Beautiful Vintage Kodachrome Photos of Mid-Century Chicago

These Kodachrome photographs were taken by Harold Mayer, a pioneer of urban geography and specialist in urban and transport geography of North America, especially New York, Chicago, Milwaukee, and British Columbia. A professor of geography at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, during his academic career, Professor Mayor gathered a large photographic collection to teach his students.

Professor Mayor visited Chicago several times during the fifties and sixties. Take a look back at the city through 17 beautiful vintage photographs below:

Randolph Street E from Dearborn Street

Maxwell Street market

Lake Shore Drive Bridge

Boat at Chicago Tribune wharf on Chicago River

Chicago Light and Outer Harbor

Wacker Drive from 333 N. Michigan Ave.

Business center, E on Lake Street from Marion, Oak Park

Illinois Central Railroad and Michigan Boulevard Façade

Oakbrook shopping center, Oakbrook

Old Orchard shopping center, Skokie

Water tower and business district, Riverside

CTA station and parking lot, Ridgeland Ave., Lake Street line, Oak Park

Business district, Lincoln Ave., South from Oakton Street, Skokie

Back of the Yards, Hamilton Ave. N from 46th Street

Housing, 4700 block Hamlin Ave S.

Del Lago shopping center, no man’s land, Wilmette

Chicago, suburban Elgin, Chicago Street in central business district

(via American Geographical Society)