in his act. Later, the regular house pets were joined by monkeys, tigers and exotic birds. It should be noted that this was before governmental regulations were added that regulated and/or restricted the sale of exotic animals. It’s also important to mention that the animals were very well cared for. Large animals were allowed to walk around the store before opening hours began and employees routinely took pets home to provide extra care if needed.

The most famous animal by far was Chelveston the duck from the Ray Rayner show. My parents and I visited Animal Kingdom at least once a week (since we lived only a couple blocks away) and I was so excited to see Chelveston the duck!!!! After all, he was a TV star on one of my favorite shows.  The store also hosted pet blessings and provided education programs for schools and libraries.

I have so many very positive memories of Animal Kingdom. It was a place I could visit with my parents and grandparents and later my friends. No matter what kind of day I was having …….when I saw the animals at Animal Kingdom it made me happy! My own cat’s six kittens also found homes thanks to Animal Kingdom. My Mom and Dad took me to visit them until they were sold.

Animal Kingdom closed in 2009 when the owners retired, but last week when I visited Milwaukee Avenue in Avondale and passed by where Animal Kingdom used to be it brought back all the wonderful memories and it made me change the title of this post from “Animal Kingdom – Lost Chicago” to  “Animal Kingdom – Fondly Remembered”.

• Note – photos are from the public domain

Chicago’s first hotel was called the Sauganash. It was built in 1831 and before it became a hotel it was originally known as the Eagle Exchange Tavern. It was located at Wolf Point at the intersection of the north, south and main branches of the Chicago River at Lake Street and Wacker Drive. The area where the Sauganash Hotel stood was designated a Chicago Landmark in 2002. The hotel operated there for about 20 years, and also briefly served as Chicago’s first theater.

The hotel was named after Billy Caldwell “Sauganash”. Sauganash was an interpreter for the Indian Agents. His mother was Pottawatomi Indian and his father was Colonel Caldwell, an Irish officer in the British Army in Detroit.

The hotel was built by owners Mark and Monique Beaubien, who were French Indian traders. They settled in a small cabin at Wolf Point in 1826 and started the Eagle Exchange Tavern. In 1831 they added a frame onto the log structure and created the Sauganash Hotel. The settlement consisted of only about 12 houses at the time and the hotel was only one of two buildings on the south side of the main branch of the river.

It has been described as a white two story frame building with bright blue wood shutters. Its facade was contemporary Greek Revival. The hotel’s guests included both natives and settlers. In 1833 the Sauganash housed the election of the first town trustees of the new Town of Chicago. The Beaubiens owned the hotel until 1834. In 1835 it was sold to a Mr. Davis. It was briefly a theater at that time and in 1837 it hosted the first Chicago Theater company. In 1839 it became a hotel again but it was destroyed by a fire in 1851 and torn down. The Wigwam Hotel was built there in its place in 1860. The Wigwam was a convention center that was the site of the 1860 Republican National Convention where President Abraham Lincoln received his party’s nomination and eventual presidency.

• Note- Photos are from Wikipedia in the public domain