Reminiscing About 1130 South Michigan

My sister Susan and I have been reminiscing lately about her time living at 1130 South Michigan Avenue in Chicago. Susan rented a studio apartment on the 40th floor of that brand new high rise back in 1967.  The monthly rent was $146 per month, which shocked my parents and grandparents, who thought paying that amount was outrageous. After all, my Grandmother and Grandfather Spillard paid $70 a month for their spacious flat on East 85th Place on the south side of Chicago. After moving into her studio, Susan met her future husband George, who rented a studio on the 38th floor. After they got married, they rented a one bedroom apartment on the 24th floor, with a view of South Michigan Avenue and - if you turned your head to the left - Grant Park and Lake Michigan.  The photograph on the left shows a family gathering - I think it was George's birthday - in that 1 bedroom apartment around 1970. From left to right are my Uncle Bill (my mother's brother, in Chicago on a business trip from Cleveland), my father Nelson, brother-in-law George, and George's cousin Richard.

Meanwhile, my sister Susan and mother Mary were in the kitchen, looking at a long forgotten cookbook. Susan just loved her studio apartment, but she and George were never crazy about the 1 bedroom unit. Susan recently asked me to check on the cost to rent one of those studios these days, and I reported that you could get one on the 8th floor for $1,500, one for $1,700 on the 33rd, and God knows how much if her old unit was available on the 40th.  A long way from $146 a month.

Personally, I liked Susan's studio apartment best, too, but I still liked the view out of that 1 bedroom unit, as seen in the photograph on the left. Not only could you see Lake Michigan from the living room window, at night you could see the lights of South Michigan Avenue, and thanks to the giant Pepsi sign, you would always know the time and temperature.  Back then, South Michigan Avenue was a bit on the shabby side. These days, it has all been redeveloped, including a 76 story apartment building called NEMA, which is located approximately where the building with the Pepsi sign once was.  And if you want to check out more details about 1130 South Michigan, go to their official website at https://www.1130smichigan.com/.