Petals From Roseland

Happy New Year to all of my Roselandite readers! This past year has been a very busy and blessed one for me. I’ve now been writing this column for four years and wish to thank everyone who has contributed information and photos to Petals from Roseland. I also would like to thank all of those who, throughout that time, have entrusted their Roseland memorabilia to me. Those items are currently on exhibit and available for viewing in my Pullman home until we secure space in the Hotel Florence for the Roseland Rooms Museum. This also was the year I purchased …

Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo! This December issue brings you Christmas greetings and best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year! I know for myself, this promises to be an exciting year as I have finally become a resident of Pullman. After four long months and many moments of fleeting hope, I have persevered and am now the proud owner of the house at 11403 S. St. Lawrence. In the months leading up to my moving from Chicago’s Wrigleyville back to my roots in the Roseland-Pullman-Kensington area I became involved in many discussions. They ranged from “It’s dangerous …

When we were in high school, if we didn’t have any plans, we always had “The Ave” to turn to. “The Ave” was Michigan Avenue in the neighborhood slang, and it’s where everyone hung out or wanted to hang out. There were stores from 115th to 111th and they all meant an opportunity to be seen. Of course, there were certain stores on “The Ave” that we recall more vividly, chief among them being Gately’s People’s Store. Gately’s held its premier spot on “The Ave” at 112th and Michigan from the late 1940s well into the 1970s, when they opened …

The living has been easy and the fish have been jumping, which can only mean that this column will cover the summer that has just passed us by. When summer planning began back in May, my calendar filled up with incredible speed. Among the many events I took part in were Fenger reunion picnics, Pullman Factory tours as well as tour guide training, the Roseland Roundtable picnic, Veneti nel Mondo monthly meetings, the Friends of Pullman picnic, Spaghetti-Os monthly meetings, the Zimbauer-Bolf Roseland picnic, and a Spaghetti-Os bocce tournament. Yes, it was a full summer that kept me on the …

Many of us remember playing ball at Kensington’s Morandi’s Park and making some friends that didn’t go to school with us at St. Anthony’s. They were the friends we played with and swam with all summer long — and then — after that, not at all. Maybe we’d run across them on “The Ave” (Michigan Avenue, that is) but that was it. Then, high school came along and we were surprised and pleased when the same names popped up in school. The Mixtackis and Dudas and Ostrowskis and Opyts all became high school classmates. That’s when it dawned on us …

I am often asked, “Who lives in Pullman?” So, sit back and relax, because in this column, I’m going to tell you about the people of Pullman, otherwise known as “Pullmanites.” Those who live in Pullman run the gamut from the new homeowners to those who never left the neighborhood. One interesting fact that they all have in common is that they are die-hard members of the Pullman Fan Club. They will discuss the merits of life in Pullman at the drop of a conductorÍs hat, and they wonÍt let you go until you understand what a great extended family …

Chicago’s beautiful St. Anthony of Padua church came into being 50 years ago under the direction of its pastor, the Rev. Adolph Nalin. Fr. Nalin, with the suggestions of his committee proceeded full-steam ahead with his plans for the church as he dreamt it. Fr. Nalin took trips to Italy to select everything from designs and styles to art and decorations from the many churches he visited. The results of those scouting trips were eventually incorporated into his design for the church building. Father also visited the quarries of Tuscany and the Arighinni Studios in Pietrasanta to see the workers …

In my perfect operatic scenario, the elevator in my apartment building is empty when I step into it, I cut loose with my best basso profundo rendition of Verdi’s “La donna e mobile” as the door closes, and when arrive on the seventh floor, there’s no one there to give me that “What was that?” look. When I grew up in Roseland, there was one place to go for amateur, yet very (to us) professional opera: the Roseland Operetta Club. The club was located at 372 E. Kensington St., a few doors down from Raymond Levine’s men’s clothiers and just …

No matter where you went to school as a kid, there was the ‘play’ part of your life. If you lived just outside of Roseland in Stewart Ridge, that life existed at West Pullman Park. However, if you lived in Roseland, that exciting part of your life centered on Palmer Park! Whenever the topic of Palmer Park comes up, whether at Spaghetti-Os or the Roseland Roundtable meet-ups, you immediately get two or three people telling stories about the fun they all had. During the ’60s, that usually involved swimming or taking part in classes or clubs. During the ’40s and …

“Writing the book” on Roseland I began writing Petals from Roseland for Fra Noi in October 2008. In the ensuing three-and-a-half years, I’ve developed a greater appreciation for all things Roseland. For example, Roseland includes representatives of many nationalities, chief among them being the Italians, of course (although, the Dutch, Irish, German and Slovak residents might see things differently). The history of the Italians in Roseland is intertwined with all our friends and classmates of different ethnic backgrounds. Once Roselandites left the enclaves surrounding their homes, they entered the world of Roseland at large, which included all those other ethnicities. …