Lincoln Park Community Organizations - What are the Benefits?

Vi Daley's run-off election seemed to reveal a lot of issues with our community's organizations. If you check in with the comments still blazing on this blog's recent "Vi Daley" post, you'll see some of it.

In my pre-election comments, I complained that I thought our community was sliced and diced into so many different groups and organizations that it didn't help foster a sense of community, build consensus, or allow us any collecctive voice or power to address situations that affect us all (e.g., zoning, Children's Memorial Hospital).

Others think the organizations lack financial transparency.

On the other hand, the community groups do contribute a lot -- the festivals, like the Sheffield Garden Walk and Old Town Art Affair, are arguably very enjoyable events with long histories and wide participation.

Here's a list of community organizations in Lincoln Park* that represent neighbors and residents.

Diversey Harbor Lakeview Assn
Gold Coast Neighbors
Lincoln Central Assocation
Near North Property Owners
Mid-North Asscociation
North Dearborn Association
Old Town Merchants & Residents
Old Town Triangle Association
Park West Community Assocation
Ranch Triangle Assocation
Sheffield Neighborhood Assn
Wrightwood Neighbors


What are the positive things and benefits these organizations bring to our community? Please comment.

Here are the ground rules of this forum:

1. I will do a follow-up post for debating the organizations' drawbacks, so I will delete negative comments left on this post.
2. Whenever possible, please mention the community group by name.
3. You may be anonymous, but please choose a "handle" like "ChicagoABC" or "JohnDoe45" to post under, so we may better follow the debate among anonymous commenters.
   
   
   So, what do you really appreciate about these community organizatons?

*The only place I could find this list was on Alderman Vi Daley's website, to her credit.

For Sale: Lincoln Park's Last Little Worker's Cottage

No corner in Lincoln Park better exemplifies the changing built landscape of this neighborhood than Howe and Armitage.

That's where you'll find this little blue gem from 1886. It's dwarfed by the three-, four-, and five-lot palaces that have risen all around it. Now, it's a complete anomaly.

Sadly, it's probably also awaiting its slaughter.

It's been for sale at least since 2005 when I took these photos. (Although little about it has changed.) The asking price is $575K for 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, a sizable yard and a finished basement.

The listing sheet reads, "Renovate. . . or tear down and build your own in the Lincoln School District." There will be no internal showings. You have to buy it "as is." There are renters living there now, but they are on a month-to-month lease, according to the listing.

One of the things that has probably saved it from the bulldozers so far is its small lot size. It's only 17 x 80 versus the standard 25 x 125. That makes it more difficult for developers to extract a profit from it.

I'm often in the middle on preservation issues. In general, I'm sympathetic to the notion that we should preserve aspects of our built history. I don't think we should rush to tear everything down. I'd prefer, in many instances, that we try to renovate buildings and find creative re-uses for them. I don't immediately assume newer is better. I think a diversity of structures is healthiest for a neighborhood.

However, I also think private citizens should have a solid amount of freedom with their properties. Because I'm in the market for a new-to-me home, I can see that newer can frequently be better or more affordable than older. I'm a big fan of modern design and architecture, and I recognize that envisioning and building "the new" is a necessary and important part of our culture.

Should this building be saved?
I don't really think it's the very last cottage in Lincoln Park. But, I don't know for sure. Is anybody counting?

I do think this little cottage is meaningful to our neighborhood. It adds to the visual diversity of our streetscapes. It maintains a dignified scale and offers authentic charm. It reminds us of our shared history.

It's almost 150 years old. It was built just 16 years after our neighborhood was incorporated into the city of Chicago. According to a guide the Chicago Commission on Landmarks publishes called Your House Has a History (download it here), it is a classic worker's cottage.
It would be a meaningful loss to see it go.

Unfortunately, we lack a cohesive enough community to stand up and say, "Hey, all you rich people buying lots and building mega-homes nearby, could you please throw this one in as a gift to your community? It's important to us. Alderman Daley, what about the loss of this home in our community? Is that okay with you?"

Maybe the rich people could donate it as a tax-write off to the Chicago History Museum who could use it as a study annex, sort of like the the Art Institute's Roger Brown Study Collection on Halsted. Or, maybe it could be a children's center or a garden and a small park. Perhaps a retail shop might like it and extend the Armitage shopping district a bit further east. Any of those choices might protect it for the community to enjoy for years to come.

But, honestly, there are plenty of historians who can speak more knowledgably about this building's importance, or lack thereof, rather than me.

My main point is that just thinking about this building's fate reveals a lot. The election already showed how little our community discusses our future. Demolishing this house might reveal how little we honor our past.

Here's a link to ColdwellBankerOnline.com where you'll need to register and type in 625 W. Armitage.Here's Zillow, but you need to register and type in the address: 625 W. Armitage.

Here's my favorite Lincoln Park realtor.

2013 Update on this home from folks at Kale Realty

Back Online: More on Vi

You guys rock. Thanks for all the comments blazing on my previous post while I took some more down time.

Just a few more comments on Vi's re-election and what you've posted:

- I wrote that people re-elected Vi due to her leadership and experience. I really don't know that. I was just giving her the benefit of the doubt. A more accurate statement would have been that voters decided to keep her rather than fire her. The reasons are probably as numerous as the voters.

- I do hope Vi Daley will step up her engagement communication with the community and find some innovative ways to do that. I recommend she set up a blog like my virtual friend The Blogging Mayor of Round Lake aka Bill Gentes. (His blog, by the way, turns 2 today! Happy blogirthday, Bill!)

He uses his blog to keep his constituents up to date about road closings, police promotions, non-profits, election results, local merchants, and lots of other news big and small. His blog is a great example of leadership, community engagement, and how to share civic knowledge. He's even been invited to lecture on building community through blogging.

Just something for the folks over at Vi's to begin thinking about. And, don't forget a comments section!

-I think one of the things that surprised me the most about the 43rd ward aldermanic race was how much the word "puppet" got thrown around. Say what you will about any of the candidates, but I find the puppet idea just so implausible. Ridiculously beholden to someone on certain issues? Influenced unduly by others? That I buy.

-Thank you very much to Rachel Goodstein and others for their kind comments about the blog.

-Finally, regarding our house search. It is true that most of the single family homes in our price range and with the features we are seeking are not located in Lincoln Park. But, I want to be absolutely clear that I am not throwing myself a pity party.

I am deeply grateful for and more than satisfied by our budget. I by no means want to suggest otherwise. I am sorry, though, to possibly be leaving Lincoln Park. We've been very happy here. I'm hopeful we won't end up going very far.

Coming Soon: Ruffled Smoked Salmon & A Helluva Mortgage

Lucien Lagrange, the architect whom I've described previously (here) as a French man right out of Central Casting, will be hosting a preview of his newest project at 2520 N. Lakeview on Thursday, March 29 from 4 - 8 p.m.

Is it possible to measure the mortgage by the menu? You tell me:

Ruffled Smoked Salmon on Black Rye Bread

Minted Cucumber Creme Fraiche and Fresh Mint

Medium Rare Breast of Duck with Yellow Tomato Relish in Petite Cranberry Muffin

Grilled Zucchini Roulade

Tomato Scallion Compote and Chevre Cheese

Brie and Apricot in Phyllo Flower

Beef on Petite Rolls with Wasabi Sauce

Phyllo Spinach Triangles with Bearnaise Dip

Almond Tuilles, Fresh Fruit Tartlets, Petite Chocolate Eclairs, Lemon Squares, Chocolate Carmel Finger Brownies, and Petite Black Bottom Cakes with Ganache Rosette

So, hmmm, let's see, you take the petite beef rolls with wasabi sauce divide them by the number of phyllos add to it the number of fruit tartlets squared and, my friends, I think you're gonna see starting prices around $2 mil.

'Tis a shame I won't be in town to attend. But, you can. Go here to sign up.

[Note to 2520 Developers Ricker-Murphy, I don't think Mr. Lagrange capitalizes the first "g" in his last name per his company's website here. You may want to fix that on your website.]

43rd Ward Lincoln Park Aldermanic Race: Voting Crib Sheet

Okay, so you've either been paying attention to this race or it's completely gone over your head. (And, it's hard to blame you for that, really.) Maybe you've noticed a boatload of junk mail and a few robo calls from da mayor lately.

So, whadda you do tomorrow, election day? Well, you've got to vote. Here are your 43rd ward choices for alderman and their accompanying websites:

Vi Daley-Incumbent
Tim Egan
Rachel Goodstein
Michele Smith
Peter Zelchenko

As I mentioned when I first started blogging about this race, I am not endorsing any candidate, so you'll have to do a little digging and deciding for yourselves.

Consider reading through all the posts featured on this blog over the past four weeks about the candidates here.


Many of the posts include some raucous comments from your fellow Interneteers and several of the candidates themselves have been generous enough to chime in, too.

Enjoy, good luck, and V-O-T-E.

Car Found & At Least 196 Crimes in Lincoln Park Area in Last Two Weeks of January 2007

Our car was stolen off the street about a week ago. (See post here.)

Today, we got a call from the police that it was found a day after it was lost at the end of our block in a private parking lot. The towing company, who also has responsibility for towing cars out of that lot, had it.

My husband had to pay more than $300 to retrieve his car. It was not damaged or broken into, which suggests to us that no one ever drove it. We didn't recall exactly what our mileage was on it, but it hadn't changed significantly while it was away. John's expensive athletic watch, which was in his work-out bag, was still in the car.

I believe the car was towed away in some kind of stinky extortion effort by the towing company.
We've reported it to the police. We're following up. I'll keep you posted.

Then, last Saturday night, we received a call from friends on the 1800 block of North Howe that their front door had been kicked in! And, their giant tv set was carted away along with a second, smaller tv. Thank god they weren't home.

Take a look at this:

Between January 17, 2007 and January 31, 2007, a 15-day period of bone-chilling cold, there were 196 crimes within a one mile radius of 600 West Willow (represented by the black diamond). (I chose this address at random because it's kind of in the center of the area where I live.)

The map above right represents the location and types of crimes. It is taken from the police department's Citizen's ICAM.

Red circles = Crimes against Persons
There were 28 total.
18 battery, 3 assault, 5 robbery, 1 weapons violation, and 1 offense involving children.

Green squares = Property Crimes
There were 151 property crimes total.
33 Criminal damage, 7 deceptive practice, 75 thefts, 20 criminal trespasses, 11 burglaries, 5 motor vehicle thefts (We're one of them).

Blue Triangle = Crimes against Society (Narcotics in this instance)
There was 1.

Red Circle inside Yellow Circle= Crimes against Persons (Domestic Violence)
There were 7 crimes against persons/incidents of domestic violence.
5 batteries, 1 assault, 1 offense involving a minor.

Green Square inside Yellow Circle = Crimes against Property (Domestic)
1 Criminal Damage.

Yellow Triangle = Other and Undetermined
8 Undetermined.
1 Interference with a public officer, 3 other offenses, and 4 non-criminal


All I'm saying is it was mighty cold during the time frame that all this crime was going on, and I'm not at all happy with those numbers. It's not okay by me.

I'll be watching for some kind of follow-through from the police, and I'll be listening mighty carefully to our aldermanic candidates for their take on the situation.

Car Theft on the Rise in Lincoln Park?

My husband just walked in the house after heading off to work and asked if I had driven his car last night.

Um, no.

Uh-oh.

It's gone. From right in front of our house. Our Honda Accord Hybrid. Picked off the street last night. Damn. That car rocked. The thieves are no doubt enjoying the excellent gas mileage and quiet ride.

Our friend's car was stolen on Saturday night out of his garage near Racine & Diversey. Apparently, the thief had a remote control and drove up and down the streets seeing if a garage door would open.


Maybe that Lojack isn't such a dumb-sounding product after all.

If you all see a car that looks just like this one in the photo driving around with bad guys in it, please let me know. I'm announcing this as kind of like an Amber Alert but for our car.

Sigh.

Chicago Very Local News Round-up: Housing, Landmarks, and More

• Skyline named an accurate and commendable list of top stories from our neighborhood in 2006. They are:

1. Children's Memorial Hospital Announces its Leaving Lincoln Park
2. Setback for the Tax Cap Bill
3. The Chicago Historical Society's Revamp
4. Columbus Hospital's Demolition to Make Way for Condos and Townhomes
5. The Approval of the Lincoln Park Community Shelter
6. The Immigration Reform Marches
7. Daley's Shutting of the "Big Box"
8. Wrigley Field's revamp
9. The Displacement of Affordable Housing
10. 'Bad' Heroin Killing more than 260 in Cook County

• Sheffield Neighborhood News reports that the number of real estate transactions in the Sheffield Neighborhood Association area has declined by 15% (2006 vs. 2005), but single-family home prices rose by 17%. Time on the market also edged up by 9%. Condos fared more poorly. Their sales price increased only 2% over the previous year while time on the market jumped 25%. (This stats were reported by Rubloff realtor Paula Arnett.) . . . SNN also reported that DePaul University has begun a master planning process that will consider the future of the Lincoln Park and downtown campuses.

• N'Digo columnists Ziggy and Wanda Wright report that Governor Blagojevich appointed Louanner Peters as Deputy Governor at the end of last month. They write, "No other African American woman in the country has ever served at such a high level of authority." That can't be right given Condoleeza Rice, Carol Moseley Braun, et al. Maybe they mean state government or Illinois state government? . . . Also N'Digo features an intriguing recipe for Bananas with Pecans and Whiskey on page 17. Serve it over ice cream. Mmmmmm.
  Inside Newspaper has a great, year-end wrap-up of Chicago Landmarks issues in 2006.Find it here. (See pages 14 and 15).

• Inside Lincoln Park reports that DePaul University snagged a "Number 1" rating from Princeton Review for student diversity. Minority students enrolling in fall 2006 made up 28% of their freshman class. 71% of the class came from Illinois.

• Go Veggie! editor Kay Stepkin reports they have a newly designed website. You can visit it here. (Note to Kay: would love to see some recipes, too.)

• Northerly Island will host Polar Adventure Days on Saturday, January 20 and Saturday, February 24 from noon to 4 p.m. They're featuring snowshoeing, a live coyote, hot chocolate and more. (Go see Northerly Island before they do something dumb like build all over it.)

UPDATE: So sorry. I meant to include this link to Inside newspaper's year-end issue. This is where you'll find a very strong round-up of landmark issues.

Image courtesy of johnnyroadtrip.com