City - Chicago IL - The Blackstone hotel 1915 Postcard

Colourized photo from 1915 Original Title: The Blackstone Hotel Photographer: Detroit Publishing Location: 636 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL This is the Blackstone hotel, built between 1908 and 1910. It's currently an historic landmark, located in the historic district in the Loop community. The hotel replaced the the Blackstone mansion that was sitting in this spot previously. Next to that on the right is the Ziegfeld Picture Palace, shown at its original height. They increased its size in 1921, from an eight story to a fourteen story building. They kept the same architecture so its a smooth transition. This entire are at one point was filled with residential buildings, you can still see a remaining house and smaller apartment buildings that are currently being used as tiny hotels. The buildings became larger as the city grew. If you look carefully you'll see a jumper of some kind on the 10th floor. Either that or he is the world's dumbest window washer. Likewise, the Ziegfeld has a guy on a rig that is really quite bent, and another that is also pretty high up below him. There also seems to be a series of stunt ramps along the road, that's what they look like to me.