Cruising the Strip

Ogden Avenue was designed for automobiles when the car was central to American culture, with a wide street, drive-through businesses, and convenient parking serving travelers and residents alike. Drive-in restaurants, service stations, and auto dealerships sprang up along Ogden to cater to a mobile society, and drive-ins such as Mac’s in Berwyn became popular hangouts for young people cruising the strip; in 1957, patrons could buy eight burgers for $1. After World War II, new cars flooded the market, and teenagers, a new term in the 1950s, embraced car culture as rock music, movies, and drag racing romanticized cars, individualism, and rebellion. Ogden Avenue had served drivers since its earliest days: the Hendry Sinclair Station at Ogden and Harlem offered 24-hour service as early as 1932, and White Castle on the same corner was open for a fast burger in 1939.

Berwyn, Illinois · United States