Leonard’s Street Guide and Map of Chicago

Midcentury map and guidebook to the Windy City.

Leonard’s Street Guide to Chicago was first published locally by the Leonard Publishing Company in 1929. It was re-issued with periodic updates for the next few decades, and this example was likely printed in the early 1950s based on the labeled landmarks and street names.

The guidebook’s 40 pages offer a comprehensive list of streets, churches, transportation depots, public buildings, places of amusement, and other locations of interest. The large folding map in the back splits the city along Pershing Road and identifies the primary transit options (surface lines, elevated, subway, and motor coach routes) in bright red. Parks, boulevards, cemeteries, and other public outdoor spaces are shaded.