Former site of Rudische’s. Photo: 2018, Frances Archer
For those of you who don’t get a chance to revisit the neighborhood, I want to share highlights from a Jewish History Walking Tour of Albany Park I took last weekend.
Our tour guides were Patti Swanson, who founded Chicago for Chicagoans “to educate residents about the places they inhabit, creating lifelong bonds and a deeper understanding between people and their spaces,” and Sam Prestigiacomo. Together, they provided background on past landmarks and events in the history of Albany Park as a Jewish community, and brought us up-to-date on the neighborhood today.
We learned, for example, Lawrence Avenue continues to be a traditional neighborhood shopping street of mostly mom-and-pop shops and heavy foot traffic. The beautiful terra-cotta clad buildings still stand, as has been well documented on the Chicago Patterns website.
Tour guides Patti Swanson and Sam Prestigiacomo talk about the former Deborah Boys Club and the layering effect that has taken place over the years in Albany Park. Photo: 2018, Frances Archer
We started at the former Deborah Boys Club, which later became home to the Albany Park Community Center, which consolidated operations last year at the former Arie Crown Hebrew Day School building immediately north of Von Steuben High School. We passed the former Young Israel house and stopped in front of former Beth Jacob on Kimball Avenue. (Since everything we saw on the tour except Roosevelt and Von is “former,” for the rest of the post, I’ll leave out the word “former” to describe these former Jewish buildings and sites.)
One of two things happened to the buildings that housed Jewish synagogues and organizations: either they were demolished or they were sold and repurposed. When other religious communities take over Jewish synagogues, sometimes a “layering effect” takes place and references to the history of the site remain visible on the building exteriors.
When we visited the buildings now housing congregations of other religions, we looked at how the Jewish star and Hebrew lettering on the exteriors were treated. The facade of the Beth Jacob, 4926 North Kimball, for example, has changed several times over the years; currently a temporary covering hides the Jewish star carved into the facade, while the stars on the wrought iron hand railings were at some point permanently modified to disguise the symbol of Judaism.
Pictured above, the Temple Beth Israel, 4850 North Bernard, where Hebrew lettering remains intact.
Drake Gardens, 4603 North Drake, occupies the ground where Beth Itzchak of Albany Park, the Drake Avenue Shul, stood.
Side view of the former Kehilath Jeshurun synagogue.
We passed Jensen Park and paused in front of the Kehilath Jeshurun, 3707 West Ainslie, before heading back to Lawrence Avenue and over to Roosevelt High School.
Our guides pointed out storefronts and buildings where Jewish Albany Park once gathered: the International Workers Order hall (pictured above), Rudische’s (pictured at the top of this post), the site of the Lawrence Avenue storefront library, the Ark, Rosenblum’s bookstore, Zaritsky’s to name just a few examples. The tour guides passed around a binder of photocopies to show us what the businesses used to look like.
At the end of tour, there was an optional extended walk to the Francisco L stop, to Steingold Station, the first Jewish-style deli to open in Albany Park in who knows how many decades. They serve a decent pastrami sandwich but, possibly due to the large number of customers from our tour, they ran out of pickles. That would never have happened in the old days in Albany Park.
The Jewish Albany Park walking tour was part of Tastes and Tours of Albany Park, a weekend-long community event organized by the North River Commission / Albany Park Chamber of Commerce.
Dear Frances,
The A&P I was referring to was on Lawrence and Drake. There was a National next door. Which also brings back memories. Two of my friends and I shoplifted (The statute of Limitations is in force) a bag of those Orange gummy peanuts. We almost got caught. I don’t remember where we ate them, but it was decades until I ate another one.
Hi, Ken! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your memories of Albany Park. We went to the A&P, too — on Kedzie, right?
Wow! You brought back so many memories. I graduated from Haugan in June of 1955, went to Roosevelt for a little over a year and a half and then we moved to Skokie. I lived on Ridgeway and Argile and then Central Park and Wilson. We shopped at Seigals, but mostly my family went to Lawrence and the A&P, Apple’s Butcher Shop, and sometimes to Krader’s for the freshly slaughtered poultry. The A&P was where my Grandmother would get hysterical. It seemed the older women would gather around the bin of tomatoes and throw the bad ones all over the store. I remember seeing it once, I think that the only times we went to Rudisches’ was to get fresh baloney and a loaf of white bread,
My father had his Barber Shop on Kimball just north of Lawrance. We went to the schul across from Jensen Park, but I was not that involved with it. I hung around the area for several years until my friends moved away. The last time I explored the old neighborhood was three years ago, most of it looked so familiar. Moved out Illinois last August, but the memories are still vivid!
Thank You for the update.
Thank you Ted for visiting my blog.
Thanks for the picture of K.J.S. Almost like I remember it.
I’m trying to remember the name of the Cantor in 1954, who I greatly admired for his music and philosophy.
Stuart, No I went to Hibbard School on Ainslie graduating in 1954, but I was an obscure classmate of yours at Roosevelt High School graduating in January 1958. I spent most of my time after school working at Glick’s drug store on Lawrence Avenue (from 1953 through 1958).
Ted
Can you find out if the Ted Friedman, who recently posted on your blog, is the same Ted Friedman that went to Bateman Grade School and graduated in January 1954? If it is, we were classmates from 1st grade onward (1945 or 1946).
Ted, I think you’ve got an idea there with the plaques!
OH! When I see the Drake Gardens, I visualize the Drake Shul (no plaque like they do in Europe) where I went with my father on the High Holidays (at the annex across the street as we were poor), went to Hebrew School, was Bar Mitzvahed in 1953, and was married there in 1967. Wonderful memories.
Hi Fred. Any relation to LeVine family in Milwaukee (years ago)? We are friends with a member of that family, same spelling.
Very interesting. Being a Von grad., 1960, I remember most of it.
Oops, I forgot to mention that in Orrin Brand’s comment, he mentioned the “Max Trout Center”, but is was actually called the Max Strauss Center.
As always, I enjoy the photos and the followup comments that you post on your blog. These photos bring back many memories, especially the old Deborah Boys Club, where we had club meetings and played basketball, and the Drake Gardens, where my father’s synagogue once stood (also where I went to Hebrew School 6 days a week and had my Bar Mitzvah). My father was President of the Men’s Club and was also an officer of the synagogue over the many years our family belonged to the synagogue. Even when my wife Doris and I were dating, she occasionally came to High Holiday services there even though we could not sit together. As an orthodox Jewish congregation, the women sat in the balcony, while the men sat on the main floor. In those days, services lasted all day. I recall with great vividness that the air was stagnant because the ventilation depended on the open windows, which on occasion could not be opened due to rain. At that time, the building was not air-conditioned. It is wonderful to see that someone is still interested in the history of Albany Park and has been prolonging my childhood memories.
As an additional comment, our Roosevelt High School graduating class of January 1958 will be having its 60th Reunion on October 5th of this year. If any of our classmates is interested in getting more information, they can contact me at stujake@comcast.net. Even though I now live in Florida, I am in contact with other classmates that still live in the Chicago Area or live out of town and go back to visit on occasion. It is my understanding that Roosevelt is now a combined junior high school and high school. Can anyone confirm that for me?
Thanks Orrin. You’re making me hungry.
Hi everybody o r r i n brand lived at 4713 North Central Park. We had everything we needed as kids and later as adults living in Albany Park. The show the terminal and Friday night and Saturday outstanding across the street was the Metro the popcorn was fantastic Max trout Center otherwise known as the J super we played baseball softball on the grounds of Roosevelt Eugene Field and Jensen Park the corned beef sandwiches were to die for the hot dogs at Morey’s and Mitch’s the same it was safe to walk on Lawrence Avenue at night to get my mother and ice cream it’s not that way now. Nothing stays the same even the communities that were there when I grew up we’re gone
Arnold Ami,I remember Seigle’s very well. You also had Weiner’s which was on N.W. corner of Avers & Lawrence. Both places were great & are missed.
Hi Wendy, nice to meet! Thank you for sharing your family’s story–so many memories. I have heard of Ada’s Deli and maybe even vaguely remember it next to Kaufman’s, but was unaware of the connection with Rudisch’s. So sad about her accident. I remember seeing the Keystone logo on cars so often in my childhood.
Frances, Rhonda Rycraft is my cousin, so Jim’s cousin by marriage to me. The Rudischs daughter Ada was married to Morrie Weiner(my Dad’s best friend from the west side). When Rudischs closed, Ada and Morrie opened Ada’s deli next to Kaufman’s bakery on Kedzie near Montrose across from the fire station and next to Our Lady of Mercy school and church. Ada was killed when she was removing something from her trunk and a car turned off of Montrose onto Kimball. After that Morrie moved the deli to I think howard st and he remarried. My Mom worked for several years at Rice Drugs at the corner of Kedzie and Lawrence (southwest corner) and we lived on Albany just south of Lawrence. My friends said I lived at Keystone Chevrolet as you could see the big turning ball atop of Keystone from my bedroom window. I also have many fond memories of Albany Park. I lived there from 1953 to 1967 but my family had been there for many years prior to my birth. My Mom used to call it her Lawrence Avenue.
Hi, Jim. Nice to hear from you. Usually I post announcements for tours or other events, but in this case the tour was filled by the time I heard about it. I only got in after someone cancelled. But the group repeats tours, so I’ll keep an eye for when they do the Albany Park one again and post an announcement. By the way, I think we know someone in common: I saw what I think is a photo of you on Rhonda Rycraft’s facebook page. She was in my class at Von.
Arnold, thanks for stopping by. I don’t believe anyone has mentioned the store before. You sure don’t see those middle of the block businesses anymore but I do recall seeing them in different neighborhoods when I was a kid.
Did anyone ever mention a local grocery store named Seigel’s is was on Central Park 1/2 block south of Wilson Ave? It’s like a corner store except it was in the middle of the block and was in the basement of, I believe, a three story house. It was a mom and pop little store that the locals went to when they didn’t want to go to Jewel on Lawrence Ave. They had tabs for everyone, if needed, and you would square up with them every week. I used to go there a few times a week to get a Kosher bologna sandwich on a kaiser roll with Jays barbecue potato chips and an RC cola for lunch. Whatever they didn’t have; they would order for you.
Like most area Jewish retailers, they closed early Fri evening and Saturday.
Gee Francis, I wish I’d have known bout the walk. I did the T.B. sanitarium tour with you a few yrs. ago.—Jim Cash
Charles, thank you for your comment and it came up perfectly! Several years ago I interviewed Bob Fine, son of Max Fine, who owned a Kosher butcher shop on Lawrence, and at the time he was living in the house he grew up in Albany Park. So maybe there’s more than two of you?
About the flooding, yes, I have seen the photos of the flooding in Albany Park and it is horrifying. I know the city is working on improvements but not sure it is enough.
I didn’t know Joel Foreman was from Albany Park. Have to admit, I went to Adam’s Apple many times in high school – to buy clothing.
i’m speaking this into a microphone so many of the words might be jumbled I am one of the few actually two people who still live in the Albany Park area having lived there in the 40s and 50s; one of the most interesting aspects of the neighborhood is that the block near Hibbard school was underwater and people were in boats I believe 2 years ago. Global warming has so affected the area that in River Park,the second park near Francisco Avenue a storm drain tunnel is being built the second year of work still in progress. I believe Max Kassner’s clothing store was one of the last businesses to go and interestingly a little beyond Albany Park on the corner of Granville and California is the store Adams apple opened I l believe, by Joel foreman an Albany Park resident who lived on Albany Avenue.
Thanks, Sandy!
Thanks, Frances, for posting these pix. I spent the first 22 years of my life in Albany Pk.
Harriet, thank you for your nice comments about this blogpost. I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it. While it’s sad the building is lost, the Drake Gardens offer a pleasant setting to think about what came before. It’s a lovely tribute and not a parking lot, which is the case on the site of the Albany Park Hebrew Congregation.
Dear Frances,
Thank you for this blog showing pictures of OLD ALBANY PARK. It actually brought tears to my 82 year old eyes. I grew up at 3853 W, Ainslie and all the pictures had great memories for me. I was married at KJS synagogue, I attended many bar and bas mitzvahs at Temple
Beth Israel, and the most tears came when I saw that the Drake Avenue shul was demolished….such a beautiful temple. Too bad it couldn’t be used as a sanctuary for another religious group.
And of course, who didn’t go to Rudisches?
You have brought such joy to so many of us former Albany Park kids and have given us a glimpse into our carefree days of long ago.