I learned long ago that once upon a time Howard street used to be a booming business district with shops. theaters, jazz clubs, bars and the ballroom at the Broadmoor Hotel. Built in 1922 by developers Louis Rubin and Abraham D. Marks, the Broadmoor had many functions. In addition to housing peple and holding exciting society functions in the ballroom, the hotel also held radio broadcasts for WBBM, now the local CBS affiliate. The call numbers stood for We Broadcast From the Broadmoor. How cool is it that both WBBM is stilla round decades after this old gal lost its luster?
Located on the corner of Bosworth and Howard Street that according to the Chicago Tribune in 1922 was considered part of Uptown, today we now know this area as Rogers Park and Edgewater. Being so close to the train line that connected folks to Milwaukee, WI and St. Paul, MN was crucial for any business on or near Howard street as it brought in many people from other parts of the city as well as other places. In 60s and 70s when the demographics of the neighborhood started changing the Broadmoor faced some tough times as people who lived there were being robbed or murdered, as one transient was in the summer of 1982. The many times it changed owners dealt fatal blows to the hotel as it sat around practically rotting and decaying of disrepair. In 1983, a developer decided to renovate the building into affordable housing units which continues on until today. However, the affordable housing unit developments have taken place at least three times in the last two decades. After 1983, another one was done in 1994 and yet another low income development was announced just last year. Hey, if these deals are what keeps this building still standing, then I'd say keep 'em coming! I thought for sure this place would have had a date with the wrecking balls long ago but I am glad to see that it is still fighting and hanging strong.
A 1982 Tribune article is quoted as saying "The Broadmoor's charm kept her 90 apartments occupied most of the time, and on Saturday nights, women in silks and furs and men in top hats and tails flocked to her ballroom to dance." Wish i could have been there. I will be featuring more photos of the Historic Howard Street neighborhood in the near future so hang tight.
6 comments:
That's interesting about the origin of WBBM - I wouldn't have ever guessed that!
I knew the origin of some Chicago call letters - WLS (World's Largest Store -when they were owned by Sears), WGN (World's Grestest Newspaper - still owned by the Trib), WTTW Ch 11 (Window to the World) and WCFL (Chicago Federation of Labor). They were a Top 40 station when I was growing up - their tagline on station breaks used to be "The Voice of Labor".
Wow! That's incredible! I would have never known ANY of that. For the longest time I never thought that these call letters actually stood for anything. LOL! Very ignorant and juvenile, I know. Thank you, Dave for bringing me in the know.
Glad I could help you impress your friends, Didi! ;)
I intend too, most definitely. LOL! they will give me a "What the heck are you talking about?" look.
The actual 'slogan' was, "We Broadcast Broadmoor Music". This was passed on to me from an 'old timer', in 1978, who not only lived in the Broadmoor for many years, but, with her husband, ran a small bar in the building on the Howard Street side.
Thank you for that bit of info, MCL. All the articles I looked up did not mention this so it is good to have a first hand source. Amazing!
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