{"product_id":"old-birds-eye-map-of-chicago-by-grooman-1964-lake-michigan-soldier-field-dan-ryan-loop-great-lakes-naval-base","title":"Old Bird's-Eye Map of Chicago by Grooman, 1964: Lake Michigan, Soldier Field, Dan Ryan, Loop, Great Lakes Naval Base","description":"\u003cp\u003eChicagoland Panorama Map, Homer Grooman’s captivating 1964 bird’s-eye portrait, surveys the metropolis and its hinterland at the zenith of postwar change. Though issued in the mid-1960s, its lens is the late 1950s city: a confident Chicago fanning out from the fork of the river and the blue arc of Lake Michigan. Unusually expansive for a city view, it sweeps west to Dubuque on the Mississippi and north to Madison and Fond du Lac, allowing the viewer to see Chicago not as an isolated grid but as a regional engine. The result is a notably rich city map—one that marries skyline drama to the everyday texture of neighborhoods, boulevards, beaches, and working waterways.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGrooman renders the urban core with brio, spotlighting the lakefront where Soldier Field anchors a ceremonial shoreline and southward Hyde Park cradles the Museum of Science and Industry. The city’s character emerges in its neighborhoods: the commercial pulse of State Street and Broadway, the storied stretches of Clark and Halsted, and the industrial southland that slides toward the steel mills of Gary, Indiana. Four offshore water intake cribs punctuate the lake, while ribbons of public beaches and state parks frame the metropolis as a recreational city as much as a mercantile one—an essential, visually engaging theme for any serious Chicago city map.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChicago’s transport revolution is mapped in satisfying detail. Lake Shore Drive curves like a promenade, while new expressways—Edens, Kennedy, and the Dan Ryan—announce a modern age of mobility. A note beneath the title flags the Tri-State East-West Corridor as planned but unfinished, freezing an infrastructural pivot mid-gesture. Diagonals such as Milwaukee, Lincoln, and Ogden slice the rectilinear grid, converging toward the Loop; major arteries—Ashland, Cicero, Kedzie, Pulaski, Western, Roosevelt, Madison, and State—are boldly traced, making legibility itself a narrative. Canals and rivers—the Sanitary \u0026amp; Ship Canal and its allied channels—thread through railyards and factories, reminding viewers that Chicago’s greatness rides equally on roads, rails, and water.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the map’s delights is its regional eye. Northward, Grooman marks the Great Lakes Naval Training Center, a Cold War landmark shaping generations of sailors along the Illinois shore. Beaches and state parks stud the lakeside, while inland rivers and lakes braid farm country into the urban sphere. The skyline yields, gradually, to the Fox and Des Plaines watersheds, then farther to university towns and state capitals on the Wisconsin plain and Mississippi bluffs near Dubuque. By extending beyond city limits, the panorama explains how commerce, recreation, and military infrastructure knit Chicago to its neighbors—context that transforms a city view into a living geography of the Midwest.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGrooman’s pictorial style elevates information into narrative. Vivid color blocks distinguish urban density from green corridors; precise lettering clarifies a maze of streets; and lively vignettes—including a passenger airplane poised at the lower left, evoking Midway, O’Hare, or Meigs Field—signal Chicago’s ascent as an aviation hub. The composition captures a transformative hinge: heavy industry flexing along the Calumet and in Gary, cultural monumentalism on the lakefront, and suburban expressways pointing to new patterns of growth. For collectors and historians, it is a time capsule and a touchstone—an eloquent, data-rich city map that rewards both close reading and panoramic contemplation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStreets and roads on this map\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAshland Avenue\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBroadway Avenue\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCicero Avenue\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eClark Street\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHalsted Street\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKedzie Avenue\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLincoln Avenue\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLake Shore Drive\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMadison Street\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMilwaukee Avenue\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOgden Avenue\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePulaski Road\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRoosevelt Road\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eState Street\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWestern Avenue\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNotable Features \u0026amp; Landmarks\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBeaches\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCanal systems\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGreat Lakes Naval Training Center\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLakes (various)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMajor highways\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMuseums (such as the Museum of Science and Industry)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePassenger airplanes (illustrated)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRivers\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSoldier Field\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSteel mills of Gary, Indiana\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eState parks\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWater intake cribs\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHistorical and design context\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1964 Homer Grooman bird’s-eye pictorial map depicting the late-1950s greater Chicago region\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRegional reach extends to Dubuque (IA), Madison and Fond du Lac (WI)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCaptures a transformative period of urban and regional development and infrastructure in Chicago\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNote below the title marks the Tri-State East-West Corridor as planned but not yet completed at printing\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDetailed pictorial style with colorful illustrations and dense, legible information\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCovers parts of Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin, situating Chicago within a broader Midwest context\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eServes as a historical snapshot enabling comparisons with later urban growth and change\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlease double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is a very large map that must be ordered at a large size, so that you can easily make out all of the details. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 100in (250cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please \u003ca href=\"\/de\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eget in touch\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the \u003ca href=\"\/de\/collections\/all-old-vintage-antique-maps\"\u003ebest old maps\u003c\/a\u003e to see if something else catches your eye.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlease \u003ca href=\"\/de\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003econtact me\u003c\/a\u003e to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex\/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Unique Maps Co.","offers":[{"title":"24x36in (60x90cm) \/ Map","offer_id":67612812378503,"sku":null,"price":796.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x36in (60x90cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":67612812411271,"sku":null,"price":2169.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x36in (60x90cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":67612812444039,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A1 (594x841mm) \/ Map","offer_id":67612812476807,"sku":null,"price":796.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A1 (594x841mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":67612812509575,"sku":null,"price":2169.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A1 (594x841mm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":67612812542343,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"30x40in (75x100cm) \/ Map","offer_id":67612812575111,"sku":null,"price":1040.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"30x40in (75x100cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":67612812607879,"sku":null,"price":2982.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"30x40in (75x100cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":67612812640647,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A0 (841x1189mm) \/ Map","offer_id":67612812673415,"sku":null,"price":1491.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A0 (841x1189mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":67612812706183,"sku":null,"price":6912.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A0 (841x1189mm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":67612812738951,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"37x50in (94x127cm) \/ Map","offer_id":67612812771719,"sku":null,"price":2079.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"37x50in (94x127cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":67612812804487,"sku":null,"price":8403.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"37x50in (94x127cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":67612812837255,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"45x60in (114x150cm) \/ Map","offer_id":67612812870023,"sku":null,"price":2756.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"45x60in (114x150cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":67612812902791,"sku":null,"price":12650.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"45x60in (114x150cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":67612812935559,"sku":null,"price":11746.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"52x70in (132x178cm) \/ Map","offer_id":67612812968327,"sku":null,"price":4654.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"52x70in (132x178cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":67612813001095,"sku":null,"price":16941.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"52x70in (132x178cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":67612813033863,"sku":null,"price":15812.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0257\/0344\/8638\/files\/file_0f82fc71-b7b8-4941-8102-87ef80f049a9.jpg?v=1790926805","url":"https:\/\/uniquemaps.co\/de\/products\/old-birds-eye-map-of-chicago-by-grooman-1964-lake-michigan-soldier-field-dan-ryan-loop-great-lakes-naval-base","provider":"The Unique Maps Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}