History”'s woven web: “Newspapers are the first rough DRAFT of history.”
BY HARVEY WINJE
Cathy”'s Grade ”˜A”' Café, mentioned in Donna Neste”'s tribute to Wizard Marks, was a storefront in a corner building at 25th and Chicago Avenue designed by Alexander, Fraser, Rose””Architect and built by Simonson Construction Company for Dr. Olaf A. Olson who lived on the same block in a beautiful house on a double lot with a small orchard and garden at 2516 Chicago Avenue. Project for Pride in Living bought the house for an office, tool library, and headquarters in the late 1970s during which time an Alley Newspaper Office was there while Luke Longstreet Sullivan, a Vista Volunteer, was Editor of 7 issues from May to December 1977. PPL sold the double lot and house with three garages and at least two other lots and houses to a developer amassing all of the properties on the block to sell surreptitiously to Children”'s Hospital because it violated a Covenant between the hospital and the Community.
Within the 96′ x 60′ 1925 corner storefronts building was a National Tea Grocery Store, small dry cleaner”'s shop, Supplee”'s Pharmacy (note: pharmacies also at 27th and Chicago and Chicago and Franklin), Ben”'s Barber Shop, and Speed”'s Dairy store.
Alley Editor, Harvey Winje, had his first paid job besides snow shoveling as an 11 year old in 1951 at the Chicago Avenue Eat Shop that replaced the pharmacy counter with a short-order counter after Supplee Pharmacy closed. Susan Gust, Harvey”'s partner and wife, worked there when it was Rollie”'s Café in 1973.
The storefronts changed in subsequent years until a fire destroyed the building following the devastation of the remainder of the block that was demolished by Children”'s Hospitals followed by the demolition of Messiah Church in August of 2018 (see front page this issue).
