by BRIAN NADIG About a dozen smash-and-grab-style commercial burglaries in Edgebrook, Jefferson Park and Portage Park were reported to have occurred early Wednesday morning, Oct. 14, in the 16th (Jefferson read story
Piece of Jefferson Park history rolls out of town
by BRIAN NADIG
A piece of history rolled out of Jefferson Park with the removal of the iconic Ideal Pastry signage.
The bakery, which had several owners since the 1980s, closed in August, and the property at 4765 N. Milwaukee Ave. reportedly is being sold. Ideal’s wholesale operations have relocated to Elk Grove Village, and a planned merger with Jarosch Bakery in Elk Grove Village was announced earlier this year.
The Ideal neon signage is believed to have been installed in the 1940s or 1950s. The bakery’s operators once lived in an apartment on the building’s second floor.
The building had previously been home to the first Jewel grocery store in Jefferson Park, but the Jewel eventually relocated to 5225 W. Lawrence Ave., where the Sportif Importer bike shop later opened, according to researcher Frank Suerth of the Northwest Chicago Historical Society. The Lawrence site is now vacant land in a commercial district marked by empty lots and in some instances storefronts that have been vacant for 30 to 40 years.
The Milwaukee-Lawrence shopping district once had three bakeries, including Neuman’s, and many other retailers, including shoe and fur stores, but by the mid-1990s, much of the area’s retail had disappeared, including the Annes Department Store.
Andy Young of www.Antiquesmart.com acquired the Ideal signage and said that he plans to eventually sell it via the Web site.
Young said that he guesses a collector, a museum or another business with the name “Ideal” in it would be the most likely buyer. “So many times (an older neon sign) ends up as scrap and that’s so sad,” he said, hoping the Ideal signage finds an appropriate home.
Both the vertical hanging sign and the flat “Ideal Pastry” lettering on the facade were removed Wednesday, Oct. 30, and hauled away to a storage facility by Affordable Towing.
As for how much one would be willing to pay for a large neon sign, “We will find out,” Young said, adding that it appeared to have been refurbished not so long ago.
“It was a landmark … in Jefferson Park,” Suerth said of the bakery and its signage.
- Burglars hit dozen businesses in Edgebrook, Jefferson Park, Portage Park, Avondale early Wednesday
by BRIAN NADIG About a dozen smash-and-grab-style commercial burglaries in Edgebrook, Jefferson Park and Portage Park were reported to have occurred early Wednesday morning, Oct. 14, in the 16th (Jefferson Park) and 17th (Albany Park) police districts, and there were additional break-ins in other parts of the city and suburbs, totaling about 20 incidents, according - Burglars hit at least 9 businesses in Edgebrook, Jefferson Park, Portage Park early Wednesday
by BRIAN NADIG At least nine smash-and-grab-style commercial burglaries in Edgebrook, Jefferson Park and Portage Park were reported to have occurred early Wednesday morning, Oct. 14, in the 16th (Jefferson Park) Police District, and there apparently were additional break-ins in at least two other districts and possibly the suburbs, according to Chicago police. The incidents - CTA targets fare evaders to reduce violent crime; disappointment expressed in release of suspected shooter at Jefferson Park terminal
by BRIAN NADIG Violent offenses reportedly are down 34 percent on the CTA from a year ago as the agency targets a section of the Red Line where criminals are boarding, while a shootout at the Jefferson Park CTA Terminal last summer remains under investigation. CTA security vice president Kevin Ryan addressed many crime and - Crime Watch: gunfire reported on Berteau, car break-ins reported, robbery reported in store lot
Two men reported that a man fired shots at them at about 12:15 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 11, in the 5300 block of West Berteau Avenue, according to 16th (Jefferson Park) District police. A 25-year-old man reported that he was talking to a neighbor, who was sitting inside his parked vehicle, and two men walked toward the vehicle and one of them fired - Sip & Shop set for Oct. 17 in ‘Jeff West’; NW Side Halloween events also set
The second annual “Sip and Shop” in “Jeff West” will start at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, running along Lawrence Avenue from Austin Avenue on the west and Major Avenue on the east. The event had been scheduled for Sept. 19 but was postponed due to rain. It will feature many of the existing businesses
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by BRIAN NADIG At least nine smash-and-grab-style commercial burglaries in Edgebrook, Jefferson Park and Portage Park were reported to have occurred early Wednesday morning, Oct. 14, in the 16th (Jefferson read story
by BRIAN NADIG Violent offenses reportedly are down 34 percent on the CTA from a year ago as the agency targets a section of the Red Line where criminals are read story
Two men reported that a man fired shots at them at about 12:15 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 11, in the 5300 block of West Berteau Avenue, according to 16th (Jefferson Park) District police. A 25-year-old man reported that read story
The second annual “Sip and Shop” in “Jeff West” will start at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, running along Lawrence Avenue from Austin Avenue on the west and Major Avenue read story
by BRIAN NADIG The site of a former auto repair garage at 4301 W. Montrose Ave. would be used for storage and outdoor training for an entertainment-related trade union under read story
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