5100 N. MARINE DRIVE HISTORY

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Circa 1920's photo of beachfront where 5100 N. Marine Dr. is currently located. Thanks to resident Barry Gibbs for providing this photo.	Undated photo (probably 1920's) of "Winona Beach" where 5100 N. Marine Dr. is currently located. 5100 would be at the far end of the beach, just to the right of the 900 W. Winona Building.

To see the whole 1926 map of Chicago at the University of Chicago Library, click here.

The Lake Michigan lakeshore used to run along what is now Marine Drive.  The 1920's photo above left shows the lakefront beach where 5100 N. Marine Drive is currently located.  The short building in the background on the left is the 900/910 W. Winona St. courtyard building which was recently converted to condos directly west of our building.  The taller building on the right is the Admiral retirement home, which was then a hotel and was demolished in 2008.  The current park east of Marine Drive to the current lakeshore is all landfill.  The undated color photo above right, probably also from the 1920's, shows the same "Winona Beach" scene looking from the south.  The lakefront had already been landfilled by 1938 The map at right is from a 1926 map called "Chicago's Gangland."  It shows the lakefront just east of Sheridan Rd.  The map also shows where 5100 N. Marine Dr. is now was part of an area marked "Hotel Coast" and was just north of an area marked "Bright Light Area" because of all the theater and entertainment establishments in the area.  "Gambling" is shown in the area of Lawrence and Broadway Avenues. Additional photos below are from the 1930's and 1940's of the neighborhood surrounding 5100.  From the collection of the Illinois Dept. of Transportation housed at the U of I at Chicago.  Click here to see more old photos of Sheridan Rd. intersections.

Construction of our 300-unit building was completed around May 1970 and occupancy began shortly thereafter.  Our building was a rental property until it was converted to condominiums in late-Summer of 1979 by developer Robert Sheridan & Partners. Problems with water infiltration through the original windows and new roof membrane became apparent not long after the conversion.  The Board of Directors of 5100 negotiated a settlement with the developer whereby the developer deeded its parking lot property on Winona St. to the our Association in return for dropping all claims for damages against the developer.  That parking lot has since been used by our Association to park an additional 64 cars, bringing the total number of parking spaces at 5100 to 210. After an affirmative vote by more than two-thirds of unit owners, the original windows were replaced with new thermally-insulated windows with low-emissity glass coatings in 1990.  The project included covering the exterior spandrel walls (the short walls below the windows), replacing the defective roof membrane with a new roof membrane, and painting the building exterior with a Parex material for further protection against the elements. In 1993, the lobby, hospitality room, hallways, and manager's office were all redecorated. In 1997, the Board of Directors decided to replace the spandrel walls in the northeast corner of the building. In 2001/02, the exterior concrete surfaces of the building were repaired as needed and the building was repainted. In 2006/07, the lobby, hospitality room, and hallways were extensively redecorated. In 2010/11, the elevators were renovated with new electronics and mechanicals, and an emergency communication system was installed to comply with a City ordinance requirement. ====================================================