Skip to content

Places

Chicago

1449 photographs

A black and white photo of a Chicago Transit Authority bus from the 1950s on a crowded city street, surrounded by pedestrians, vintage cars, and theater marquees.

Chicago Transit Authority bus #1829 on route 49 State St, navigating a busy downtown street in the mid-1950s, with the State Lake Theater and vintage automobiles in the background. 1954 · 149 and Lake, Chicago, IL

A green and cream streetcar comes down a cobbled street with rails, past parked 1940s and 1950s cars and storefronts with Hotel, Tally Ho and Schlitz signs, with a green and cream taxicab in the foreground.

A Chicago Transit Authority streetcar on Clark Street near Adams, passing hotels, taverns and clothing stores in the Loop, early 1950s. 1954 · Clark and Adams, Chicago, IL

Elevated view along a busy downtown street lined with neon signs: a green and cream streetcar and two green and cream buses are in the foreground, with cars, a taxi and a red-fronted bus behind them.

A Chicago Transit Authority streetcar and buses on State Street, seen from above near Van Buren in Chicago. 1954 · State and Van Buren, Chicago, IL

A red-tinted photograph of a vintage streetcar on a city street, with storefronts and other cars in the background.

A Chicago Surface Lines PCC streetcar, number 3890, runs on a city street with its destination sign reading 'JBS STATE 04'. 1954 · State and Madison, Chicago, IL

A vintage red streetcar numbered 688 travels across a metal truss bridge, with its destination sign showing 63RD-STONY, and cars following behind under bright sunlight.

A red Chicago Surface Lines Peter Witt streetcar, number 688, crosses a truss bridge on a sunny day, its destination sign reading '63RD-STONY'. February 22, 1954 · Halsted and Kinzie, Chicago, IL

A red and cream streetcar with the number 317 on its front travels down a cobblestone street lined with 1950s cars and buildings with signs reading 'Romano Drugs' and 'Coca-Cola'.

A Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar, number 317, on a city street lined with parked automobiles and storefronts, including Romano Drugs, in the early 1950s. February 22, 1954 · Grand, Halsted and Milwaukee, Chicago, IL

A row of old, damaged interurban railcars with green and cream livery sit in a gravel and debris-filled scrapyard under overhead wires.

Derelict Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Master Unit interurban cars in a scrapyard, likely shortly after the line's 1963 abandonment. March 21, 1954 · 77th and Vincennes, Chicago, IL

An elevated night view down a wet city street lined with neon store signs, with a bus in the center lane surrounded by taxicabs and 1950s automobiles and pedestrians on the sidewalks.

A bus signed for Halsted-Armitage in heavy evening traffic on a rain-wet, neon-lit Halsted Street, likely near 63rd Place in Chicago's Englewood shopping district. April 19, 1954 · Halsted and 63rd Pl., Chicago, IL

A green and cream streamlined streetcar on a wet street at night, with its headlight on and a roll sign reading 36 Broadway Devon. Two people stand beside it, and a lit theater marquee advertising Judy Holliday is at upper right.

A Chicago Transit Authority streetcar on route 36 Broadway-State, signed for Devon, passes a lit theater marquee on a rainy night, likely at State and Lake in 1954. April 21, 1954 · State and Lake, Chicago, IL

Two green and cream streamlined streetcars numbered 7123 and 4400 stand beside a faded red older streetcar on curved track in a cobblestone yard, with more streetcars lined up behind a green fence.

Chicago Transit Authority streetcars 7123 and 4400, signed for Western-63 and Ashland-71, beside an older red streetcar at a carbarn yard in Chicago. April 25, 1954 · 76th and Ashland / 69th and Ashland, Chicago, IL

A high-angle view of a red streetcar turning a corner on a city street, surrounded by 1940s cars and brick buildings, with a person standing on the car's roof.

A red Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar navigates a city street in the late 1940s, with vintage automobiles and brick buildings lining the road. May 12, 1954 · Larrabee Division, Chicago, IL

A red and cream streetcar from the Chicago Surface Lines turns at a street intersection in Chicago, surrounded by 1940s automobiles, brick buildings, and visible trolley wires.

A Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar, likely numbered [?]3, navigates a cobblestone intersection in Chicago during the 1940s, with vintage automobiles and storefronts lining the street. May 12, 1954 · Halsted - Grand, Chicago, IL

Two vintage Chicago streetcars, a green PCC and a red Peter Witt, are stopped at a grade crossing with automobiles and pedestrians nearby on a sunny day.

Two Chicago Transit Authority streetcars, a green PCC 9720 and a red Peter Witt 658, meet at a grade crossing on a city street. May 18, 1954 · Larrabee, Chicago, IL

A vintage color photo showing a red and cream streetcar on a city street with cobblestones, yellow taxis parked along the curb, an elevated train platform above, and storefronts including 'Flagg Bros' and 'Hardy'.

A red and cream Chicago Transit Authority Peter Witt streetcar numbered 610 runs under an elevated structure with CTA signage, on a sunny street lined with 1950s automobiles and storefronts. May 25, 1954 · Halsted and 63rd PL, Chicago, IL

A red and cream streetcar with the number 640 travels down a street under a dark elevated structure, with people on the sidewalk and vintage cars parked along the curb.

A Chicago Transit Authority Peter Witt streetcar, number 640, travels under an elevated structure on a city street lined with 1940s-era automobiles and storefronts. May 25, 1954 · Halsted and 63rd PL, Chicago, IL

A green and cream streetcar on center tracks in a downtown street lined with tall buildings, ornate lamp posts and 1950s cars, seen from above.

Chicago Transit Authority streetcar [?]240, signed for route 36, heads down a busy State Street in downtown Chicago. June 6, 1954 · State and Van Buren, Chicago, IL

Looking down a downtown street lined with neon signs, a green and cream streetcar comes toward the camera on a single track that is under repair, with red warning flags, piles of crushed stone and construction machines beside it, and a yellow taxi in the next lane.

A PCC streetcar approaches on a downtown Chicago street where the track is being rebuilt, likely Clark Street near Monroe. June 6, 1954 · Clark and Monroe, Chicago, IL

A vintage street scene in Chicago showing a green and cream PCC streetcar on tracks, with GMC buses and a yellow car nearby. Construction equipment and piles of gravel line the street, while neon signs for hotels and restaurants adorn the tall buildings.

A Chicago Surface Lines PCC streetcar and GMC buses navigate a street under construction on a sunny day, surrounded by neon signs and vintage automobiles. June 6, 1954 · Clark and Madison, Chicago, IL

A green and cream two-car rapid transit train crossing a street with embedded streetcar tracks, next to a green and cream streetcar under overhead wires, with a man walking at right.

A two-car Chicago Transit Authority rapid transit train crosses the street at grade beside a Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar at Western and Van Buren, Chicago. June 16, 1954 · Western and Van Buren, Chicago, IL

A high view down a downtown street lined with tall buildings and lamp posts. A green and cream streetcar runs on center tracks among parked cars, buses and pedestrians.

A Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar on State Street near Van Buren, Chicago, with buses and mid-1950s traffic, likely 1955–1957. July 25, 1954 · State and Van Buren, Chicago, IL

A maroon and cream rapid transit car on a wooden elevated track with a tower and brick buildings in the background.

A Chicago Rapid Transit Company 4000-series wooden rapid transit car on an elevated structure in Chicago, Illinois. July 25, 1954 · 42nd Pl, Chicago, IL

An old interurban railcar on elevated tracks with trees and water in the background.

A Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Master Unit interurban car travels along an elevated structure near Lake Michigan. July 25, 1954 · 42nd Pl, Chicago, IL

A green and cream streetcar numbered 7156 crosses a street intersection with diagonal track crossings, while an old wooden elevated train car stands on ground-level tracks behind barricades at left under overhead wires.

Chicago Transit Authority streetcar 7156 crosses Van Buren Street at Western Avenue in Chicago while a wooden 'L' train waits on the ground-level tracks behind. August 13, 1954 · Western and Van Buren, Chicago, IL

A light green and cream streetcar on cobblestone-paved tracks under an elevated railway station, with parked cars along the curb at left and tall downtown buildings behind.

A Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar passes under the elevated Loop station, likely at State and Van Buren. August 29, 1954 · State and Van Buren, Chicago, IL

A dark brick two-story carbarn with numbered open bays holding about ten green and cream streamlined streetcars, with curving tracks set in brick pavement and overhead wires in the foreground.

A row of green and cream PCC streetcars in the numbered bays of a Chicago carbarn lettered for a city railway company, likely the Chicago Transit Authority's car station at Cottage Grove and 38th. September 26, 1954 · Cottage Grove and 38th, Chicago, IL

A green and cream streetcar signed 49 Western-Archer stands on cobblestone track while a uniformed crew member bends down to throw a switch with an iron bar.

A Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar signed 49 Western-Archer, likely number 71[?]0, at Western and Archer in Chicago while a crew member throws a track switch. October 15, 1954 · Western and Archer, Chicago, IL

A green and cream streetcar comes toward the camera on a wide street with streetcar tracks; to the left, a brown wooden train car stands beside a brick tavern building, with a truck and a dark 1950s sedan between them.

A Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar signed for Western-Archer crosses Van Buren as a wooden 'L' car waits on the street-level tracks at Western Avenue. November 3, 1954 · Western and Van Buren, Chicago, IL

A vintage black-and-white photo of a Chicago Transit Authority bus, number 1799, stopped at a street corner with passengers boarding.

Chicago Transit Authority bus 1799, a GM New Look model, is shown at a stop near an elevated station, with passengers waiting to board. November 12, 1954 · Logan Square, Chicago, IL

A black-and-white photograph of a vintage Chicago CTA bus, number 1799, stopped on a city street with a group of people waiting to board. The bus displays a route sign for '82 Kimball Lincoln Village' and a 'Drewry's Beer' advertisement on the front. An elevated train structure looms overhead.

A Chicago Transit Authority Flxible New Look bus, number 1799, on route 82 to Kimball/Lincoln Village, is stopped at a curb with passengers waiting to board under an elevated 'L' structure at Logan Square. November 12, 1954 · Logan and Square, Chicago, IL

An elevated view down a busy downtown street decorated with Christmas trees on the lamp posts, with a green and cream streetcar coming toward the camera and another going away on the next track, among cars, shoppers and subway entrances.

Two Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcars pass on State Street at Van Buren, with the street decorated for Christmas. November 26, 1954 · State and Van Buren, Chicago, IL

A red and green interurban train, identified as car 174, sits at a wooden station platform under a clear blue sky, with brick buildings and a Dr. Scholl's billboard in the background.

Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Master Unit car 174 on an elevated structure in Chicago, likely at the Chicago & Franklin station. 1955 · Chicago and Franklin, Chicago, IL

A train crosses a metal trestle bridge over a snowy, brushy valley on a cloudy winter day.

A train crosses a snow-covered trestle bridge in winter. 1955 · McCormick Blvd., Chicago, IL

A black and white photo of several CTA trolleybuses lined up on a street in winter; the lead bus, number 9418, has its destination sign reading '47 47th - LAKE PARK' and a passenger is boarding.

A line of Chicago Transit Authority Flxible trolleybuses, including number 9418 on route 47 to Lake Park, are stopped on a winter street. 1955 · 47th and Archer, Chicago, IL

A high view down a busy downtown street decorated for Christmas, with a green and cream streetcar in the center lanes, a bus at the left curb, cars and a taxi in front, and crowds on both sidewalks.

A Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar heads up State Street near Jackson among Christmas decorations, taxis and shoppers, likely in the mid-1950s. 1955 · State and Jackson, Chicago, IL

A black and white photo shows a Chicago Transit Authority bus driving on a wide highway with other cars; the surrounding trees are bare, indicating winter.

A Chicago Transit Authority New Look bus, number 6177, travels on a multi-lane highway alongside 1950s automobiles on a winter day. 1955 · Outer Drive and North Av., Chicago, IL

A black and white photo shows a vintage CTA bus labeled '8 HALSTED 79TH ST' and number 638 on a city street at dusk, surrounded by parked cars, pedestrians, and glowing signs for businesses like Sears and Norman Jewelers. The street has embedded trolley tracks, and the scene is bustling with activit

A Chicago Transit Authority Flxible New Look bus, number 638, runs on route 8 Halsted at dusk on a busy street lined with 1950s-era cars and illuminated storefronts. 1955 · 64th and Halsted, Chicago, IL

A vintage black and white photo shows a CTA bus on a snow-covered street with a 1950s car parked nearby and bare trees lining the road.

A Chicago Transit Authority Flxible New Look bus, number 1301, on route 76 Diversey, navigating a snowy street. 1955 · Diversey and Springfield, Chicago, IL

A vintage interurban car running on an elevated railway track, with city buildings and water towers in the background.

A Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Master Unit car, number 324, on an elevated track in Chicago. January 1955 · Garfield Racine Ave, Chicago, IL

A vintage CTA bus numbered 1121 is shown on a city street with pedestrians and classic cars, in front of a building with a sign for Bedford Shirt Co.

A Chicago Transit Authority Flxible bus, number 1121, operating on the State - 15th route in downtown Chicago, likely in the mid-1950s. March 28, 1955 · Jackson and Dearborn, Chicago, IL

A black and white photo shows a vintage streetcar on a city street with an elevated train structure overhead and several cars parked nearby.

A Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar, number 6155, operates on a city street under the Lake Street 'L' elevated structure. June 1955 · Lake and J Laramie, Chicago, IL

A vintage Chicago Transit Authority motor bus, number 516, is shown on a city street with other vehicles and large advertisements, including a Coca-Cola sign, under an overcast sky.

Chicago Transit Authority bus 516, a GM New Look model, navigates a busy city street in the late 1950s or early 1960s, with a classic automobile and iconic billboards in the background. July 3, 1955 · Michigan and Washington, Chicago, IL

A vintage green and cream motor bus, number 1431, with a 'Drewry's Beer' ad parked on a street, its destination sign reading 56 Wilson La Salle Schubert.

A Chicago Motor Coach Company New Look bus, number 1431, is parked on a city street with a 'Drewry's Beer' advertisement on the front. July 3, 1955 · CLARK and Schubert, Chicago, IL

A green and cream streetcar comes toward the camera on brick-paved double track under overhead wire, on a wide street lined with used car lots and large signs.

A Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar signed for route 49 Western-79 runs on Western Avenue near 66th Street, Chicago, in the mid-1950s. October 9, 1955 · Western and 66th, Chicago, IL

A green and cream streetcar drives toward the camera on tracks set in cobblestone paving, under a web of overhead trolley wires, with cars, billboards and a water tower along the street.

Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar 711[?] running on State Street near 62nd Place, Chicago. November 9, 1955 · State and 62nd Pl., Chicago, IL

A green and cream Chicago Surface Lines bus, number 5070, drives down a street lined with 1950s cars, with store signs and bare trees in the background.

A Chicago Surface Lines motor bus, number 5070, is seen on route 44th Western-Leland, navigating a street with visible streetcar tracks, surrounded by vintage 1950s automobiles. December 11, 1955 · Farragut, Chicago, IL

A black and white photograph of a Chicago Transit Authority Flxible bus numbered 7206 on a city street in winter, with vintage cars and a building labeled 'Air Line Pilots Association Int'l' in the background.

CTA Flxible motor bus number 7206 on route 6 CICERO - 55TH, photographed at the intersection of 55th and Cicero in Chicago during the winter, likely in the 1960s. 1956 · 55th and Cicero, Chicago, IL

A green and cream streetcar on a city street in front of a brightly lit theatre marquee advertising Run for Cover, with a bus and 1950s cars behind it.

Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar 40[?][?] passes the Chicago Theatre on State Street near Lake Street, Chicago, about 1955. 1956 · State and Lake, Chicago, IL

A red and white streetcar numbered 144 moves along a city street under a dark elevated train structure, with vintage cars and a billboard visible in the background.

A red Chicago Transit Authority Peter Witt streetcar, number 144, travels under an elevated 'L' station in the 1950s. 1956 · Clark Lake, Chicago, IL