Chicago Route 66 Set of 7 Color Postcards - New - Signed and Sold by Artist

Description

SOLD by the Artist. Includes a special card signed by the Artist, David G. Clark.
This set of seven full-color postcards of scenes from Route 66 show contemporary views along the Mother Road corridor in Chicago, where the road begins. The “Begin Route 66” sign, Jackson Boulevard, Buckingham Fountain, the Castle Gas Station (2 views), Lou Mitchell’s Restaurant, and Route 66 in Berwyn IL are featured.
7 Color Postcards 5 1/2″ by 4 1/4″ packed in an archival acid-free polypropylene sleeve.
The captions from the backs of the cards read as follows:
Begin Route 66 Postcard
The “Begin Historic Route 66” sign is located on Adams Street west of Michigan Avenue in Chicago's Loop. While Adams was used for westbound 66 traffic from 1953-1977, the sign is actually incorrect. The eastern terminus of the highway was always located on Jackson Boulevard. Behind the sign is the Sears Tower, completed in 1973 between eastbound (Jackson) and westbound (Adams) Route 66 at Wacker Drive.
Jackson Drive Skyline Postcard
This view looking west from the 1937-1977 starting point of Route 66 shows the two buildings that framed the original 1926-1937 starting point of the highway. Metropolitan Tower, known as the S.W. Straus Building when completed in 1924, is located at the southwest corner of Jackson Boulevard and Michigan Avenue. On the northwest corner is the Railway Exchange Building, featuring the Santa Fe sign on its roof. The Sears Tower can be seen in the distance.
Buckingham Fountain Skyline Postcard
Buckingham Fountain has graced Chicago's Grant Park since 1927, and it was waiting there for Route 66 when the highway was extended east to Lake Shore Drive in 1937. The buildings visible in the skyline that are part of the Route 66 corridor, from left to right: 311 S. Wacker Building; Sears Tower; CNA Building; Metropolitan Tower (formerly S.W. Straus); Dearborn Center; Railway Exchange/Santa Fe Building; Borg Warner Building; and the Peoples' Gas Company Building.
Castle Station Postcard (2 views)
Both photos on the front of the card show the Castle Standard Oil Gas Station built in 1925 at 3801 W. Ogden Ave. in Chicago. It is an early example of unique roadside architecture designed to catch the eye of the motorist and create a competitive advantage over other gas stations . John J. Murphy ran the Castle station for over 40 years. Upper right: In the 1990s the Castle building was used for a car wash. The stone façade was painted over to advertise the business. Lower left: The current owner of the property has restored the stone façade of the Castle to its original beauty.
Adams Street Bridge Postcard
The Adams Street Bridge has carried westbound Route 66 traffic over the Chicago River since 1953. The bridge was built in 1927 and it is a Srauss Double-Bascule Trunnion Brdge--a 2-leaf drawbridge that still opens to allow tall-masted ships to pass underneath. It is one of three drawbridges along all of 66--Adams St. and Jackson Blvd. in Chicago, and Ruby St. in Joliet IL. Union Station is seen in the image beyond the bridge to the left where trains of the Chicago & Alton railroad blazed the trail for Route 66 from Chicago to St. Louis. The station was also the location of several eateries operated by the Fred Harvey Company.
Lou Mitchell's Restaurant Postcard
Chicago's Jackson Boulevard has carried Route 66 traffic since 1926, but Lou Mitchell's Restaurant has been on the Boulevard since 1923. Now the traditional place for travelers to start (or end) their Mother Road adventure, Lou Mitchell's still does business the old-fashioned way: good food, large portions, and modest prices.
Berwyn Postcard
Both photos on the front of the card show Ogden Avenue in Berwyn looking east at Home Avenue. Left: Circa 1900, picture taken by the Robert Sargisson Family that moved to Berwyn October 13, 1892. Ogden was a county highway since 1831 and came under state highway jurisdiction in 1918. Right: 2011 view. Ogden was originally designated as state highways 4 and 18 in 1918, then as Routes 66 and 32 in 1926. Route 32 was removed and replaced by 34 in 1933. Although Ogden in Berwyn no longer has any highway designation, it remains under state maintenance and jurisdiction.