POSTCARD – CHICAGO – BEAUTIFUL APARTMENT BUILDING – S E CORNER WILTON AVE AND KING PLACE – NOTE TWO GIRLS ON SIDEWALK – c1910 – GENERAL NOTE: THIS KIND OF LARGE APARTMENT BUILDING TYPICALLY HAD A LOBBY INSIDE THE STREET DOOR, SEPARATED FROM THE STAIRS TO THE APARTMENTS BY A LOCKED DOOR – THE LOBBY WOULD BE STYLISHLY TILED AND MAILBOXES WERE BRASS BUILT INTO THE WALL – OFTEN THERE WAS A FAUX FIREPLACE WHOSE MANTLE WAS USED TO PUT THINGS ON AS MAIL TO BE FORWARDED – ALL THE WOODWORK OF DOORS AND BANISTERS WAS TYPICALLY VERY HEAVY DARK-STAINED HARDWOOD – THE STAIRS WERE THICKLY CARPETED WITH GOOD STUFF OFTEN ORIENTAL IN MOTIFF – THE GLASS IN THE DOORS WAS HEAVY AND OFTEN HAD BEVELLED EDGING AROUND WOOD AND A SECTION OF STAINED-GLASS INSERT – BUILDING NUMBERS WERE HEAVY BRASS AS WERE DOOR HANDLES AND KICK-PLATES – ALTOGETHER MAKING A HANDSOME AND HOMEY PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO COME HOME TO – SERVICES SUCH AS GARBAGE COLLECTION WERE FROM THE ALLEY BEHIND THE BUILDING WHICH ALSO CONTAINED THE ELECTRICITY AND PHONE POLES, KEEPING THEM OFF THE STREET – THERE WAS SOME SERIOUS URBAN PLANNING AT THAT TIME IN CHICAGO – THE ROWS OF TREES UP AND DOWN THE STREET PROVIDED A BEAUTIFUL SCREEN FROM NEIGHBORING BUILDINGS ACROSS THE STREET AND PROVIDED COOLING EFFECTS IN AN ERA WITH NO AIR-CONDITIONING – THEY JUST LOOKED MAGNIFICENT AT MATURITY – THEY WERE TYPICALLY AMERICAN ELMS WHOSE CHARACTERISTIC VASE SHAPE CREATED A CATHEDRAL-CEILING EFFECT FROM THE SIDEWALK