Sheridan Road

Present day numbering system.

400 W. from 2800 N. to 3181 N.

3900 N. from 600 W. to 956 W.

1000 W. at 3900 N. to 1400 W. at 7734 N.

6400 N. from 970 W. to 1158 W.

Old street numbers starting at Devon (present 6400) and going north began at approximately 3200. So, any old address above 3200 is in Rogers Park.

The Chicago City Council passed a lengthy ordinance Monday, January 14, 1895, rationalizing the street naming system. Because Sheridan Road is segmented and runs north and west, addresses needing conversion will vary.

This page needs a lot more work

Named for General Philip Henry Sheridan (1831-1888) for whom Fort Sheridan was also named. He was an American Civil War cavalry commander and hero. His most infamous remark was "The only good Indians I ever saw were dead." In 1884 he joined with a group of wealthy Chicagoans in constructing the Washington Park Race Track, the favorite gathering place of Chicago's high society for almost 20 years.

Articles in The Historian about Sheridan Road

"Sheridan Road in Rogers Park: Celebrating a Century," by by Susan Olin, The Historian, Vol. 28, No. 2, pp. 14-15

At the turn of the 20th Century, Sheridan Road, in Chicago, was developed as a luxury lakefront boulevard. By 1902, the portion in Rogers Park was paved and improved. At that time, Sheridan Road was laid out for scenic, leisure travel by horse-drawn carriages well before the advent of the automobile. Consequently, even today in Rogers Park, this wide avenue still features its original tree-lined parkways and many outstanding vintage buildings. In addition, Sheridan Road in Rogers Park continues to be graced with a low-rise vista and street-end views to nearby Lake Michigan. Here are a few examples of the fascinating historic structures found on this exceptional street.

Sister Acts

The New 400 Theaters on Sheridan Road at Pratt Avenue, and the Mayne Stage on Morse Avenue at Wayne Avenue, were designed by the same firm, Grossman & Proskauer, and constructed in the same year, 1912. Both of these cheerful Terracotta buildings were actually early Nickelodeon theaters which have survived now for 100 years. The New 400 was originally called the "Regent", and after 1930, the "400 Theater." The Mayne Stage was originally the "Morse Theater" and after 1939, the "Co-Ed Theater" (a nod to nearby Loyola University). These sister theaters have outlived the later, celebrated movie palaces of Rogers Park such as the Granada Theater on Sheridan Road, the Norshore Theater on Howard Street, and the Adelphi Theater on Clark Street, all now gone.

The Mayne Stage building has been used not only as a theater, but also as Congregation Beth Israel Anshe Yanova, a synagogue, and as retail stores. Amazingly, it appears that the New 400 Theaters has been operated exclusively as a movie theater over the past 100 years. Both the New 400 and the Mayne Stage buildings will celebrate their centennials this year in 2012, while continuing to entertain the public as they have for so long.

Luxury “Hotels”

Two luxury 1920s “residential hotels” still stand on Sheridan Road in Rogers Park. These buildings were constructed as rental apartments for the affluent during the Roaring Twenties. The first is the 1921 Rogers Park Hotel at Pratt Avenue – look for the large stone “RP” logo (for “Rogers Park”) on top of the Sheridan Road side of the building; and the second is the 1922 Sheridan Beach Hotel at Chase Avenue. These ritzy apartment hotels offered elegant dining rooms and lobbies, entertainment and concierge services for their well-to-do residents.

Lifeguard “Stations”

The Leone Beach Park lifeguard station at Touhy Avenue and Sheridan Road is actually the original water pumping station for Rogers Park. This facility, constructed in 1889 by the Rogers Park Water Company, supplied water for some of the earliest subdivisions in Rogers Park and Evanston. The City of Chicago purchased the building in 1907, converting it into a field house shortly thereafter, and owns the building to this day. For over 90 years at this site, the city has been educating children in lifesaving skills to become junior lifeguards for Chicago beaches. During 40 of those years, the park was supervised by its adored namesake, Sam Leone.

The Best of the Northwestern Terra Cotta Company

The Art Deco façade at 6560 N. Sheridan Road (now Bruno & Tim’s Lounge, formerly the "Kirchbaum Building") showcases a terracotta scene from the time the building was constructed in 1922. This pictorial treasure is a view of Chicago’s skyline at that time. A small depiction of the original Fort Dearborn settlement in Chicago is portrayed as well.

This façade was created by the famous Northwestern Terra Cotta Company of Chicago which provided terracotta decorations and facades for many famous architects such as Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright. The company created the ornamentation for a myriad of Chicago landmarks such as the Chicago Theater and the Civic Opera House. Shown in this skyline relief are several illustrious Michigan Avenue edifices for which Northwestern Terra Cotta provided exterior decoration including the Railway Exchange (Santa Fe) Building, the Blackstone Hotel and the Wrigley Building. (Northwestern Terra Cotta’s smaller scale commissions include both the previously mentioned Rogers Park Hotel and Sheridan Beach Hotel.)

Thus, apart from its gorgeous tile work, this Sheridan Road facade documents the heyday of Chicago’s world-famous terra cotta architecture, and the artisans of Northwestern Terra Cotta, at the beginning of the 20th century. The elaborate building also provides proof of Rogers Park’s glory days as a neighborhood of distinction at that time.

Frank Lloyd Wright, and more

The 1915 Frank Lloyd Wright-designed "Emil Bach House" at 7415 N. Sheridan Road is an official Chicago Landmark and a National Register of Historic Places site as well. The Emil Bach House is a rare example of Wright’s late Prairie school, compact urban design. Several other homes on Sheridan Road north of Touhy, in what was known as the early 1900s "Birchwood Beach" subdivision, are listed as significant buildings in the Chicago Historic Resources Survey. For example, the 1919 Mediterranean-style “villa” next door at 7421 N. Sheridan Road, now the Cats Cradle Bed & Breakfast, is also recognized on this authoritative architectural list.

The varied architecture on Sheridan Road in Rogers Park reflects the many wonderful eras and activities of the neighborhood. The numerous vintage buildings include a long-standing, beloved neighborhood movie theater, opulent turn-of-the-century homes, posh 1920s apartment hotels, terra cotta masterpieces and a late 1800s water pumping station converted long ago into a public beach recreational facility. All this marvelous history is preserved on this one-of-a-kind Chicago lakefront street. So take a stroll down Sheridan Road in Rogers Park and revel in a remarkable century of history.

Chicago Blue Book

1895 Chicago Blue Book description: SHERIDAN ROAD (North Division) from Lake Michigan west to Sheffield av. thence north to city limits (formerly Byron st. and Sheffield av.). This is too far south to be in Rogers Park.

1897 Chicago Blue Book has many listings. But, which are in Rogers Park?

1898 Chicago Blue Book, page 45: SHERIDAN ROAD (North Division) from Lake Michigan west to Sheffield av. hence north to city limits (formerly Byron st. and Sheffield av.). Resident addresses start on page 288.

1901 Chicago Blue Book, page 42: SHERIDAN ROAD (North Division) from Lake Michigan west to Sheffield av. hence north to city limits (formerly Byron st. and Sheffield av.). Resident addresses start on page 275.

1902 Chicago Blue Book, page 43: SHERIDAN ROAD (North Division) from Lake Michigan west to Sheffield av. thence north to city limits (formerly Byron st. and Sheffield av.). Resident addresses start on page 266.

1903 Chicago Blue Book, page 43: SHERIDAN ROAD (North Division) from Lake Michigan west to Sheffield av. thence north to city limits (formerly Byron st. and Sheffield av.). Resident addresses start on page 266.

1904 Chicago Blue Book, page 44: SHERIDAN ROAD (North Division) from Lake Michigan west to Sheffield av. thence north to city limits (formerly Byron st. and Sheffield av.). Resident addresses start on page 267-268.

This street is in Rogers Park - ONLY

Addresses

600 Block

640 W. Sheridan Road, Dr.Samuel Cecil Stanton, 1911.

900 Block--North Side (evens) = Rogers Park, South Side (odds) = Edgewater

970 W. Sheridan Road, Albert G. Wheeler House.

1000 Block--North Side (evens) = Rogers Park, South Side (odds) = Edgewater

1012 W. Sheridan Road

1020 W. Sheridan Road was the original address for Mundelein College (before it became part of Loyola). The school and the building are now part of Loyola University, and the current address is 6363 N. Sheridan Road.

1024 W. Sheridan Road, Robert Suddards Lucas, 1911.

1028 W. Sheridan Road, Miss Grace Shadbolt, 1904.

1028 W. Sheridan Road, Miss Irma Ruth Smith, 1904.7

1028 W. Sheridan Road, Mr. & Mrs. William Marshall Smith, 1904.

1028 W. Sheridan Road, Mr. & Mrs. Henry S. Wayne, 1904.

1032 W. Sheridan Road is the Mundelein Center for the Fine and Performing Arts

1032 W. Sheridan Road, Edward Crown Center for the Humanities at Loyola U.,

1051 W. Sheridan Road, Mr. & Mrs. John F. McGuire & daughter, 1904. Receiving day Wednesday

1052 W. Sheridan Road, Mundelein College

1057 W. Sheridan Road, Mr. & Mrs. A.L. Singer & daughters, 1904.

1061 W. Sheridan Road, Mr. & Mrs. Valentine Mueller, 1904.

1300 Block

1341 W. Sheridan Road, George Edward Waldo, 1911.

2800 Block

2850 N. Sheridan Road BJB Properties

3100 Block

3100 N. Sheridan Road, Glen T. Hoffman

3200 Block

3229 Sheridan Road, Mr. & Mrs. John B. Fergus & daughter, 1904.

3400 Block

3411 Sheridan Road, Mr. & Mrs. A.L. Shepard, 1904.

3424 Sheridan Drive, William Worth Burson, 1904, 1905.

3600 Block

3662 N. Sheridan Road was the residence of Harvey Eugene Keeler, (7200 N.), circa 1880.

3669 Sheridan Road, Mr. & Mrs. George Mosely, 1904.

3678 N. Sheridan Road, Mr. & Mrs. Harvey Eugene Keeler, 1904, 1905.

3700 Block

3701 Sheridan Road, Mrs. J.T. Caldwell, 1904.

3701 Sheridan Road, Mrs. Charles W. Cleveland, 1904.

3701 Sheridan Road, Mrs. J. Sherman Hall, 1904.

3707 Sheridan Road, Mr. & Mrs. Francis Maher Lowry, 1904.

3714 Sheridan Road, Mr. & Mrs. Henry Hiestand, 1904.

3714 Sheridan Road, Mr. & Mrs. Henry S. Poole, 1904.

3755 Sheridan Road, Dr. & Mrs. Philip D. Paul, 1904.

3776 Sheridan Road, Mr. & Mrs. Charles Henry Thompson, 1904.

3789 Sheridan Road, Mrs. J. Harry Coyne, 1904.

4100 Block

4108 N. Sheridan Road, Frank T. Feng D.M.D.

4151 N. Sheridan Road, Emil J. Brach, ~1911.

5300 Block

5333 N. Sheridan Road, The Breakers at Edgewater Beach

5500 Block

5555 N. Sheridan Road, Judge Michael L. McKinley

5900 Block = Edgewater, not Rogers Park

5910 N. Sheridan Road, Charles Werno, 1917.

5959 N. Sheridan Road, Congregation Emanuel, 2016.

6000 Block = Edgewater, not Rogers Park

6033 N. Sheridan Road, United Missions Church of God in Christ. 2016.

6100 Block = Edgewater, not Rogers Park

6103 N. Sheridan Road, Christian J. Wolff, 1911.

6118 N. Sheridan Road, Dr. Charles H. Johnson, 1910.

6200 Block

6250 N. Sheridan Road, Sacred Heart Academy

6296 N. Sheridan Road, C.L. Gilbert, 1919.

6300 Block = Edgewater, not Rogers Park

6355 N. Sheridan Road was the Albert Gallatin Wheeler Mansion, circa 1910.

6363 N. Sheridan Road is the current address for what used to be called Mundelein College. The school and the building are now part of Loyola University. The original address for Mundelein College (before it became part of Loyola) was 1020 W. Sheridan Road.

6367 N. Sheridan Road, John Jacobson, 1919.

6400 Block = Rogers Park

6400 N. Sheridan Road was Wagners Mobil Gas Station, 1940.

6401 N. Sheridan Road, 7-ELEVEN.

6407 N. Sheridan Road, William H. Carroll Real Estate, 1919.

6411 N. Sheridan Road, Fred Hippel, Jr., 1919.

6425 N. Sheridan Road

6427 N. Sheridan Road was the Granada Theater.

6427-41 N. Sheridan Road, Granada Centre/Granada Center.

6435 N. Sheridan Road original St. Ignatius Church circa 1907.

6435 N. Sheridan Road, Granada Center

6435 N. Sheridan Road, Go Grocer, 2016.