starch mogul

A photo of a single story early midcentury brick storefront building next to an elaborate three story mixed use Tudor Revival building with stone cladding on its lower levels giving way to brick and faux half-timbering on the upper levels. The larger building has a stone-capped brick tower riding above its top floor, capped with crenelations.

An early 20th century brick auto repair shop, seen from across a wide street, features an elaborate symmetrical roof line with stone accents an a little half-arch at the center.

A photo of two three story early 20th century mixed use buildings with stores on their bottom floors and apartments above. The building on the left has a curved facade and red brick with stone lintels and pediments, and the one on the right has a ton of terra cotta cladding surrounding its windows and accenting its roofline.

It's possible to stop actively noticing all these elaborately clad buildings, living in a city that's chock full of them, but some days they jump out at me fresh all over again

footage from these michigan tornados has been terrifying

suddenly sunset chicago

is it crushing despair or just hunger

The Neoliberalism of Robert A.M. Stern The passing of postmodern architecture’s last living holdout marks the end of an era—and reminds us that we’re in a new, worse one.

wrote about robert am stern (rip) and how postmodern architecture worked to disguise the rise of neoliberalism www.thenation.com/article/cult...

once again asking democrats to get out ahead of an issue which will prove to be monumentally unpopular in a month or two instead of waffling while they wait for poll data

the first time i saw casablanca—at like 25—i wanted to jump up and start yelling "do you people know about this?!"

...and yes, obviously, everyone does, it might be the embodiment of "a classic for a reason"

incredible buried lede here

that was the best big show i’ve seen maybe ever, holy shit—this was like the 5th time i’ve seen them and it might’ve been the best

i think my only other one is muse in 2006

conservatively, i imagine like 20% of chicago bluesky will be here at some point over the next four days

the long 2000s i am five hundred years old

realizing this is the first time i’ve been to the aragon ballroom since a yeah yeah yeahs show in 2009

black proof of the rejected version

black proof of the accepted version with hand scrawled coloring instructions

finished postcard on the left, photo on the right, a white stucco and green roofed Orthodox Church on a corner

The attached hand-colored proof is to be made overfor this customer in accordance with the retouched photograph which has been further retouched in accordance with the customer's request. The changes that have been made on the retouched photograph are five in number, as follows: 1. The window on the flat wall at the left has been made with a pointed top. 2/ On the side of the tower, the top window has been eliminated. Signed.

The arrow effect has been eliminated from the lower window on the side of the tower. 4. On the front of the tower, the window. has been changed to have the appearan of three lights as now shown. 5. The appearance of the arch over the doorway in the entrance has been changed and a three bared cross has been added. These corrections are to be made in accordance with instructions by i Mr. Curt Teich, Jr. Signed

blue paper book with Cyrillic text, a name and address, and the church on the front

first page of the book, Cyrillic text

a company house telegram laid out the issues, and the church sent over this prayer book thing as a reference for what the front should look like

1947 photo of holy trinity orthodox cathedral, distinctive looking church on a Chicago street corner, immature trees blocking the front elevation

black and white proof of the postcard with a big X on it

painted version

retouched, fixed version—windows above front door turned to three vertical slits, a side window removed, the top of a window made triangular rather than curved

pulled the production file for the 1947 curt teich postcard of louis sullivan’s holy trinity orthodox cathedral and it might be the first i’ve seen where the customer sent the painted mockup back for fixes—teich’s artists got the front door and windows wrong

www.postcard-past.com/holy-trinity...

The #1 cause of death for non-elderly adults strikes again.

I bet the last guy he ever had margaritas with at the mall was like what heck

am I missing something or is reporting on this war utter shit? I'm not even talking about bias or whatever, just like basic facts about what the fuck is going on.

transit-oriented baseball goals for 2026:
- kenosha kingfish
- gary railcats
- south bend cubs
- joliet slammers
- chicago dogs

plus the amtrak ones
- west michigan whitecaps
- lansing lugnuts

Hey, if you're feeling like life has passed you by and you're too old to start something new, remember that John Brown was 55 before he killed his first pro-slavery settler in the Kansas Territory. It's never too late to follow your dreams.

more portmanteau company names imo

postcard of an eight story brick factory and a two story admin building, text says National Biscuit Co., Marseilles, Ill

2025 google streetview of the abandoned factory, admin building gone

nabisco and mondelez in general are weirdly low profile for how big they were and (to some extent) still are—like their old box factory is the only multi-story building in the entire town of marseilles illinois (i am 100% going here sometime this year)

gotta be one of the top 10 biggest single factories still operating in the city but it feels extremely under-discussed

how are things at the enormous old nabisco plant on 73rd & kedzie these days

We watched Karina Villa chase down ICE in a suit and heels, telling them to get out of her community. Margaret Croke intentionally panicked white parents about their selective enrollment schools vanishing if neighborhood schools received additional funding. This race is ICE whistles vs. dogwhistles.

The image is a promotional flyer for the Stickney Water Reclamation Plant Open House and Tours, hosted by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago during Chicago Water Week. The flyer features the MWRD logo and a blue Chicago Water Week logo at the top. Large bold text announces the event: "Stickney Water Reclamation Plant Open House and Tours." Event details are listed in blue: Saturday, May 16, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 6001 W. Pershing Rd., Cicero. Below, there are social media icons and the website mwrd.org. The bottom half of the flyer shows an aerial view of the Stickney Water Reclamation Plant, with numerous circular and rectangular water treatment tanks, surrounded by green space and cityscape in the distance.

🌊 The #MWRD joins the 6th annual #ChiWaterWeek with three open house events throughout the month of May

Join us in #Cicero

🗓️ Saturday, May 16, from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
📍 The Stickney Water Reclamation Plant, 6001 W. Pershing Rd., Cicero
➡️ https://ow.ly/N1mO50Yp609

Corner brown brick building in dilapidated condition. google photos show that it has looked like this since at least 2007. The corner is curved with a blank curved sign over what used to be the entrance. Windows and doors are boarded up or missing and the corner is covered with political posters. The brick was nice once, with places where it is pushed out a bit to create patterns.

Tinted postcard for The Back Door Cocktail Lounge. There is a black and white inset photo of a balding man with a thin mustache named G. C. Jackson. The rest of the photo shows a bar with glass block across the front, square blue stools, back bar with rounded glass windows/mirrors, and Art Decoish decoration on the walls.

Ad from the Chicago Defender, March 11, 1944. "Relax at Jack's Back Door. So Restful! No floor show to distract you Dedicated only to the enjoyment of fine drinks." There is a drawing of a woman in a striped sunsuit and a broad-brimmed hat sitting on some steps with her legs crossed.

5859 S. State St., Chicago. 1906, J. Speyer, architect. Starting in the 1940s, this was Jack's Back Door Cocktail Lounge. I'm betting @mckiesdjlounge.bsky.social knows some stories about this place.