Former Old Cook County Hospital (Paul Gerhardt, 1914) Today, Hyatt Hotels
Over one hundred book locations
Writer/interviewer Louis “Studs” Terkel (1912-2008) grew up in a River North men’s hotel run by his parents, the Wells-Grand. He often talked with and eavesdropped on the the rooming house’s transient residents and their visitors, developing an interest in other people’s stories. Early in his career he worked in radio show writing and acting, but his most important work was the many interviews he did with common people of all kinds. The Studs Terkel Radio Archive is a great online source of over 2000 of these interviews. Division Street (1967), interviews with a wide scattering of 70 Chicagoans, was his first published collection of oral histories. Reading it today, the collection very much acts as a snap shot of citizens’ feelings during a period of urban contraction and disinvestment when the “good old days” weren’t so old and the future path unsure (as always…)
The Division Street Map locates 139 places mentioned by the interviewees. The markers contain:
- A picture taken by me (80+ at post time) or an historical image
- A text quote from the interview in which the location is first mentioned
- Links to more info on the subject
- The situation at post time
As a personal note, I read this book when I first started the CBA project over 6 years ago. Despite its designation as “the next map to finish” being regularly pushed back, my used first edition paperback held together with a rubber band often made it into my bag. This is the look of a well travelled book.
An alphabetical list of all the sites is located below the map. A click on the list will jump you to the location on the map.
This map is just one layer on the bigger Map where you can plan your own ride, run, or walk. Also, you can contact CBA for a custom guided ride that includes some of these sights and for gift certificates for the other cyclists in your life.
Sources: Division Street (Studs Terkel, 1967), Encyclopedia of Chicago, book icon by Icons8
