ROGERS PARK — It's hard to imagine Rogers Park and Edgewater without Loyola University, the neighborhood's biggest institution.
The university's lakeside campus, however, wasn't always as sprawling as it is now.
It got its humble beginnings in the early 1900s with the construction of Dumbach and Piper halls. And a collection of photographs document the growth of the campus throughout the decades.
In some photos, the now-demolished Granada Theatre can be seen, while others capture street scenes on Sheridan Road.
Aerial photos from the '50s, '70s, '80s and '90s reveal a campus very different than today.
Of course, Loyola continues to grow. Last year, the university opened its new sustainability center on the 6300 block of North Kenmore Avenue, which it also recently bought from the City of Chicago, extending its campus farther south.
A few months before, the university opened its new student center. By the end of 2014, Loyola's new tree-lined quad in the heart of campus should be open to the public.
A collection of photos, courtesy of Loyola University Chicago University Archives and Special Collections, showing the university's growth on the Far North Side:
A mansion on North Sheridan Road and the future campus of Loyola University, circa 1908
The future Piper Hall in foreground and Dumbach Hall under construction, circa 1909
Dumbach and Cudahy halls, circa 1917
Aerial photo of campus, circa 1950s
Various street scenes, including the Granada Theatre (dates unknown)
Aerial photo of campus, circa the 1970s
Aerial photo of campus, circa the 1980s
Aerial photo of campus, circa the 1990s
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