History in Old Irving Park

Home of the Bulldogs, this high school at 3601 North Milwaukee Avenue was named for German-American soldier Carl Schurz, who advocated democracy in Germany.  The school opened in 1910, and its motto, "a block long and a world wide," reflects the school's diversity.  The school is considered  one of "150 great places in Illinois," according to the American Institute of Architects.  Here's a selection of its prestigious alumni:

William S. Paley, founder and chairman of CBS.

Marilyn Miglin, a famous cosmetics magnate and Chez Paree dancer, and the wife of Lee Miglin, who was brutally murdered by Andrew Cunanan.

Vincent Duvigneaud, 1955 Nobel Prize winner for Chemistry.

Harry M. Markowitz, 1900 Nobel Prize winner for Economics.

World-renowned children's book author Zena Sutherland.

Abram Nicholas Pritzker, the founder of one of the nation's largest family empires, including the Hyatt Corporation and the Marmon Group.

Sybil Bauer, an olympic gold medal swimmer who was the first woman to break a men's standing world record.

Terry McCann, who won a gold medal for wresting in 1960 and founded the U.S. Wrestling Federation.  

(And those are just the big guns.  For even more notable alumni, and so as not to exhaust the entire list, check out the Alumni Hall of Fame on the school's website.

This house is "one of the finest and most unusual queen anne-style houses in Irving Park," according to the city of Chicago's landmark designation report.  It was built in 1889 by architect Clarence Tabor for Charles N. Loucks, a real estate developer.  The house's most distinctive feature is its 2-1/2-story turret with numerous art-glass windows and an elliptical roof, according to the report.  The house was featured in Tabor's 1891 pattern book, "Tabor's Modern Homes."  "Pattern Book Architecture" was a popular practice in the late 19th century, and it multiplied the effectiveness of the architect.  Prospective home owners selected house plans via mail-order.  This house was designated as a landmark on October 8, 2008.

Richard Speck raped and murdered his way into Chicago (and world) history on the evening of July 13, 1966, when he strangled eight student nurses at a townhouse in Jeffrey Manor.  A ninth nurse managed to wiggle underneath a bed and evade detection.  Speck had served time in Dallas for forgery, then again for aggravated sexual assault, and was wanted on a burglary charge when he finally decided to skip town in March of 1966.  He initially returned to his rural childhood hometown in Monmouth, Illinois, but raped and robbed a 65 year-old woman not long after getting there.  A week later, a barmaid from a local Monmouth tavern was discovered dead in an empty hog house.  Speck moved to Chicago after an initial round of police questioning.  He ended up in the second-floor apartment rented by his sister and her family at 3966 North Avondale Avenue.  His brother-in-law attempted to find him work as a seaman, but things did not go well.  After a series of bad breaks, he went on another violent crime spree and ended up as one of the country’s most notorious mass murderers.  He was convicted and spent the remainder of his natural life in prison, where he consumed ample quantities of female hormones, grew breasts, served as a sex slave for other inmates.  Seriously.