The Jakter Hotel at West 47th Street and South Kedzie Avenue. Chicago Illinois USA. New years day 1983.

Hi everybody!
Welcome aboard Eddie's Railfan Page, coming to You from the city of Chicago Illinois.
Today I have decided to "Take a break" from the usual posting of train and bus photos, and do a feature posting of local Chicago history.

When I was speaking recently to several friends about some of the things I had photographed back in the 1980's, The subject of the old Jakter Hotel at West 47th Street and South Kedzie Avenue had surfaced. Soon I had started recieving requests to do a historical photo feature of the old place. I had to dig deep into My photo archives, back to My photographic beginings.

We are standing on the northwest corner of West 47th street and South Kedzie Avenue, looking at the recently closed Jakter Hotel prior to the rapidly forthcoming demolition of the old hotel.

The Jakter Hotel, was a seedy skid row type of establishment for transient guests. There were storys told of prostitutes working the premises, derelicts, criminals, drug addicts, and people of questionable repute staying at the hotel. I can recal waiting for the northbound CTA Route # 52 Kedzie / California Avenue bus at this corner during heavy rainstorms, and waiting in the ground leval cinder block entrance leading to the basement doorway. I can recall seeing throough the glass door, an old rundown 1950's style bar with an old 1960's era Seeburg or Wurlitzer jukebox in plain view. It was the kind of place, where You payed attentiion when Your parents would say "Don't talk to strangers". It was not a family place.