“Chicago has a strange metaphysical elegance of death about it.” –Claes Oldenburg

chicagocrimescenes.com

Documenting Chicago's colorful and dark history of crime, this site was undertaken as a visual preservation initiative. Many of the buildings relevant to this villainous past have been destroyed or have changed dramatically. It is my intention to photograph as much of it as possible before any more of it is lost forever.

The brief descriptions for each photograph are researched from many different sources, even occasionally gleaned from stories old timers have told me over the years. Any additions or corrections are very welcome.

If you'd like to explore Chicago's crime history even further I highly recommend The Chicago Crime Scene Project chicagocrimescenes.blogspot.com/ by Todd Kendall (similar site name but no relation to my site) and Al Capone's Museum (www.myalcaponemuseum.com/.) Also, Richard Lindberg's "Return To The Scene Of The Crime," "Return Again To The Scene Of The Crime," Bryan Burrough's "Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933–34" and "Killer Clown: The John Wayne Gacy Murders" by Terri Sullivan.