Tensions and torches after the Great Fire
The collective myth is that the blaze of 1871 brought together Chicago’s rich and poor. It did, but it also drew dividing lines following what one resident called an ‘awful democracy of the hour.’
The collective myth is that the blaze of 1871 brought together Chicago’s rich and poor. It did, but it also drew dividing lines following what one resident called an ‘awful democracy of the hour.’
Historians consider our “what-if” scenario about a city that escaped the 1871 blaze. Would the Loop be a livable neighborhood? Would the skyline be so strident? And would there be such a thing as …
One listener’s loss raised the question of whether the commuter rail agency’s investigations are thorough enough.
As Chicago’s former grand movie palace turns 90, the question remains: What can be done to restore it?
Illinois struggles with debt and unpaid bills, while Indiana is sitting pretty with a surplus topping $2 billion. What’s behind the fiscal gap between these two neighbors?
Season 5 of WBEZ’s Curious City is coming to a close. As we rev up for next season, we’d love your feedback on what you’ve heard so far. So do us a solid, won’t you? Take five minutes and take our …
Skip the skyscraper! The most interesting building in Chicago is tied to its neighborhoods and its working class.
A compromise between surfers and a wary park district made riding waves in four spots fair game.
How conflicts over booze, parks and taxes prompted two Chicago neighborhoods to break into all-out vegetable warfare.
The faux speakeasy is popping up everywhere these days, but what made the original Prohibition saloon work?