The Italian Pharmacy in the Little Italy Neighborhood, Chicago. circa 1901

The Italian Pharmacy was located at Jefferson & Ewing Street (Ewing was renamed and renumbered in 1909), now Polk Street, which in 1901 was a part of the South Lawndale community and was in the Little Italy neighborhood.

The Italian pharmacy in the Little Italy Neighborhood, Chicago. circa 1901

The Little Italy neighborhood used to be larger, but like many other neighborhoods of Chicago was affected by the construction of new expressways. It lost a considerable chunk of land when the Eisenhower Expressway was built in the 1950s. It lost even more real estate when the University of Illinois-Chicago moved into the area in the 1960s.

The store across the street, Ronga Drugs, is listed in the "The Era Druggists' Directory, Volume 17," with an address of: 1031 W. Polk Street, Chicago. There seems to have been two Ewing Streets renamed in Chicago in 1909; one renamed to Polk Street, and the other renamed to Cabrini Street. Polk Street is ½ block north of Cabrini Street.

Reference: The Original Chicago Street Renaming Document of 1909
                   The Original Chicago Street Renumbering Document of 1909

Compiled by Neil Gale, Ph.D.