History in Gold Coast
Movies
Ferris Bueller's Day Off - Sausage King Of Chicago
Ferris Bueller (played by Matthew Broderick) says he's "Abe Froman, Sausage King of Chicago" at a restaurant located at 22 West Schiller Street. The trio of Ferris, Sloane, and Cameron grab a cab meant for Ferris' dad outside the restaurant and jet away, heading west on Schiller Street.
History in Gold Coast
Vintage Restaurants
Butch McGuire's
In 1961, Butch McGuire borrowed some money from his mother, purchased an old strip club at 20 West Division Street in the Gold Coast, and transformed it into a classic Irish bar. With a little coaxing, he developed a thriving neighborhood singles' bar, and today Butch McGuire's takes credit for than 5,000 marriage vows. Butch (unofficially known as the "Mayor Of Division Street") is credited with creating the modern day Rush Street booze corridor.
The Pump Room
The Pump Room opened in the Ambassador East Hotel on October 1, 1938, and quickly became a celebrity magnet. The roster of stars and power-brokers who dined there throughout the years is so extensive that it might be easier to create a list of people who did not eat there. In the heyday, guests included Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, John F.
History in Gold Coast
Residents
Bertha and Potter Palmer
There would be no Palmer House Hotel if not for Bertha and Potter Palmer. Potter was the entrepreneur who parlayed his dry-goods business on Lake Street into Marshall Field's department store and developed State Street as the city's illustrious retail throughfare. Bertha was a women's rights advocate and art collector. The Potters moved into a mansion at 1350 North Lake Shore Drive in the mid-1880's.
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was one of the 20th century's most influential architects and designers. He worked with Adler & Sullivan before founding his own practice in 1893. He designed homes, galleries, and other structures for more than six decades, and many of his most prominent projects are in Chicago. Wright lived in a red brick house at 25 East Cedar Street for a brief period in 1914. The house was sold in January 2011 and soon demolished.
Irna Phillips
Irna Phillips is credited with creating the "soap opera" genre. Her shows first appeared on Chicago radio, but expanded nationally through the medium of television. Phillips focused on the drama associated with workaday life and featured "white collar" characters, such as doctors and lawyers. She also made frequent use of the "cliff-hanger" ending in order to keep listeners (and viewers) returning for the next episode.
John Wellborn Root
Architect John Wellborn Root resided at 1310 North Astor Street. Root worked closely with Daniel Burnham to rebuild the city and design many of the buildings in the Loop after the 1871 fire. His most notable works are the Rookery and Monadnock buildings. Root teamed with Burnham to design the layout of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, but he died of pneumonia two years before the fair began.
Louise DeKoven Bowen
Louise DeKoven Bowen, who resided at 1430 North Astor Street, championed social reform in the city, promoting rights for children, women, and minorities. She joined the Hull House Woman's Club with Jane Addams in 1912 and served as president of the Juvenile Protective Association for 35 years.
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who resided at 200 East Pearson Street, was one of the leading architects of the 20th century. He taught at the Illinois Institute of Technology, designing the school's master plan and campus buildings. His advancements changed skyscraper construction, and his buildings in Chicago include 860-880 North Lake Shore Drive Apartments, the Federal Center, and Promontory Apartments.
Robert McCormick
Robert "The Colonel" McCormick was the editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune for 30 years. He was the grandson of Chicago Tribune founder and former Chicago mayor Joseph Medill. McCormick frequently targeted president Franklin Roosevelt in his editorials and moved the newspaper to its Tribune Tower headquarters in 1925.
Theodore Thomas
Conductor and violinist Theodore Thomas was the founder and first conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He pressed patrons to fund a permanent home for the orchestra, and Orchestra Hall, designed by Daniel Burnham, was completed in 1904.