A 1973 photo unlocks the history of Chicago's 47th Street
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A Chicago photo from 1973. Photo: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images
This week's "History Mystery" looks at a forgotten stretch of Chicago.
The reveal: This 1973 photo was taken on Chicago's South Side, along the then-bustling 47th Street corridor near the "L" tracks, later named the Green Line.
- 47th and Indiana Avenue, to be exact.
The intrigue: The photo produced some easy clues, like a small, blurry street sign and the bus number (47).
- The businesses also give it away, as the Queen of the Sea Steakhouse anchored this stretch at 212 E. 47th Street for decades.
- The Green Line tracks make it easy to identify, although this particular station was renovated in the mid-1990s, so the current station looks much different.
Like many of the great business corridors on the South Side, 47th Street has struggled to maintain its footprint.
- The stretch of 47th Street still has some great storefronts and restaurants, including Peaches near King Drive, but is missing the hustle and bustle featured in this incredible photo.
Fun fact: This block was also the location of "Ray's Music Exchange" in the 1980 film "Blues Brothers." Sadly, the building (300 E. 47th Street) was razed after a fire in 2020.
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