Month: December 2020

Belmont Central – Chicago

Belmont Central is a Chicago neighborhood located in the Belmont Cragin community area. It is on the Northwest side of Chicago. During the 1920s a retail shopping district began to develop along Belmont Avenue, and it became known as Belmont Central. There were large department stores such as Goldblatt’s, Woolworth’s, and JC Penney. These stores are now located in the Brickyard Mall. There was also the Will Rogers theater, which was demolished. The area is now primarily Hispanic, but many Polish and Italian businesses also still remain.

I worked in the Belmont Central Area as an assistant manager at a retail store after graduating college and I shopped there a lot as a child. My husband and I also used to go to the Will Rogers theater to watch Disney movies. I enjoyed visiting the Belmont Central area last week. I loved the mixture of the Polish, Italian and Mexican cultures I experienced there…..especially the large variety of ethnic foods available at Tony’s Fresh Market!

Going Home

Some say you can’t go home again, but I did. Last week I went to Avondale – where I grew up. I visited my old house and my friends’ houses in the neighborhood, as well as other special places we frequented. The places all looked very different, but just as beautiful as they always were! Maybe you don’t live close to your old neighborhood so can’t visit, or maybe your neighborhood (or its special places) don’t exist anymore……in that case you can pull out old photos or just your memories to go back home and see it’s beauty again!

The apartment building on North Drake where my friend Dee-Dee lived.
My old house on North Drake Avenue.
The house by the alley on North Drake Avenue where Flo and her family (including her brother who later became my husband) lived.
My first best friend Lori’s house on North Drake Avenue.
The house where my friend Lisa lived(aka Lisa’s Grandpa’s house), and later where my friend Jimmy (I called him James) lived.
My friend Floretta’s house on North Drake Avenue.
The building where my Friend Linda lived on Belmont and Central Park. Her parents owned the tavern in the building.
The building where my friend Marlene lived.
My friend Sue’s house on Melrose Street.
My friend Eva’s house on Monticello.
My friend Lydia’s house on North Ridgeway.
What used to be The dry cleaners on Drake
Avondale park

St. Wenceslaus Church

St. Wenceslaus School, where I went since first grade.

St. Hyacinth- anther church in the area.
Reilly School-the public grade school. I attended kindergarten there.
This used to be a candy store on St. Louis and Barry, that we frequented.
This was Hoppe’s – another store we went to.
This used to be Jimmy’s – a fast food place we’d get beef sandwiches and gravy bread at.
This was my friend Linda’s house on Central Park.