Friday, February 27, 2004
A meeting
Not sure who's reading this weblog, but if anyone in the area is interested in getting together to talk about Uptown/Ravenswood and see if anything comes out of it, email me at johnhonkala @yahoo.com
Getting Cubs tickets is impossible this year. I've been in front of the computer and on the phone for almost six hours and I've got nothing. Just watching the list of sold-out games grow and grow.
Not sure who's reading this weblog, but if anyone in the area is interested in getting together to talk about Uptown/Ravenswood and see if anything comes out of it, email me at johnhonkala @yahoo.com
Getting Cubs tickets is impossible this year. I've been in front of the computer and on the phone for almost six hours and I've got nothing. Just watching the list of sold-out games grow and grow.
Thursday, February 26, 2004
Kohls?!
The Tribune reports today (or yesterday for those of you who are keeping tack) that Kohls is jumping on the "let's build stores in *underserved* urban areas" bandwagon. This trend is an awful one. People move to Chicago in part because they're attracted to life without these one-stop big box stores. A Kohls? Sheesh. Ain't nothing Chicago about that.
The Tribune reports today (or yesterday for those of you who are keeping tack) that Kohls is jumping on the "let's build stores in *underserved* urban areas" bandwagon. This trend is an awful one. People move to Chicago in part because they're attracted to life without these one-stop big box stores. A Kohls? Sheesh. Ain't nothing Chicago about that.
Wednesday, February 25, 2004
Harold's Chicken Shack
Finally ate at Harold's Chicken Shack down in Hyde Park. Four seventy for half a chicken, fries, and two pieces of Wonder Bread. You get two choices, hot or barbeque sauce. Fried chicken is one of my favorite meals and Harold's may be my new favorite place to get it.
There are like five of them on the South Side. Apparently there used to be one at Lawrence and Sheridan that closed like ten years ago.
Man, that sucks.
Finally ate at Harold's Chicken Shack down in Hyde Park. Four seventy for half a chicken, fries, and two pieces of Wonder Bread. You get two choices, hot or barbeque sauce. Fried chicken is one of my favorite meals and Harold's may be my new favorite place to get it.
There are like five of them on the South Side. Apparently there used to be one at Lawrence and Sheridan that closed like ten years ago.
Man, that sucks.
Funny this was in the Business section ...
The New York Times wrote up the Borders development at Lawrence and Broadway, along with a new Borders in my other favorite city, Detroit.
Here's an excerpt, followed by a link to the full article:
"The Chicago project, called Uptown Square, is also an attempt to bring retail life to a blighted commercial district. Situated in Uptown, a North Side neighborhood that has resisted gentrification for many years, it consists of three buildings, two of them existing and one new, totaling about 80,000 square feet at the intersection of Broadway Street and Lawrence Avenue.
Both of the older buildings - one, in neo-Classical style, originally housed a bank; the other is a terra cotta department store - date from the early decades of the last century. Both have been vacant for many years.
The project has about 40,000 square feet of retail space, with Borders taking 25,000 square feet for its store, which will open in April.
The project also has 33 condominiums, 8 of them earmarked for residents who earn 60 to 80 percent of the area's median income.
The developer of the project is Joseph Freed & Associates of Palatine, Ill., a company that until recently was known mainly for constructing mixed-use downtown revitalization projects in the Chicago suburbs. "
The article.
I have my opinions on this, but I'll save 'em for now.
The New York Times wrote up the Borders development at Lawrence and Broadway, along with a new Borders in my other favorite city, Detroit.
Here's an excerpt, followed by a link to the full article:
"The Chicago project, called Uptown Square, is also an attempt to bring retail life to a blighted commercial district. Situated in Uptown, a North Side neighborhood that has resisted gentrification for many years, it consists of three buildings, two of them existing and one new, totaling about 80,000 square feet at the intersection of Broadway Street and Lawrence Avenue.
Both of the older buildings - one, in neo-Classical style, originally housed a bank; the other is a terra cotta department store - date from the early decades of the last century. Both have been vacant for many years.
The project has about 40,000 square feet of retail space, with Borders taking 25,000 square feet for its store, which will open in April.
The project also has 33 condominiums, 8 of them earmarked for residents who earn 60 to 80 percent of the area's median income.
The developer of the project is Joseph Freed & Associates of Palatine, Ill., a company that until recently was known mainly for constructing mixed-use downtown revitalization projects in the Chicago suburbs. "
The article.
I have my opinions on this, but I'll save 'em for now.
Thursday, February 19, 2004
The old Rainbo site and future of Clark St. in Uptown
I’ve found some information on the old Rainbo site.
Some history
Over a century old at the time of its demolition, the Rainbo was one of Chicago’s more storied and lively buildings. At various times throughout the 20th century, the building housed a jazz club, a garden café, jai alai courts, boxing rings, a bowling alley, roller and ice skating rinks, and a rock venue. The Rainbo was also, from what I understand, the target of many Prohibition-era raids, some of them successful enough to temporarily shut it down.
Once a venue for some of Chicago’s jazz greats, the Rainbo had recently fallen on hard times as entertainment districts sprung up in other areas of the city and Uptown fell into a period of poverty from which it is just today emerging. When the historic building was finally torn down last December it was still hosting roller skating, although I don’t believe it was very successful.
The Rainbo’s future
Unfortunately, it’s difficult to find much information on development projects in Chicago (and elsewhere). Because development deals generally happen out of the public eye and are typically directed by private developers with a few government mandates, we don’t really get much input into how (or if) sites should be developed. Here’s what I’ve been able to find out about the new development on the old Rainbo site:
For the first time in over a hundred years, the site will be mostly a residential one. However, the development is supposed to be mixed use. The proposed site plan calls for 15,000 square feet of commercial space to go along with 127 condos. All the commercial space is on the first level along Clark Street. (This I appreciate. Too often these days developers build condos along major streets and don’t allow for commercial space on the ground level. Huzzah for mixed-use development!)
The façade of the building, which you can view at the bottom of this page, seems to be an amalgamation of traditional North Side residential buildings (ie. red and brown brick) and some sort of contemporary model whose name I don’t know. Regardless, it looks like it’ll have aluminum wall paneling and steel balconies. (I suppose this design works, but it’s not my favorite. Since it’s across the street from St. Boniface cemetery, I think there’s leeway here to do something really interesting and cool. The new design does neither.)
Only 13 of the 127 condos will be set aside for low-income renters. (Huh? That’s all?)
The development will have 165 parking spaces.
The new development will have an inner courtyard a la the old Rainbo Gardens. Developers have promised to incorporate portions of the old façade into the courtyard architecture. (I guess that’s the best we can hope for, since they couldn’t be bothered with preserving the whole thing.)
The developers are based in Skokie. Metropolitan Development Enterprises.
The future of Clark Street in North Uptown
Along with the condo site at Leland and Clark (about which I still can’t find any information), the new Rainbo Homes project could radically change the stretch of Clark from Montrose to Ainslie. All those new residents are going to make the area, which has plenty of available empty retail space and shops (like the wonderful Locksmith Service Co. at 4637 N. Clark) that can be easily pushed out by Wal-Marts et al, desirable to new businesses.
From the looks of it, the new developers are trying to attract middle- to upper-income residents, which means that we can expect a Starbucks near Clark and Lawrence sometime in the near future. Now, one Starbucks does not a gentrified neighborhood make, but rarely does the redevelopment stop there. New residents don’t like homeless people asking them for change, so they turn their resources toward getting rid of them. Local bars are flooded with weekend warrior-types, local ethnic restaurants are pared down to only a few, the poorest locals are pushed out, old structures are torn down to make way for more contemporary and cleaner ones, et cetera. Pretty soon, we’ve got a Lincoln Park on our hands. Lincoln Park, by the way, wasn’t so different from Uptown 30 years ago.
Of course, Uptown could use some revitalization. Abandoned buildings, beautiful or not, don’t do anything for the area. Neither do trash-littered streets or crime. The thing is, these things can be turned around without sacrificing the integrity of the neighborhood or pushing out locals. It takes planning, though, and if we let developers decide the course of the neighborhood, most of us will not be pleased with the results. Every neighborhood doesn’t have to appear nice and shiny and sleek. Uptown right now has some of the most gorgeous buildings and homes in the city. (Walk down Beacon south of Lawrence, for example—it’s stunning.)
I’m pleased that the empty lot at Clark and Leland will be developed. I’m disappointed and frustrated to see the Rainbo crumble. It’ll be interesting to see where the neighborhood is in five years. Let’s hope it won’t have gone to the developers.
I’ve found some information on the old Rainbo site.
Some history
Over a century old at the time of its demolition, the Rainbo was one of Chicago’s more storied and lively buildings. At various times throughout the 20th century, the building housed a jazz club, a garden café, jai alai courts, boxing rings, a bowling alley, roller and ice skating rinks, and a rock venue. The Rainbo was also, from what I understand, the target of many Prohibition-era raids, some of them successful enough to temporarily shut it down.
Once a venue for some of Chicago’s jazz greats, the Rainbo had recently fallen on hard times as entertainment districts sprung up in other areas of the city and Uptown fell into a period of poverty from which it is just today emerging. When the historic building was finally torn down last December it was still hosting roller skating, although I don’t believe it was very successful.
The Rainbo’s future
Unfortunately, it’s difficult to find much information on development projects in Chicago (and elsewhere). Because development deals generally happen out of the public eye and are typically directed by private developers with a few government mandates, we don’t really get much input into how (or if) sites should be developed. Here’s what I’ve been able to find out about the new development on the old Rainbo site:
For the first time in over a hundred years, the site will be mostly a residential one. However, the development is supposed to be mixed use. The proposed site plan calls for 15,000 square feet of commercial space to go along with 127 condos. All the commercial space is on the first level along Clark Street. (This I appreciate. Too often these days developers build condos along major streets and don’t allow for commercial space on the ground level. Huzzah for mixed-use development!)
The façade of the building, which you can view at the bottom of this page, seems to be an amalgamation of traditional North Side residential buildings (ie. red and brown brick) and some sort of contemporary model whose name I don’t know. Regardless, it looks like it’ll have aluminum wall paneling and steel balconies. (I suppose this design works, but it’s not my favorite. Since it’s across the street from St. Boniface cemetery, I think there’s leeway here to do something really interesting and cool. The new design does neither.)
Only 13 of the 127 condos will be set aside for low-income renters. (Huh? That’s all?)
The development will have 165 parking spaces.
The new development will have an inner courtyard a la the old Rainbo Gardens. Developers have promised to incorporate portions of the old façade into the courtyard architecture. (I guess that’s the best we can hope for, since they couldn’t be bothered with preserving the whole thing.)
The developers are based in Skokie. Metropolitan Development Enterprises.
The future of Clark Street in North Uptown
Along with the condo site at Leland and Clark (about which I still can’t find any information), the new Rainbo Homes project could radically change the stretch of Clark from Montrose to Ainslie. All those new residents are going to make the area, which has plenty of available empty retail space and shops (like the wonderful Locksmith Service Co. at 4637 N. Clark) that can be easily pushed out by Wal-Marts et al, desirable to new businesses.
From the looks of it, the new developers are trying to attract middle- to upper-income residents, which means that we can expect a Starbucks near Clark and Lawrence sometime in the near future. Now, one Starbucks does not a gentrified neighborhood make, but rarely does the redevelopment stop there. New residents don’t like homeless people asking them for change, so they turn their resources toward getting rid of them. Local bars are flooded with weekend warrior-types, local ethnic restaurants are pared down to only a few, the poorest locals are pushed out, old structures are torn down to make way for more contemporary and cleaner ones, et cetera. Pretty soon, we’ve got a Lincoln Park on our hands. Lincoln Park, by the way, wasn’t so different from Uptown 30 years ago.
Of course, Uptown could use some revitalization. Abandoned buildings, beautiful or not, don’t do anything for the area. Neither do trash-littered streets or crime. The thing is, these things can be turned around without sacrificing the integrity of the neighborhood or pushing out locals. It takes planning, though, and if we let developers decide the course of the neighborhood, most of us will not be pleased with the results. Every neighborhood doesn’t have to appear nice and shiny and sleek. Uptown right now has some of the most gorgeous buildings and homes in the city. (Walk down Beacon south of Lawrence, for example—it’s stunning.)
I’m pleased that the empty lot at Clark and Leland will be developed. I’m disappointed and frustrated to see the Rainbo crumble. It’ll be interesting to see where the neighborhood is in five years. Let’s hope it won’t have gone to the developers.
Monday, February 16, 2004
Sheesh...I'm behind
I'm doing my best to find information on the new condo developments on the former Rainbo Bowl site (Clark and Lawrence) and at Clark and Leland. I should have something to say by Wednesday. Although not as major as the Borders/condos development at Lawrence and Broadway, I think these developments could really have a huge affect on the face of Uptown. Which face depends on how they're developed.
I'm doing my best to find information on the new condo developments on the former Rainbo Bowl site (Clark and Lawrence) and at Clark and Leland. I should have something to say by Wednesday. Although not as major as the Borders/condos development at Lawrence and Broadway, I think these developments could really have a huge affect on the face of Uptown. Which face depends on how they're developed.
Wednesday, February 11, 2004
We chose "juicy lime" for the bathroom
I've been busy painting the apartment all week. Will post again once I get the paint out from under my nails and a newspaper in my hand.
I've been busy painting the apartment all week. Will post again once I get the paint out from under my nails and a newspaper in my hand.
Friday, February 06, 2004
Tax refunds
From the latest newsletter of community organizing group Association of Communities Organizing for Reform Now (ACORN):
"ACORN is demanding that H&R Block put an end to their aggressive marketing and sales of high-cost tax Refund Anticipation Loans or RALs in our neighborhoods, particularly to low-income families eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit. In 2001, H&R Block sold 43% of all RALs in the country, dominating the market."
These types of loans prey on people unaware that they can file their taxes electronically and receive refunds within a few weeks, or that they are eligible for free tax services. Charging people up to two hundred dollars for this underhanded service is crass.
Sign a petition telling H&R Block that you disapprove of their lending practices at www.dontbeablockblockhead.com.
From the latest newsletter of community organizing group Association of Communities Organizing for Reform Now (ACORN):
"ACORN is demanding that H&R Block put an end to their aggressive marketing and sales of high-cost tax Refund Anticipation Loans or RALs in our neighborhoods, particularly to low-income families eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit. In 2001, H&R Block sold 43% of all RALs in the country, dominating the market."
These types of loans prey on people unaware that they can file their taxes electronically and receive refunds within a few weeks, or that they are eligible for free tax services. Charging people up to two hundred dollars for this underhanded service is crass.
Sign a petition telling H&R Block that you disapprove of their lending practices at www.dontbeablockblockhead.com.
We heart Chicago
One thing about Chicago that sets it apart from nearly every other city I've lived in or spent quality time in: we Chicagoans are proud of our city. I rarely hear people complaining about how they live in a lame city or how such and such city is so much cooler. In fact, we usually get a little indignant at that kind of talk. We think our city's the best (thus, the name of this blog).
One thing about Chicago that sets it apart from nearly every other city I've lived in or spent quality time in: we Chicagoans are proud of our city. I rarely hear people complaining about how they live in a lame city or how such and such city is so much cooler. In fact, we usually get a little indignant at that kind of talk. We think our city's the best (thus, the name of this blog).
Wednesday, February 04, 2004
Happy Birthday, Mr. Vice President
It's Dan Quayle's birthday. Don't ask why I know this. I just do.
Really, I feel sorry for the man. Spelling "potato" wrong means nothing, ultimately. 'Specially compared to our current president's screw ups.
Ah, well.
I endorse an amalgation of Al Sharpton and Dennis Kucinich in the Democratic primaries. That seems like it'd do the trick.
Call of duty
My friend Josh --a teacher-- has a brilliant idea to make communities and schools better: adopt the jury duty idea and make tutoring mandatory for adults with children. It makes a ton of sense. Require parents to take a few evenings out of the year to teach whatever they can in their local school districts. Get Congress to compensate employers at least a bit and make it mandatory. That way parents understand what teachers go through on a daily basis while teaching valuable lessons to students after school. Students, then, are exposed to really interesting lessons and/or help with classwork and parents become more connected to their community. I'm simplifying this, I know, and likely selling it short. But I haven't heard a more original and wonderful idea in a while.
Imagine the millages that would be passed!
My friend Josh --a teacher-- has a brilliant idea to make communities and schools better: adopt the jury duty idea and make tutoring mandatory for adults with children. It makes a ton of sense. Require parents to take a few evenings out of the year to teach whatever they can in their local school districts. Get Congress to compensate employers at least a bit and make it mandatory. That way parents understand what teachers go through on a daily basis while teaching valuable lessons to students after school. Students, then, are exposed to really interesting lessons and/or help with classwork and parents become more connected to their community. I'm simplifying this, I know, and likely selling it short. But I haven't heard a more original and wonderful idea in a while.
Imagine the millages that would be passed!
