Stars Motel

Lately I've had several obsessions which sometimes converge... taking pictures, cool old signs, and the changing face of Chicago. This is the sign for the Stars Motel on Lincoln Avenue, just across from Lincoln Village shopping center.

The sign really is a beauty, and is in quite good shape. I'd love to see it lit up at night, but doubt that's possible these days. The poor thing is looking more than a little abandoned, though, as it stands alone, next to an empty parcel of land surrounded by a hurricane fence, waiting for the developer to come get going.
Realizing that I'm romanticising, I'm sad to see this sign go. Granted, it's part of the seedy strip of motels that used to dominate Lincoln Ave, north of Foster. I've wondered from time to time... who sees their signs and says, "now, this is the place I'm eager to spend the night!"?

There are several websites I've been watching lately. One is a group on flickr.com, called Vanishing Chicago, where people take pictures of parts of Chicago that are soon dust in the wind. The other is a blog here on blogspot called A Chicago Sojourn, where the blogger gives bits of detail on the photos he takes in and around the city. Really fascinating stuff, all of it.

So, when you drive around the city, past blocks and blocks of development, cranes, and teardowns, think a moment on the pieces of Chicago's history, seedy or glorious, that will be gone forever very soon.

Nice to remember some things for longer than it takes to replace them.