Many families living in the South Loop struggle with the issue of not having a suitable neighborhood high school for their children. Litigation attorney and community leader John Jacoby faces the same problem with his youngest daughter who next year will be a freshman in high school.
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| Phillips Academy in Bronzeville (via Wikipedia) |
Having lived in Chicago for more than 20 years, Jacoby has been a direct witness to all of the up and coming changes in the South Loop. However, one of the most important things that have not changed is the option for an academically successful neighborhood high school. As of now, Phillips Academy is the only neighborhood high school available to Jacoby’s daughter, Kyra. Located in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, it falls academically short with a graduation rate of 61 percent, according to the Chicago Public Schools website.
“Our neighborhood high school is not an option,” Jacoby said. The graduation rate at Phillips Academy is lower than the Illinois state average of 88 percent.The article goes on to tell more anecdotal stories of the problem, but doesn't go much further.
It’s no wonder parents are scrambling to find a better high school for their children, Jacoby said.
Jacoby’s oldest daughter, Renee, is now a senior at Jones College Prep Academy located in the Printer’s Row neighborhood in downtown Chicago. In order to be accepted to this high school, a student has to have straight A’s and test into the 99th percentile, Jacoby said.
If you got stuck in a long line behind Grateful Dead fans at the post office last week, know this: You were not alone.
The band said more than 60,000 individual envelopes flooded into the California post office box collecting orders from Deadheads trying to get tickets for the band's reunion shows in Soldier Field this summer.
Soldier Field's capacity for football games is 61,500, although more can pack in for concerts. Relix.com reported that the 60,000 fans who mail-ordered for tickets asked for more than 360,000 tickets in total, meaning many fans will be left disappointed and get their postal money orders back.If you're scratching your head thinking that the mail-ordered ticketing system seems archaic, that's the point. For those of us who aren't "deadheads" apparently this is how the band used to operate their ticketing system:
Because of the influx, the Dead canceled all other preorders, leaving just a Feb. 28 Ticketmaster ticket release.
As is the custom, the band offered advance tickets sales for fans willing to jump through a series of hoops and send away for tickets. Fans had to pony up money for money orders in all the different combinations of costs associated with the tickets. Then they had to send a self-addressed stamped envelope and a 3-by-5 index card detailing what tickets they wanted.If you're thinking this must be a joke, checkout this video from their site:
The process led to long lines at post offices around Chicago — and around the country — as fans methodically had postal clerks print out their money orders. As is also the custom, the band encouraged fans to decorate their envelopes, leading to brightly colored submissions.
Fans jockey for the fanciest envelopes in hopes of getting better tickets.Speaking to that last point, we found an interesting article with a bunch of elaborate envelopes, but this was our favorite (via JamBase):
When Jeremy Davis comes to Chicago this summer for what could be the Grateful Dead's final shows, the Florida man wants to camp in his RV in a parking lot near Soldier Field along with tens of thousands of other "Deadheads" he considers family.
That's why Davis on Sunday initiated an online petition asking the powers that be to open up the lots for overnight parking. His idea caught on, and the petition had more than 6,300 signatures as of Thursday afternoon.To us this seems optimistic. It also seems unlikely that the city will go for it. After all, does shakedown street mean anything to any of you?
Police are warning women of recent series of violent assaults and robberies in the South Loop.
In each incident, at least one man approached a woman from behind, pushed or punched her in the face, knocked her to the ground and then took her purse, cellphone or case, Area Central detectives said in a community alert.
The robberies happened in the:
- 1500 block of South Wabash at 9:12 p.m. on Jan. 13;
- 1500 block of South Indiana at 10:30 p.m. on Jan. 16;
- 1900 block of South Indiana at 7:28 p.m. on Jan. 23; and
- 1600 block of South Prairie at 8:12 p.m. on Jan. 27.
The suspect or suspects are of two different age ranges— 18-20 or 30-35, police said. He is described as 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-10, and 150-200 pounds.
Police advise women to be aware of their surroundings and report suspicious behavior immediately. If confronted by an assailant, victims should remain calm, and never pursue a fleeing attacker.(Hat tip: SS!)
Motor Row Gallery is pleased to announce its second pop-up art exhibition PHENOMENA featuring an eclectic mix of regional artists working in sculpture, found object assemblage, painting, works on paper and mixed media. Focusing on extraordinary occurrences in theme and process from the artist’s conception to the viewer’s perception – PHENOMENA centers in our minds and fuels our imaginations.
SHOW DATES: March 13 – April 12, 2015
OPENING RECEPTION: Friday March 13, 5-9pm
OPENING RECEPTION WEEKEND:
Saturday March 14, 3-7pm
Sunday March 15, 12-5pm
LOCATION:
Motor Row Gallery
2345 S. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL
60616
HOURS: Monday - Saturday 9am-3pm
Not necessarily ever a "Breath of fresh air on Grant Park," has anyone else noticed in the last few days this monstrosity of a sign? The illumination has been greatly enhanced to where it appears to be twice the brightness of the Congress Hotel sign and, dare I say, ever more intrusive than Trump.
I have sent a complaint to the Mayor's office and hope some action will be taken. Perhaps others will address their complaints, as well.(Hat tip: RC!)
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| Highest Selling Home in 2014? 1841 S. Pairie Ave (via Redfin) |
Now that 2014 is over, it’s time to take stock. What were the highest selling homes in the Sloopin coverage area? What can it tell you about the make-up and the market in the Sloop?
So, here we go! Unsurprisingly, all five homes were on Prairie Avenue.
1. 1841 S Prairie Ave. A single family home in the Near South Side, this 5-bed, 5-bath home is covered in marble and includes all the bells and whistles you’d expect at this price-point. It sold for $1.75M.
2. 1831 S Prairie Ave. Practically next door to the top-ranking home, this far more modest single-family row home fetched $1.62M and sold before print. Located across from the Chicago Women’s Park and Gardens, this home is on a decidedly elegant, historic street.
3. 1211 S Prairie Ave, #2901. Located in the Signature Tower at Museum Park, this corner unit on the 29th floor includes spectacular views and an incredible (for a condo) 2,924 square feet. It sold for a whopping $1.616M.
4. 1211 S Prairie Ave, #5101. While photos are no longer available, this 51st floor unit in the Signature Tower includes two parking spaces, north and east views, and 9-foot ceilings with floor-to-ceiling windows. It sold for $1.6M.
A million dollar view from 1201 S. Prairie #4901 (via Redfin)
5. 1201 S Prairie Ave, #4901. Located in The Grant, this unit had been on and off the market since 2006. This unit sold for $1.545M, but the listing mainly touts the building’s amenities, not the unit’s. With HOA dues of $1,370/month, residents are going to demand high-quality building amenities.
While the most expensive homes don’t necessarily reflect the taste of everyone in the neighborhood, aspirational homes often represent the ethos of a neighborhood. Where do people most want to live? What is priced most highly? And why?
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| Image for Chicago Firehouse Restaurant after Fire (via Chicago Talks) |
A fire at a South Loop firehouse-turned-restaurant in early December has prompted Landmarks Illinois, a nonprofit preservation organization, to beef up its efforts to prevent future fires caused by construction-related accidents in historic buildings.
The extra-alarm fire on 1401 S. Michigan Ave. was contained but caused heavy damage.
Evanston resident Duane Yost, who was at the scene of the fire, recalls water rapidly flooding out of the building as firefighters fought to contain the flames. The fire was devastating to the structure, causing the restaurant to temporarily close for business. Everyone was evacuated from the structure safety, but firefighters were unable to keep the roof from caving in.
Lisa DiChiera, director of advocacy for Landmarks Illinois said fires like the one at the Firehouse are a recurring problem for owners of many historic buildings who hire contractors who aren’t cautious enough when working on historic premises. Landmarks Illinois is looking into revisiting this problem and coming up with a possible policy to help prevent any future disasters.
The organization hopes to possibly meet with Illinois State Fire Marshal and also talk to owners of historic buildings about hiring the right type of contractors. They’ve talked to Illinois Sen. Pamela Althoff previously McHenry mayor, who was unavailable for comment at this time.
| Duck boat entering waterway in Wisconsin Dells (via Tribune) |
Duck boat tours could be coming to the Chicago River as soon as this summer.
Entertainment Cruises, a cruise operator based at Navy Pier, submitted a proposal to guide tours on the boats, which run on land and water. The company operates more than 30 ships in cities across the country.
"With this you get the best of both worlds," said Dan Russell, vice president and general manager for Entertainment Cruises. "It showcases all of the best that Chicago has, which is formidable, obviously. We think it will be a fun package."
Duck boats do not look like ducks. The bulky, amphibious vessels were once used by the U.S. military in World War II. Since then, duck boat tours have gained popularity in places like Boston, Seattle and the Wisconsin Dells. The Boston tours have served as a model for Chicago, Russell said.
Construction for the new duck boat endeavor could begin as soon as Jan. 28, when the review process by state regulators is scheduled to be completed, Russell said.
The boats, which hold 37 passengers, require special ramps to enter and exit the Chicago River. Under the proposal, the ramps would be constructed at Marina Towers and West Polk Street. The Marina Towers ramp would be 25 feet wide by 73 feet long, and the West Polk Street ramp would be 20 feet by 73 feet. The latter would be constructed by modifying an abutment at the former Polk Street Bridge, Russell said.The article doesn't say anything about routes or whatnot, but if this moves forward expect to see some ducks on Sloop streets.
In a match made in hippie heaven, Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio will join the four living original members of The Grateful Dead for three 50th-anniversary shows July 3-5 at Soldier Field in Chicago. The Dead's last performance with Jerry Garcia, who died in August 1995, was at the same 55,000-seat capacity venue on July 9, 1995.
The sense of closure is no accident: These shows are likely to be the finale for the "core four," as the surviving members are now known: Bob Weir, 67; Phil Lesh, 74; Mickey Hart, 71; and Bill Kreutzmann, 68. "These will be the last shows with the four of us together," Weir tells Billboard.
Competition to land the coveted booking was stiff, with such players as Goldenvoice's Paul Tollett and Live Nation mounting efforts to reunite the Dead at venues like the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, Calif., the site of Coachella, and Bonnaroo (the latter, according to sources, offered the band $3 million for a headlining set -- and was rejected). It helped that Shapiro has an exclusive contract with Lesh and co-owns three Brooklyn Bowl locations (Las Vegas and London opened in 2014) that are favorites of jam bands, as well as the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, N.Y., where Anastasio previously had joined Weir onstage.
It's back to the future in the South Loop, as developers engage in a land rush reminiscent of the heady years before the recession.
A recent flurry of dealmaking could bring new high-rises with thousands of apartments and condominiums to the east bank of the Chicago River just south of downtown. Leading the charge is Chicago-based residential developer CMK, which has acquired one vacant riverside parcel and is buying two others between Congress Parkway and Roosevelt Road, collectively one of the biggest tracts of undeveloped land within walking distance of the Loop.
The deals reflect a growing optimism among developers that the apartment boom is far from over and the condo market's comeback is kicking into a higher gear.
Developers have coveted the area for a long time, but only a few major projects got off the ground during the last boom. The biggest was the Roosevelt Collection, an apartment-retail complex with a 14-screen movie theater. Though it ran into loan trouble after the bust, the project has rebounded and become a key neighborhood amenity, boosting Roosevelt Road's status as a shopping strip on par with North and Clybourn avenues on the North Side. “It's now Clybourn South,” DeVries says.
Beyond the fate of the Old Post Office across the river, the biggest question for the neighborhood is what will happen to a vacant 62-acre riverside property just south of Roosevelt Road. During the boom, Antoin “Tony” Rezko, a key fundraiser for imprisoned former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, proposed a shopping center and as many as 4,600 homes for the property. That plan died after a Rezko venture sold the site to General Mediterranean Holding, a Luxembourg-based conglomerate owned by British billionaire Nadhmi Auchi.
GMH has not unveiled plans for the property, testing the patience of city officials, who want the site developed. Last April, the City Council gave the city the authority to buy the site, through eminent domain if necessary, with the hope of prodding GMH into action.
“We need to put some pressure on the owner,” says Ald. Daniel Solis, 25th, whose ward includes the neighborhood.
“We stand ready to work with the city of Chicago on an appropriate development for the property and the neighborhood,” GMH spokesman Ryan McLaughlin says.That gigantic swath of land probably has the most opportunity to drastically change the face of the neighborhood (unless a development over the train tracks just west of Lake Shore Drive gets going).
Hot on the hooves of the second Burger Bar, McLean is targeting a July 1 opening for an unnamed pair of projects at 800 South Clark Street, a coffee shop and a Mediterranean small-plates spot. The 15- to 20-seat coffee shop will make its own doughnuts and pastries and serve panini and salads at lunch. Inspired by a recent trip to Barcelona, McLean plans the wood-fired Spanish flatbreads called cocas, wood-roasted meats, plancha-cooked prawns and razor clams, and paella at the 125-seat Mediterranean restaurant. “It will be really robust food,” he says.For those not familiar with the space at 800 S. Clark street we presume it's the retail space at the recently completed and opened AMLI lofts. Here is a rendering from a listing on Loopnet:
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| Retail space at AMLI lofts at the corner of Clark and Polk (via loopnet) |
A Chicago preschool teacher was charged with inappropriately touching two 3-year-old students’ genitals during nap-time and in a bathroom at a South Loop school.
Jian Feng, 25, of the 2200 block South Princeton Avenue, was ordered held without bail Saturday in a Cook County court. He was charged with four counts of predatory criminal sexual assault, Class X felonies.
Feng allegedly touched one of the girls in November in a bathroom at the school, said Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Mary Hain. Surveillance video captured Feng and the child walking in and out of a bathroom at the school. Feng admitted to inappropriately touching her genitals because “his brain made him,” Hain said.
In a second incident this month, he allegedly touched another girl’s genitals while she was lying down for a nap, Hain said. Surveillance video showed Feng with the girl. Feng pulled back her covers and reached into her pants, Hain said in court. Feng told authorities he did it because he was “curious.”
Feng was arrested Friday after guardians of the children told authorities about the acts.
According to school spokeswoman Kelly Anne Ohde Feng was a teacher at the Near South Side Development Center on the campus of the Easter Seals National Teachers Academy, 2214 S. Federal St. where the crimes occurred. He was removed from the school and, "will have no contact with the children."
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| Bacci Pizza Express at Roosevelt CTA Entrance |
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| Screenshot of Coyote Crittercam from National Geographic (click her for the video) |
One GPS-collared coyote named 748 and his mate even raised a litter of five healthy pups inside a secret concrete den in the parking lot of Soldier Field Stadium, home of the Chicago Bears.The article also provide an overview about the difference between wild coyotes and uber-urban coyotes:
The animals have altered their natural behavior to accommodate living in close quarters with people. Unlike wild coyotes, for example, Chicago's uber-urban coyotes are nocturnal, coming out when most people have gone home; have learned to travel and cross busy roads regularly; and maintain huge yet fragmented territories, according to new data from coyotes outfitted with a GPS collar or a Crittercam, a National Geographic camera that attaches harmlessly to animals.The article also has some fun videos from the crittercam which we suggest a clicking through to watch (if you like that type of thing).
Burger Bar Chicago new South Loop Location Opening Soon! We have it on good authority that the opening of Burger Bar Chicago's 2nd location could be ready to open in the next 2-3 weeks. With their flagship location on North Clybourn in Lincoln Park, the new location will be on the corner of Michigan Avenue & Roosevelt Road, in the ground floor of The Colombian Condominium building ground floor retail space. Gourmet Burgers, salads, mac & cheese, 100+ craft beers, milk-shakes etc.Last we heard they were shooting for an end of year opening, but that clearly didn't happen. Regardless, this will be a good one once the doors are open.
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| Rendering of new Lakeside Bank at northwest corner of Michigan and 14th (via DNAinfo) |
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| Mayor Emmanuel and Alderman Dowel Check Out Motor Row Brewing |
Stop me, oh oh stop me if you you’ve heard this one before… But we are OFFICIALLY opening on Thursday, January 15th. Really. Due to limited space and the lovely weather, PLEASE RSVP BELOW!It's been a long grind to this opening for Motor Row Brewing (formerly named Broad Shoulders Brewing). But as they say, good things to those who wait...and hopefully this applies to this brewery.
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| Rendering of Baderbrau Brewery at 2515 S. Wabash) |
Baderbräu Brewery will complement the new Motor Row District scheduled to break ground in the area in early 2015. The brewery will open summer 2015.Now while we've been impressed with Baderbrau's operations and public relations, these types of things tend to not open on time. Anyway, we wish them the best and hope to try some beer at the brewery sometime in 2015.
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| One of the many beautiful buildings in historic Motor Row (via Fox 32 News) |
Hi-
We work with Roosevelt Collection and saw your post.
Republic of Couture is not closed—they just have some new winter hours currently. Please let us know if you have any questions.
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| Vacant lot on Chicago River just North of Roosevelt (via Crains) |
After dropping nearly $8 million on one vacant riverside parcel in the South Loop, Chicago residential developer Colin Kihnke is poised to pay triple that for a bigger property next door.
A group led by Kihnke has agreed to pay about $26 million for a parcel just north of Roosevelt Road on the east side of the Chicago River, according to people familiar with the transaction. At 5.1 acres, it's one of the largest development sites in greater downtown, with zoning for more than 1,000 homes.While we were curious to see what CMK had in store back in November, our interest has now been piqued. YoChicago makes a good point in a post on this topic and notes that the city announced plans to build the Wells-Wentworth connector (which we've also posted about) which should provide much better access to these lots. As they sit now, these lots are some of the most inaccessible in the Sloop.
The acquisition is an aggressive move for Kihnke, one of the city's busiest condominium developers, who just paid $7.8 million for a 1.8-acre lot immediately to the north. It's unclear what Kihnke, president of Chicago-based CMK Cos., plans to build on the two properties—he didn't return calls—but given their location and his skill set, condos or apartments are a good guess.
The lights were off at Republic of Couture today... Could have been due to the weather, but I've lived across the street from it (Roosevelt Collection) for almost a year and have only seen one person walking out of that store with a bag of purchases...
I'm going to bet they are closed.As a reminder this store opened at Roosevelt Collection back in July of 2014.
We work with Roosevelt Collection and saw your post. Republic of Couture is not closed—they just have some new winter hours currently.(Hat tip: SC!)
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| Renderings of proposed apartment building at 600 S. Clark (via Curbed Chicago) |
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| Parking Garage where 24-story apartment building is being proposed (via Crain's) |
The South Loop has emerged as a crowded place for apartment construction, but a development group is wagering there's still room to build more rentals in the neighborhood.
A venture of Dan Moceri, CEO of Schaumburg-based Convergint Technologies, his son Michael, an architect, and Thomas Roszak, who leads his namesake Chicago architecture firm, want to tear down the parking garage at 600 S. Clark St. and build a 24-story, 202-unit apartment building, Michael Moceri said in an email. The garage is owned by a venture of venture of Chicago investor Arthur Holmer.If you recall we posted about this trend in one of our 2014 recap posts.
