Eyesore - New Jackson Hotel

[ChicagoMeO]

Originally Posted by chet everett

From what the oldsters tell me you don't want any "memorial" to the worse of that era. From the depths of the PRE-WWII era depression until probably sometime in the early Kennedy adminstration you'd have a hard time finding a more grim stretch of busted out losers. The lawlessness that came with organized crime dumping their "who knows what was in it" substitute for actual taxed liquor meant there probably bums sucking down bottles of industrial waste for a buzz. Whores hooked on whatever drug that the mob could get on the street meant that verneral disease was rampant. Even today legitimate businesses are basically "islands" all the way from the train stations at Canal to the edge of burned out 60s era race riots... People like the Wirtz family were the "buy low and build a fortress" kind of land barons that cut deals with polticians to steer "urban renewal" to bull doze the worst of the worst hoe houses and death trap tenements. Things like Malcom X CC, Young High School, the CFD Academy, the various hospitals and even the entrance ramps to the Kennedy & Ike along with all of the UIC campus are one big "tribute" to insiders cutting deals with polticians to funnel dollars toward the powerful and keep the dregs from overrunning the investors...

ok on 2nd thought, that sounds pretty depressing.

[oak317]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Any dispute with my facts?

No, it was more of a compliment

[TBideon]

Interesting information chet.