Early 1960's Chicago Footage - Posted by Lee Bey (Washington: 2013, apartments)

[Lookout Kid]

Check out this 22 minute documentary focused on the Chicago of the early 1960's. There is a loot of great footage and music in this. As someone who was born in the 1970's, it's a world I only know through books, movies, and photos.

Set in Chicago, early 1960s doc seeks a fairer urban America

[TBideon]

So many wonderful west and southside neighborhoods utterly, irreparably destroyed since then. I find videos like these somewhat depressing, but they're pretty interesting.

[nightlysparrow]

Interesting trip down memory lane. Thanks!

[glass_of_merlot]

Thanks OP!
That was really neat

I have to ask, those very much run down apartments they showed, where in one of them a cat was drinking from the kitchen sink, are those the same apartments now renovated and renting for 2 grand per month? I couldn't tell where it was at.
It was fun to see how they were talking about the fancy projects and the high rises. lol

I also loved to see kids. They are all in their 50's and 60's now.

[It'sAutomatic]

Originally Posted by glass_of_merlot

Thanks OP!
That was really neat

I have to ask, those very much run down apartments they showed, where in one of them a cat was drinking from the kitchen sink, are those the same apartments now renovated and renting for 2 grand per month? I couldn't tell where it was at.
It was fun to see how they were talking about the fancy projects and the high rises. lol

I also loved to see kids. They are all in their 50's and 60's now.

I had a REALLY hard time figuring out where they were filming this stuff. But based on a few things, I do believe the black area they filmed was in the Maxwell Street / Valley area.

[North Side Brandon]

Austin in the early 60's was one of Chicago's better neighborhoods. It had lovely homes around the Historical District near Lake & Central. Austin High School was one of the better High Schools in the Chicago area. It had six large Catholic Parishes and Schools think St. Angela's, St. Lucy's, St. Peter Canisius, Our Lady Help Of Christians, Resurrection and St. Thomas Aquinas which shaped Thousands of Neighborhood kids. It was filled with good paying factory jobs. It was very served by the EL with the Green Line Lake Street. In my view no neighborhood in Chicago has fallen further in teh last 50 years.

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by North Side Brandon

Austin...In my view no neighborhood in Chicago has fallen further in teh last 50 years.

Maybe...but Roseland would give Austin some stiff competition.

[snoylekim]

Originally Posted by It'sAutomatic

I had a REALLY hard time figuring out where they were filming this stuff. But based on a few things, I do believe the black area they filmed was in the Maxwell Street / Valley area.

The last part with the people in the courtyard and fountain was shot at the Hyde Park Shopping Center ( 55th and Lake Park ) , which was quite new at the time , since 5 years earlier , it was all storefront 3 and 4 flats on the NW corner where this scene was filmed . I agree with a lot of the neighborhood shots . Sometimes a house number was visible, and that narrowed the guess a bit (e.g. the house number beginning with '45' was probably on the south side , now Bronzeville or Washington Park or the 'Federal Corridor' or ... ?. Or ,maybe the West Side .

It was a productive 22 minutes spent . Highly recommended .