Old US

48 Vintage Photographs Capture Street Scenes of Chicago in the Early 1970s

Life was good during the late ’60s and early ’70s. Railroad provided employment, church’s influenced a lot of people, heavy duty industry was still in the city, keeping people busy and employed kept a lot of people out of trouble.

On Diversey Parkway and Halsted Street, there used to be all kinds of small family-owned businesses. There were bakeries, butcher shops, greasy-spoon diners, liquor stores, old-fashioned barber shops, and tiny drugstores that had only two or three aisles.
Nowadays, all those businesses are gone, and have been replaced with trendy restaurants, upscale boutiques, expensive wine shops, stores that sell fancy furniture and stores that sell fancy glassware. Also, there’s a spa in almost every block. Those businesses cater to the yuppies who now live there.
These amazing black and white photos were taken by ceebop that show what Chicago looked like in the early 1970s.
The Walgreens, Chicago, circa 1970s

 

Edgewater Beach Hotel, Chicago, 1970
Kinzie Street looking west from State Street, Chicago, 1970

 

Michigan and Washington, Chicago, 1970

 

Wabash and Randolph Streets, Chicago, 1970
Wabash Ave., Chicago, 1970

 

Wabash Ave., Chicago, 1970
Fulton fish market, Chicago, 1972

 

Maxwell Street, Chicago, 1973
Maxwell Street, Chicago, 1973

 

Seed seller at Randolph and State, Chicago, 1973

 

Chicago skyline viewed from 333 N. Michigan, 33rd Floor, 1974
Belmont and Sheffield, Chicago, circa 1970s

 

Book store at 128 W. Lake Street, Chicago, circa 1970s

 

Chicago from above, circa 1970s
Chicago in a snowy day, circa 1970s

 

Chicago in a snowy day, circa 1970s

 

Chicago in a snowy day, circa 1970s
Chicago in a snowy day, circa 1970s

 

Chicago in a snowy day, circa 1970s

 

Chicago kids, circa 1970s
Chicago kids, circa 1970s

 

Chicago street scenes, circa 1970s

 

Chicago street scenes, circa 1970s
Chicago street scenes, circa 1970s

 

Chicago street scenes, circa 1970s

 

Chicago street scenes, circa 1970s
Chicago street scenes, circa 1970s

 

Chicago street scenes, circa 1970s

 

Chicago street scenes, circa 1970s
Diversey and Broadway, Chicago, circa 1970s

 

Fulton Market, Chicago, circa 1970s

 

Maxwell Street Market, Chicago, circa 1970s
Michigan Ave., Chicago, circa 1970s

 

Michigan Avenue Bridge, Chicago, circa 1970s

 

North Clark Street, Chicago, circa 1970s
North Dearborn Street, Chicago, circa 1970s

 

On the right beneath the Playdium Parking Bowl sign, was originally the entrance to the Covent Theatre. The Covent Hotel is still standing today, Chicago, circa 1970s

 

Randolph and State Streets, Chicago, circa 1970s

 

Randolph Street, Chicago, circa 1970s
Randolph Street, Chicago, circa 1970s

 

Randolph Street, Chicago, circa 1970s

 

Randolph Street, Chicago, circa 1970s

 

Roosevelt Road, Chicago, circa 1970s
Roscoe and Halsted Streets, Chicago, circa 1970s

 

South east bound Lincoln on the left and Racine on the right at Diversey, Chicago, circa 1970s

 

 

 

LEAVE A RESPONSE

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *