History in River North
Movies
The Dark Knight - Club Scene at Sound Bar
In this club scene at Sound Bar at 226 West Ontario Street, Batman fights to get to a Gotham crime lord.
The Dark Knight - Lamborghini Street Scene
In this scene, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) drives his Lamborghini south on Franklin Street in River North at 500 North Franklin Street.
The Untouchables - Meeting Between Ness and Malone
Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) meets Jim Malone (Sean Connery) on the Michigan Avenue Bridge.
History in River North
Vintage Restaurants
Club Lago
Gus and Ida Lazzerini opened this northern Italian restaurant in 1952 in what was then a heavily industrial neighborhood rich with printing companies and paper salesmen at 331 West Superior in the River North neighborhood of Chicago. They passed control to their son-in-law Francesco Nardini in 1980, when the locals were mostly photographers and art dealers.
Gene & Georgetti
Gene & Georgetti, Chicago's oldest steakhouse, has been serving prime cuts from the same historic location since 1941 at 500 North Franklin in River North. Gene Michelotti, an Italian emigre and avuncular host, and his chef friend, Alfredo Federighi (nicknamed "Georgetti" after a famed Italian cyclist), breathed life into their American dream in this wooden building, erected in 1872 shortly after the Great Fire.
Pizzeria Uno
Ike Sewell (an All-Southwestern Conference guard for the University of Texas football team in 1924) and his italian-born business partner Richard Novaretti (otherwise known as Ric Riccardo) created the world's first deep dish pizza at 29 East Ohio Street in 1943, although some sources report that the concept was actually developed by their chef, Rudy Malnati.
Pizzeria Due
- Ike Sewell and his business partner Richard Novaretti (better known as Ric Riccardo) opened a pizzeria at 29 East Ohio Street in 1943 and began serving the world's first deep-dish pizza. Their new twist on a millennium-old dish was such an immense hit that they were unable to accommodate the demand, so in 1955 they opened a second restaurant at 619 North Wabash Avenue in the River North neighborhood of Chicago, about a block away. They named the second restaurant "Pizzeria Due" and promptly changed the name of the first restaurant (then known as "Pizzeria Riccardo") to "Pizzeria Uno."
The Billy Goat Tavern
The Billy Goat Tavern has easily achieved more notoriety than any burger joint in Chicago history. Originally opened in the shadow of the old Chicago Stadium by the eccentric William (Billy) Sianis in either 1934 or 1937, it gained its first blast of publicity in 1944, when Billy hung a sign saying "No Republicans Allowed" during the Republican National Convention.
The Green Door Tavern
Just after the Great Fire incinerated most of Chicago in 1871, a local engineer named James McCole built a two-story, balloon-frame wooden structure with a detached garage at the southwest corner of Huron and Orleans. A few months later, the city council passed an ordinance prohibiting the construction of wooden buildings in the downtown district, making McCole's structure one of the few remaining wooden structures built prior to the "new" law.
Gino's East
Gino's East was founded in 1966 at 160 E. Superior by two taxi drivers and their friend. It soon became renowned for both its food and its heavily-scribbled upon interior. In 2000, the pizzeria moved to this location (site of the defunct Planet Hollywood), along with the graffiti-covered walls and the pizza ovens. In 2006, a second Gino’s East opened at essentially the original location of the first one.
History in River North
Residents
Cyrus Hall McCormick
Inventor Cyrus McCormick's reaper changed the way farmers harvested wheat. McCormick built a factory in Chicago in 1847, and then, after The Great Fire, built a new one at Blue Island and Western Avenues. In 1902, his company was merged with a few others in the business and became International Harvester. Today it's known as Navistar International Corporation.
Ellis Chesbrough
After Ellis Chesbrough, who resided at 933 North LaSalle Street, successfully designed Boston's water distribution system, the Chicago Board of Sewage Commissioners selected him to fix the city's water and sewage problem. Chesbrough designed a two-mile tunnel, 60 feet under the lake, that began delivering clean water to the city in 1864. He was the city's chief engineer for more than 20 years.
Harriet Monroe
in 1912, Poet and publisher Harriet Monroe founded Poetry magazine. Monroe also wrote arts criticism for Chicago newspapers. Monroe lived at 543 North Wabash Avenue, where the magazine was headquartered.
Joseph Medill
Journalist and mayor of Chicago Joseph Medill was managing editor and co-owner of the Chicago Tribune, and during his reign the paper adopted a strong abolitionist stance. He and the Tribune played a significant role in Abraham Lincoln's nomination for the presidency in 1860. As mayor, Medill created the city's first public library and reformed the police and fire departments. Medill resided at 639 North Wabash Avenue.
Ruth Page
Ballerina and choreographer Ruth Page had an extensive influence on Chicago's opera scene. She performed in and directed the ballet ensemble at the Chicago Opera Company from 1934 to 1945. She directed the ballet for the Chicago Lyric Opera from 1954 to 1959.
William Butler Ogden
Just two years after arriving in Chicago in 1835, William Butler Ogden became the city's first mayor. His plan to build a railway out of the city in 1847 was perhaps his most influential. Ogden financed banks, ran a local brewery, designed the first drawbridge over the chicago river, and was president of Rush Medical College. Ogden resided at 50 East Ontario Street.