called the Wells-Grand Hotel that also served as a meeting place for people from all walks of life. Terkel credited his understanding of humanity and social interaction to the tenants and visitors who gathered in the lobby there and the people who congregated in nearby Bughouse Square.

In 1939, he married Ida Goldberg (1912-1999), and the couple had one son. Although he received his undergraduate degree in 1932 and a J.D. degree from the University of Chicago