Turner Hall

This building is missing a little more than the New Bohemian Hall in the post below. A missing cornice and pediment and cupola leave this building a little naked, but still an anchor along Ashland Avenue, just south of 18th Street. The new windows and added glass block along the central bay on the second stories leaves a little to be desired, but could easily be fixed. The original doors and segmental transom added a warmth and completeness to the building that has been lost with its contemporary iteration.

"New" Bohemian Hall

I came across these postcards the "New" Bohemian Center. Here are some now and then images. This building looks remarkably intact, the most notable feature missing is the widows walk along the roofline and some minor changes to the store front, which are pretty typical with buildings over 100 years old.

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After passing this tortilla factory on 18th Street just east of Ashland, for the millionth time this summer, I decided to take a photo and since it piqued my interest. The Pony Express cartouche is a definite indicator of its former function as a post office. According to Forgotten Chicago, it's one of the few old style post offices with a limestone facade.

I found an article in the Chicago Tribune date April 29, 1898 that discussed the naming rights of the post office. The article states the Bohemian residents won the right to name the post office the Pilsen station.



The current Pilsen Post Office is located on Ashland Avenue, just south of 18th Street. This post office, designed in the Moderne style, was likely a product of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) of the Depression era. These post larger post office replaced the smaller ones to accomodate the new sorting equipment the post office was using.