Brewster Apartments - Chicago, IL
Posted by: libbykc
N 41° 55.968 W 087° 38.484
16T E 446824 N 4642514
In 1895, the original builder of this historic apartment building fell to his death while conducting an inspection. 118 years later, to the day, a water tank fell off the roof of the building, injuring three people.
Waymark Code: WM11X07
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 01/01/2020
Views: 3
At least one writer has reported an "overwhelming, nauseating feeling of dread," (despite not knowing the building's history) as he neared the upper floors of this building where the originally builder, Bjorn Edwards, fell to his death. (
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The building made the Chicago Tribunes list "Haunted Chicago: Places you didn't know were spooked." (
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From the book "Hidden History of Lincoln Park":
On July 31, 1895, Bjorn Edwards fell eight stories to his death while he was checking out the roof skylight of the Brewster Apartments--then known as the Lincoln Park Palace--at Diversey and Pine Grove. The publisher of the "American Contractor" trade paper was nearing realization of his dream of creating what he hoped would be the world's finest apartment building when he made that single misstep on a piece of loose scaffolding. Edwards was rushed to nearby Alexia Brothers Hospital, where he died about two hours later.
On July 31, 2013--exactly 118 years later to the very day--a century-old water tank fell off the roof of the Brewster building, seriously injuring three people on the parking lot below. The water tank--built directly over the penthouse where silent film star Charlie Chaplin reportedly lived while working at Essenay Studio in Uptown--fell into the parking lot around 10:00 a.m., which was the deadline for some residents of an adjoining building to move out.
Coincidentally, the Brewster was also where "Chucky," the homicidal doll, lived in the 1988 movie "Child's Play." During filming, crowds jammed Diversey and Pine Grove for the scenic where the devilish doll tossed a convincing-looking mannequin out of a window to certain death on Diversey.
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