Around Evanston

Around Evanston Exploring Evanston's histories. Exploring Evanston's Histories. A city with many layers!

Evanston's first roller skating rink opened in 1885. Evanstonians were "crazy" about skating and by 1906, a new rink on ...
06/02/2026

Evanston's first roller skating rink opened in 1885. Evanstonians were "crazy" about skating and by 1906, a new rink on Davis Street opened at the Japanese Garden, an "amusement and dancing" hall at 614-616 Davis. The new rink did brisk business.

Not everyone was happy, though. In 1909, a group of nearby business operators filed an official complaint with the mayor, stating that the "machine made music" played at the rink was "annoying and a public nuisance."

Image: advertisement, The Evanston Index, November 17, 1906.

, corner store. This building at 501 Sherman Ave still stands! In 1909 a permit was granted to Adolph Ascher to build t...
05/13/2026

, corner store. This building at 501 Sherman Ave still stands! In 1909 a permit was granted to Adolph Ascher to build the two story brick structure. For many years the ground floor was occupied by various grocery stores, including Didier’s Grocery and Market, Lecy’s Food Store, and Ratcliff’s.

A bustling downtown , looking toward Fountain Square on Davis Street, in the 1920s. The facade of the old City Hall bui...
04/29/2026

A bustling downtown , looking toward Fountain Square on Davis Street, in the 1920s. The facade of the old City Hall building is just visible behind the Western Union sign. The turreted Rood Building, that housed numerous stores, businesses, and offices, stands next to the State Bank and Trust building.

And of course, the cars! Parking was free everywhere at this time. City officials would not install the first parking meters until 1947.

, 1936, at the corner of Main Street and Chicago Ave, looking south. Walgreens Drugstore is visible in the background.F...
04/17/2026

, 1936, at the corner of Main Street and Chicago Ave, looking south. Walgreens Drugstore is visible in the background.

Founded in 1901 in Chicago by pharmacist Charles R. Walgreen, Walgreens grew by leaps and bounds in the early 20th century.

By 1925, the drugstore chain had three locations in Evanston (each opened in 1924): at Sherman Ave and Davis St, Dempster St and Chicago Ave, and Main St and Chicago Ave.

The drugstore’s Main Street location opened in the newly built “Evanston block” building in April of 1924. Walgreen and Co. leased the store for a whopping $1,000 a month and signed a 10 year lease. At the time, it was reported to be the highest rent ever paid for “floor space” in Evanston.

During Prohibition, the drug store chain sold whiskey by prescription, helping boost its sales and later helping it to weather the Great Depression.

The Evanston Block building was demolished c. 2014. On the site today stands The Main, a nine story apartment complex with retail space, which opened in 2016.

This photo appeared in an Oct. 1936 advertisement for the Portland Cement Association, Chicago, IL.

, June 17, 1918. Students from Northwestern University took part in a "Centennial Pageant" in Evanston, marking the 100...
04/10/2026

, June 17, 1918. Students from Northwestern University took part in a "Centennial Pageant" in Evanston, marking the 100th anniversary of the state of Illinois joining the Union.

The Evanston pageant took place as the US was at war in Europe. Here, students don the garb of the Allied nations. "America" is center, with the other allied nations flanking her. Kneeling is "Belgium," appealing for help from the US.

Across the state, communities hosted similar pageants, portraying events from the state's history as well as staging patriotic performances in support of the war effort.

Photo: Western Newspaper Union, National Archives.

. Open for Business: In 1923, a new building at 813-815 Davis Street opened its doors. Noyes Market, run by Charles Wul...
03/30/2026

. Open for Business: In 1923, a new building at 813-815 Davis Street opened its doors. Noyes Market, run by Charles Wulf, (pictured?) occupied the storefront at 815 Noyes and next door, at 813 Noyes, the “Kampus Kitchen,” a confectionery store and lunch room, was operated by John Anton.

In 1925, W.H. Cook took over the market, renaming it the Noyes Street Market. In an advertisement in the Evanston New-Index, Cook wrote: “I reside at 2327 Ridge Ave, close to the store and so will make it a real neighborhood market run by a neighbor.”

He added that he "hoped to merit your patronage."

Over the years numerous businesses would operate in this building including College Cleaners, William Moy’s Hand Laundry, and The Lamp Post, an antique store. Today, Dave’s Italian Kitchen is located at 815 Noyes St.

Photo, 813-815 Noyes, Chicago Architectural Photographing Company, 1924.

Evanston Township High School (ETHS), photographed in 1923. In the 1920s, rapid population growth spurred the constructi...
03/27/2026

Evanston Township High School (ETHS), photographed in 1923.

In the 1920s, rapid population growth spurred the construction of a new high school for Evanston.

Located on a 55-acre site on Dodge Ave, between Church and Lake streets, the building, which cost one million dollars, was the product of years of planning.

Construction began in early 1922; the cornerstone was laid on July 6, 1923. The first classes were held in the summer of 1924.

Photo: Chicago Architectural Photographing Company

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City Hall, Sherman Ave and Davis Street. The magnificent building, designed by Holabird & Roche, opened its doors in 1...
03/18/2026

City Hall, Sherman Ave and Davis Street. The magnificent building, designed by Holabird & Roche, opened its doors in 1892. It housed the city's various offices, public library, and court. It was demolished in 1946.

. Motoring (and parking) on Sheridan Road, 1918.
02/20/2026

. Motoring (and parking) on Sheridan Road, 1918.

in the groovy 1960s. These “MOD” models, as the Chicago Tribune called them, were ETHS students who were taking part i...
01/29/2026

in the groovy 1960s.

These “MOD” models, as the Chicago Tribune called them, were ETHS students who were taking part in a fashion show held at the Evanston Student Union in the spring of 1967. The fashion show was followed by a dance featuring the music of the “Something Else” combo. Far Out!

The (short-lived) Evanston Student Union, located at 1700 Maple, opened in December 1966. It was designed to provide a “common meeting place for high school students residing in Evanston." Funded by a gift from the Levy Foundation, it offered programing and concerts until it closed c. 1970. (Owing, it appeared, to a lack of interest among high school students!)

Photo: Chicago Tribune, June 18, 1967.

#1967

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