Video - 1948 Chicago the Beautiful news article: Planck Studios Chicago Prints and Photos

Video - 1948 Chicago the Beautiful

James A. Fitzpatrick on the 'Queen of the Great Lakes'

Posted Aug 21, 2009

"This is Chicago, queen of the Great Lakes and wonder city of the middle west - where American enterprise and progressive people have combined to build (in less than a century) the second largest metropolis in North America..."

61 years ago. Amazing what a little dose of technicolor does. It's like some kind of alternate reality - or like when you have a dream filled with people you know, but they're all strangers. Growing up in the 80s I've only been witness to the city's metal and glass era. Some of the views in this film are staggering. I think it's the amount of blue sky visible in most shots. Seeing so much open space (and a billboard where the Bean now stands) is a pretty stark reminder of where we came from and how much we've accomplished.

And if that observation tower in the Board of Trade is still accessible, its' one of my next endeavors. Thank you James A. Fitzpatrick.