The Loop

The ‘L’ Tracks That Shaped and Saved Chicago Patrick T. Reardon

“A deeply researched, briskly readable account of the life of Chicago grande dame Edith Rockefeller McCormick. . . . This is fascinating, stranger-thanfiction Chicago history, and a page-turner. Can’t wait for the miniseries it’s sure to inspire.”—

“It is an odd paradox that few Chicagoans would call the ‘L’ beautiful, yet we’re quite sure and happy that it defines the very essence of our town. It is a set of trains screeching overhead, yet also a place—the Loop!—and a state of mind. Now a superb reporter, Patrick T. Reardon, tells the full and fascinating story of how Chicago built the ‘L’ and how the ‘L’ built Chicago. Read this book on the ‘L’ and you might miss your stop.”—

Tom McNamee, editorial page editor of the Chicago Sun-Times

“‘Unusual woman’ is only a hint to whom readers will meet in the book. It is filled with family members and recipients of her patronage who have their own views of Edith and her spending. She acquired costly jewels and antiques but was also interested in affordable housing for young, first-time home buyers.”—Jodie Jacobs, Chicago Theater and Arts

Chicago’s quirky patron saint

The story of Edith Rockefeller McCormick, daughter of John D. Rockefeller, is that of a woman who strove for the independence to make her own choices. Rejecting the limited gender role carved out for her, she forged her own path, despite pushback from her family and ultimate financial ruin.

After marrying Harold McCormick, Edith spent lavishly. The couple purchased treasures like the jewels of Catherine the Great, entertained in their Chicago mansion, and helped found both the Chicago Grand Opera and the John R. McCormick Memorial Institute for Infectious Diseases. Societal and personal issues caused Edith to experience phobias and panic attacks. Dissatisfied with rest cures, she moved her family to Zurich and pursued analysis with then-unknown Carl Jung, becoming his leading patron. While in Europe she funded up-and-coming musicians, artists, and writers, including James Joyce as he wrote Ulysses. Later, in Chicago, Edith donated land for what would become Brookfield Zoo. Her unusual beliefs and pursuit of humanitarian goals ultimately provoked her family to cut her off financially.

Respectful and truthful, Ross presents the full arc of this amazing woman’s life and expertly explains Edith’s generosity, intelligence, and fierce determination to change the world.

Andrea Friederici Ross is the author of Let the Lions Roar! The Evolution of Brookfield Zoo. A native of the Chicago area and a graduate of Northwestern University, Ross works in a grade school library, where she encourages young readers to develop a lasting love of books.

Every day Chicagoans rely on the loop of elevated train tracks to get to their jobs, classrooms, or homes in the city’s downtown. But how much do they know about the single most important structure in the history of the Windy City? In engagingly brisk prose, Patrick T. Reardon unfolds the fascinating story about how Chicago’s elevated Loop was built, gave its name to the downtown, helped unify the city, saved the city’s economy, and was itself saved from destruction in the 1970s. This unique volume combines urban history, biography, engineering, architecture, transportation, culture, and politics to explore the elevated Loop’s impact on the city’s development and economy and on the way Chicagoans see themselves.

For more than three decades Patrick T. Reardon was an urban affairs writer, a feature writer, a columnist, and an editor for the Chicago Tribune. In 2000 he was one of a team of 50 staff members who won a Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting. Now a freelance writer and poet, he has contributed chapters to several books and is the author of Faith