Apartment houses, Chicago. Photographed by Russell Lee, April 1941. From the Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog, http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/fsa2000020068/PP/
The view from Chicago alleys
I’ve read no other city has backyard porches like Chicago. Here, when we talk about porches we mean wooden structures attached to the rear of apartment buildings.
These aren’t decks by a long shot. They were used for playing, sleeping, smoking, isolating TB patients, coal and ice deliveries. I’m collecting photographs and memories of Chicago porches. If you’d like to share some, contact me.
Of Porches and Backyards in Chicago — Part One
Of Porches and Backyards in Chicago — Part Two
