The Evolution of
Sheridan Road
& North Lake Shore Drive
This is a story of Inner and Outer Drives within the Township/City, District of, and Community of Lake View. Only in Lake View two major roads nearly blend along the lakefront.
By the 1870's a thought of a roadway along the lakefront was still a dream by City of Chicago and the Township of Lake View, a dream that became a reality by the mid 1890's both north and south of Lincoln Park, the park. Within the next two centuries the roadway would change in name, adminstration, and design.
The Roadway
along the Lakeshore
text from 'Lincoln Park 1899'
(59th street=Foster Avenue)
Before the Any
Roadway
I wish to give my readers an idea of what the lakefront looked like before major development along the existing shoreline
at the dawn of the 20th century.
According to a source called Calumet 412 this artist depiction is the
landscape along the existing lakefront south of Grace Street as of 1867 from upper floor of the Lake View Hotel
some other views below along the lakeshore
postcards - Ebay
Van Vechtem 1870 Map
of Lake View Township
The same geographic area would remain the same when the township became a city and even after the annexation to a District of Chicago until the establishment of designated communities by 1930. While the direct goverance of (8) townships within Chicago have been removed by City of Chicago Council the property assessment of within each of the eight townships have not to this day.
Map & Article Views
of then Lake-Shore Drive:
all these maps have been zoomed and edited
(David Rumsey Map Collection)
Fullerton Avenue was the border between the City of Chicago and the Township of Lake View. Lincoln Park was squarely inside the City of Chicago and amenites paid for by the Township of North Chicago. Once the park expanded north of Fullerton Avenue the bond-holders and property owners of Lake View Township shared the financial responsibility with the Township of North Chicago which in essence the northern section of Chicago.
(University of Chicago Library)
This 1870 Van Vechten map shows the Lake-Shore Drive from
Oak Street to the park but no further. The park is now north of Fullerton Avenue and financial responsibility of the two townships, North Chicago & Lake View. Lake-Shore Drive is labeled as a boulevardin this map.
zoomed view below
North-Shore Drive
south of Lincoln Park, the park
in May 1872
Lake Shore Drive Open
in November 1875
to the park area only
In 1887 the status of Lake View changed from a township form of government to a city in Illinois. In 1889 the citizens of the City of Lake View was annexed to the City of Chicago. Ther was no change on the size or roadway pathways of the park.
(University of Chicago Library)
The entrance to the park from the south to the north is Lake-Shore Drive and the exist of the park is Lake View Avenue to Belmont Avenue. This section of Lake View Avenue would later be named Sheridan Road by the end of 1890's
After the annexation of the City of Lake View in 1889 the same geographical area was known as the District of Lake View until the formation of permanent communities by 1930. According to this map below the first attempt of the establishement of an Outer Drive is shown and was called New Breakwater Carriage Drive and Sidewalk that feed into Belmont & Lake View avenues.
Trying to make a buck!
in 1891 on the road extension
this 1887 Racsher Altas shows vacant land along the lakefront indicated from the article above
The 'Drive' Attempt
through the Park
from Chicago Lake Shore Drive
by Neal Simors & Bernard Judge
The zoomed views below indicated a roadway along the lakefront
in the park called Lake Shore Drive
.jpg)
this book is part of my collection
Plans North
of the Park
Apparently their were plans to connect the then named
Halsted Street - very close to the existing lakefront to the new
Lake Shore Drive
per this 1887 Rascher's Atlas Map
zoomed view below
.jpg)
Plans Approved
by District of Lake View
in 1890
*the City of Lake View was annexed in 1889*
Planned Development
Narrative in
1893
Planning Continues
in 1899
The Commission Report of
1899
text below - 'Lincoln Park 1899'
Discussion of the
Expansion in 1904
Diversey and Belmont harbors were formulated by this time. Lincoln Park, the park only reached to Cornelia Avenue. Both harbors looked more like large lagoons then actually harbors. Sheridan Road is shown north of Belmont Avenue as the first newly named roadway along the lakeshore. Sheridan Road was named after the American Civil War general, president of the United States, and marshall law commander after the Chicago Fire of 1871 Philip H. Sheridan.
The color green in the map below indicated Sheridan Road, cemeteries, proposed harbors and Lincoln Park, the park.
zoomed views below
would open to the public by 1916
The Governance for the Expansion
of Lincoln Park, the park
& Lake Shore Drive
The expansion of Lake Shore Drive was under
the privy of this commission. Its authority would wane in time.
photo - Calumet 412
from the High Bridge
once located between North Avenue and Diversey
Who Pays for the Improvements/Expansion
of the park and Sheridan Road
.jpg)
A Reason
for the Roadway
a link from Fort Sheridan to Chicago
postcard - Ebay
The Year of the Hay Market Riots and
the Plans for the Drive in 1886
The Pullman Strike of 1894 added fuel for the continuation of the roadway along the shoreline to later renamed after General Sheridan as a reminder to strikers of the connection of the roadway to the federal troops at Fort Sheridan. The general was still remembered as the commander of Chicago after the Great Fire of 1871 and of course the commanding general who won the American Civil War.
The photo below is from Harper's Weekly
Why the Roadway
turned West to Sheffield
and then North Again
Federal Property
was in the way
This federal built hospital was constructed in 1875 in the Township of Lake View. This federally administered hospital
was decommissioned by the 1950's
1887 Rascher's Atlas Map
The 1887 & 1905 maps depicts the hospital very close to the existing lakefront at that time. The property was located on a bluff overlooking the lake with a pebble beach below. Ships would dock off the lakefront to disembark the patients.
My guess is that a road separating their dock from the rest of the hospital would have been complicated. Also, the initial reason for the location was the open fresh air breezes from the lake and the complete quiet the area provided which was part of the rehabilitation requirements of any hospital at that time period. The red-tape from Washington would have been a nightmare. So, it was decided to use Sheffield Avenue north of what was called then Byron Street be used for Sheridan Road traffic.
A Map Plan by 1887
It would appear by this map that North Lake Shore Drive
would have been planned somewhat differently
zoomed below
edited with some current views
via Newberry Library
a zoomed view of within Lake View
In 1885, a wealthy banker named Rudolf Schloesser
& his wife Amelia built this grand home.
a 2018 Google view
Heading from Stockton to
Sheridan Road at Diversey Avenue (Parkway)
That 'Red Brick House'
photo - Johnny Conlisk via Forgotten Chicago-Facebook
& his wife Amelia built this grand home.
1903 photo- Chicago History Musuem
Heading west to south on Sheridan Road
Heading north on Sheridan Road
(corner of Sheridan and Sheridan)
Dakin Street is straight ahead and Sheffield Avenue
Heading west to south on Sheridan Road
a 2020 Google view below
Heading north on Sheridan Road
(corner of Sheridan and Sheridan)
Dakin Street is straight ahead and Sheffield Avenue
is the the right of the photograph
a 2018 Google view
2021 Google view above
2021 view of the street signs below
On the return trip back to Lincoln Park, the park,
from Sheridan Road to Stockton
a 2018 Google view below
The Boardwalk
along Sheridan Road
*Diversey to Grace Street*
This section of the road was to be renamed Lake Shore Drive in 1931 and to be referred to as the inner drive
The Broadwalk at Grace Street and Sheridan Road
postcard - Chuckman Collection 1910 or earlier
postcard - Chuckman Collection 1910 or earlier
The boardwalk near Grace Street along Sheridan Road
1915 photo - Chicago History Museum
1915 photo - Chicago History Museum
Plan Extension of the Roadway to
Wisconsin in 1912
a brief history from article
The Governors Parade
in 1916
Roadtrip to Milwaukee and Back
in 1917
using Sheridan Road
1923 Map
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map
Sheridan Road turns north at Sheffield/Dakin
south of map
Photos of Sheridan Road
within Lake View
from the 1920's
photos are part of my collection
General Sheridan Honored
in 1927
Snips from a Video
Traffic Clog
in 1928
due to the close approximately of the two drives
Planned Overpass
at Grace Street in 1928
Renaming Sheridan Road
in 1931
to be later referred to as Inner Drive
The Fork-in-the-Road
by 1932
page part of my collection
zoomed view below
view north with traffic moving either to the Outer Drive on the right or Inner Drive on the left of the photo
Traffic Alignment
at Melrose & Sheridan Road
in 1935
view south
this press photo is part of my collection
zoomed further below
1940 map of all the routes in Chicago
map - American Negro Exposition via Man on Five
photos - from CardCow
view north toward Melrose Street
The Fins within the Road
press photos - part of my collection
by Chicago Motor Coach Company
photo - Chuckman Collection
map - American Negro Exposition via Man on Five
zoomed view of our area below
both postcards - Chuckman Collection
The back of the above postcards read the following:
Double Deck Motor Bus Company
'The motor coaches started at Devon Avenue and Sheridan Road and traveled downtown via Sheridan Road, through Lake View and Lincoln Park then traveled around the loop via Michigan Ave, Jackson Blvd. State Street & Washington Street el stations and then returned to the starting point. The fare was ten cents and it required about one hour each way to make the trip. The best and least expensive method of sightseeing the city.'
Sheridan Road
& Diversey Parkway
1927
view north to northwest
New Routes
in 1935
The Belmont Bridge Overpass would
not be built until 1942
view south from Belmont Avenue
The WPA Project
1936-1942
This federal funded program of widening and extending Lake Shore Drive occurred during the Great Depression of 1929. More lanes were added while Sheridan Road would remain a two lane roadway to be later separated only by a fenced median strip
photo below - Art Institute of Chicago Digital Collection
In 1938 Traffic Routes
during Construction
Beginning the Process
in 1940
8 lanes 100 feet in width
Almost Done!
a good summation
The Last Piece
of the Puzzle
These last two photos show construction prepping for the construction of the Belmont Overpass Bridge. These photos, once negatives, were purchased from Ebay is part of my collection
.png)
The Final Product
photo - Calumet412
unknown date
Illinois Department of Transportation Photos
This was a governmental photo survey of both Inner and Outer Drives so to assess the conditions of both roadways for the widening of the Outer Drive in Lake View as well as other areas along the lakefront as far north as Foster Avenue.
These photos were taken by the Illinios Department of Transportation - IDOT and sourced from University of Chicago - UIC via Explore Chicago Collection
Grace Street view north showing both Inner
and Outer Drives during construction period - Inner Drive (fromer Sheridan Road) to the left.
These two photos shows landfill towards the lake and an indication that the Inner Drive was landfilled 180 feet west into the lake in the late 19th century - once a bluff overlooking the lake prior to the 20th century.
To the left of this photo is the former location of the Lake View Hotel that was first established in 1854.
Leveling the Inner and Outer Drives
.jpg)
These two photos show what was once called Byron Place that feed into the west towards Sheridan Road. Byron Place now part of Sheridan Road west helps form an island around what is called today
The shed is still in use for garden supplies
Traffic headng north and south from Byron Place
- the view is south highlighting Inner Drive (Sheridan Road) to the right and the Outer Drive to the left
The photo below is the entrance to Stratford Place (3450 N) - view east showing a portion of Belmont Harbor. Temple Sholom is on the left and out of frame.
These next couple of photos
are from the Melrose/Inner Drive - former Sheridan Road area. The photo below shows a car heading towards the Outer Drive from the Inner Drive. On the right traffic heading northboand on the Outer Drive - the view is north.
Traffic heading south from Inner Drive (Sheridan Road) to the Outer Drive - land island to the left (Sheridan Monunment location)
The land island to the right (Sheridan Monument location) with traffic heading northbound on the Outer Drive - right of photo. The Inner Drive on the left of photo - Melrose Street to the left
.jpg)
Cars to the right on Inner LSD (Sheridan Road) heading northboand. Traffic on the left heading north and south on the Outer Drive - view of photo is south
and below
traffic heading south towards the Outer Drive toward the land island and the Stout Mansion in the background
Traffic on the right heading towards the Outer Drive and to the left traffic heading north and south (view north) on the Inner Drive (Sheridan Road)
View north showing traffic heading to the Outer Drive with the land island (Sheridan Monument location). The Inner Drive (Sheridan Road) on the left.
and below
View south with traffic heading northbound showing the Sheridan Monument on the right. This view is before the Belmont Overpass was constructed. The Belmont Avenue bathing beach is on the left of photo. Construction of bridge's completion was in 1942.
Belmont Avenue - view west before the construction of the Belmont Overpass - Lochly Apartments to the right and Hotel Belmont (Reside by Belmont) to the left
Irving Park Boulevard (Road) & Inner Drive
with Immaculata (Catholic) High School
to the right of this photo
1928 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map
showing the high school in brown and the Inner & Outer Drives
Rush Hour Traffic
in 1947
most of all the Outer Drive traffic is heading north
and the Inner Drive is the far right of photo
photo - Chicago Tribune Archives via Larry Lund
1951 photo below - Historic Images
view north at Melrose Street
Art Work
by Zabeth Selover via Esty
a north view of both drives
This art is now part of my collection
photos below from Ebay
the home at the bottom is the old Lehmann residence
on Waveland & Inner Drive and at the time of artist's rendition. The building was called
The Waveland Convalescent Home
3662 N Lake Shore Drive
sectional views:
section 1
section 2
section 3
section 4
The Outer Drive at
Irving Park Road
north view towards Montrose Harbor
Description from this postcard reads:
'A bird's-eye view of Lincoln Park extension recently beautified by the Chicago Park District. The Outer Drive passes through here with frequent turn-outs leading to the beautiful Waveland golf course, Montrose Yacht Harbor, and great Montrose - Wilson bathing beach.' - from Card Cow
A 1966 Press Photo
View South
part of my collection
this photo shows the remains the Nike Missile Sight of the 1950's to the left of the photo
A Name Change
in 1969!!??
Sinkhole Drama
in 2002
A future look
of the Outer Drive
The plan was hatched by 2014
Design Timeline
This idea is based on the need to create more city assets. While the NLSD project redesigns the Drive on existing land the BSC creates more land to the east of the existing roadway into the lake once again as it did in the early 20th century - creating 225 acres of prime real estate.
It has been done before but can we do it again?
This proposed project involves improvement of seven miles of the 8-lanes of North Lake Shore Drive from Grand Avenue to Hollywood Avenue, including the 12 highway junctions. The junctions are those locations where major cross streets intersect Lake Shore Drive & where access is allowed through the Outer Drive. The project will continue to evaluate the condition of the 22 bridges and tunnels along the Outer Drive as well as the operation of the Inner Drive.
Plan A centers on elevatinging traffic on Belmont Avenue and sharing with Aldine Avenue. Aldine will be on one-way street east and will have a separater on the inner drive so help with traffic flow
Plan C adds both A & B
The green space comparision
The Public Meeting Phase
of the Lakefront
as of 2021
here are some snips for the video
link above
Plan B will most elevated the bus congetion on Belmont
the harbor will have less water, and more green space between the inner and outer drive
between the inner and outer drives
more input meeting planned
Feedback all the time
The Complete Plan
by our local paper
Do We Really Need It??
“We take the most precious piece of property in the city and devote it to eight lanes of automotive traffic,” organizer Michael Burton told the Reader. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to have it devoted to parkland? Wouldn’t that increase the value of adjacent property? Wouldn’t that make the city more livable? Aren’t we always looking for ways to scale back pollution?” At the time, the cyclists were regarded as pastoralist cranks, using aesthetic and environmentalist arguments to promote an agenda that would inconvenience hundreds of thousands of Chicagoans. The group has since disappeared from the public discourse, its website and phone number gone dead. But maybe they weren’t all that crazy. Today, Lake Shore Drive is under attack by Lake Michigan, which this year rose to a level approaching its all-time high. It may rise even higher next year. Just last week, flash flooding closed the Drive for several hours between Montrose and Hollywood. - Chicago Magazine: Politics & City Life 2019
Renaming the
Outer Drive in 2020?
Transportation Committee
Say Yay in 2021
watch all videos
It's Official - DuSable
(Inner) Lake Shore Drive
NO Change in the Name
A NO vote from
Lake View's 44th Alderman
2022
Studies, Gatherings, Worries
on the Reconfiguration of Outer Drive
May 2, 2023
now
future
now
now
and the inner Drive
now
Local Reaction
in May 9, 2023
A Highway or Driveway
in 2024
Lake Shore Drive, the original name of the roadway along the lakefront, was meant to be a leisurely drive along the lakefront. Of course in the late 19th century the means of transportation was the horse & carriage with a speed limit of less than 30 miles per hour. Now, lets fast forward to 2024 and the plans to return to that more leisurely time in history.
Stop the Presses!!
2024
an email annoucement
Northern Neighbors are not Fans Either
2024
Several
Post Notes:
The Several Names
of the Outer Drive in 1946
The General's Monument
in Pictures
photo above - Connecting the Windy City
photo above - Connecting the Windy City
1927 photo - Chicago History Museum
postcard - Chuckman Collection
Snowed-on in 1944 - Ebay
1959 photos - Ebay
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Important Note:
These posts are exclusively used for educational
purposes. I do not wish to gain monetary profit from this blog nor should
anyone else without permission for the original source - thanks!
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