Southside Pie Challenge! Nov. 3 2012

Armed Robberies Spike Near Istria, 4900-5000 Cornell

NYT Covers 53rd St. Redevelopment

-posted by chicago pop 

From yesterday's New York Times:

University of Chicago Works on Its Neighborhood

By ROBERT SHAROFF

Published: October 23, 2012

CHICAGO — The University of Chicago is midway through what it characterizes as a “once in a generation” community redevelopment effort aimed at revitalizing 53rd Street, a blighted retail district several blocks north of its historic Hyde Park campus here.

Enlarge This Image

William Zbaren for The New York Times

The Harper Court project in Chicago consists of a 150,000-square foot office tower and a 133-room Hyatt Place Hotel. 

The $250 million project includes Harper Court, a new 600,000-square-foot, mixed-use project at the corner of 53rd Street and South Lake Park Avenue, along with the renovation and restoration of the adjacent Harper Theater complex, which consists of a long-closed historic movie theater as well as retail and office space. In addition, the university is renovating several other nearby retail properties and is in the early stages of planning a second mixed-use project on a site it owns further up the street. 

The aim, said David Greene, an executive vice president at the university, is to create something Hyde Park has not had in many years — a thriving commercial area. If successful, the university will be following what has become a well-worn path in recent years of urban colleges and universities serving as redevelopment engines for their surrounding communities. The University of Illinois at Chicago, for example, has spent much of the last decade building University Village, a new residential and commercial district adjacent to its downtown campus. 

“It’s enlightened self-interest for us,” Mr. Greene said. “We’ve always been very competitive when it comes to providing a great intellectual community. But we found there was something missing when we looked at the quality of life for students and faculty who are used to the kinds of amenities you find in places New York, Boston and Palo Alto.” 

Mr. Greene added that revitalizing 53rd Street is part of a larger effort by the university to rethink its relationship with the neighborhood, which sits on the lakefront about six miles south of downtown Chicago.

“Over the years and particularly in the 1950s and ’60s, there was a lot of development aimed at creating a barrier around the campus,” he said. “We’re now trying to reverse that trend.” 

Will Burns, alderman for the Fourth Ward, which includes 53rd Street, said that the area “has historically been Hyde Park’s downtown, and these projects will help restore that vision.” He added that, “Hyde Park is not really a ward. It’s more of an anarcho-syndicalist collective, meaning that there are more community meetings than you can shake a stick at.” 

Indeed, reviving 53rd Street has been a much-discussed neighborhood goal for several decades, but it did not really take off until the university spent about $9 million to acquire the Harper Theater complex in 2002 and the Harper Court site in 2008. “The initial impetus came from the city asking us to help out in terms of purchasing and redeveloping those properties,” said Mr. Greene. 

Joseph Caprile, a senior vice president of Jones Lang LaSalle, a large real estate services firm here, who is familiar with the project, said that the university was in a great position to facilitate development in the area. “They have a sound endowment and sound real estate resources,” he said. “They’re also the ones who drive the users down there.” 

The largest project, Harper Court, consists of a 150,000-square foot office tower, 74,000 square feet of retail space and a 133-room Hyatt Place Hotel. Harper Court is being constructed by a team of developers assembled by the university and the city. 

The university is acting as its own developer for the remaining projects. The developer of all but the hotel component is Harper Court Partners, a partnership consisting of Chicago-based Vermilion Development and JFJ Development. 

The hotel is being developed by Smart Hotels of Beachwood, Ohio, and Olympia Development of Portland, Me. The lead equity investor is Los Angeles-based Canyon Johnson Urban Funds, a partnership consisting of Canyon Capital Realty Advisors and the former basketball star, Magic Johnson. The $130-plus million project also received about $23 million in city tax increment financing funds. 

[Story continues here.]

Orly's Fails September 20 Inspection

September 20, 2012 [go here for text of inspection at Everyblock]

Orly's/Jalapeno

Risk 1 (High)

Results

Fail

Violations

14. PREVIOUS SERIOUS VIOLATION CORRECTED, 7-42-090
Comments:CONTINUED NON COMPLIANCE, EVIDENCE OF RODENTS AND INSECTS ON SITE. NOTED MICE DROPPINGS (APPROXIMATELY 30) SCATTERED IN VARIOUS AREAS BEHIND BAR,IN DRY STORAGE ROOM, IN CORNERS IN DINING AREA,BEHIND BOOTH ALONG WALL BASE,UNDER SHELVES AND ALONG SIDE COOLERS/FREEZERS IN OFFICE/STORAGE AREA,BEHIND EQUIPMENT AND THROUGHOUT. MUST REMOVE DROPPINGS, CLEAN AND SANITIZE AFFECTED AREAS AND HAVE SERVICE FROM PEST CONTROL. ALSO NOTED LIVE INSECTS ON SITE. NOTED APPROXIMATELY 6 LIVE LARGE FLIES IN FRONT STORAGE AREA NEAR UNUSED OVEN,IN DINING AREA AND IN PREP AREA. ALSO NOTED 2 LIVE ROACHES ON THE FLOOR UNDER THE DISH MACHINE. MUST REMOVE INSECTS,SANITIZE AFFECTED AREAS AND HAVE THE PEST CONTROL COMPANY SERVICE AREAS.
32. FOOD AND NON-FOOD CONTACT SURFACES PROPERLY DESIGNED, CONSTRUCTED AND MAINTAINED
Comments:REMOVE RANCID GREASE ON INTERIOR OF FRYERS.
33. FOOD AND NON-FOOD CONTACT EQUIPMENT UTENSILS CLEAN, FREE OF ABRASIVE DETERGENTS
Comments:MUST CLEAN INTERIOR OF FREEZERS AND REMOVE FOUL ODORS. ALSO DETAIL CLEAN WINDOW SILLS AND ALL DIRTY SURFACES THROUGHOUT. CLEAN THE INTERIOR OF THE ICE MACHINE. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN ALL FOOD AND NON-FOOD CONTACT EQUIPMENT FREE OF DUST, DEBRIS, SPIDERWEBS, DROPPINGS, TOOLS, SCREWS, ETC.
34. FLOORS: CONSTRUCTED PER CODE, CLEANED, GOOD REPAIR, COVERING INSTALLED, DUST-LESS CLEANING METHODS USED
Comments:MUST PROPERLY REPAIR BROKEN FLOOR TILES IN BAR AREA AND UNDER SMALL PREP COOLER. FLOOR MUST BE SMOOTH, EVEN, EASILY CLEANABLE SURFACE.
41. PREMISES MAINTAINED FREE OF LITTER, UNNECESSARY ARTICLES, CLEANING EQUIPMENT PROPERLY STORED
Comments:MUST PROPERLY CLEAN AND MAINTAIN UNUSED EQUIPMENT OR REMOVE.

Help Hairston Spend $1 Million!

Richard Gill on Another Food Cooperative Proposal: Really?

-posted by Richard Gill

Has it really been almost five years since the Hyde Park Co-op closed? Yes, it has. Time flies when you're having decent shopping. Hyde Park still has "issues," but at least the long and painful Co-op trauma is gone forever. Or so I thought till I saw the September 19 Hyde Park Herald. Someone wrote to the editors proposing the establishment of a new food co-op in the neighborhood. Arrrghh! I am merely pointing out the letter, not discussing the proposal. Right now I don't have the stomach for it. Just the thought of another Hyde Park co-op gives me the willies.

Longman & Eagle Team Opening The Promontory in Hyde Park in Early 2013

-posted by chicago pop

Multiple grub-conscious readers sent this blurb my way. I've been let down too many times to get too excited about this one -- Chant, Park 52, etc. all started off kinda okay, but weren't really and then went no-where - but this seems like it may be the real deal. From Eater Chicago:

Hyde Park is about to get a shot in the arm when the Promontory, a new restaurant, bar and concert venue, opens in early 2013. Even more exciting is the team behind the project: Longman & Eagle owners Bruce Finkelman (Empty Bottle, Bite Cafe), Craig Golden (Evanston's Space and Union Pizza) and chef Jared Wentworth will helm the kitchen.

At this point, much of the details, including the type of cuisine, have not yet been revealed. But seeing as L&E is Michelin-starred and Wentworth has been much heralded, it stands that this new restaurant, with a "hearth-driven kitchen," will likely gain a lot of attention. Should we expect a lot of grilled and smoked meats?

The Promontory, named for the nearby Promontory Point in Lake Michigan, is set to be part of the 53rd Street revitalization project, which already has a new Clarke's diner and Five Guys Burgers, and adjacent Harper Court project. The addition of another quality restaurant attached to a music venue, will not only give South Siders (in particular University of Chicago folk) a place to hang, it could help make the area more of a destination.

And from RedEye:

Longman & Eagle in Logan Square (Barry Brecheisen/For RedEye / September 11, 2012)

By Erin Brereton For RedEye

September 11, 2012

Empty Bottle’s Bruce Finkelman and Craig Golden, of Space in Evanston, are currently prepping their newest venture, The Promontory (1539 E. 53rd St.), for an early 2013 opening.
Finkelman—who is also behind Logan Square’s Longman & Eagle, a bar-restaurant-hotel hybrid that serves up contemporary American treats such as Kentucky fried quail and roast leg of venison—is keeping quiet about many of the details, including the style of cuisine The Promontory will serve.

He did confirm that the owners are currently renovating the building and the space will offer live music events and food.

The team behind The Promontory—named after Hyde Park’s nearby Promontory Point lakefront area, which in 1933-1934 housed Chicago’s second World’s Fair—will also include Longman & Eagle chef Jared Wentworth.

Children's Resources during Teacher Strike

-posted by chicago pop

A few resources for school age children that we've been asked to publicize, in the increasingly likely event of next week's anticipated teacher's strike (beginning September 10):

From the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club:

 

(Right-click on image and click 'View Image' to enlarge)

And this, from the Chicago JCC:

Dear JCC Families,

The prospect of a strike in Chicago Public Schools is a frustrating situation for teachers, administration, and most importantly, the families and children impacted by the possibility of no school. We would like you to know that JCC Chicago will be able to meet your child care needs with engaging safe and fun day long activities, should a strike go into effect.

JCC will offer special programming at Bernard Horwich JCC, Florence Heller JCC, and Hyde Park JCC.  Programming will run from 8:00am to 3:30pm.  If you need to extend your child’s day, late care will be available from 3:30-6:00pm.  While engaged in programming, children will travel to Mayer Kaplan JCC to participate in daily specialty curriculum including art, sports, swimming, and other educational experiences.

Program costs will be $50/day (8:00am-3:30pm) and late care will be an additional $15/day (3:30-6:00pm).  For students enrolled in JCC AfterSchool, there will be no additional charge for late care.   Services will remain in effect until school is back in session; however, JCC will be closed on September 17 and 18.

We will open online registration for Monday through Wednesday .  Advance registration is recommended and appreciated as space may be limited. Should the strike not go into effect, your registration fees can be applied to other JCC programs or will be refunded.

For further information, please contact us at any time.



Julie Rash
Manager of JCC AfterSchool
773-938-8342
jrash@gojcc.org

Andrea Berlow
Manager of Vacation Day Programs
224-406-9207
aberlow@gojcc.org

Andrea Berlow
Manager of Vacation Day Programs        
JCC Chicago
p: 224-406-9207
f:  224-406-9272
aberlow@gojcc.org
http://www.gojcc.org
 
JCCchicago
bringing Jewish values to life!
 
Help the environment and don't print this email unless you really need to!

  

Orly's/The Big Easy: 'Evidence of Rodents on Site'

-posted by chicago pop

Despite what was breezily reported in the Herald today ("Fridge Fritz Foils Big Easy," Lindsay Welbers, September 5, 2012), the recent shut-down of the culinary dark-star which, however many aliases it may assume in order to distance itself from its past, will always be known as Orly's, it appears that the restaurant's recent shutdown by the Chicago Department of Public Health was much more than a refrigerator problem.

Highlights of the recent report (dated August 27, 2012), written in mouth-watering detail and sure to annotate the next version of the menu, include but are not limited to: mice droppings in container of corn meal; sewage and waste-water backup on floor; a cooler with internal temperature of 95F; waste-water overflowing from drain; foul odor in women's toilet (and other places); evidence of rodents on site; mice droppings behind the bar, storage rooms, and dining area; my own personal favorite here - 'rodent rub marks'; extreme grease and food debris buildup; dirty surfaces; dust, debris, and spiderwebs (!); and broken tiles

But I guess that's all been fixed now.

Read for yourself below, or here:

August 27, 2012

Doing business as

Orly's/Jalapeno

License number

1978

Facility type

Restaurant

Risk

Risk 1 (High)

Inspection type

Complaint Re-Inspection

Results

Fail

Violations

2. FACILITIES TO MAINTAIN PROPER TEMPERATURE
Comments:REACH IN COOLER IN POOR REPAIR, INTERNAL TEMPERATURE 50F. INSTD TO MAINTAIN PROPER TEMPERATURE OF 40F OR BELOW AT ALL TIMES. ALL COOLERS ON PREMISES MUST BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN PROPER TEMPERATURES OF 40F OR BELOW AT ALL TIMES OR REMOVE COOLERS IN POOR REPAIR.
10. SEWAGE AND WASTE WATER DISPOSAL, NO BACK SIPHONAGE, CROSS CONNECTION AND/OR BACK FLOW
Comments:SEWAGE/WASTE WATER BACK-UP AND ACCUMULATING ON FLOOR FROM FLOOR DRAIN WHEN 3-COMPARTMENT SINK PLUMBING TURNED ON. ALSO WALK-IN COOLER DRAIN CLOGGED, WASTE WATER OVERFLOWING FROM DRAIN AND ONTO FLOOR. INSTD TO REPAIR SAME. FOUL ODOR NOTED IN SAME AREA.
11. ADEQUATE NUMBER, CONVENIENT, ACCESSIBLE, DESIGNED, AND MAINTAINED
Comments:WOMENS TOILETS IN POOR REPAIR, ONE WITH NO WATER, OTHER UNABLE TO FLUSH. FOUL ODOR NOTED IN SAME AREA. INSTD TO REPAIR SAME.
14. PREVIOUS SERIOUS VIOLATION CORRECTED, 7-42-090
Comments:CONTINUED NON COMPLIANCE, EVIDENCE OF RODENTS ON SITE. NOTED MICE DROPPINGS (OVER 30) SCATTERED IN VARIOUS AREAS BEHIND BAR,IN DRY STORAGE ROOM,(MICE DROPPINGS NOTED IN CONTAINER OF CORN MEAL), IN CORNERS IN DINING AREA,UNDER SHELVES AND ALONG SIDE COOLERS/FREEZERS IN OFFICE/STORAGE AREA, ALSO NOTED RODENT RUB MARKS ALONG WALLBASE NEXT TO DROPPINGS IN DINING AREA. STORAGE AREA BY EXIT DOOR. MUST REMOVE DROPPINGS, CLEAN AND SANITIZE AFFECTED AREAS. INSTD TO HAVE ADDITIONAL SERVICE FROM PEST CONTROL. NOTED REAR DOOR NOT RODENT PROOF AT THIS TIME, APPROX. 1/2 INCH GAP NOTED AT BOTTOM OF DOOR. INSTD TO RODENT PROOF DOOR AND HAVE TIGHT FITTING.
33. FOOD AND NON-FOOD CONTACT EQUIPMENT UTENSILS CLEAN, FREE OF ABRASIVE DETERGENTS
Comments:MUST DETAIL CLEAN INTERIOR OF ALL COOKING EQUIPMENT AND PREP TABLES. MUST REMOVE ALL EXTREME GREASE AND FOOD DEBRIS BUILD UP THROUGHOUT. MUST ALSO CLEAN SODA GUNS BEHIND BAR AREA AND INTERIOR OF ALL COOLERS. ALSO DETAIL CLEAN WINDOW SILLS AND ALL DIRTY SURFACES THROUGHOUT. CLEAN THE INTERIOR OF THE ICE MACHINE. INSTD TO CLEAN ALL FOOD AND NON-FOOD CONTACT EQUIPMENT FREE OF DUST, DEBRIS, SPIDERWEBS, DROPPINGS, TOOLS, SCREWS, ETC.
34. FLOORS: CONSTRUCTED PER CODE, CLEANED, GOOD REPAIR, COVERING INSTALLED, DUST-LESS CLEANING METHODS USED
Comments:MUST DETAIL CLEAN FLOORS UNDER COOK LINE,BEHIND BAR, IN DISH WASHING AREAS AND IN ALL STORAGE AREAS. MUST PROPERLY REPAIR BROKEN FLOOR TILES IN BAR AREA AND IN PREP AREA. FLOOR MUST BE SMOOTH, EVEN, EASILY CLEANABLE SURFACE.
35. WALLS, CEILINGS, ATTACHED EQUIPMENT CONSTRUCTED PER CODE: GOOD REPAIR, SURFACES CLEAN AND DUST-LESS CLEANING METHODS
Comments:MUST CLEAN WALLS NEXT TO FRYERS, DISH MACHINE, STOVE, & THROUGHOUT. MAKING ALL WALLS AND CEILING SMOOTH-EASY CLEANABLE AND TIGHT FITTING.
38. VENTILATION: ROOMS AND EQUIPMENT VENTED AS REQUIRED: PLUMBING: INSTALLED AND MAINTAINED
Comments:MUST REPAIR LEAKY FAUCET AND PIPES AT 2 COMPARTMENT SINK
41. PREMISES MAINTAINED FREE OF LITTER, UNNECESSARY ARTICLES, CLEANING EQUIPMENT PROPERLY STORED
Comments:MUST PROPERLY CLEAN AND MAINTAIN UNUSED EQUIPMENT OR REMOVE

Orly's, Gone

-posted by chicago pop

 Big news. Thanks to HPP reader autumnist for this savory dish.

 

 

Tour of Hyde Park Modernist Architecture Aug. 19

 

-posted by chicago pop

From Forgotten Chicago, a walking tour of Hyde Park's legacy of modernist architecture - everything from the Keck & Keck house on University to the I.M. Pei boxes and, uh, Regenstein Library. It all deserves our respect. Thanks to HPP reader I. for passing this along.

Go beyond the gargoyles: From Bertrand Goldberg to Edward Dart, Edward Durell Stone to Edward Larabee Barnes, and Helmut Jahn to Mies van der Rohe, the patrons and builders of Hyde Park have enthusiastically embraced (briefly, in some cases) everything from the International Style to New Formalism, Brutalism and the current preference for sustainable design.

There are few places in the United States with a more encyclopedic and concentrated overview of the last 75 years of modernist architecture than Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood. From George Fred and William Keck’s minimal 1937 cooperative apartments (below left) to Tod Williams and Billie Tsien’s towering new Logan Center for the Arts (below right, formally opening in October 2012), Hyde Park offers a comprehensive collection of 75 years of modernist masterpieces (and a few misfires). Additionally, Hyde Park offers a living example of the benefits and perils of large-scale land clearance and urban renewal. 

 

Join Forgotten Chicago as we explore Hyde Park for the first time with a walking tour on Sunday, August 19. Venturing far beyond the cliche (Collegiate Gothic and gargoyles), the beloved (a low-slung Prairie School house), and the familiar (a long-gone fair and tales of those swept up in its dark side), our exploration of Hyde Park will show an incredible array of lesser-known and often remarkable projects from the past nine decades. 

Details:

When? Sunday, August 19, 2012 at 12:50 PM. Rain or shine (severe weather will cancel tour).

Where? The tour will start in front of Powell’s Books at 1501 East 57th Street; Powell’s is a short block west of the Metra Electric District 57th Street station.

How Long? A little more than three hours and three miles of walking. The tour will conclude at 4:05 PM at the corner of 55th Street and Hyde Park Avenue, near the Metra 55th Street Station to allow participants to take the inbound 4:10 PM Metra train from Hyde Park, which arrives at Millennium Station at 4:26 PM. The 55 Garfield bus can also take those on the tour back to the Green and Red Lines.

Outside Agit Prop Makes Confused Arguments About Local Hotel

-posted by chicago pop

All politics, it has been said, is local. It can even be micro-local, so much so that the framework used for understanding what goes on at one level in Chicago doesn't necessarily translate to another level. 

That appears to be the case here. Once again, a hotel project, supported by a number of non-profit local institutions (the University of Chicago, the Museum of Science and Industry), representing the kind of expanded commercial opportunities that a majority of the neighborhood's residents have repeatedly said they want, has been targeted by interests not directly concerned with the neighborhood for use in their own ideological conflict.

Fortunately, they will lose. The hotel, which Hyde Park needs and wants - regardless of conspiracy theories centered on Penny Pritzker - will be built. Said interests will conduct their next skirmish elsewhere.

The hash of an argument presented in the flyer above, although it builds on a handful of genuine concerns, opportunistically mashes them together and forces them to conform to the Procrustean bed of the Occupation Movement's rhetoric. Even more basic, its factual allegations are annoyingly flimsy enough for us to take a few precious moments of our evening to dissect them. 

Were it the summary of a doctoral proposal, we would send its fervent grad student author back to the stacks.

What seems to have triggered this mobilization is the Chicago City Council's decision last month to grant a further subsidy the the Harper Court project of $5.2 million, drawn from the City's amorphous general TIF fund. This was not the first city subsidy, but it was the first since the financial crisis and the emergence of Occupy Chicago. 

What is clear above all is that the creators of this flyer don't like TIFs. TIFs freeze the property tax revenue going to various local taxing bodies, such as school districts, at the level they are at when the TIF is created. Subsequent tax revenue stemming from rising property values associated with a project are used to reinvest in the district, or to pay off the loans raised to pay for it. 

So the $5,200,000 'siphoned' away from the CPS and other municipal services would most likely not have spontaneously materialized had TIFs not existed in the first place, because in many cases (like that of Hyde Park), property values are relatively stagnant and the market is inactive. 

That's not good for school districts, because it keeps property tax revenues down. A hotel hasn't been built in Hyde Park in over 50 years. Growth in local property values has trailed Chicago average by 33%. 51% of existing structures in the district have been cited for code violations. (see p.3, here). Those are the kinds of conditions that can easily tip into a downward spiral of urban disinvestment - and THAT is what sinks local school districts.

More fundamentally, the flyer presumes that the problem of failing urban schools is a dearth of cash. This is deeply questionable. There are many factors going into the failure of inner-city schools, chief among them being the concentration of impoverished families in given school districts. The whole point of court-ordered desegregation policies after Brown vs. the Board of Education was to remedy this demographic imbalance. Throwing money at existing imbalances doesn't solve the problem bequeathed by segregation.

Another reason schools on the South Side are failing is because parents realize they are failing and move away. The result is under-enrolled local schools, like the one in my district. CPS runs a large number of failing schools for only a few hundred students, and this serves neither the students nor the taxpayers. Closing schools to consolidate districts, especially when those schools are underperforming, is by no means a tragedy: it's not that different from certain situations that arose under the system of court-ordered busing.

So when the flyer goes on to suggest that '7 schools from the neighborhood are scheduled to be defunded', it's misleading to suggest that the $5,200,000 could save them if it weren't going to some useless, fru-fru project like a hotel in Hyde Park, the only economic hub in the vast South Side of Chicago. That cash alone won't alter the concentration of poverty in school districts, increase parental involvement in or the valuing of children's education in those same districts, or necessarily improve the instruction they receive from their teachers. It's a simplistic, even spurious linkage.

Theoretically, you could abolish TIF districts and tax the rich all you like, but you're not going to fix the problem that way. 

The more cartoonish aspect of this flyer, however, is the attempt to paint the hotel project as a white elephant resulting from the Pharaoh paying a favor to a nefarious Machine operative, Penny Pritzker, who, from her position on the School Board, acts to divert millions from reinvestment in schools and towards her own business (which her family no longer privately controls) . 

First of all, it was the City Council that decided to funnel this $5,200,000 to the Hyde Park Hyatt, not Penny Pritzker, and not the Chicago School Board. Pritzker had little to do with it. The University of Chicago, as locals know, has been trying to get a hotel built in the neighborhood for half a decade or more, and would have taken a Marriott had not that plan been sabotaged by a truly myopic minority. The City Department of Planning and Development, together with the previous and present 4th Ward Aldermen - neither of them toadies to this or the previous Mayor - have supported the development of 53rd Street as a net benefit to the neighborhood and, by extension, the South Side of Chicago. Nothing in this document provides any reason why this should not be so.

Arguing that the entire project is simply a product of cronyism, a white elephant stemming from a politician's favor to a tycoon, ignores the local history of disinvestment, ignores the dynamics of urban economies, ignores the repeated surveys expressing preferences for expanded local retail opportunities, and above all, ignores the fundamental benefits a hotel would bring to the area -- stabilizing South Side neighborhoods by providing more jobs for workers, more business for local merchants, and a more attractive quality of life for taxpaying families who might decide to move here and commit to local school districts.

So it looks like the Penny Pritzker connection will be a "Gotcha!" one only for weak minds, and for those more concerned to squeeze local particularities into a ready-made ideological template of 99 vs. 1%.

There is undoubtedly a time and a place for that template. But it is not here.

New Lanes on 55th St. a Learning Curve

-posted by chicago pop

It is truly amazing what good urban design is capable of. New lines on the street, and a few physical impediments to nudge behavior in the desired direction, and we already have tangible benefits: traffic moving at a much slower pace the length of 55th, improved safety for pedestrians at crosswalks, and more cyclists riding in the street - as they should be - with more confidence.

The sticky part is getting motorists to go with the new parking program, and park away from the curb. As of last week, local car owners must still be thinking all that new paint on the street was some kind of public art:

To their credit, on at least one block in about this area last week, I saw about half a dozen cars parking in the boxed lane BETWEEN the curbside bike lane and the lane of traffic - where the cars are supposed to go. But those vehicles were a minority.

That may change quickly, however, if - as the HPP reader who submitted these photos reports -- vehicles parked in the bike lanes continue to receive tickets, as they began to last week. 

It would help, also, if more bollards were deployed to make parking in the bike lane physically impossible. My assumption was that these were on the way, but I don't know. It would make sense, after all this effort, to situate the bollards in such a way that the desired behavior was perfectly clear.

Everything comes with a learning curve. Even if it takes a few weeks for the locals get the hang of this, or maybe even the rest of the summer, in the long term it's what we call here at HPP 'real goddamn progress.' A round of applause to CDOT and to the Adlermen and traffic engineers and cycling/pedestrian activists who made this a reality. Sometimes an ingenious idea really can make the world a little bit more civilized.

Del Prado Looking Good: The Sip Cafe, Southside Shrimp come to HP Boulevard

-posted by chicago pop

It is my prediction - and also a fond desire - that 5 years hence the corner of 53rd and Hyde Park Boulevard will be one of the most pleasant, exciting, and desirable in the neighborhood. The University of Chicago has already figured out that 53rd Street is the axis of Hyde Park's urbanity, and the buzzing activity all along that street from Lake Park to the old Harper Theater is a refreshing sign of the institution's commitment to the vitality of the neighborhood's commercial corridor.

The intersection of 53rd and HPB is the gateway to that corridor, and in terms of urban design one of the only real gateways to the neighborhood - the others being a longish viaduct (47th Street), a bucolic but unremarkable jog in the road (51st Street) a blockade (57th Street), and, uh, the Midway. 

Contrast these to 53rd between Lake Shore Drive and HPB: one of the city's oldest and grandest parks is to the north, one of its grandest old hotels, the Del Prado, is to the south, and one of the neighborhood's most stately thoroughfares, Hyde Park Boulevard, sweeps parallel to the lakefront. 

Fixing up the Del Prado is one of the most important things MAC has done in Hyde Park, and the progress made this summer - after what seemed like years of not much visible happening - is exciting. The building itself looks great, as masonry details are restored and a contemporary, modern foyer is installed on the HPB entrance.

The best surprise of the Hyde Park commercial scene this summer is the leasing of a cafe, "The Sip," for the corner space of the Del Prado, in what used to be a convenience store. This cafe will have the best table views in Hyde Park, without question. This is a real score for MAC. Thursday mornings in the summer of 2013, when shoppers at the farmer's market in Harold Washington Park are able to stop by for coffee, will make the corner a great destination. 

I only hope that the cafe will avoid what seems to be a long-term trend for neighborhood cafes and eateries off of 57th Street - what I call the "Third World Effect" - which is to slowly go to seed and eventually close out. There's the obvious example of Third World Cafe and its predecessors. Something similar came close to happening at Istria on 57th; Istria on Cornell is visibly going to pot (what's up with the tattered bar chairs and disappeared bike rack?), although the new coffee source is an improvement; and who knows what will happen to Z&H on 47th after a recent management shake-up? 

Around the corner is a little local eatery, Southside Shrimp, with a few other locations in the city that have given it name recognition and what seems to be a positive reputation. It's basically fried seafood, but they emphasize freshness of ingredients to distinguish themselves from the legions of popcorn shrimp dives. They've clearly put some money into making the place look nice, and have gone to the trouble of getting a permit for sidewalk seating, which already makes the street more interesting. 

We're still waiting for word of a restaurant in the ballroom of the Del Prado's second floor - I'd like to book my window table as soon as possible.

On 4th of July Hyde Park Man Fires Gun over the Drive, says Everyone Was Doing It

-posted by chicago pop

But seriously, no one got hurt, so what's the big deal, right? 

The anything-goes culture of Hyde Park 4th of July celebrations has turned the holiday into a summer version of New Year's Eve with the added benefit of amateurs playing with professional explosives, or drunken professionals playing with guns.

Like this man:

Wesley Jackson of 5400 Hyde Park Boulevard

[Source: Chicago Tribune]

That a trained law enforcement professional could repeatedly fire his handgun in an urban, public park and feel that his behavior was consistent with that of other people in the lakefront parks - that it was normal - suggests that a culture of of recklessness has grown up around the holiday.

The only reason that this local culture has grown up ('everyone is doing it') is because the community has let it happen. Everyone from Alderman Burns and the District 2 police down to local property owners: MAC - with its Del Prado and East Park Towers right on Harold Washington Park - and East View Park, Regents Park, The Powhattan - do the owners and boards of these and other properties want this to happen on their front lawns again next year?

It would not take much to prevent festivities from escalating to the level at which drunks and pyros comfortably indulge themselves with little worry of police intervention.

From Evanston Now:

The Chicago Tribune reported Friday that Chicago police arrested Jackson and he was charged with felony reckless discharge of a firearm after he allegedly fired several rounds across Lake Shore Shore Drive toward Lake Michigan near the University of Chicago campus.

Police who stopped him said Jackson told them he was drunk and "everybody" was firing guns in celebration.

 From the Chicago Tribune:

Chicago police officers responded to the 5400 block of South Shore Drive to assist University of Chicago police with a "man with a gun" call about 10 p.m. Wednesday and university police told them they heard three shots and saw muzzle flashes coming from behind a tree in the park, according to a police report.

They saw Jackson standing, facing Lake Michigan, with a gun in his hand and he placed his hands up and dropped the weapon when they asked him to, according to the report.

Prosecutors said that Jackson fired several rounds across the Lake Shore Drive and toward Lake Michigan.

A witness identified him and during an interview with Chicago police, Jackson said he was: "Just shooting at the lake -- it's the 4th of July and everyone is doing it,'' the report said.

He explained repeatedly that he was intoxicated after drinking five beers and was "f----- up,'' the report said.

Jackson is employed by the Northwestern University Police, and has been placed on administrative leave.

Massive Illegal Fireworks Display Endangers Hundreds in Harold Washington Park: No Police Presence

-posted by chicago pop

"For Licensed Display Operators Only": 108 Shots Diamond in the Sky

Immediately after the City of Chicago's fireworks display came to an end a little before 9:30 this evening, a local entrepreneur - or, more likely, a number of them - decided to illegally keep the show going in the open area of Harold Washington Park directly east of Regents Park apartments, near Lake Shore Drive and the pedestrian overpass at 51st Street (4th Ward - Burns). 

Some of the explosives, such as the tubes and large box pictured below, require a federal license to purchase and detonate, and the inventory of fireworks detonated probably cost $400-500 retail.

One of a half dozen fireworks installations, many professional grade 'Class B' barrages, left in the northern section of Harold Washington Park, on plywood sheets approximately 6'x4'.

 Illegal fireworks barrage with launch burns visible in the grass towards Lake Shore Drive

For approximately half an hour, the safety of hundreds of people on the lakefront and dozens of passing motorists was endangered by a barrage of powerful, professional-grade pyrotechnics shot off directly over their heads. 

The fireworks appear to have all been lit by hand, and within yards of 4th of July spectators. As of late on the evening of 4 July 2012, when these photographs were taken, the detritus was left scattered across the park grounds.

1.3 gram "Aerial Bombs" (license required for purchase), "Asian Sensation", "Never My Love," "Mammoth Strobe Mini"

Embers from the explosions in several instances fell directly onto the Drive, within feet of both observers and vehicles. 

According to the Chicago Municipal Code, any person wishing to obtain a permit for an outdoor fireworks display must, among other things, be licensed by the City, have a letter of consent from the Alderman (4th - Burns), be insured up to $1,000,000, and have the site inspected beforehand by Deputy Fire Commissioner. The ability to purchase 1.3G explosives (like the candy-cane colored "Aerial Bombs" pictured above and below) requires a federal license from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. 

I am curious to know if tonight's pyrotechnicians had taken to trouble to meet any of these requirements.

"Z Shape Tomy Gun: 360 Shots"

During the entire period, there was no visible Chicago Police Department presence, or response to repeated 911 calls. Transporting and arranging fireworks of this size and number obviously required some time, and the effort of more than one person, none of which was detected beforehand.

55th Street Project is Under Way

-posted by richard gill

 

Work is in progress near 55th & Ellis, June 29.

 

Work is moving along on the much-anticipated safety enhancements for 55th Street between Cottage Grove and Lake Park Avenue.  The project primarily involves re-striping and new signage to improve safety and accommodations for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motor vehicle traffic.  This is one of several such projects being implemented by the Chicago Department of Transportation.  See the April 23, 2012 installment of this blog for details.

 

Initial pavement markings show arrangement of westbound traffic lane, parking lane, bike lane and bus stop.  Parking lane is adjacent to traffic lane; bike lane is next to the curb.

 

 

 

Hyde Park Murals Re-Dedicated

-posted by richard gill

On May 16, an enthusiastic crowd gathered at the 57th Street railroad viaduct to celebrate Bernard Williams's restoration of Astrid Fuller's widely acclaimed murals.  Fuller painted the murals on several viaduct retaining walls, beginning in the early 1970s.  The murals are characterized as "confrontational" due to their subject matter which illustrates socioeconomic and political aspects of Chicago history.  The University of Chicago paid for the restoration.  Other supporters include 5th Ward Alderman Leslie Hairston, Metra, and community organizations throughout Hyde Park.

Artist Astrid Fuller (2nd from left) and an attendee discuss the murals.

Hyde Park resident Jay Mulberry (holding mic) was emcee for the ceremony.

Old Robert "Bobby" Franks Home Under Massive Renovation

-posted by chicago pop

[Source for both images: http://www.facebook.com/FosterDesignBuild ]

As many have probably noticed now, one of the most glorious residential buildings in Hyde Park-Kenwood, empty for over a decade and seriously deteriorated, is being restored to its original exterior appearance. I've spent the last decade or so waiting for the wrecking ball to visit this one. Happily, I'm delighted to see that someone is taking a risk on it. Foster Design Build is taking on 5052 S. Ellis after having done similar work on another historic landmark building, 5040 S. Greenwood, next door and immediately to the north of Obama's home.

According to the developer:

The project consists of a complete renovation of approximately 10,000 square feet, including the adjacent coach house and garage. The boarded-up mansion has been in a state of disrepair for the last decade, with challenging conditions such as a leaking roof, broken windows and water pipes.

Berg says the most significant challenge with this renovation project will be restoring all of the individual components of the home so it appears as it was 100 years ago: “As was the case with our project next door to President Obama’s, we are again working on the details of this new project with the neighborhood group in Kenwood and the City of Chicago’s Department of Landmarks and Preservation.”

In magnificence, this residence overshadows its Presidential neighbor, but what a sorrowful history this building has, a history that seemed somehow suited to its recent state of dilapidation. It is a positive for the neighborhood, however, that it will be restored to its towering position on a  piece of gateway real estate.

Perhaps a mindful restoration and modernization, making it possible for a new family to make a life here, will be a sort of tribute to the happy moments that undoubtedly filled this building before the events of 1924.

Meeting on CDOT Plan to put Bike Lanes on 55th

 -posted by chicago pop

Props to 4th Ward Alderman Will Burns. This is one of the best ideas I've heard about in a while. It's all about slowing things down. And when it comes to crazy traffic on the South Side's underutilized roadways, that's how it should be.

Substantial stretches of King Drive, 31st Street, and 55th/Garfield would be altered to incorporate protected bike lanes, and improved pedestrian safety and crosswalks. This would be done at the expense of lane space currently devoted to vehicular traffic. As a CDOT rep put it on the GRID Chicago blog:

CDOT traffic counts show that all of these roadways currently have more travel lanes and/or lane width than needed to accommodate their traffic volume, and this encourages motorists to drive dangerously. While studies show that road diets work well on streets that serve under 20,000 cars a day, actually improving traffic flow in many cases, 55th Street currently serves only 13,500 cars a day and King Drive only carries 9,000 to 11,500 cars per day. Due to the lack of congestion on these roadways, the agency found that 54% of cars on King are speeding, and 15% or motorists are driving over 40 MPH.

I'm sure lots of cyclists will agree with this traffic analysis based on their personal experience. Here again we see the pathological effects of the South Side's loss of density relative to historic levels: streets like King, Cottage, Indiana, 55th and others are far wider than their current levels of traffic would demand.

The North Side can only dream of having the kind of capacity we have down here. King Drive has 8 lanes! 55th is likewise quite broad as it passes through western Hyde Park and so encourages speeding and disregard for pedestrians.

So why not make room for bikes?

Details on the meeting:

The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) is presenting on the 55^th Street safety improvement project this Wednesday, April 25, from 6:30 – 8pm. This project, between Cottage Grove and Lake Park, seeks to create a safe and comfortable roadway for pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit users accessing Washington Park, the University of Chicago, Hyde Park, and the Lakefront. The main features include enhanced pedestrian crosswalks and signage, protected and buffered bike lanes, and a ‘Road Diet’ between Cottage Grove and Kenwood.

The meeting is open to the public.

Date:                           Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Time:                           6:30 – 8:00 p.m. 

            Reception:                   6:30 – 7:00 p.m.

            Presentation:   7:00 – 7:30 p.m.  

            Q & A:                         7:30 – 8:00 p.m.

Location:                     Alumni House in the Klowden Library

    5555 South Woodlawn Avenue 60637

Presentation by CDOT Project Development Staff:  Deputy Commissioner Luann Hamilton and Project Manager Mike Amsden

Thanks to HPP reader PM for the update.

Shoesmith and Murray Add Reformers to LSC's

-posted by chicago pop

The results of yesterday's local school council (LSC) elections are in for the two most hotly contested races. At both Murray and Shoesmith, reformers were successful in gaining seats on both councils on the back of extraordinary voter turnout at both locations. This is a strong sign that Hyde Park and Kenwood residents are against two things: backsliding (Murray) and the status quo (Shoesmith). It is an equally strong sign that they are for maintaining and improving the public school options available to residents of Hyde Park and Kenwood - and are willing to put in the time to make it happen.

This could be the local impact of an overall spike in CPS (and Catholic school) enrollment, due in part to a continued sluggish economy that is sending more and more families into the public school system - as opposed to private schools or suburban districts. It could also be the buds of a distinctly local parent activism, akin to similar movements that have taken shape on the North Side, as a core of local parents commit to improving public education options in the neighborhood

At Murray, the reformist Parents for Murray group saw its top four "Slate for Change" parent candidates pull in the most votes, together with a community member endorsed by the group. Together this represents a significant contingent of new voices to agitate for change at HP-K's beloved magnet school:

Parents
Josephine Njoku-Sanders: 240
Thomas Hoffer: 230
Michael Ewing: 227
Julie Hammond: 198

Community Members:
Michael Scott: 81

A similar story at Shoesmith. Here is a school in the heart of the neighborhood that has just signed a new principal. She is open to new ideas and is testing the waters for ways to improve the school's performance and make it an option for more neighborhood children. Unprecedented voter turnout for an LSC election landed two community members on the council who are both education professionals: Lina Fritz and Tom McDougal.

Community Members:
Lina Fritz - 96 votes
Tom McDougal - 78 votes
Camille Hamilton-Doyle - 73 votes
Roxanne Brown - 36 votes

 Both of them not only know the data on urban education inside and out, but can collaborate with the administration and demand accountability, to make sure what's being done is what works, and that Shoesmith reaches out to the neighborhood.

Worth noting in both cases were the high numbers of community member (non-parent) voters: out of 153 eligible votes cast in the Shoesmsith LSC election, 81 were cast by community members, 72 by parents. I don't have a similar breakdown for the votes at Murray, but the word is that community turnout there was also very strong. Undoubtedly some of those community votes were parents of children attending other schools.

The message is pretty clear: wherever your students come from, you're in Hyde Park. We all have an interest in how well you do.