The History of Prince Castle Ice Cream Shops (1931-1954) and Cock Robin, (1954-2008).

Prince Castle

A boy points to a billboard touting the One In A Million milkshakes sold at the Price Castle ice cream shop in Naperville, which later became Cock Robin.

Quite a bit of ice cream was once produced in Naperville and enjoyed at the Prince Castle/Cock Robin shops found in Chicago-area communities.

Childhood friends Walter Fredenhagen and Earl Prince formed a partnership more than 90 years ago when they decided to try their hand at selling ice cream directly to customers rather than selling what they produced to other shops.

Each had experience in the business. Fredenhagen — a Downers Grove native with a law degree from Northwestern University — owned an ice cream plant called Frozen Gold in Naperville. Castle’s ice cream plant was in Rushville.

1931, the pair joined forces to open a Prince Castle ice cream store chain. Naperville was the first, followed by Downers Grove, LaGrange, Glen Ellyn, and Elmhurst locations.

Four employees of the first Prince Castle ice cream shop in Naperville, (Left to Right) Jo (Pickell) Weymouth, Elaine (Auner) Schum, Lois Johnson, “Vange” (Whitehead) Gieske, eating cones in front of the Washington Street business in 1931. The photo was provided to the Chicago Tribune in 1999 by Rita Harvard, daughter of Walter Fredenhagen, who co-founded the ice cream store chain.

As befitted the name, the design of the shops made them look like small castles, and with a nod to the changing modes of transportation, each had a parking lot.

The partners then formed two separate chains using the same name. Prince’s operations were south of Chicago, while Fredenhagen’s shops were north and west of the city.

Walter’s wife, Grace, oversaw the selection and training of managers and had supervisory responsibilities.

With ice cream being a seasonal food, they added hamburgers and fries to the menu in the 1940s.

Ice cream was produced at a factory at 38 W. Chicago Avenue in Naperville using cream delivered by tanker trucks from dairy farms in Wisconsin. The sauces for sundaes were made with fresh fruit and shipped from Washington state.

The meat processing plant making the company’s “Castleburgers” was located in Naperville at 36 East Fifth Avenue.

Innovations included ice cream cabinets, square ice cream containers, and square-shaped ice cream scoops. The partners invented and patented the Multi-Mixer device, the first used to make malted milkshakes, powered by a one-third horsepower motor.

The square-shaped ice cream scoops were used by Prince Castle and later Cock Robin. The top of the cones were square to snugly hold a scoop of square ice cream. The double scoop cone was a side-by-side square shape.

It produced the “One In A Million” malted milkshake, which they made with a patented formula so thick that its claim to fame was it nearly clogged the straw.

Ray Kroc, who would go on to found McDonald’s, once sold Multi-Mixers out of the Prince Castle’s sales division in Chicago. Fredenhagen and Prince trained Kroc in the business.

At its height, there were more than 20 Prince Castle ice cream shops around the Chicago area. The company sold more than one million gallons of ice cream each year, and there were recipes for 100 flavors.

For a while, the company was the second-largest employer in Naperville.

The partnership between Fredenhagen and Prince came to an end in 1954. Fredenhagen changed the name of his shops to Cock Robin in 1955, creating the motto: “Cock Robin: Where Memories are Made.”

Eventually, the castle style of Fredenhagen’s shops gave way to a more modern look. The makeover of the Naperville store on Washington Street took place in 1967.

In 1980, there was a shift in the Cock Robin business model. Store managers became dealers, leasing their stores and buying their products from the company.

Fredenhagen retired in 1985 after he sold the ice cream business to Petersen Ice Cream.

The last of three Naperville stores closed on Washington Street in 2000. Walter Fredenhagen’s children, Ted Fredenhagen and Rita Harvard sold the land on which it sat to the city for $10 with one proviso to be used as part of the Riverwalk. Fredenhagen Park was dedicated in May 2004.

As for Naperville’s signature Cock Robin sign — the one featuring a robin dressed in a top hat and tuxedo — it can be seen on a wall in the beer garden of Irish Times, 8869 Burlington Avenue , just west of the former Cock Robin location.

COCK ROBIN

Skokie Boulevard, a couple of blocks north of Oakton Street, Skokie, IL.
This was my local Cock Robin Store. 

For a long time mentioning Cock Robin ice cream brings back days when ice cream cones cost 12¢ and lines wound out the door and around the building on hot summer nights.

After a date at the movies, a couple would go to Prince Castle and buy a pint of ice cream with two spoons or the signature One in a Million, the first thick shake of its kind. “We would take our dates down to the theater and have a sundae or soda after that, and then walk up to the girls dorms before their 10 o’clock curfew,” said Jack Koten, 70, of Barrington, who was a student at Naperville’s North Central College in the late 1940s.

After nearly 70 years of serving square-dipped ice creams and malted milkshakes, Naperville’s Cock Robin, home of the original Prince Castle store and ice cream factory, closed its doors.

In a deal struck with the city, the land where the Cock Robin store and the original creamery stand were gifted to the City of Naperville in October 2000.

The store and creamery will be razed and replaced with Fredenhagen Park on the 1-acre site along Washington Street just north of the Riverwalk.

A visitors center, with an area recalling the history of Cock Robin, is proposed for the site.

Nearly everyone who grew up in Naperville, it seems, remembers going to Prince Castle and later Cock Robin.

“My cousin lived right next door on Ellsworth Street. In the summertime at night, we would walk down Washington Street to get ice cream,” said Ruth Hageman, 70, a life-long resident of Naperville who was a waitress at Prince Castle as a teenager and young adult.

“You had regular customers, and you almost knew what they were going to order,” Hageman said.

Koten said that three or four times a week, he walked down the hill from the college with his roommate to get a pint or quart of ice cream as a late-night study break.

“I had never gone to an ice cream place with so many different flavors,” Koten said. “A pint or quart was in a square box. It was just sort of a novelty. We could have a different flavor every night for a month.”

The ice cream was made from scratch in the brick creamery behind the store for years. In addition to the standards, there would be cinnamon- or pumpkin-flavored concoctions, depending on the season, said Rita Harvard, 70, daughter of the store’s founders, Walter and Grace Fredenhagen.

In the late 1920s, Walter Fredenhagen teamed with a boyhood friend, Earl Prince, with an idea to manufacture ice cream.

“It was rather innovative,” Harvard said. “In those days, no one manufactured the ice cream and then sold it.”

Both opened 25 stores in the Chicago area and shared the limestone castle design of the shops and the ice cream formulas. Fredenhagen’s first Prince Castle store opened in Naperville in 1931.

Everything was homemade. Fredenhagen opened a dairy nearby to pasteurize the milk for the ice cream. Chocolate was bought from Holland to make the hot fudge, and Harvard said that Fredenhagen’s daughter Jeanne Moen ran a strawberry farm in Seattle and shipped the fruit to Naperville for the ice cream and toppings.

Fredenhagen bought a factory in Downers Grove to efficiently construct square ice cream cans that fit snugly in the store’s display cases.

When the partnership with the Prince family split during the 1950s, Fredenhagen renamed his stores Cock Robin and his son Ted took over the business. Over time, the family stopped making their own ice cream.

The last Cock Robin store was in Brookfield and closed in 2008

After Fredenhagen died in 1993, the family left the ice cream business. The remaining Cock Robin stores–in Brookfield, Melrose Park, River Grove, and Wheaton–were sold over the last decade.

CLICK TO READ THE 1852 STORY.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

What Happened to all the Alewives in Lake Michigan?

Alewives are small fish native to saltwater but migrate to freshwater rivers and streams to spawn. They are also called River Herring, Sawbelly, Gaspereau, and Kyak. Alewives are a type of herring similar to Atlantic herring and are a good source of protein and omega-3s.

Small Alewive (Herrings) Quickly Grow to Maturity.

Alewives, a non-native species, entered the Great Lakes through canals, lacking natural predators, allowing their numbers to explode.

In the 1960s, the government began a program to restore the balance of the Great Lakes ecosystem. With the intentional introduction of predators to control the exploding alewife population, non-native salmon species like Coho and Chinook were introduced into the Great Lakes. These salmon preyed heavily on alewives, bringing their numbers down significantly.

Alewives primarily fed on zooplankton. A reduction of zooplankton populations in Lake Michigan due to invasive zebra and quagga mussels also contributed to their decline by limiting their food supply.

Eventually, the alewife population reached a more balanced level within the Lake Michigan ecosystem. While die-offs still can occur, they are far less frequent and much smaller than the massive beaching events of the 1950s through the 60s.

Alewives are sensitive to sudden temperature changes. Cold weather snaps following warmer periods could shock massive numbers of fish, leading to die-offs. 

Thousands of alewives cover a beach near downtown Chicago after being washed ashore by Easterly winds. Migrants from salt water, the fish pack Lake Michigan. After they spawn, they die. Chicago Park District crews have the messy, smelly job of clearing the beaches and freshening the air.

The sheer vastness of their population meant that these die-offs resulted in millions of dead fish washing ashore, creating a foul-smelling mess on Chicago's beaches.

Alewives are still present in the Great Lakes but in much lower numbers.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

Elias Kent Kane was a key figure in the constitutional convention that drafted Illinois' constitution in 1818.

Elias Kent Kane left a lasting mark on the state of Illinois. Born in New York City in 1794, Kane pursued a legal education at Yale University. Shortly after graduating, he ventured west, finding himself in Nashville, Tennessee, for a brief period before moving on to Kaskaskia, then the capital of the Illinois Territory, in 1814. Kane's arrival proved fortuitous as he was quickly elevated to a territorial judge position, marking the beginning of an influential political career.

As Illinois moved toward statehood in 1818, Kane was a central delegate to the state's constitutional convention. He became a key figure in shaping the state's fundamental laws and earned the nickname "Father of the Illinois Constitution." In the same year, Kane was appointed Illinois' first Secretary of State. Ever ambitious, Kane won election to the United States Senate in 1824, serving as a Democratic senator until his untimely death in 1835.

Elias Kent Kane is buried in Evergreen Cemetery, at 501 West Holmes Street, Chester, Illinois, in the Kane family plot. The cenotaph[1] monument is located at the Congressional Cemetery at 1801 East Street SE, Washington, D.C., which was erected in Kane's honor because he died while serving in office as a United States Senator from Illinois.

Throughout his political career, Kane remained engaged in Illinois affairs and wielded power as part of an influential political faction. While not without controversy, his work helped to lay the foundations of government in the newly established state. Kane's legacy includes Kane County, Illinois, formed in his honor a year after his passing. Though initially buried in a family cemetery, Kane's remains were later reinterred in Evergreen Cemetery, Chester, Illinois. A cenotaph[1] stands in his honor at Washington's Congressional Cemetery.

Early Life and Career

Born: June 7, 1794, New York City

Education: Graduated from Yale College in 1813

Initial Career: Briefly practiced law in Nashville, Tennessee, before moving to Kaskaskia, Illinois Territory in 1814. He was appointed as a territorial judge almost immediately.

Move to Illinois: Relocated to Kaskaskia, Illinois Territory in 1814 and was quickly appointed a territorial judge.

Role in Illinois Statehood

Constitutional Convention: A pivotal delegate to the 1818 convention that drafted the Illinois State Constitution.

First Secretary of State: Kane held the first-ever position as Secretary of State of Illinois from 1818 to 1824.

U.S. Senate: Elected to the U.S. Senate in 1824, serving from 1825 until he died in 1835. He was reelected in 1831.

First Secretary of State (1818-1824): Kane held the first-ever position as Secretary of State of Illinois.

U.S. Senator (1825-1835): Elected as a Democratic-Republican (later Jacksonian Democrat) to the U.S. Senate, where he served for two terms.

Political Views and Legacy

Democratic Party: A member of the Jacksonian Democratic Party.

Advocate of Internal Improvements: Kane championed infrastructure development in Illinois, supporting projects like the Illinois and Michigan Canal.

Land Policy: Played a significant role in shaping land policy in Illinois.

Kane County: Though he never lived within its borders, Kane County, Illinois, was named in his honor in 1836.

Jacksonian Democrat: Kane was a strong supporter of President Andrew Jackson.

Advocate of Internal Improvements: Kane championed infrastructure development in Illinois, supporting projects like the Illinois and Michigan Canal.

Controversial Figure: His political alliances and dealings made him a somewhat controversial figure. Some historians argue he used his positions for personal and political gain.

Death and Burial

Died: December 12, 1835, in Washington, D.C., at age 41.

Burial: Initially interred in a family cemetery, then reinterred at Evergreen Cemetery, Chester, Illinois.

Kane County, Illinois: The county is named in his honor.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

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[1] A cenotaph is a monument built to honor a person or group of people whose remains lie elsewhere. The word comes from the Greek "kenos taphos," meaning "empty tomb."

Slot Car Racing Was a Popular Craze in Chicagoland in the 1960s and 70s.

The explosive wave of slot car racing's popularity began in the late 1950s to early 1960s. By the mid-1960s, there were more than 3,000 public race tracks in the U.S. Manufacturers Revell, Aurora, Tyco, Carrera, and Scalextric, were together selling $500 million ($4,9 Billion in 2024) worth of cars and equipment a year.

A Typical Slot Car Race Track. Unknown Venue.

As the fad peaked and waned, slot car businesses could not profit, charging teenagers small amounts of money to use their large tracks. By the early 1970s, slot car centers dwindled to fewer than 200 tracks and were still in business by 1975, and gradually, most of those closed, too.

Tom Thumb Hobbies & Crafts, Evanston, IL. (1965-2014)

The Tom Thumb Hobbies & Crafts store co-owners Cheryl Anderson and Arthur Harris, at 1026 Davis Street in Evanston, Illinois, moved to Niles in 2014. 

Tom Thumb had six 1/32 scale slot car tracks and one complicated HO scale track simultaneously. They sold, repaired, and carried slot car paraphernalia, too. It was the largest slot car venue in the Chicagoland. 

1964 Varney Corvette Stingray Convertible, 1/32 Scale Slot Car.

I spent many Saturdays and Sundays at Tom Thumb, racing slot cars in the late 1960s and early 1970s.  

Some parents would crawl under the tracks to position themselves inside the open area and help place cars back on the track when kids took the curves too fast. It was a great time. I had two cars and a great controller. I had a product like "stick'em," which was applied to the tires, that helped the car hold the turns.

In the 1990s, JK Raceway in Greenbrook Plaza, on Lake Street, Hanover Park, Illinois, had three 1/32 scale slot car tracks and one drag strip track. At least one of the tracks was from Tom Thumb in Evanston.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

The History of Chicago's Treasure Island Grocery Store Chain.

Treasure Island Foods was founded in 1963 by Christ Kamberos and his brothers. Christ Kamberos was born in Chicago to Greek immigrants. His father sold produce from a push cart, and this early exposure to the food business sparked an interest in Christ that never waned. 

He grew up to become a grocery innovator, traveling the world to bring unusual and organic produce to Chicagoans. His stores were known for their wide selection of specialty products, and Julia Child once referred to Treasure Island as "America's most European supermarket."

Treasure Island's first store at 1639 North Wells Street, Chicago

Treasure Island's first store was opened at 1639 North Wells Street in the Old Town Triangle, Chicago, in 1964. The chain quickly expanded to include over 20 stores in the Chicago area. The Wells Street store was one of the most popular locations, and it was known for its convenient location in the Old Town Triangle and its wide selection of specialty foods.

The Treasure Island chain filed for bankruptcy in 2018, closing all stores. The Wells Street store was sold to a developer in 2019.

Christ Kamberos died on October 27, 2009. He is buried in Memorial Park Cemetery, Skokie, Illinois.

A timeline of the Treasure Island Grocery stores:

• 1963: The Treasure Island brand was founded by Christ Kamberos.
• 1964: The first store on Wells Street opens.
• 1980s-2010s: The Treasure Island chain expands to over 20 stores in the Chicago area.
• 2009: Christ Kamberos died.
• 2018: The Treasure Island chain files for bankruptcy, closing all its stores.
• 2019: The Wells Street store location was sold to a real estate developer.

Christ Kamberos (1926-2009)

Christ Kamberos (1926-2009), chief executive officer and President of Treasure Island Foods, offered selections from around the world. The store met approval in Chicagoland, a market with a diverse ethnic population that appreciated his mixture of exotic foods, fresh produce and flair. 

Mr. Kamberos won numerous awards from Fancy Food and Specialty Foods magazines for his innovative merchandising and creative food presentation. He was born on the West Side of Chicago in 1926, one of three brothers and three sisters of Greek immigrants. He served in the military during World War II. 

His business life began after the War. The Kamberos family opened the grocery chain Sure Save and sold the group of 10 stores to the National Food Supermarkets in 1961. In 1963, Mr. Kamberos and his brothers formed Treasure Island Foods.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

The Great Kiss-Off at Woodfield Mall, Schaumburg, Illinois. 1974

June 8, 1974, the rock group KISS made an appearance at the Woodfield Shopping Center in Schaumburg, Illinois, to promote the “Great KISS Off” kissing competition.

The contest began June 8 at noon, with 11 couples from across the country competing. These couples had already participated in a preliminary round for radio stations near their homes and were ready to win the big prize. At stake was an eight-day cruise to Acapulco and a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.

After more than 114 hours, Woodfield Mall finally had a winning couple. Vinnie Torro and Louise Heath, the kissing couple, successfully locked lips as part of the Great Kiss Off of 1974—and the rock band KISS, for whom the event was named, was happy to play their part.

Each couple was given a five-minute break every hour. They were also incentivized with a big kickoff for the event led by WCFL’s superjock, Larry Lujack. 

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

World's First Nuclear Reactor at the University of Chicago.

THE BEGINNING

Construction of CP-1, or Chicago Pile Number One, was constructed under the University of Chicago's Stagg Field football stadium (1893–1957) in an abandoned squash court. Mankind first harnessed the energy of the atom on December 2, 1942. Fermi's pile produced only ½ watts of power. It constantly emits radiation.

Envisioned by famous physicist Enrico Fermi, CP-1 was a crude, ugly contraption of 330 tons of graphite bricks surrounding 5 tons of unrefined uranium metal. It had no shielding to protect the scientists operating it, but it was nonetheless a major breakthrough in developing nuclear weapons. Fermi successfully achieved a controlled atomic chain reaction.

Despite its crudeness, CP-1 was a major breakthrough in nuclear science. It showed that it was possible to produce a controlled nuclear chain reaction and paved the way for developing atomic weapons and nuclear power plants.

As the use of CP-1 improved, concern for the safety of its operators (and the thousands of nearby students) promoted a move a few miles to the west to the Cook County Forest Preserves, Lemont, Illinois, named 'Site A.'

Chicago Pile Number One or CP-1

The scientists dismantled CP-1, moved it to Site A, and reassembled it into a cube about 25 feet high and 30 feet on each base. This time, Fermi added a few safety elements. Five-foot concrete walls surrounded its sides. Six inches of lead and 50 inches of lumber acted as a lid.

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Site A is about 20 acres in size and contains the buried remains of Chicago Pile-1.

Plot M is 150x140 foot (21K sq. ft.) area that is the radioactive waste dumpsite.

This redesigned reactor was named Chicago Pile-2 (CP-2). It was still a crude device but much safer than CP-1. CP-2 was used for research on nuclear weapons and other applications of atomic energy.

A year later, CP-3 joined CP-2. CP-3 was a more advanced reactor that used heavy water (H³O+) instead of graphite to slow nuclear reactions. CP-3 was used for research on nuclear power plants.

"World's First Nuclear Reactor," followed by a summarized history of Argonne. Photo: Forest Preserves of Cook County, IL.

For a decade, scientists conducted hundreds of experiments using these primitive reactors. The experiments ranged from nuclear weapons to biomedical research to sustained atomic energy.

The work at Site A and Argonne National Laboratory (which grew out of the Metallurgical Laboratory at the University of Chicago) laid the foundation for the development of nuclear science and technology. 

The two reactors, CP-2 and CP-3, were shut down in 1954. The most radioactive and dangerous elements of the reactors were disposed of by the Oak Ridge Laboratory in Tennessee. 

U.S. Department of Energy, 1974.

The reactor was buried in 1954 an extremely deep hole, and the surrounding area was designated as a radioactive waste dumpsite.

In the 1940s and 50s, visitors to the Red Gate Woods often encountered well-armed military police. The MPs would question the confused strangers, check IDs, and search pockets. Then without an apology or explanation, the confused visitors would be ordered firmly to leave the area and not return.

RED GATE WOODS

In the early 1980s, amid the nuclear disasters at Three Mile Island and Chornobyl, the City of Chicago asked Greenpeace surveyors to test the burial grounds at Site A. The surveyors were horrified to find islands of radioactive elements dotting the Site. The City requested help from the federal government, but their request was denied. However, when the information about the radioactive contamination went public, there was an outcry from the community. People who had spent years strolling, picnicking, and riding horseback in the woods near Site A were outraged to learn that they had been exposed to dangerous radiation. 

The federal government eventually gave the City $30 million to fence off, analyze, and decontaminate the Site. A decade later, their efforts transformed Site A into a safe, recreational area where people can enjoy the outdoors without fear of radiation exposure. However, the Site is still monitored annually for radiation levels. 

The Legacy of Site A and Plot M is foremost a reminder of the early days of the nuclear age. It's a testament to the ingenuity of the scientists who developed the world's first atomic reactor. And most importantly, reminds us of the dangers of nuclear technology.

PUBLIC OUTCRY

In 1976, the public learned there was radioactive material in Red Gate Woods (Site A). The United States Department of Energy (DOE) released a report that found low levels of tritium in three wells in the area. Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that is produced by nuclear reactors. The DOE concluded that the tritium likely came from Site A, which had been used for atomic research during World War II.

The DOE's report sparked a public outcry. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) conducted its own investigation and found that the wells' tritium levels were elevated but posed no immediate health risk to the public. However, the IDPH recommended that the DOE take steps to further study and clean up the Site.

The DOE continued to study Site A in the years that followed. In 1994, the DOE and the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) began a significant cleanup effort at the Site. As part of the cleanup, 500 cubic yards (135 tons) of radioactive waste was removed and sent to the Hanford Site for disposal. By 2002, the IDPH had determined that the remaining materials posed no danger to public health.

Today, Site A is a fenced-off area within Red Gate Woods. There are signs in the parking lot that warn visitors about the radioactive material on the Site. However, the IDPH has determined that it is safe for people to visit the area as long as they stay on the trails, do not disturb the soil, and, most importantly, DO NOT DIG.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

Schiller Woods Forest Preserve Magic Water Pump on Irving Park Road, Particulars.

The pump is located in Schiller Woods Forest Preserve in Schiller Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Google Maps: 41°57'08.8"N 87°50'38.6"W 

It was installed in 1945 to serve picnickers, just another of the hundreds of water pumps erected in the forest preserves of Cook County. 

It is a hand-operated pump that draws water from an aquifer. Many local residents believe the water has magical properties, improving health and vigor. Some believe the pump's water extends the life of anyone who drinks from it regularly, leading to the nickname "Chicago's fountain of youth." The pump is the most used of over 300 pumps maintained by the Forest Preserve Department of Cook County, necessitating yearly repairs. The pump handle was briefly removed in 1974 due to impurities but restored in 1975 after the water cleared.

There is no scientific evidence to support the claims that the water from the pump has any magical properties. However, many people swear by the water, and the pump remains a popular destination for people seeking a healthier lifestyle.

People say it has a specific taste and is unlike other waters. And it's not. It's the best water in the world! You've heard it's magic, right? I don't know if it is or if it has the rejuvenating qualities they say. But I don't try other pumps. 

It has been said that the Pope blessed it. "Holy water — that's what they call it." In 1979, Pope John Paul II visited the Northwest Side of Chicago. The Pope's motorcade drove along Nagle and Milwaukee avenues and the Kennedy Expressway and barely slowed down.

Those who swear by the Chicago's fountain of youth pump have said a lot of things: You hear it tastes better than tap water; it keeps colder for longer; it contains holistic qualities; it's good for heart and teeth; it's unfiltered and therefore not chlorinated or fluoridated; the water from this pump will keep you young an unnaturally long time.

There is no scientific evidence to support the claims that the water from this pump has magical properties.

The pump is located at the intersection of Irving Park Road and Cumberland Avenue. It is open from dawn to dusk. There is no fee to use the pump. If you're interested in visiting the pump, it's recommended that you go during the week. Remember to bring your own bottles to fill with water.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

Harlem Irving Plaza, 4104 North Harlem Avenue, Norridge, Illinois, opened in 1956─

Harlem Irving Plaza (The HIP) is a shopping mall located at 4104 North Harlem Avenue, Norridge, Illinois. It was built on the site of a former stockyard and opened in 1956 as a 337,000-square-foot strip mall featuring approximately 45 tenants. 

The new Wieboldt's store in the Harlem Irving Plaza shopping center in Norridge circa 1957. The store was air-conditioned.

Original anchor stores included Kroger, Walgreens, Wieboldt's, W.T. Grant, and Woolworth.

In the 1970s, the mall was enclosed, and a parking garage was added.

BJ (Bill Jackson) and Dirty Dragon at Harlem Irving Plaza, May 16, 1970.

These were some famous events at Harlem Irving Plaza:

• BJ (Bill Jackson) and Dirty Dragon at Harlem Irving Plaza, May 16, 1970.
• Bozo at Harlem Irving Plaza, September 9, 1970.
• Free Circus at Harlem Irving Plaza in the 1970s.
• BJ (Bill Jackson) and Dirty Dragon at Harlem Irving Plaza, October 1973.

In 1979, Madigan's was added to the roster of department stores. In 1989, Kohl's acquired and converted all of the stores in the MainStreet chain; Carson Pirie Scott opened in the former Wieboldt's the same year. A food court was added in 1996, and Best Buy opened in the former Madigan's. Best Buy relocated to the mall's parking lot in 2001; its original location was replaced with a second parking garage.

The mall underwent a thorough renovation in 2004, gaining a 175,000-square-foot Target in August of that year. In honor of the mall's 50th anniversary in 2006, Harlem Irving Plaza hosted a meet and greet with the original Mouseketeers (Mickey Mouse Club).

In recent years, the mall has faced some challenges, as many traditional department stores have closed their doors. However, the mall has been working to attract new tenants, including a number of popular restaurants. In 2020, the mall was purchased by a new owner, who has plans to invest in further renovations and attract even more new tenants.

Harlem Irving Plaza, 2022

Amusement Parks at the corner of North-West corner of Harlem Avenue and Irving Park Road, Norridge, Illinois:

Kiddie Park, 4200 North Harlem Avenue, Chicago-Norridge. (1938-1952)

KiddyTown Amusement Park, 4200 North Harlem Avenue, Norridge. (1953-1964)

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

Brementowne Mall, Tinley Park, Illinois. (1973-1999)

Brementowne Mall, 159th Street and Oak Park Avenue, Tinley Park, Illinois, was a two-anchor shopping mall in Tinley Park, Illinois. It opened on November 15, 1973. The mall was named after the Bremen Township, settled by German immigrants in the 1800s.

Arial View of the Brementowne Mall, Tinley Park, Illinois

Brementowne Mall's two anchors were Gately's Peoples Store and Essaness Bremen 1&2 Theaters, which opened on January 29, 1971, with 1,023 seats.

Gately's was a southside department store with its main store on Michigan Avenue in Chicago's Roseland neighborhood. The mall's east end was anchored by Dominick's Finer Foods, Walgreen and the Essaness Bremen 1&2 Theaters, the first name of the movie theater. The Brementown Theaters expanded to three screens and showed first-run movies. The theaters were subdivided and became second-run theaters sometime in the eighties.

In addition to the two anchors, the mall had several specialty stores, including a bowling alley, a roller skating rink, and several restaurants. The mall was also home to several community events, such as concerts, festivals, and holiday celebrations.

An outlot directly at the corner of 159th Street and Oak Park was a Golden Bear restaurant, later Brown's Chicken and Pasta. 

Gately's never remodeled, and its stock was severely dated. Gately's Peoples Store closed in 1987.

By the early nineties, the only stores that survived were ones that had outside access. Stores began to close and were not replaced.

The entire mall was remodeled into Menard's around 1994. A long corridor remained from the north parking lot running next to the former Dominick's space to provide access to the theaters and arcade. The Gately's building was sold to the Star chain of suburban newspapers and became their main office. The former Golden Bear restaurant, a banquet hall in later life, was demolished.

The theaters, the only indoor theaters in Tinley Park, remained open until 2003 when they were sold to Menard's for an expansion of their store.

The final store closed in 1999, and the mall was demolished in 2001. Menards closed the mall in 2003 and demolished it in 2004. The mall site is now occupied by a Menards home improvement superstore.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

Algonquin Commons, Algonquin, Illinois. (2004─)

Algonquin Commons is an outdoor shopping mall in Algonquin, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago. It was built in 2004 and is the largest outdoor mall in Illinois. The mall has over 80 stores, including JCPenney, Barnes & Noble, and Best Buy. There are also several restaurants and a movie theater at the mall.

The history of Algonquin Commons can be traced back to the early 1990s when the village of Algonquin began to develop the area along Randall Road. In 1993, the first development phase was completed, which included the construction of a new library, a fire station, and several retail stores.

In 1999, the village approved plans for the construction of Algonquin Commons. The mall was built by Jeffrey R. Anderson, the same developer who built the Geneva Commons, which is located in Geneva, Illinois. In 2002, the village approved a development plan for the Algonquin Commons. Construction began the following year. 

The mall opened in 2004 and was an immediate success.

In 2013, the Algonquin Commons was foreclosed on by U.S. Bank after the previous owner, Inland Properties, defaulted on its loans. The mall was then purchased by McKinley, a real estate investment trust. McKinley has since invested millions of dollars in the mall, including a major renovation in 2017.

Algonquin Commons is also popular for events and festivals, such as the annual Algonquin Commons Summer Concert Series.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

Robert Todd Lincoln saving President Lincoln's papers after the Chicago Fire in 1871.

Amid several moves, admission to the bar, marriage, and establishment of a law practice, Robert Lincoln safeguarded his collection of family memorabilia and letters. It is not known whether he kept the papers at his residence at 653 South Wabash Avenue (700 South Wabash, today) or at his law office, located in the Marine Bank Building at 154 Lake Street (132 West Lake Street today). 

The ruins of the Marine Bank Building (built 1857) at 154 Lake Street just after the 1871 Chicago Fire. Robert Lincoln's law office was located in the building.

It is likely that the collection was somehow divided between the two. The bank building was a casualty of the Great Fire that destroyed much of Chicago's business district in 1871. The law firm had a fireproof vault that, in Lincoln's words. "Stood the fire," but the files not stored in the vault were destroyed., Several letters in the Robert Todd Lincoln Collection state that family papers were among those lost in the blaze. To one querist, Robert reported: "I am not the possessor of any autograph letters of my father. Everything of that kind owned by me was burned in the Chicago Fire." 

By 1873, Robert Lincoln was rebuilding and eager to regain the letters stored in Bloomington by David. "I get into my new office (at 31 Portland Block; 10 South Dearborn Street today) next week, he wrote in April, "and will have a vault room for the boxes with which you have been inconvenienced." Almost a year later, he had yet to pick up the papers. On February 18, 1874, Robert wrote that he had decided to turn the manuscripts over to his father's former secretaries, John Hay and John G. Nicolay, who were researching their biography of the former Chief Executive. 

"Nicolay and Hay," he wrote, "are both anxious to get to work on the papers you have at Bloomington." Robert proposed making a "hasty examination" of the papers at his Chicago office "so as to weed out anything purely private and then let Hay and Nicolay have the rest for their use." He urged Judge Davis to send the papers immediately.

Whatever wedding Lincoln attempted would have been accomplished over only a few weeks. By July, Nicolay and Hay had both the White House and Springfield manuscripts, less what Robert Lincoln considered "purely private." The papers stayed with Nicolay in Washington D.C., in various banks, vaults, and offices.

Abraham Lincoln, A History, by Nicolay & Hay. The Complete Set in PDF.

Volumes: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10

Mary Todd and Robert Lincoln in the Midst of the Great Chicago Fire, 1871. 

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

Kiddyland Amusement Park, East Dundee, Illinois. (1953-1960); Funland Kiddie Park, East Dundee, Illinois. (1961-1972)

Funland Kiddie Park was located in East Dundee. It was south of Santa’s Village, both of which were located on Illinois Route 25. It opened in 1959. 

A lot of people called this place Kiddyland (or Kiddieland). This park was the original local amusement park. It was also inexpensive. The park started on the east side of Route 25. After one season, it was moved to the west side of the road. When the park closed in 1972, the land was used for a Chevrolet dealership.

One of the most popular rides was the hand cars, also known as the pedal cars. It was a grand day when you got the strength to ride one by yourself. Even experienced riders got stuck. There was an employee who would come to the rescue.

The first ride a person saw were the train, a caged Ferris wheel, and a larger Ferris wheel. You would have to cross the train tracks to get to the entrance. The train went around the perimeter and through a shed. It was an open-type train, and a uniformed engineer sat on top. The train was stored in another shed on the property.

Sometimes, people went just for one of the Ferris wheels. Birthday parties were held here too. Others went for the other rides, such as the roller coaster. The Bozo Show’s Sandy the Clown and Ring Master Ned made an appearance too. 

The park closed in 1972.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

Hasting's Bathing Beach and Amusement Park, Fox Lake, Illinois. (1885-1963)

Hasting's Bathing Beach and Amusement Park was a popular summer destination in Fox Lake, Illinois. The park was initially named "Hasting's Grove." It was located on the shores of Fox Lake and offered various attractions, including a swimming beach, a dance hall, a roller coaster, and a Ferris wheel.

The park was founded by John Hastings in 1885. Hastings was a local businessman who owned a lumber mill on the shores of Fox Lake. He saw the potential for a summer resort on the lake and opened Hasting's Bathing Beach in 1885.

The swimming beach was a major draw, and the park also offered a variety of other activities, such as boating, fishing, and picnicking. In the early 1900s, the park added several amusement rides, including a roller coaster, a Ferris wheel, a carousel, and a midway with food concessions and games.

This photo is a visual aid.

Hasting's Bathing Beach and Amusement Park reached its peak popularity in the 1920s and early 1940s. The park was open from Memorial Day to Labor Day each year, attracting visitors from all over Chicagoland.

However, the park began to decline in popularity after World War II. The rise of television and other forms of entertainment led to a decline in attendance at amusement parks. Hasting's Bathing Beach and Amusement Park closed for good in 1963.

The park is now a residential development, but the swimming beach is still open to the public. The beach is a popular spot for swimming, sunbathing, and fishing.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.