History in Lakeview

This historic one-block section contains 40 single-family rowhouses--similar to those in London--developed by Samuel Gross in 1904.  The architectural features vary from Gothic arches to bay and bow windows to Doric and Ionic wood pilasters.  The city designated the district a landmark on September 15, 1971.

Designed in 1928 by architect John Nyden, this six-story building was designated a landmark on July 9, 2008.  The bank portion of the building closed June 24, 1932, due to financial challenges during the Great Depression.  Today there are stores on the first floor. apartments and condominiums fill the rest of the space.

This residential apartment building was designed by architect Enoch Hill Turnock and completed in 1893.  It was designated a landmark on October 6, 1982.

Built in the 1890s, this historic district includes designs from Burnham & Root and the McConnell Brothers.  It was designated a landmark on March 26, 1996.

Seven people from the Chicagoland area were killed between September 29 and October 1, 1982, after ingesting extra-strength Tylenol caplets laced with potassium cyanide.  In the wake of the murders, James W. Lewis sent a letter to Johnson & Johnson demanding one million dollars to stop the killings.  He was convicted of attempted extortion on october 27, 1983, and sentenced to 20 years in prison before being paroled in 1995.  Although Lewis was never charged with the Tylenol deaths, he remains a suspect to this day, and prosecutors familiar with the case continue to believe he was the culprit.  Lewis and his wife Leann fled Kansas City in 1981 after local authorities raided their house for evidence in connection with an illegal credit card scheme.  On December 10, 1981, using the pseudonyms robert and Nancy Richardson, Lewis and his wife checked into the Surf Hotel at 555 West Surf Street.  They remained here only a week before moving to a tiny apartment in Lincoln Park at 549 West Belden.

The L & L Tavern, which has been named “one of the best dive bars in the nation” by Stuff Magazine, has been serving cheap beer and whiskey to a mixed crowd of musicians, artists, and actors, straight and gay alike, for somewhere around fifty years at 3207 North Clark Street.  It also holds the dubious distinction of having been a favorite Chicago watering hole for Milwaukee-based serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.  Better yet, John Wayne Gacy once showed up at the tavern in full clown regalia.  Enjoy yourself, but be careful who you go home with.

On July 6, 1932, a disgruntled showgirl named Violet Valli entered Room 509 at the Hotel Carlos (located at 3834 North Sheffield Avenue) and shot Cubs shortstop Billy Jurges with a .25 caliber handgun, nearly taking his life.  When Jurges opened his door and saw that she that she held a gun, he managed to wrestle it away from her, but not before he took a bullet in the hand and a second through the ribs.  Police reports indicated that Valli also tried to commit suicide, but that Jurges prevented her.  Valli allegedly wanted more out of their relationship and, in her suicide note, she blamed Cubs outfielder Kiki Cuyler for convincing Jurges to break up with her.  Jurges, who refused to prosecute Valli, recovered and played third base 17 days later, going 2-for-4 in an 11-8 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.  "Valli used her notoriety as part of her act (she was a dancer), and signed a twenty-two week contract to sing in local nightclubs and theaters.  She was billed as 'Violet (What I did for love) Valli, the Most Talked About Girl In Chicago,'" according to excerpts from "Just One Bad Century."  The building still says "Hotel Carlos" above the door, but today it's the Sheffield House Hotel.