
FROM THE ARCHIVES - Chicago's Skid Row Flophouse Fires
From Chicago History Podcast by Chicago History Podcast
December 20, 2025 · 24 min
About this episode
This episode discusses the dangerous fires that occurred in Chicago's flophouses during the late 1940s and 1950s.
Send us Fan Mail In the late 1940s and well into the 1950s, Chicago was plagued by fires that had one key thing in common – they took place at often unsafe, threadbare hotels, injuring and even killing those who were already down on their luck. This is the story of Chicago’s Skid Row Flophouse Fires. Originally released in January 2022. Show some love for the podcast for the cost of a cup of coffee and help offset production costs: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory Up your cocktai...
People in this episode
Host: Chicago History Podcast
Topics covered
- fires
- Chicago history
- Skid Row
- flophouses
- safety
- true crime
Keywords
- Chicago
- Skid Row
- flophouse fires
- history
- true crime
- 1940s
- 1950s
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