Post by Tomspy77 on Jan 24, 2014 10:16:58 GMT -6
Ghosts Of Chicago’s Past That Refuse To Fade Away
Let us give thanks for lead-based paint.
Yes, I understand it’s about as healthy as inhaling asbestos, a daily tanning bed appointment, or an exclusive diet of cronuts.
But hey, were it not for the longevity of lead-based paint, we wouldn’t have ghost signs. They are the relics of decades-old advertisements on the sides of brick buildings. Some are so faded you can barely make out the words. Others have survived the years—and the elements—with nary a scratch. Nearly all promote long-departed businesses.
You’ll see them in nearly every Chicago neighborhood, but the West Loop is a particularly fertile ground to view and photograph ghost signs.
A mile north of the Rosemoor on Ashland, just before the Cobra Lounge, you can see two ghost signs—one faded (Apex) and one very clear (Budweiser—the King of beers).
Yes, I understand it’s about as healthy as inhaling asbestos, a daily tanning bed appointment, or an exclusive diet of cronuts.
But hey, were it not for the longevity of lead-based paint, we wouldn’t have ghost signs. They are the relics of decades-old advertisements on the sides of brick buildings. Some are so faded you can barely make out the words. Others have survived the years—and the elements—with nary a scratch. Nearly all promote long-departed businesses.
You’ll see them in nearly every Chicago neighborhood, but the West Loop is a particularly fertile ground to view and photograph ghost signs.
A mile north of the Rosemoor on Ashland, just before the Cobra Lounge, you can see two ghost signs—one faded (Apex) and one very clear (Budweiser—the King of beers).