DolanArt

Lill Coal and Oil

2010-11-24T20:35:00.002-06:00

Our Landlord bought his coal from a smaller outfit, as there were still quite a few in Chicago in the 1960s. Lill Coal and Oil was one of the largest. They had a yard at Berwyn and what is the Red Line, today. I remember seeing the coal cars that the CTA dropped off at night next to the L tracks. I believe, The North Shore Line used to deliver these cars. Coal heat was still very popular back then, especially in the larger corner apartment buildings. Like today, the owners of these places did not like to invest money in them, so they were slower to upgrade the heating systems to oil or natural gas. I love the smell of coal.

Open All Night

2010-11-15T12:02:00.000-06:00

As the late and early 19th century neighborhoods have been largely demolished to make way for the early 21st century neighborhoods, the mid-century section of the city and inner ring suburbs have been left alone, for the most part. Some of it is decaying and is looking well-worn.

Grotesque

2010-11-03T23:18:00.000-05:00

I would like to see a revival in grotesques. There has been a trend in the last couple of decades of referencing the architecture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in modern buildings. This, along with a renewed interest in ornate fixtures, such as street lights, gives the urban and suburban environment a warmer, more human feeling, I guess.

Unfortunately, in many cases it hasn't been done well. This leads to a cartoonish, Disneyesque recreation of past cities that never existed. Perhaps adding some grotesques and gargoyles would help.

Support System

2010-11-03T23:17:00.000-05:00

We all need some sort of support system to succeed in life. However, it is important not to loose one’s sense of self while being part of someone else’s support system.

Safety First

2010-11-03T23:16:00.000-05:00

Before busses and L trains were air conditioned, they had windows that opened. Of course, the passengers had to be warned not to "put head or arms out of window."

Several times during the life of the vehicles, the interiors were repainted. This was always done by brush. As an economic measure, they painted around the warning stickers.

This one has been vandalized in a demonstration of creativity that was very common by the mid-seventies. During the sixties and early seventies, it was very rare to see vandalism in and on Chicago Transit Authority vehicles. However, as the 1970s progressed the thickly padded seats in the busses and trains were getting slashed at an alarming rate, leading to the hard, uncomfortable fiberglass seats of today.

Norton

2010-11-03T23:15:00.002-05:00

The crankcase cover of a Norton has an interesting shape that lends itself to exploring the abrstract reflections.

Lotto Cigs

2010-11-03T23:15:00.001-05:00

Who needs shopping malls? Investment opportunities, indulgences, groceries, gifts and more are all at the urban general store!

Here's a buck. Get me a Quick Pick while you're in there. Thanks.

A Long Night

2010-11-03T23:14:00.000-05:00

I’m not sure if a long night starts or ends in a place like this, but I’m sure tomorrow’s going to be rough.

Used Tires

2010-11-03T23:13:00.000-05:00

Frequently overlooked in the “Green” movement is the concept of reuse. This is especially true in the automotive sector, where recycling materials is king. With recycling, there is more energy spent and some of the material to be recycled is wasted.

A major example of this was the Cash for Clunkers program. Perfectly good vehicles were sent to the crusher that could have been put to use where vehicles are needed. Folks that need to travel to distant low-paying jobs could have used them. They could have traded cars that were on their last legs for more road-worthy Cash for Clunker trade-ins. Their original junks could have then been recycled.

It is in that spirit that used tire shops can be thought of as supporting the Green movement. We still increasingly throw away what is broken and replace it with new.

Lounge Entertainment

2010-11-03T23:12:00.000-05:00

It’s got glass blocks, a little window with a neon sign and art moderne trim. What more do you want? Oh yeah, some lounge entertainment.

I remember a couple of kids in grade school, that when they needed permission or money from their moms, they knew they would find them in a bar like this. In one case the family owned the joint and lived in the apartment upstairs.

Open Till 4

2010-11-03T23:05:00.001-05:00

Just like it says.

No Parking

2010-11-03T23:05:00.000-05:00

Just don’t park in front of the garage, please. Thank you.

First City

2010-11-03T23:04:00.002-05:00

This is a painting of an old billboard promoting Chicago as a First City. No doubt, they are playing off of Chicago's reputation as a second city. I changed the text to reflect Chicago's inferiority complex that its art scene has. It has been languishing for a couple of decades now, yet there are those that say it is second to none.

Herby's Red Hot's

2010-11-03T23:04:00.001-05:00

This is a hot dog stand in a former gas station from the 1920s. It’s open late and like every other hot dog stand, has the best hot dogs.

Forty Two

2010-11-03T23:04:00.000-05:00

As I continue to explore the vanishing urban infrastructure that is being replaced by a sort of “suburbanization,” I turn the corner and find myself in a more seedy area. Before the internet, adult book stores used to dot the city landscape. This is one such place. They were close to downtown where the unhappily married man could stop off on the way home or at lunch for some attention. Many were open 24 hours so the lonely and desparate could, well, whatever.

Because there were so many of these places, there must have been a need and since pornography makes up about half of all of the internet traffic and resources, that need must still exist. I was always fascinated by their carnival sideshow appearance. I’m sure there were many freaks inside.

32 Lanes

2010-11-03T23:03:00.000-05:00

The bowling alley is typical of a large bowling alley one would find in the middle of the city. Often times, the alley was upstairs and covered the entire upper floors of the building. The first floor contained stores, bars and maybe a restaurant.

A few of these places survived and are somewhat cherished as something important from another era. As time moves on, some things are replaced. Some are remembered with reverence. Some are forgotten. As long as there are survivors that are taken care of, that’s a good thing and those that are destroyed, something of value takes its place.

Except for the few that remain, the ones that disappeared were replaced by parking lots (like the one I based this painting on), condos or were burned down.

The car is a 1955 Hudson Hornet. It was the first year for Hudson after the merger with Nash on May 4, 1954 to form American Motors Corporation. These Hudsons were basically Nashes with Hudson engines. Hudson fans generally refer to these automobiles as Hashes. By 1958, though, American Motors reinvented itself behind the Rambler Marque and in 1970 under its own name. It lives on today as some of the DNA in Chrysler and in AM General. Yes, the HUMVEE that is used in defending Freedom was brought to us by the same people that gave us the Pacer.

Means of Support

2010-11-03T23:02:00.001-05:00

A detail study of an elevated railway structure.

Cocktails

2010-11-03T23:02:00.000-05:00

As the city is being rebuilt into a safe-haven of trendy bar and grills and condominims, joints like this are disappearing. As you pass by, the smoke pouring out* and the loud muffled music is threatening. It’s a scary place, but for some reason you want to go inside. The glass block windows and the single door in the hole suggests you may become trapped. What’s going on in there? Is it safe?

Blue Cornice

2010-11-03T23:01:00.003-05:00

Just what it says.

SEPTA

2010-11-03T23:01:00.002-05:00

Some of Chicago's 6000 series L cars were sold to Philadelphia's SEPTA system for their Norristown line. They were a temporary replacement for the Bullets which were being junked a few years before their permanent replacements were ready.

Maxwell

2010-11-03T23:01:00.001-05:00

This is in tribute to the areas of the city that have been destroyed in the homoganization of the urban environment.

Live Music

2010-11-03T23:01:00.000-05:00

On any given night, you can find someone performing live music in a club in just about any city or town anywhere in the world. This is one such place. I'm not talking about karaoke here. If you want to sing along, fine. However, performing on the stage is best left to the professional musicians.

Jack's Corner

2010-11-03T23:00:00.001-05:00

This is Jack’s Corner.

Why is it Jack’s Corner?

How the fuck should I know? Ask the people in Jack’s Corner Tap Room. They’ll tell you.

Plug

2010-11-03T22:57:00.001-05:00

This is an examination of the form of a fire plug, or more accurately, the crotch of the fire plug.

The building is an older two-story store/apartment combination. I believe it harkens back to when sole proprierters ran a business downstairs and lived upstairs.

There used to be another building next door. A strip of roofing from the demolished structure is stuck to the wall. I guess it was torn down a while ago because there is a cable TV box on our building.

There is also grafitti on painted-over grafitti. It’s just one of many little scenes one may find while wandering the city at night.

Electroliner 801-802

2010-11-03T22:56:00.002-05:00

The North Shore Line, an interurban railroad that connected Chicago’s L system with Milwaukee and the towns in between, had two streamlined articulated trains. They were called Electroliners and were the ultimate in interurban travel. This is one of those trains.

I was thinking about the silhouettes of the factories just north of Chicago’s Loop that created canyons for the elevated line that the North Shore Line used to share. These buildings are long gone and have been replaced by rows of bland homes. You do get a nice view of downtown from the L, though, that you didn’t before.

As I am less familiar with Milwaukee, perhaps this train is going through a warehouse district in that great city. I don’t know.