Remember when...?
It's been a memorable year on the North Side of Chicago. The CTA got underway with its expansion of the Brown Line, causing not a little uproar when it insisted on the temporary closure of some stations. Cab fares went up and so did the number of bleacher seats at Wrigley Field, but Dominick's on Broadway went down to nothing in a spectacular fire. Children's Memorial Hospital prepared to move, and Lane Tech demanded to practice on the land adjacent to its fields. Some beloved institutions called it quits, though culture in general was booming. There were more days to savor the sun at outdoor cafés, and more motorcycles bringing Toys for Tots...but more bungling burglars as well. Before we plunge into 2006, let's take a look back at 2005.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Don't close my CTA station!
The Chicago Transit Authority has begun station renovations as part of the Brown Line capacity expansion project. In order to stay within the project budget and preserve amenities planned for neighborhood stations, the CTA is implementing temporary closures of some Brown Line stations during construction.
Work on station renovations has been grouped into five separate packages: Belmont/ Fullerton; Armitage/ Sedgwick/ Chicago; Kimball/ Kedzie/ Francisco/ Rockwell/ Western; Damen/ Montrose/ Irving Park/ Addison; and Paulina/ Southport/ Wellington/ Diversey. Three stations — Fullerton, Belmont and Western — will remain open throughout construction, which will minimize the effect of surrounding temporary station closures. Local businesses are distressed in anticipation of the impact of station closures on their volume of customers.
The Brown Line capacity expansion project includes: the rehabilitation of 18 Brown Line stations; the lengthening of station platforms to accommodate eight- rather than six-car trains; the provision of station enhancements to meet the accessibility requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); the upgrading or replacement of traction power, signal and communication equipment; and the reduction of the number of slow zones on the line.
Suspicious bag, threat stop trains
The federal government declared terrorist alert level orange (high) only for mass transit regional and inner city passenger rails, beginning Thursday, July 7, when reports of the terrorist bombing of public transportation in London came in. At 9:46 a.m. Friday, July 8, an abandoned suitcase on the Red Line at the Berwyn stop caused the CTA to shut off electricity to the Red Line and to evacuate the train. Police also evacuated the nearby Jewel and the strip mall. The suitcase turned out to contain only clothes.
In addition, at 8:37 a.m. Sunday, July 10, a bomb threat warned police that a bomb would go off at the Kimball el stop "in 12 minutes." The CTA shut down the Brown Line. Police determined that the threat was a hoax and arrested a suspect.
‘I Spy'through fiber network
The City began to use the 388 miles of fiber network installed by RCN cable company to increase surveillance of the city and thus help to prevent acts of terrorism. The use of the network is part of a settlement worked out by RCN as part of its bankruptcy.
City agrees: At Wrigley, bigger is better
The Chicago Cubs and the City of Chicago reached agreement on Wrigley Field bleacher improvements and a new building planned for the parking lot west of the Friendly Confines. The new design replicates Wrigley Field’s famed ivy-covered outfield walls on the bleacher exterior and adds an area where pedestrians on Sheffield Avenue can peer into the park through open fencing — replacing an existing metal gate. New amenities such as bathrooms, concessions and additional exits help update the ballpark’s aging bleachers. The new addition includes wheelchair-accessible seats in the bleachers for the first time. The original proposal for a 2,600-seat expansion was scaled back to 1,790 new seats and an additional 100-person restaurant in the centerfield "Batter’s Eye."
A multi-purpose building will replace the car wash and former donut shop on land west of the ballpark. Players will get batting cages, indoor pitcher’s mounds and other facilities located underground. Fans will have access to a themed restaurant as well as an open-air pedestrian parkway between the new building and Wrigley Field.
The agreement also directs the Cubs to pay the City $3.1 million to resolve a dispute regarding ownership of a piece of land west of Wrigley Field and to get the right to build over the sidewalk on Waveland and Sheffield avenues. The City will also receive $250,000 toward a new campus park at Blaine School and $400,000 for a stoplight at the intersection of Clark St. and Waveland Ave.
Hamlin told to 'dry up'
The baseball fields of Hamlin Park, 3035 N. Hoyne Ave., are undergoing a $700,000 renovation, thanks to efforts by the Hamlin Park Baseball Association (HPBA), the Chicago Cubs, Ald. Ted Matlak (32nd) and the Chicago Park District (CPD). The association's frustration over soggy fields led to the rehabilitation. They submitted a grant proposal to the Chicago Cubs, who promised $200,000. Matlak and the association negotiated with the Park District, which endorsed a plan for $665,000 in field renovations and an additional $35,000 for a new scoreboard and a white brick walk of fame. Hamlin Park Baseball Association was asked to raise $100,000 for the effort, and has so far received about $82,000 in donations.
'Fire in aisle 8'
Gaping holes and crumpled steel remained when Dominick's, 3012 N. Broadway Ave., burned to the ground, despite the effort of more than 150 firefighters to battle the blaze. The spectacular fire brought down the Lake View grocery institution on Father's Day. The 20 employees and approximately 20 customers in the store at the time were all evacuated without harm. The Broadway site also housed a MidAmerica Bank branch, Pizza Hut and the Lake View East Chamber of Commerce. While the adjacent properties were relatively unscathed, the Lake View East Chamber office was temporarily relocated.
MEDICAL
Operation Relocate
Children's Memorial Hospital (CMH) decided to build a replacement hospital — possibly outside of Lincoln Park. The world famous and well-loved institution has been located at Fullerton Ave. and Halsted St. for over 100 years. It now plans a replacement building with a footprint of up to 130,000 square feet and with 343 private rooms. The cost estimate ranges from $600 to $800 million, with $400 million anticipated from a fund-raising campaign. The announcement of the new address is expected in January.
While all CMH property is under consideration, hospital management is reluctant to consider rebuilding their flagship tower on Lincoln and Fullerton avenues due to the disruption it would cause to patient care. The current property sits on 3.5 acres. (See Inside's Predictions for 2006 to learn where this paper bets that CMH will settle.)
Supersize it
Saint Joseph Hospital refined the Planned Development Proposal it created two years ago, adding construction of an administration building at Surf St. and Sheridan Rd., and the addition of a floor-and-a-half to the parking structure adjacent to the main building. Interior upgrades and renovation include the refurbishment of the main entrance and redesign of patient care areas. The Emergency Department, outpatient surgery and critical care areas will be expanded — adjacent to the north side of the hospital in an area between the hospital and parking garage. An elevated pedway will connect the garage and Emergency Department
addition.
RIC fields winning team
The RIC Cubs, the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago's wheelchair softball team, won the 29th National Wheelchair Softball Tournament, held Aug. 11-14 in Columbus, OH. This is the second time they've achieved the national title. The Cubs II, RIC’s other wheelchair softball team, started in 13th place and finished in 7th place. Never before has one program had two teams finish in Division I.
Hey, dude, where's my hospital?
For 97 years, Ravenswood Hospital at Damen and Wilson avenues served Chicago's North Side. Now, development company Seay and Thomas is ready to build on the 1.5 square block site as soon as it locates a partner to help finance the project. The redevelopment project, Ravenswood Town Center, will include several residential buildings, a day care center, a small hospital, a medical office building and a multi-level 439-space parking garage.
The campus of the former Ravenswood Hospital currently consists of seven buildings. Under the redevelopment plan, four of the existing buildings will remain and will retain their current usage.
The former Adler Building, constructed in 1969 to serve as Ravenswood Hospital's main building, will be transformed into 95 residential units. A portion of the original Old Hospital building will also be renovated for residential use. The remainder of that building will be demolished and replaced with an 11-story residential tower. Combined, these buildings will contain 220 units of which 33 will be sold below market value as "affordable housing" to qualified buyers.
Plans also include converting the site's 12-story apartment building into condominium units. The 88-unit tower was originally built in 1972 to provide housing for the hospital's medical staff and 59 of these units will be offered for sale as "affordable housing" at a price below market value. The four-story 439-space parking garage will remain part of the campus, as will the medical office building and the on-campus Neurological and Orthopedic Institute of Chicago.
SCHOOLS
School's out forever...
Throughout this school year, the early childhood programs at LeMoyne School, 851 W. Waveland Ave., will be phased out. The Inter-American Magnet School will move into the building in September 2006. This is a dual-language school currently located at 919 W. Barry Ave.
One third of LeMoyne's current enrollment of 354 students is in special education programs. These classes will close, although the one for autistic children may be an exception. For the final year, LeMoyne will receive the same budget as 2004-2005.
Movies plus sports equal...management?
While corporate case studies are still the mainstay of business school curricula, DePaul University introduced two innovative management courses this academic year that look beyond the boardroom for leadership lessons. The new elective classes, "Management at the Movies" and "Leadership in Sports," are offered by DePaul's College of Commerce as a creative way to get more undergraduate and graduate students interested in studying management.
Hula lessons, anyone?
The Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln Ave., decided to expand by using the site across the street that once housed Juergen's North Star Bakery. The extension of the popular school will be specifically for dance classes. Currently, the dance program features a variety of ethnic and folk dance lessons including such diverse forms as Latino, South Asian, Cajun, clogging, flamenco, step dancing, hula, ballroom and jazz. Classes in dance are also being conducted in the more limited space occupied by the school at 909 W. Armitage Ave. and in satellite schools located in Evanston, Highland Park and Hinsdale.
The Colonel would approve
The Francis W. Parker School, founded in 1901 by Colonel Francis W. Parker and Mrs. Anita McCormick Bell in the Near North Side, opened its modernized science wing in January. The project to renovate the Suzanne Crown Goodman Science Wing involved both the modernization of the old science wing, as well as an addition of 9,000 square feet of science rooms and laboratory space.
A sporting chance at Lane Tech
Lane Tech High School expects to receive at least $300,000 in public and private funds to restore athletic properties at the school. Under an agreement reached between Lane Tech and the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) on Sept. 27, the school plans to raise $150,000 and CPS agrees to contribute a matching amount to upgrade baseball fields at the school. Lane's Field of Dreams Committee is working with the Chicago Board of Education and the Chicago Park District to develop a 6.5 acre property at Rockwell and Addison streets for new athletic facilities, including baseball and football fields for Lane Tech, which currently shares the facilities with several North Side schools. Lane Tech is the largest high school in Illinois, with about 4,500 students.
Who knew school was fun?
Nettelhorst School, 3252 N. Broadway, now boasts four full pre-kindergarten classes, three kindergartens, two first grades, and two second grades, as well as 30 children each in 7th and 8th grades. New this year are a full-time art teacher, a music teacher and a gym teacher. Nettelhorst is a CPS Magnet Cluster School, a CPS Community School and an International Scholars Program site.
FOND FAREWELLS
Salvation Army retreats from Belmont
The Salvation Army post at 1415 W. Belmont Ave. closed its doors for the last time on Saturday, Aug. 20. The physical structure itself was old and the demand for services was dwindling.
The Salvation Army has been in Chicago since 1885 and the Belmont station was a fixture in the community since 1905. The station was first commanded by Ensign Tuttle and was assisted by Lt. Krumpen at Chicago No. 12, as it was then known. The station has had a loyal following of Spanish, Russian, and eastern Europeans, although more recently the numbers have dropped. Gentrification reduced the number of immigrants in the neighborhood. Those in need will still be able to get help from other stations: at Irving Park Rd. and Pulaski Ave., and at Sunnyside Ave. and Broadway.
Dana Hotel checks out
Through good times and bad, the Dana Hotel at 666 N. State St. accepted paying guests ever since it was built in 1891. Now, with the transformation of a once derelict neighborhood into the City's premier tourist area, the Dana has outlived its usefulness. It will be replaced by a slick glass and steel boutique hotel property with 20 stories.
All that glistens...is gone
For nearly 100 years, the family-owned custom jewelry manufacturer B. Leader and Sons was a Chicago institution for jewelry, but on Sept. 30 it closed its doors. Owner Michael Leader, 62, cited a soft market for custom-made jewelry and the rising costs associated with maintaining a jewelry business. In addition, after working for decades as a diamond-setter, his own eye-sight has diminished. Located at 2042 N. Halsted St., the store is well-known to passers-by for its green awning and a seven-foot Maurice Lacroix "wrist-watch" built into the side-walk.
Fischer's Flowers uprooted
Fischer's Flowers, 852 W. Armitage Ave., this year became a casualty of retail rent inflation in the Lincoln Park area. This landmark spans some 80 years in the neighborhood, the last 50 at this location. Owner-operator Robert Shaeffer, known as "Flower Bob," has run the venerable flower shop for the last 21 years. He said a proposed 100 percent increase in monthly rent was out of reach.
Run, skip, jump—somewhere else
"The oldest playground in Chicago," located at 2150 W. North Ave., once served children who attended programs at the adjoining Association House social-services organization. Since the organization first announced plans to vacate gentrified Wicker Park for Humboldt Park, developers have been attracted to the nearly half-acre location. A four-story development is slated to rise on the 11-lot green space. The historic Prairie-style headquarters building is not in jeopardy of being torn down and is now slated to be redeveloped as residential units.
Should I stay or should I go?
A house at 4627 N. Beacon St. was the oldest house in the Sheridan Park National Historic District until it was demolished a few weeks ago. In September Ald. Helen Shiller (46th) was caught between the owner's desire to change the zoning of the property to permit an eight-unit development and the community's desire to retain the charming landmark. Shiller did not change the zoning but the owner tore down the structure anyway; a single family mansion is likely to be erected there.
CULTURE
Plans in full flower
The Lincoln Park Conservancy, working with the Chicago Park District, came up with a master plan for the Lincoln Park Conservatory at 2391 N. Stockton Dr.—a renovation that will cost approximately $22 million in private funds. Designed in 1895 by Joseph L. Silsbee, the building is noted for the beautiful bell-shaped glass Palm House. The renovation will restore the entrance to emulate the 1925 style, create a north end courtyard, open up the orchid house, make use of the unused space as a circulation garden, make the Fern Room handicapped-accessible, build a special events conservatory with a café, replace the asphalt in the parking lot with environmentally-friendly "permeable paver," and put offices and classrooms in the basement.
Yesterday, today, tomorrow
The Chicago Historical Society, at Clark St. and North Ave., is undergoing a $27.5 million renovation to the museum that will be unveiled next fall in conjunction with its 150th anniversary. All exhibition galleries and the Big Shoulders Café are closed due to construction.
CHS named a new president, Gary T. Johnson, a well-known Chicago attorney and civic leader. "One of my themes is that history isn't only about the past, it's also about the history that's being made around us," he said.
More than Earth Day
Laurene von Klan , who served as executive director of Friends of the Chicago River for 13 years, moved to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum to become executive director and CEO. "It's our intention to give people lots of opportunities to get engaged and involved in better understanding nature — and to preserve and protect it in the greater Chicago area," she said.
Al fresco: I'm lovin' it
Ald. Vi Daley (43rd) proposed that sidewalk cafes be permitted to begin operating March 1 — instead of April 1 — and be allowed to continue operating until Dec. 1— instead of Nov. 1, thus adding two months to the outdoor cafe season. The proposal was approved by the City Council.
CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE
Fresh air at some chambers, secrecy at one
The Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce hired Tom Kamykowski to fill the spot of executive director. Elsewhere, Melissa Flynn was promoted to executive director of the Lincoln Square Chamber, and Morene Dunn took the spot of new executive director at Northcenter Chamber. Chip Greenspan resigned as Northcenter Chamber president, and Michelle Kunze stepped up to be interim president.
Meanwhile, the one Chamber that appeared to most need a change of personnel did not get it. Yes, that's Roscoe Village Chamber of Commerce (RVCC). Even though the lawyer for an RVCC member warned the so-called officers that they could not change the by-laws without first holding an election to establish valid officers, the Board went ahead and created new by-laws. (This is the third set that is floating around, but
who's counting?)
The remarkable feature of this new set is that it indemnifies the RVCC Board for criminal acts. The "officers" voted to provide for future and retroactive indemnification for criminal and civil actions by officers, directors and employees of the RVCC, whether or not those actions were related to activities performed on behalf of the Chamber. The by-laws also grant officers, directors and employees the right to collect from the Chamber payment of their legal expenses, irrespective of the legality of their actions or the outcome of any criminal or civil prosecution suit.
In addition, they decided that the Board may compensate itself and the organization's officers "notwithstanding any director's conflict of interest." This would allow the Board to compensate itself with Chamber funds, including public tax revenue such as the money that the Chamber would receive were it to become a "Sole Service Provider" of a Special Service Area (SSA)—such as the $3.5 million one it proposed last year.
Significantly, the by-laws also change the way by which businesses may join the RVCC: They must now be elected to membership by the current, unelected Board of Directors, and the Board may terminate Chamber memberships "for cause after an appropriate hearing"—without defining either "cause" or "appropriate hearing."
The directors have a tenuous claim to the position of directors, since by all three sets of By-laws the directors' terms are only two years long, and the last election was held in either 1998 or 1999...no one seems able to recall. That means that ever since Dec. 31, 2001, at the latest, there have been no legal directors of the RVCC. During this time of illegal leadership, between Dec. 31, 2001 and the present, over $189,000 in City tax revenue has been given to the Chamber to spend; the Chamber refuses to release records of where that money has been spent or who has been enriched by it.
CRIME
Cache of coins causes capture
Police captured a suspect immediately after the latest in a long string of coin-op laundry machine burglaries on Friday, April 15. A woman observed the man entering a locked laundry room in the 4100 block of N. Clark St. at 1:05 p.m. She called 911 and described the offender.
Officers immediately located a suspect matching the description, and attempted to stop him. As he fled, the officers pursued him on foot. When they tackled him to the ground, 444 quarters poured from his pockets. In addition, a large screwdriver and a knife with a bent tip spilled from the pockets onto the street. The suspect said he had done about 500 coin-op machine burglaries and couldn't possibly remember where each one happened.
Cocaine vs. canine
A cache of suspected cocaine protected by a trap was found by police after a routine investigation of a suspicious vehicle.
On the evening of Tuesday, Feb. 8, police observed a 1998 GMC white conversion van—with all windows tinted—traveling south on Halsted St. and then west on Division St. Officers noted that its rear license plate was obstructed. They saw the van glide through a stop sign.
Police approached the driver’s window and requested that he open the door so they could ascertain if there were any more occupants. Using a flashlight, the policeman observed a cardboard box on the floor behind the passenger seat containing numerous DVDs not yet released, and recovered the box.
The van was transported to the 18th District impound garage, where an officer observed several loose wires and harnesses—indicative of a possible trap within the car. The TRAP team of the narcotics unit identified the apparatus as a possible trap and summoned a canine patrol; the canine made a positive ID on the suspect trap. The team then activated the trap and found it to contain one semi-automatic pistol and a large bundle of small white rock-like objects resembling cocaine.
A custodial search of the subject revealed $1,081 in cash; the currency was checked by the canine, which indicated the money to be positive for suspect narcotics. The driver was arrested.
Gimme, gimme, gimme
The layout of a local bank figured into a robbery there. For the North Community Bank within Lincoln Park Market, 2500 N. Clark St., the ATM is located in a store hallway just outside the bank. Periodically tellers remove two cassettes from the ATM, carry them into the bank, and then return to the ATM with two fresh cassettes containing a total of $28,720. Someone who apparently knew this routine was waiting for this moment on Friday, Feb. 4, wearing a blue knit mask.
The tellers had emptied the machine, gone into the bank, and started back to the machine at 8:18 a.m. The offender drove his vehicle and parked in front of the store door. As he entered the store, he said, “Don’t @#!* with me. Give me the cassettes. Don’t @#!*ing move.” The offender was brandishing a pistol. The tellers surrendered the cassettes and the offender jumped onto the car and took off.
Preparing for Mardi Gras?
A burglar forced open the back door of an apartment in the 1700 block of N. Sheffield Ave. on March 23, breaking the lock and badly damaging the threshold. He took $500, costume jewelry ($200), 250 CDs and 20 DVDs.
Bump and pluck
At 1 p.m. Sunday, April 10, a woman shopping at Border’s, 2817 N. Clark St., had her pocket picked. An unknown offender bumped into her and she then discovered her wallet missing. Credit cards and $150 were taken.
Woman tackles burglar
After discovering a burglar in her apartment in the 4100 block of N. Marine Dr., a woman tackled him to keep her possessions. At 3:35 p.m. Wednesday, May 18, the 27-year-old woman came out of her bathroom to find the offender standing in the kitchen holding her camera. He fled out the rear door with her in pursuit. She caught him in the stairwell and a battle ensued, with both tumbling down the steep concrete stairs. The offender fled; the victim recovered the camera on the stairs and returned to the apartment to call 911. Officers located a suspicious man fitting the offender’s description a short distance away, and the victim positively identified him.
'No trespassing' putting it nicely
The bird sanctuary in Montrose Harbor has been the scene of frequent indecent behavior despite efforts by police to arrest the perpetrators. Until the summer of 2005, police had to catch them "in the act," but now police can arrest them for trespassing if the offenders disregard the fences and "no trespassing" signs to move into the hedges.
You better watch out
Here's how it works: A victim is hired through Career Builders to work out of the home for a bogus software company. The victim is supposed to deposit checks from American "customers" in his or her own account, and then wire the money by Western Union to the "company" in Europe. A Lake View women got caught up in this fraud. She wired $4,154.30 and $4,672.57, then found out that both of the checks she deposited in her account at National City Bank, 921 W. Armitage Ave., were
fraudulent.
Not best business practice
A retired woman was approached by a man in the Jewel parking lot, 2940 N. Ashland Ave. He offered to fix her car, which had been damaged a week earlier, for $300, which she gave him in cash. A week later, he and a buddy told her there were "unanticipated expenses" such as equipment rental, and they needed checks for $900 and for $150. A few days later, they collected a check for $700 and then, one for $500.
She did not hear from them after this. She called them repeatedly; finally they brought the car back, patched up with Bondo.
Twelve golden rings
A burglar somehow obtained a key to open an apartment in the 5800 block of N. Ridge Ave. between 6:30 and 7 a.m. Monday, Oct. 10. He then pried the latch on a closet and removed $1,500 plus 12 golden rings.
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