Then And Now: Daley Plaza, Washington, Dearborn

By John Dodge

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A long time before there was the Picasso, or even a Mayor Daley, the corner of Washington and Dearborn was a bustling business district.

In this undated photo (above/below), which appears to be more than 100 years old, that area on the right is now Daley Plaza.

The horses and carts are parked on Washington Street. The photo was taken from Dearborn, looking west down Washington.

Back then, it was home to a dentist, a printer and a sewing machine shop.

Credit: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library. "Washington Street looking west from Dearborn Street."

Now, it is a public gathering place, with the abstract, steel sculpture by Pablo Picasso as the main attraction. The photographer of the historic photo was standing just outside what is now the broadcast studio for WBBM-TV.

View of Washington Street, from the CBS 2 broadcast center. (CBS)

Washington Street
Daley Plaza