ROGERS PARK — In 1960, the regal 3,500-seat Norshore Theatre was reduced to rubble, replaced by offices for an insurance company, and then finally by the Gateway Centre shopping plaza.
But its history — and the history of the rest of Howard Street — lives on among the Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society's photo archive, which was made available to readers of DNAinfo.com Chicago.
The collection reveals the Merry Garden beauty queens of 1926, and Howard Street as a bustling business strip, full of cars, in the 1940s. Although changed, the street's vibrancy lives on today, home to new cafes, parks, eateries and even a community garden.
The Norshore Theatre, at 1749 W. Howard St., and the Merry Garden beauty queens circa June 1926.
The Norshore Theatre, circa 1960
The Howard Street station, looking east, circa 1950
The bustling Howard Street corridor looking east from the "L" platform in the 1940s
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