Coca Cola Ghost Sign Reveals Andersonville's Past

Nikon D7000 w/ 16-85mm lens, 1/500sec at f8, ISO400. © Andy Marfia 2012 All Rights Reserved.

A recent building demolition on Clark Street in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood has revealed this long hidden ghost sign advertising Coca Cola for 5 Cents.  If you're wondering when Coke last cost 5 cents, NPR stepped in (entirely coincidentally) last week with a story explaining this exact question.  That was really nice of them!  It turns out it was about 70 years, from 1886 to 1959.


Nikon D7000 w/ 16-85mm lens, 1/800sec at f8, ISO400. © Andy Marfia 2012 All Rights Reserved.


Nikon D7000 w/ 16-85mm lens, 1/1250sec at f8, ISO400. © Andy Marfia 2012 All Rights Reserved.

Since taking these photos, this sign was featured on the Edgeville Buzz web site, and the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce posted a photo on their facebook page from the early 1900s.  They claim this sign was "painted and visible for some period between 1913-1919".  I love that it's been hidden all these years and likely no one even knew it was there, a piece of Andersonville history hiding behind a brick wall.  The developer who owns this land intends to build a four story building here-- hopefully they leave this sign intact so it can be revealed again in another hundred years.


Nikon D7000 w/ 16-85mm lens, 1/800sec at f8, ISO400. © Andy Marfia 2012 All Rights Reserved.

UPDATE AUGUST 2013: This ghost sign is now being bricked over.

Insert Evocative Ad Here + A Programming Note

Sometimes the absence of something is more interesting than what's there.  This shot was taken while crossing the Chicago River at Ashland and Webster St, near Chicago's Lincoln Park Neighborhood.

Also, I suppose this is as good a time as any to mention that I'm now tweeting.  If you've been following my blog, feel free to follow me on twitter as well.  Like most people's twitter accounts, I expect mine will be a combination of professional information (in this case photography related links and news) tweets alerting people when I've updated this blog or my flickr account, and likely the occasional witty aside about whatever is going on in my life at that moment.  I'm going to try and keep it as photography focused as possible, because god knows, I'm sure no one's interested in what kind of cereal I had for breakfast this morning.  (though it was totally Frosted Flakes).

To further facilitate Andy Marfia internet synergy, I've also added a twitter plug in on the right side of the page.

Photo Details: Nikon D7000 w/ 16-85mm lens, 1/500sec at f10, ISO200.