iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Four mausoleums at Chicago’s Rosehill Cemetery. Ink, watercolor, and colored pencil. #chicago #watercolor #cemetery

Small paintings of four stone mausoleums.

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Third down is 1210-1216 E. 48th!

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Top is about 1400 E. 54th, but bottom is 515-529 W. Dickens.

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Reposted by Larry Shure

Deigo @yodiegoyo.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

Nationwide Hand Car Wash 3006 W Roosevelt Rd. Chicago

A watercolor painting of a blue door inset in a wall of peach colored brick. Parts of the brick wall are covered in fading and chipping white paint. Two pay phones are mounted on the wall, though only one of them still has a phone. A sign hangs above the door and reads “No Loitering by order of Chicago Police” in fading letters. A sliver of a larger garage door is seen to the right of the blue door.

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

More Tudor-revival style homes of Chicago...The series no one demanded!

Pen and watercolor illustrations of twelve homes in Chicago in a grid pattern.

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 15/10/2025

Three of these illustrations were developed from black and white photos, so the colors are my best guess (and also based on surviving examples).

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 15/10/2025

These were built by the City of Chicago in working class neighborhoods where a hot bath or shower wasn't guaranteed. The second-floor apartment was for the bath house attendant.

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

Scully Storage and Transfer Building over the years... 8105-8107 Skokie Highway. Rendering from irm-cta.org/NSL/Highball...

Rendering of a 1930 Skokie storage building, a Google photo from 2018 showing the same building worse for wear, and a 2025 Google photo showing the demolition site.

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 26/09/2025

Some 1960s Chicago townhouses. Top to bottom: Pei & Weese (1969), Anderson & Battles (1967), Keck & Keck (1969), Tigerman & Koglin (1964).

Color digital illustrations of four Chicago townhouses. Late modernist. Kinda angular. Originally published in the Ultra Local Geography Blog in 2019.

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

Pen drawings of Chicago substation stone details. Left is at 2950 E. 80th, and right is at 6910 N. Glenwood (now the Lifeline Theater).

Pointillist pen drawing of a Chicago electrical substation stone panel depicting a lightbulb with emanating rays.

Pointillist pen drawing of a Chicago electrical substation stone panel depicting four lightbulbs within a geometric grid, each emanating rays.

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

This 1977 CTA publicity shot may not have made Chicago transit look as welcoming as intended...

Chicago commuters waiting under a bus shelter at the Grand and Central overpass in 1977.

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 07/09/2025

Some mid-century homes in Chicago’s West Ridge neighborhood rendered in watercolor and ink.

Watercolor illustration of a small home.

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

Mid-century housing in Chicago's Rogers Park and West Ridge neighborhoods. Watercolor and pen. #chiarchitecture

Watercolor paintings of multi-family housing in Chicago's Rogers Park and West Ridge neighborhoods along N. Ridge Blvd.

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

I think your theory is a good one, but I can’t identify the architect/developer. These were first advertised along with a few others in the late 60s and early 70s. The most similar one remains at 856 W. Lill. A few others look like they were replaced or altered.

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 16/03/2025

Looks like an inexpensive version of the fortress townhouse! What street?

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 11/01/2025

If you see this, post something orange.

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Reposted by Larry Shure

Deigo @yodiegoyo.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

North Pulaski Fresh Market 3850 W North Ave Chicago

An oil painting of the side of a grocery store. The words Pulaski Market hang above a row of windows filled with advertisements for aguacate, queso, and corn chips. The front of a red pick is visible along the curb, and a man in an orange shirt stands on the roof of the entrance, doing some work on the building.

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Reposted by Larry Shure

Kathleen Conti @kathleenconti.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

Creating a Historic Preservation starterpack! Comment or DM to be added, or let me know if I missed anyone. go.bsky.app/D9w1NYJ

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 05/01/2025

I’m always reserving space at our library. Something about working in one of those fishbowl rooms keeps me honest.

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Reposted by Larry Shure

meg @siteations.bsky.social · 22/12/2024

Alright, finally making the leap... (pic to test/send holiday wishes.)

'warm wishes' written in the corner of a blue & white linework pattern of snow-day gear: puffy coats, sleds, hats, mittens, boots, hockey pads, ski's, coffee, bonfires, snowflakes, etc.

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 20/12/2024

The National Register nomination is basically 3 pages long! And zero historic images. Ah, the 1980s…

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 20/12/2024

That’s a great idea! Although it seems to me the Kleenex should always be coming out of a chimney.

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 19/12/2024

I just named a file "reversed floor plan probably not going to work out.psd." I guess I'm ready for the holiday break...

Partial elevation of the Forest Park Terminal in grey tones.

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 16/12/2024

CTA's "Aerial Galleria" considered in their 1974 Chicago Central Area Transit Plan. irm-cta.org/Documentatio...

Black and white rendering of a conceptual design to replace the Loop 'L' tracks with new tracks and structure combined with a partially enclosed pedestrian mall.

Architectural section drawing showing the configuration of the new tracks, stations, and pedestrian mall/mezzanine.

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Reposted by Larry Shure

Certified Illinois Expert @mrillinois.bsky.social · 16/12/2024

Stumbled upon a streamline utopia in Riverside yesterday. All these plus a couple more within about a block of each other. Had there not been a depression/war to interrupt housing construction, perhaps we’d have whole neighborhoods of these all over.

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Reposted by Larry Shure

Places Journal @placesjournal.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

"No other publication is grappling with the future of our cities with the depth + ambition of Places. On behalf of the Arts & Culture Program at Columbia Journalism School, I urge you to support this valuable publication and bolster independent cultural journalism on the highest level." —David Hajdu

placesjournal.org

Donate to Places Journal

Stand up for work that matters. Support public scholarship on the built environment today.

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

Probably. It was an inexpensive way to make a building a bit more imposing. But very susceptible to deterioration, so I’m sure many were lost or removed.

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

That’s a pretty unusual treatment in Chicago. There’s a similar false front at 1501 N. Milwaukee.

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

Not best practice. I’m guessing this is roofing material run up the back of the parapet and over the coping. It likely traps even more water in the brick…They could have just flashed under the coping to a drip edge at the back.

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 11/12/2024

Flatiron Buildings of Rogers Park, #3.

Aerial and perspective drawings of a triangular building in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood

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Reposted by Larry Shure

starch mogul @posts-cards.bsky.social · 11/12/2024

fingers crossed this is how the new chicago housing and economic development bond will work

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 09/12/2024

Flatiron buildings of Rogers Park, #2.

Pen drawings of aerial and perspective view of a triangular building in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago.

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 09/12/2024

This is the second time this project has initiated approvals and Class L funding…

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Reposted by Larry Shure

Chicago Tudor Revival AF @tudoraf.bsky.social · 08/12/2024

Such a nice day, I biked on California Ave. from Howard to 111th.🧵 with sights.

Color photo of one corner of intersection, featuring one-story postwar store building in golden brick.

Color photo of an intersection that Ts out in a cemetery entrance. Sign says Mount Olivet Cemetery.

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 09/12/2024

This is great! I remember a ‘zine on Kickstarter that planned to illustrate sites along Kedzie Ave., but was never completed. Still a good idea.

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Reposted by Larry Shure

Marc Fischer @marc-fischer.bsky.social · 07/12/2024

JOHNNIE ANDERSON'S BOTANY & ZOOLOGY DRAWINGS A recent drawing-focused publication from Public Collectors— dedicated to a young man's Botany and Zoology homework, circa 1931. This booklet is available for $13.00 here: halfletterpress.com/johnnie-ande... 15% off of that price through the end of 2024.

The cover of a booklet showing a careful ink drawing of a frog.

A pen and ink drawing showing the anatomy of a clam.

Pen and ink drawings showing the anatomy of a locust.

A pen and ink drawing showing the dorsal view of a crayfish.

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

Flatiron buildings of Rogers Park, #1.

Line drawings of a neighborhood intersection with aerial and perspective images.

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

The cold shock allows the driver to hang on to their sanity…

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

True! I’m surprised we’ve never run into each other in the wild.

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

Best of all, they found the design in one of those 1920s pattern books! Although I think they fiddled around with the details.

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Reposted by Larry Shure

Beautiful Women Updates @aoife.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

this is the laundromat where i found this sign complaining about a 9 year-old tax increase that happened 2 mayors ago

sign that says "due to mayor emanuel's ridiculous tax increases for sewer and water we are forced to raise our prices, sorry

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Reposted by Larry Shure

Marc Fischer @marc-fischer.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

Half Letter Press sale! Everything is 15% off for the rest of the year. You'll see the discount applied in your cart when you check out. Free shipping on U.S. orders of $40.00 or more. Get those fussy family members & friends the books and zines they need. halfletterpress.com/publications/

halfletterpress.com

Printed - Page 1 - Half Letter Presslockplus

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Reposted by Larry Shure

starch mogul @posts-cards.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

since there was nothing else on the internet about st. columbkille, decided i may as well write something up for anyone else who was wondering why Grand & Paulina feels so off (but obviously i had to put it in my cursed format) www.postcard-past.com/st-columbkil...

On the left, photo postcard of the church in black and white: stone, tower, three flats next door. On the right, photo: two story brick building with slightly spooky looking 1890s masonry school rising behind.

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Reposted by Larry Shure

Deigo @yodiegoyo.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

3624 W North Ave Chicago

A watercolor painting of Edie’s party liquors. Grey shingled eaves cast a slight shadow on the sign and the red brick below. The words “rentamos sillas mesas” are painted along the wall”

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Larry Shure @ultralocal1.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

Some cottages of Chicago. Still one of my favorite series!

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