Art Miller, Florist (signs of the times)
I have passed by and seen but not seen this sign thousands of times from the bus. Finally I noticed the exchange telephone number: FA4-4200.
All this time I never noticed the florist is gone, which is obvious. They moved in 2001.
Florist shop replanted
Art Miller’s Florist Shop, 1551 E. Hyde Park Blvd., a 50-year-plus tradition in Hyde Park, is budding all over with both new owners and a new location.
Don Eskra and Linda Wiening, who bought Miller’s last year, have swapped the shop’s beleagured location beneath the overpass on Hyde Park Boulevard for 1521 East 55th Street, a move that was not without its trials.
“Our phones were all messed up for about a week, and people thought that Art Miller’s had gone out of business,” Wiening said.
Eskra had previouslv owned a group of flower shops in Bridgeport that he sold for Art Miller’s.
Hyde Park Herald, June 13, 2001
7/20/2023 update: Someone in the Hyde Park group posted “Chicago Telephone Exchange Names.” FA was Fairfax.
I remember those overpasses. There was a tobacco store under the one at 53rd, now gone, as far as I can tell from Google Maps.
The 1955 list of recommended exchange names lists FAculty, FAirfax, and FAirview. FAculty would be a good one for a Hyde Park number.
I found a better photo on Flickr. The photographer says that little corner was built circa 1934. That sign’s in good shape given age and circumstances.
https://flic.kr/p/6boNsp