“Aldine Square was an exclusive enclave of greystone mansions built around a private park on Vincennes Avenue between 37th and 39th Streets. The architectural firm of Cudell & Blumenthal designed both the houses and the park in the 1870s. Over the years the prominent residents moved away, and Aldine Square gradually fell into a state of disrepair. The houses and the park were eventually razed in the name of urban renewal in the 1950s. A housing project now stands on the site. This is a rare photograph of Aldine Square taken in the 1890s.”

— Images of America: Chicago’s Mansions, by John Graf.