CHICAGO | General Developments

[VivaLFuego]

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=...3773&encType=1
This was formerly a large technical school. It has some pretty impressive details, like these giant stone(-looking) eagles. There is demolition scaffolding up around it, so I suspect it's coming down.

Anyone know anything about this? honte? Question still stands in re: Edgewater Medical Center, as well.

[honte]

^ Yes, that is the Schmidt, Garden and Martin-designed factory that was later turned into a high school. LPCI (now LI) has been fighting for it for years. I think Preservation Chicago tried as well.

Thank Alderman Ed Smith for this. He insisted on a new high-school, which is being built down the street. He also insisted that they get rid of the old one, and wouldn't hear anything about reuse. The old building - already adapted once in its lifetime, evidence that it could easily be artists' lofts, yuppie lofts, low-income housing, uh, a factory, you name it. This could have been a major shot in the arm for the struggling Franklin Boulevard area. Instead, it will become... drum roll.... you guessed it, the school parking lot!! In an area with vacant lots every block!! Haha, wow, that's rich.

The building absolutely has some interesting details. It has the "hollyhock motif" on it that FLW made famous in LA, but this building predates FLW's California work. It's also an incredibly modern design for its day overall, with Chicago School expression and rather "European avant-garde" massing.

Last, there was a very impressive Modernist addition on the west side of the building.

Take a good last look. This and the old Washburne Trade school demolition are both incredibly sad and wasteful. To think, this massive building will be torn down, less than 8 blocks from the Center for Green Technology.

_____________

I was hoping someone would know more than me about the Edgewater site. It's been closed for years, as I remember. I heard some things about redevelopment a while back, but I don't know anything concrete. I always figured a developer would rework it somehow, since the building there is so much larger than they could get away with nowadays. Same for the Ravenswood hospital.

[Mr Downtown]

That's Westinghouse HS, which was built as Bunte Bros. Candy Co., 1921, Schmidt, Garden & Martin.

When the new high school is finished, the current building is to be demolished for parking and athletic fields. Landmarks Illinois put it on their Chicagoland Watch List for 2005-06.

[honte]

Originally Posted by Abner

I think the problem is the distribution of parks and park facilities. Many of the large boulevard parks are in underpopulated neighborhoods and difficult to access from heavily populated ones, or are seen as too dangerous. Furthermore, the big parks are broken up by streets running through them, making them seem more like large clusters of small parks (surrounded by motorists who drive too fast through the park). And park facilities, particularly playgrounds, can be in extremely short supply, leading to such things as waiting lines for swingsets. A large park is not really a substitute for equivalent acreage of neighborhood parks distributed over a larger area.

Of course, Chicago is known for spending more on its parks than any other city despite not having that many acres per capita, so your maintenance issues are a matter of distribution as well. It is kind of disheartening to see the almost militant upkeep and lavish landscaping of Grant Park when the trash in the lagoon in Garfield Park can go seemingly for weeks without being touched.

You make some very good points. The only question I would raise - and no, I'm not trying to be a brat: Shouldn't the city redirect its policy to encourage more people to live near our existing facilities rather than allow overdevelopment of certain areas that are lacking?

[Abner]

Originally Posted by honte

You make some very good points. The only question I would raise - and no, I'm not trying to be a brat: Shouldn't the city redirect its policy to encourage more people to live near our existing facilities rather than allow overdevelopment of certain areas that are lacking?

Well, I'm quite sure that if the city were capable of replacing the current population of West Garfield Park with one that would make full use of the facilities there, it would already be doing so. In any case, I think the decision to target an area for development relies on many more factors than park acreage. If I were to speculate about why some neighborhoods near the large parks remain depopulated and dangerous despite their amenities, I would guess that it is in part because the first movers in gentrification--artists and students--make less use of park facilities and are unlikely to base their choice of residence on their availability. And now you have people in Logan Square grumbling about having to go to Humboldt Park to get some exercise, but they're still not going to move to Humboldt Park.

Anyway, River North is going to develop further no matter what, so I'm sure an additional block of parkland there would be welcome; I'm just saying that people there are more likely to be able to go over to the lake or one of the nearby parks (or the gym, for that matter) than people in other neighborhoods.

[honte]

Originally Posted by Abner

Well, I'm quite sure that if the city were capable of replacing the current population of West Garfield Park with one that would make full use of the facilities there, it would already be doing so. In any case, I think the decision to target an area for development relies on many more factors than park acreage.

Sure, actually my comment related to more than just parks. The point is that the development is clustering in certain areas, which is normal, but we have an odd situation where city amenities are spread throughout the city and many are under-used. Roads, parks, libraries, whatever. Of course, there isn't a whole lot one can do about it. But it is curious that we have great parks floundering while people want to tear down perfectly functional public facilities such as the post office for more park space.

In any case, good points, and I don't disagree with putting a park in River North.

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

That's Westinghouse HS, which was built as Bunte Bros. Candy Co., 1921, Schmidt, Garden & Martin.

When the new high school is finished, the current building is to be demolished for parking and athletic fields. Landmarks Illinois put it on their Chicagoland Watch List for 2005-06.

^ If there is any consilation in the PBC's description of the project for Honte, perhaps it's the fact that the original school's demo is taking place to accommodate more than just a parking lot:

"Subsequent work will include the demolishing of the the existing building to provide additional parking for 45 vehicles and an outdoor athletic complex consisting of 3 tennis courts, soccer/football stadium, and an 8-lane running track."

[honte]

^ Sure, thanks. But actually, that makes it more annoying to me, since those uses didn't require a huge chunk of land. They could have been split up and could have consumed some vacant lots, perhaps in different parcels. Oh well.

The track needs considerable land, yes, but I'd rather even see it in the boulevard (which is pretty ratty) than the outcome we have here.

[Mr Downtown]

I was stuck making small talk with Ald. Smith for a half-hour last week (he's running for Recorder of Deeds). I vaguely knew the WHS problem was aldermanic opposition, but I wish I'd made the connection so I could have made that seem like a worrisome problem with his candidacy.

[VivaLFuego]

Originally Posted by honte

^ Yes, that is the Schmidt, Garden and Martin-designed factory that was later turned into a high school. LPCI (now LI) has been fighting for it for years. I think Preservation Chicago tried as well.

Thank Alderman Ed Smith for this. He insisted on a new high-school, which is being built down the street. He also insisted that they get rid of the old one, and wouldn't hear anything about reuse. The old building - already adapted once in its lifetime, evidence that it could easily be artists' lofts, yuppie lofts, low-income housing, uh, a factory, you name it. This could have been a major shot in the arm for the struggling Franklin Boulevard area. Instead, it will become... drum roll.... you guessed it, the school parking lot!! In an area with vacant lots every block!! Haha, wow, that's rich.

The building absolutely has some interesting details. It has the "hollyhock motif" on it that FLW made famous in LA, but this building predates FLW's California work. It's also an incredibly modern design for its day overall, with Chicago School expression and rather "European avant-garde" massing.

Last, there was a very impressive Modernist addition on the west side of the building.

Take a good last look. This and the old Washburne Trade school demolition are both incredibly sad and wasteful. To think, this massive building will be torn down, less than 8 blocks from the Center for Green Technology.

Thanks for the info. The scaffolding is up so this one is coming down imminently. I was wondering if anyone has a line on any of those giant eagles, I wouldn't mind taking them off the demolition crew's hands, if only I had a means of transporting them. Impressive stuff.

[honte]

^ I'm sure you'll find them for a cool grand or two at Architectural Artifacts.

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

I was stuck making small talk with Ald. Smith for a half-hour last week (he's running for Recorder of Deeds). I vaguely knew the WHS problem was aldermanic opposition, but I wish I'd made the connection so I could have made that seem like a worrisome problem with his candidacy.

Hey, if he's not going to screw up that neighborhood any longer, let him go. He is apparently also why the proposed Washington-Warren Boulevards historic district was shot down. And countless other screw ups too numerous to list here...

If he's out, I wonder if there might be some hope of relocating the Olympics Aquatics center to a more suitable West Side location? (Eg a vacant lot that's not going to eat up a historic park.)

Of course, this goes without saying, but everything I post here is rather casual. No one can blame him exclusively for this mess. But there is no denying he had a heavy hand in it.

[bnk]

This is not a development type of article and I do not want politics to invade this thread but this nice article from Salon give a good history of Illinois and Chicago politics.

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/01/14/obama/

Chicago is Barack Obama's kind of town

...

"Part of what attracts me about Illinois generally is I think it's a microcosm of the country: north, south, east, west, black, white, urban, rural, southern, northern," Obama once said. "For somebody who cares deeply about the country, and about the issues and struggles this country's going through, I can't think of a better laboratory to work on some of the pressing issues we confront."

Barack Obama came to Chicago decades after the Great Migration, but for a young black man with political ambitions, it still turned out to be the promised land.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by honte

^ I'm sure you'll find them for a cool grand or two at Architectural Artifacts.

That's a cool store, but they never sell anything with architectural value. I'm not a big fan of the proprietor, who thinks he's a museum curator (so he personally keeps anything with connections to famous architects) and is always irritated when I ask him questions about the merchandise. Half the fun of salvage is the story, but it seems most Chicago salvage stores are only out to make a buck. I visited a salvage store in Toledo last fall, where the industry is still extremely edgy, and I really enjoyed talking with the owner there for an hour (despite her 20 stray cats wandering around the store).

[Chicago Shawn]

Originally Posted by honte

People are always claiming that Chicago is "park poor". I'm not challenging the figures, but honestly, compared to most big cities I've spent time in, Chicago feels much more green and park "rich." It has to do not only with greenspace per capita, but the whole way the city is laid out and the proximity to a great park.

IMO, a lot of that 'green atmosphere' is created by our vast network of alleys, which keeps garages, driveway aprons, parking pads, overhead wires and trash cans away from the streetscape. The result is block-long stretches of parkways, lawns, small gardens and a canopy of mature trees. This is the biggest difference I notice when traveling around neighborhoods of other cities, especially the outer buroughs of NYC.

This is perhaps what I like best about our low-rise neighborhoods, and when I feel the need to see some grit, I only have to walk around back to the alley on any given block .

[Chicago Shawn]

Originally Posted by Abner

Not to nitpick, but River North has far less of a park problem than Logan Square, Pilsen, and a number of other neighborhoods that have many more children than River North and less immediate vicinity to a large park or the lakefront. Of course, most neighborhoods in Chicago are park-poor, so the more the merrier.

Well, untill the riverside park at Erie St. opened, River North had no public parks aside from Washington Square. Granted, the lakefront is 1/2 mile to the east, and there are many plazas which take on the task of public space. I agree with you on both Pilsen and Logan Square, Pilsen moreso because of the lack of parkways and Boulivards, there is a significant lack of any green space. The largest park in the community (Harrison) is eaten up by the fieldhouse and the Mexican fine arts musuem. The remainder is taken up by ball fields heavily used for league sports.

[VivaLFuego]

Originally Posted by Chicago Shawn

Well, untill the riverside park at Erie St. opened, River North had no public parks aside from Washington Square. Granted, the lakefront is 1/2 mile to the east, and there are many plazas which take on the task of public space. I agree with you on both Pilsen and Logan Square, Pilsen moreso because of the lack of parkways and Boulivards, there is a significant lack of any green space. The largest park in the community (Harrison) is eaten up by the fieldhouse and the Mexican fine arts musuem. The remainder is taken up by ball fields heavily used for league sports.

At least Logan Square has tree-lined streets and the boulevard...when Pilsen's streets were modernized, hardly any provision was made for any sidewalk plantings, so it is largely devoid of any tree coverage. Definitely a detriment to neighborhood aesthetics, not even getting into the relative lack of open space in which kids can run around and play.

[Abner]

Originally Posted by VivaLFuego

At least Logan Square has tree-lined streets and the boulevard...when Pilsen's streets were modernized, hardly any provision was made for any sidewalk plantings, so it is largely devoid of any tree coverage. Definitely a detriment to neighborhood aesthetics, not even getting into the relative lack of open space in which kids can run around and play.

Right, and this is especially a problem in what is probably one of the youngest neighborhoods in the city. The situation is bad enough that there are a couple community organizations that have created their own unofficial pocket parks for community use. There are currently a few large lots that would be suitable for parks or at least playgrounds, but I haven't heard about the city having any interest in exploring any possibilities. The kids will probably continue playing in the streets for the foreseeable future.

On the plus side, for urban enthusiasts, the absence of any parks or greenery makes Pilsen one of the best-preserved examples in the city of the 1880s urban environment.

[honte]

^ Yes, exactly. I hope there are ways to green Pilsen without clear-cutting. But then again, as the city sits back and watches tons of Pilsen buildings come down, in a few years this might be a moot point.

[ardecila]

Hmmm.. are there any vacant industrial properties along the river in Pilsen that could be turned into large parks? This would ease the crunch a bit.

[Abner]

Originally Posted by ardecila

Hmmm.. are there any vacant industrial properties along the river in Pilsen that could be turned into large parks? This would ease the crunch a bit.

Well, as I mentioned, I think Pilsen probably needs neighborhood parks more than it needs large-scale parks. And the river around there is dumpy, sometimes smelly, and occupied on both banks by some pretty gnarly industry. However, there are some lots that could be turned into mid-size or small parks: on Laflin and 21st, near Leavitt and Blue Island, and near Racine and 16th, for example.