"If it's good, it's too good not to share."
-Shel Silverstein
Chicago for Chicagoans believes in the accessibility of information. If we research it, it's yours to use for non-profit purposes.
Please contact us if you'd like a copy of our tour notes, or some of our books--
educate yourself, your neighbors, and your community!
Please contact us if you'd like a copy of our tour notes, or some of our books--
educate yourself, your neighbors, and your community!
Zines, Pamphlets, Books, & more
We're artists! We like making things to accompany our tours. Our printed goods are imagined, designed, illustrated, researched, written, cut, and folded by our collaborators, staff, & friends.
Neat! Where can I get one? Attend our events! We give zines & stickers out for free in conjunction with certain tours and lectures. You can also head over to the donate page, where any amount over $5 qualifies you for some swag.
Neat! Where can I get one? Attend our events! We give zines & stickers out for free in conjunction with certain tours and lectures. You can also head over to the donate page, where any amount over $5 qualifies you for some swag.
Online Databases & Resources
Curious about Chicago? Want to dive in and learn on your own? We often use the resources below to conduct our tour research. These should help get you started! Find something neat? Have a cool resource to suggest? Email us, we'd love to hear it.
Chicago neighborhoods map: http://chicagomap.zolk.com/
General Chicago resources:
Cook County databases:
Specific, free, online databases:
Pictures:
Library Research database listings & library guides:
General Chicago resources:
- Commission on Chicago Landmarks: Your House Has A History
- Illinois Historic Preservation Agency HARGIS: http://gis.hpa.state.il.us
- Chicago Tribune Archives (access for free with your Chicago Public Library card):
- Tip: search for building history (famous past residents, former business occupants, old advertisements, etc.) by searching the street address in quotes. Northside address? Find older articles without the street direction. Ex. “1241 Damen”. Newer articles are more likely to be found with “1241 N Damen”. Southside address? Always include “south” or “s” in the street address or you’ll get the northside address equivalent. Ex. “1255 S Michigan” or “1255 South Michigan”.
- Encyclopedia of Chicago: http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/
- Chicagology (articles about Chicago grouped by decades & categories): https://chicagology.com/
- Me & My Shadow blog (oral histories of Northwest-side neighborhoods: http://francesarcher.com/
- Chicago Patterns (history by neighborhood): http://chicagopatterns.com/chicago-neighborhoods-map/
- Forgotten Chicago (great, well researched articles on various Chicago topics): https://forgottenchicago.com/
- Chicago Ancestors: http://www.chicagoancestors.org
- Heritage.com (census records, family & personal records): https://www.ancestryheritagequest.com/HQA/Search
- Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps: http://collections.carli.illinois.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/sanborn
- Chicago neighborhood overviews: https://www.neighborhoods.com/neighborhood-guides/il/chicago
Cook County databases:
- Basic building details, including official street address, building PIN number, & age of building (city database with an interactive map): http://cookviewer1.cookcountyil.gov/jsviewer/mapviewer.html?
- Building permits (city database -- need building PIN): http://162.217.184.82/i2/default.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
- Building permits (reporting by residents, easier to read & more interactive): http://www.chicagocityscape.com/permits.php?pid=100464542
- Building violations (city database): https://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/bldgs/provdrs/inspect/svcs/building_violationsonline.html
- Historic Resources survey (city database, can often use to find construction date and any associated architects. Try & search by street): http://webapps.cityofchicago.org/landmarksweb/web/historicsurvey.htm
- Historic business directories: https://sites.google.com/site/onlinedirectorysite/Home/usa/il/cook
Specific, free, online databases:
- Theatres: http://cinematreasures.org/
- Schools: https://chicagohistoricschools.wordpres.com
- Chicago El: http://www.chicago-l.org/history/
Pictures:
- Chicago Collections Consortium: http://chicagocollections.org/
- Chicago Geek: http://chicagogeek.tumblr.com/
Library Research database listings & library guides:
- Chicago History Museum: http://libguides.chicagohistory.org/research
- Northwestern: http://libguides.northwestern.edu/az.php
- Newberry: https://www.newberry.org/chicago-history
- Art Institute of Chicago: https://startit.artic.edu/kb/resources/webproxy/databaselist.html