The Chicago Board of Sewerage Commissioners was created as a mandate to fix the problem nature had left with the city. Storm sewers would be too low to properly drain, so it was decided to lay sewers on top of existing streets and then cover them with tons of fill and put in new streets on top of them..
Starting in 1855, the city elevation was raised about ten feet along the river and varying heights away from it.
Some homeowners brought their residences up to the new grade, others didn't.. This left some neighborhoods looking like an assemblage of huge children's building blocks. You can still see blocks of homes not brought up to the new elevation in neighborhoods like South Chicago and Back of the Yards.
--Cooter
No comments:
Post a Comment