05/22/2026
What’s up with Chicago’s sidewalk stamps?
Some keen-eyed Chicagoans have found sidewalk stamps that date back to 1904, like one that reads “Young and Olmsted” in the Rogers Park neighborhood. Another, on the 7000 block of N. Hamilton Ave., reads “Arthur Bairstow” from 1906.
At the turn of the 20th century, local U.S. governments made it a requirement for sidewalk contractors to sign their work. And Chicago’s municipal code still requires it so the city knows who did the (good or bad) job.
While many sidewalk stamps today are dated within the last 50 years, some read “WPA 1938,” which stands for the Works Progress Administration, a depression era workforce program.
If you see WPA sidewalk stamps today, a bridge or overpass has likely protected it from the elements, or it’s on a less trodden path. Unlike the writing, murals and propaganda posters created by artists of the WPA, the city of Chicago does not preserve sidewalk stamps. The history they symbolize is lost with each new sidewalk installed in their place.
Story by Erin Allen
Video by /Sun-Times (edited)
