Pete Kastanes, chronicler of "Vanished Chicagoland," dies at 62
Pete Kastanes, an amateur Chicago historian who ran the Vanished Chicagoland social media pages and hosted a podcast on the topic, died last week.
Kastanes' family said in a published obituary that he died Friday, April 25. He was 62.
An Oak Lawn native, Kastanes attended Koraes Greek Elementary School and Bogan High School, according to his obituary. He graduated from DeVry University and worked for American Express Travel.
After departing his American Express Travel job, his family wrote, Kastanes found his calling as he launched the Vanished Chicagoland social media brand. He wrote that it all started just by noticing how many beloved Chicago businesses that were no longer around had tribute pages on Facebook.
Kastanes wrote that he launched his first Facebook page in 2011, as a tribute to a record store he remembered called Kroozin' Music II on 79th Street in the Ashburn neighborhood.
In 2012, Kastanes launched the Chicago Extinct Businesses Facebook page. The page drew attention from the now-defunct news publication DNAinfo in 2014, and its popularity skyrocketed afterward, Kastanes wrote.
"Pretty soon, more articles were written about me," Kastanes wrote. "I have been interviewed on the radio a few times, and that was pretty awesome."
Kastanes became known as an expert on every aspect of Chicago's past — often integrating his own experiences growing up into his local history stories.
"Fans of Vanished Chicagoland couldn't wait for Pete's next post or podcast covering pizzerias, toy stores, concert halls, and other nostalgic gems of a past era," Kastanes' family wrote. "With just a few clicks, visitors were magically transported to a Chicago they fondly remembered and wanted to know more about."
On the Vanished Chicagoland Facebook page, Kastanes displayed historic Chicago photos, products, and advertisements — particularly for local television programming. On his accompanying blog, Kastanes would post detailed firsthand memories of visiting Wieboldt's department stores as a boy, or watching CBS Chicago talk show host Lee Phillip on TV.
Kastanes also recalled his family's experiences during history-making Chicago incidents and events, such as the Blizzard of 1967 — still the recordholder with 23 inches. Kastanes wrote his only memory from being 3 years old at the time was looking out the living room window of his family's South Shore home and seeing only white. But he wrote that his family ended up stuck.
"My mother didn't leave the apartment for a week and a half. She couldn't go to the laundry room in the basement, because the porches and stairs leading to it were covered with heavy snow. That was the only way to go there," Kastanes wrote. "My Mom said she washed our clothes and diapers in the bathtub and the sinks. Fortunately, she had plenty of soap on hand."
Kastanes went on to launch a podcast where he homed in on all different beloved past pieces of Chicago culture, from the shuttle bus to the Ford City mall to Salerno and Maurice Lenell cookies, and even annual local broadcasts of "The Cinnamon Bear" holiday radio serial, which dates back to 1937.
Kastanes would answer questions and share others' stories too.
What turned out to be Kastanes' last podcast, posted March 1, honored Izzy Rizzy's House of Tricks, a magic and novelty shop formerly located at 6034 S. Pulaski Rd. The podcast also showcased a 1960s-era menu from George Diamond Charcoal Broiled Steaks.
"His passion, craftsmanship, and flair for overseeing Vanished Chicagoland were unmatched," Kastanes' family wrote.
Kastanes had been candid on social media about his battle with cancer.
Visitation for Kastanes is set for Thursday, with a funeral service to follow on Friday.
