Lake Park Ave. and Metra viaducts streetscape plan, and the Hyde Park Murals; mosaic proposal 57th/Drive
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Lake Park Ave. and Metra viaducts streetscape plan, and the Hyde Park Murals; mosaic proposal 57th/DriveHome page This page brought to you by Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference and HPKCC's website, www.hydepark.org. Join the Conference! |
Metra removed embankment limestone walls south of 47th, starts landscaping; Planning continues on Lake Park Corridor, Metra viaducts and embankments. See the embankment walls that Metra and the city removed in 2004 from 47th to 50th in David Schalliol's www.metroblossom.com/historical. To Lake Park Plan graphics (3 parts). To Kenwood-40th Embankment. Appeal for a whereabouts; contact for Jon Pounds of Ch Pub Arts Gp. Some contacts, literature. --Chicago Public Art Group sites including muralart.org and http://highergliffs.com.
To graphics and details of the Lake Park-Viaducts planning documents, series.
Jon Pounds, Chicago Public Arts Group, can be reached at 312 427-2724 or jonpounds@cpag.net.
John Pounds of the Chicago Public Arts Group issued this appeal in December, 2004. Does anyone know
the whereabouts of Albert Zeno!!!! Jon Pounds - [info@cpag.net,
312 427-2724 x24] In late 2007, they were still looking for him, to coordinate restoration of the mural on south wall of 55th Street (Alewives and Mercury Fish) that is to be restored. |
Every Thursday at 1:30 pm there is an update meeting on the Lake Park/Viaducts construction project, open to the public. At the Deco Arts/Chevy building, 55th and Lake Park, 1525 E. 55th St. (NOT 1354)
From the January 2008 TIFormation
World Class Art to Adorn Local Viaduct Walls
(pics: Aspiration by John Himmelfarb and On the Beach by Margaret Burroughs.)
(quote: "The selections showcase t he diversity of the talented artists living on Chicago's South Side." Jon Pounds, Executive Director, Chicago Public Art Group)
Renovation of the 53rd and 55th St. viaducts is scheduled to resume this spring and be finished this summer.
The remaining work consists of the installation of the steel frame 'bent' system, new lighting and at panels or mural restoration. These final elements will have a dramatic impact on the viaducts and the pedestrian experience.
A curatorial team from the Chicago Public Art Group, Hyde Park Art Center, and the South Side Community Art Center selected the work of four South Side - and international renowned artists- to adorn the walls of the viaducts. Art by Terry Evans, John Himmelfarb, Calvin Jones and Margaret Taylor-Burroughs will be reproduced digitally and printed in color onto 8 ft. by 12 foot panels on the 53rd and 55th St. viaducts. The TIF Council enthusiastically endorsed the selections of art work, which the University of Chicago is funding.
The City of Chicago and Metra- through the support of Aldermen Toni Preckwinkle and Leslie Hairston , committed $3.8 million to support the renovation of the 53d and 55gh St. viaducts and the landscaping of the connecting embankment along Lake Park.
Rep. Barbara Currie (D-25th) obtained an additional $2.5 million to support the renovation of t he 53rd and 55th St. viaducts from the state of Illinois to fund subsequent phases. Design is currently underway for the next set of viaducts; 51st and 57th Street. The City of Chicago estimates that the entire multi-phase project will cost over $20 million.
47th mural finalists selected, show to North Kenwood Oakland Conservation Community Council March 6 2008.
The finalists are: Rahmann Barnes and a team of Nina Smoot-Cain, Carolyn Elaine and Sonata Kazimieraiteiene. They showed their concepts, the first a mosaic with mirrored tile, the other a painted collage reflecting history of Hyde Park and Kenwood. 28 individuals or teams competed. (Sam Mulberry and others whose murals were whitewashed in 2005 say they were never dealt with seriously. They declined to apply or compete in the RFP.) The Smoot-Cain team has done other murals in the area and one is a 4th generation resident. Their mosaic at five pints along the walls would evoke community virtues and values and include clay tile reliefs made by residents. The Barnes Tea proposes a mural called "Instinctive Movements," which in acrylic and spray would cover the whole wall with color, maps, prominent Chicagoans, the seasons, and symbpols. Barnes grew up in the area and teaches at Little Black Pearl Art and Design Center and After School Matters, which have been putting up art along highways etc. The winning team will be selected soon and work start in the summer.
Update on murals form the September 10 2007 TIF meeting: artists selected for 53rd, 55th
53rd and 55th Street Mural Project Update: John Pounds, Director of the Chicago Public Art Group, Chuck Thurow, Hyde Park Arts Center, and Faheem Majeed, South Side Community Art Center are "curators" for the panels and murals at these sites. Four artists have been selected--Calvin Jones, Margaret Burroughs, John Himmelfarb, and Terry Evans--whose works lend themselves to art panels for the site. Lighting and a protective coating are also part of the project. In addition, part of the mural on the south side of 55th - Alewives and Victory Fish- will be preserved.
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Work started the week of March 5 2007 on the signal lights at Lake Park and 53rd, start of a major project. The scope of the project was presented at the May 14 TIF Advisory Council meeting. The viaduct niche panels where murals are not to be preserved will have blow ups of artist works (funded by U of C in this phase of the project), juried by Hyde park Art Center, Chicago public Arts Group, and South Side Community Art Center. No pieces will be deemed permanent or owned. Highlights in this phase include the walks, rails, walls, lighting etc. of the 53rd and 55th viaducts, disabilities-friendly signals at 53rd and 55th, and embankment protection and landscaping. (The remnant of dolostone wall south of 55th will be kept.) Note that there are several things that the project cannot address, partly due to shortness of time, that some projects trigger a lengthy review, and unwillingness by Metra to have some activities in progress, especially since some could interfere with moving passengers. May 15 work started on one side each of the 53rd and 55th viaducts. Work is suspended for winter 2008 with pavement and basic painting, signals lights in-including audible enunciators at 55th (but not yet countdown). IN spring the new artworks will be in; planning under a state grant by Re. Currie is underway for the next phases.
New Art will brighten Lake Park Viaducts- selection made, works in progress
InsideOut Fall 2007 (University of Chicago)
By Spring 2008, thousands of resident, automobile passengers, CTA riders, and Metra commuters will experience a more attractive and pedestrian-friendly experience at the 53rd and 55th Street viaducts on Lake Park Avenue. The city is currently renovating these viaducts and will landscape the railroad embankment between them.
The City of Chicago and Metra--through the support of Aldermen Toni Preckwinkle (4th Ward) and Leslie Hairston (5th Ward)--have committed $3.8 million to support this first phase of work. Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie (D-25th) obtained an additional $2.5 million from the State of Illinois to fund subsequent phases. Design is currently underway for the next set of viaducts at 51st and 57th Streets. The Chicago Department of transportation estimates that he entire multiphase project will cost over $20 million.
With $100,000 in support from the University of Chicago, a curatorial team from the Chicago Public Art Group, the Hyde Park Art Center, and the South Side Community Art Center selected the work of four South Side--and internationally renowned--artists to adorn the walls of the viaducts. The work of Terry Evans, John Himmelfarb, Calvin Jones, and Margaret Taylor-Burroughs will be reproduced digitally and printed onto eight-by-twelve-foot panels lining the pedestrian walkways in the viaducts at 53rd and 55th Streets. The selections "showcase the diversity of the extraordinarily talented artists living on the South Side," says John Pounds, executive director of the Chicago Public Art Group.
In addition, the Chicago Public Art Group will restore the mural on the north side of the 55th Street viaduct. The murals on both sides of the 57th Street viaduct will be restored in conjunction with the future renovation of these viaducts.
These major infrastructure improvements combined with the colorful art panels and restored murals underscore the presence of the vital art community on the South Side," says Irene Sherr, a principal with Community Counsel, an urban planning firm involved with the project. Top
Report 1: Herald May 23 2007 report- and pre-urban renewal relic found. By Nikeya woods and Yvette Presberry (abbreviated)
Construction began last week to improve the viaducts at 53rd and 55th street and Lake Park Avenue as lane closures caused minor traffic jams. The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) is spending $3.8 million to reconstruct the drab and leaking viaducts.
"We all know the structures are all leaking and there's a lot of water that sits there, and there's only so much we can do about that," said Janet Attarian, project director for CDOT. Attarian made a presentation at the May 14 53rd Street Tax Increment Financing Meeting and said that the pedestrians and drivers should expect to encounter reduced sidewalk space and single lanes under the viaducts.
The improvements will take place in four phases, with the first phase occurring at the north side of 53rd Street and the south side of 55th Street. Later in the summer, as decorative concrete railings are hoisted into place, 53rd and 55th streets will be temporarily closed and traffic will be rerouted.
Attarian said that when the first phase is completed by the end of summer, CDOT will begin work on the flip side of 53rd and 55th Streets. Future work includes improvement to the viaducts at 7th, 51st, 57th and 60th streets.
Chicago Transit Authority bus stops will be moved across the street. Metra stations and businesses like Istria Cafe on 57th Street will remain during construction.
residents and commuters were excited about the improvements. " If it's advantageous for people who have disabilities and it's more accessible for ladies in the evening and well lit, then I'm all for it," said Hyde Parker John Volpi. ..Jeremy Inbinet said, "Right now when you walk down here it seems dark, And you think, 'Should I cross the street here or should I keep walking."
The agency will install new lighting, a decorative arch walkway, ADA compliant sidewalks, a guardrail and a new ceiling and new gutters. A system to collect rain water from leaking down the walls will be installed to help restore murals and new artwork.
Meetings about the improvements will be held every Thursday at 1:30 pm at [Bank Financial Lake Park/55th]. Top
The Herald also reported that a relic of Murray's cigarette and wine store in the vicinity of the viaduct was found during work on 53rd viaduct- buried in a wall. (The section was left for later so decisions can be made.) Such businesses were controversial in the era leading up to urban renewal clearance.
Aldermanic report in July 25 2007 Herald. By Toni Preckwinkle (4th), Leslie Hairston (5th).
The Lake Park Avenue streetscape project is will under way. The first phase entails improving the public way beneath the viaducts that run [perpendicular] to Lake Park Avenue at 53rd Street and 55th Street. Crews are currently working on the north side of both viaducts.
This segment of construction has the greatest impact on traffic as left turns are prohibited from both westbound 53rd and 5th streets to southbound Lake Park Avenue. Left turns will be allowed once work is completed on the viaducts.
Crews will then switch over and begin work on the south side. This should take place in approximately four to six weeks. The Chicago Department of Transportation has installed message boards to remind motorists of the no left turns and to keep Hyde Park residents informed of any traffic changes.
While the CTA bus routes will remain unaffected during construction, the northbound bus stop, located on the east side of Lake Park Avenue at 53rd street, has been temporarily moved a few feet to just north of 53rd Street.
Over the next few weeks, sidewalk reconstruction, ADA access ramps and curb and gutter work wil be completed as crews begin work on the retaining walls. Later this summer, column improv'ts, archway an lighting work will et under way.
Project improvements include installation of a new decorative arch walkway with art panels provided by the University of Chicago, new lighting, new sidewalks, new guard rails, column and skylight improvements, wall repairs and embankment landscaping.
The $3.8 million project, partially funded by Metra, is the first of five planned for the area between 47th and 60th streets. Thank you for your patience. We continue to work with the Chicago Department of Transportation to keep residents informed and to minimize your inconvenience. We welcome your suggestions and input. Please call us with any questions you might have as work continues...for further information and updates, please go to: cityofchicago.org/Transportation.
April 9 Herald carried update on summer 2008 projects
Chicago Public Art Group, in collaboration with University of Chicago, Hyde Park aart Center, and South Side Community Art Center. Participating schools include (through funding) Hyde Park High Schol, Kenwood Academy High School, Shoesmity Elementary, Canter Middle, and Bret Harte Elememtary. Work starts in May. Projects include:
- decorative concrete medalions in Washington Park walkways. Rahmaan Barnes (also a finalist for the 47th project) and Maria Gaspar are creating 8 medalions etched with South Side drawings and historical facts, with famous quotes in between. Starts in May
- Mosaic in the 57th/Lake Shore Drive pedestrian underpass. Lead artist Mirtes Zwierzynski, students from local schools. Shown will be native flowers, plants, cells, bioforms.
- Metra 53rd and 55th viaducts: 18 magnified digital art prints. Starts in May. They will feature works by Dr. Margaret T. Burroughs, Terry Evans, John Himmelfarb, and Calvin Jones. Andres Imaging will scan and reproduce on self-adhesive vinyl anti-graffitied. 12x8 or 16x8. Note that plans are to also restore two 1972 murals on 55th (Caryl Yasko's "Under City Stone" and Albert Zeno's "Ale Wives and Mercury Fish." (Funds are sought to restore the 56th murals: Olivia Gude's "Where We Come From, Where We're Going," 1992 and William Walker's "Childhood Is Without Prejudice," 1977.
- 47th viaduct walls- finalists to be chosen (see other reports in this page.)
Some residents continue to call for new studies to assess structural integrity of columns, viaducts
Leonardo and Caroline Herzenberg to Hyde Park Herald, August 8, 2007: Hyde Park also in need of updated infrastructure
The tragedy of the recent collapses of a large bridge in Minneapolis, Minn., reminded all of us of the dangers of inadequately maintained, overly stressed infrastructure. In HydePark, almost all of us are familiar with the sadly neglected underpasses beneath the train tracks adjacent to Lake Park Avenue. The current work on the sidewalks and retaining wall is nice, but the fresh white paint on the columns actually covers up the problems.
These underpasses exhibit cracked walls with water leakage and weight-bearing columns that are not only spalled, but the reinforcing rings around the columns (under the spall) are completely eroded, providing no reinforcement.
Residents of Hyde Park deserve a qualified technical assessment of the structural integrity of the columns supporting the tracks. Collapse of the columns under the load of freight trains could result in derailment, with possible spills of hazardous substances.
[Ed. The project says Metra has assessed the columns and says they are sound, but.... Likewise with the spalling ceilings.]
Report 2. Groups seek to preserve public art [mixing new art and existing 70s murals], but serious dispute has arisen over future of 47th whited out mural space. Were the latter walls "taken" like going into a museum and walking out with a canvas?
July 11 2007 Herald report- Residents want muralists to brighten area [47th viaduct] with paintings.
Jon Pounds of Chicago Public Art Group recently solicited suggestions from residents for the upcoming mural project for the 47th Street viaduct. Nearly one year after the existing mural was unexpectedly white washed by the city, plans are being made to create another public mural.
At the July 5th North Kenwood Oakland Conservation Community Council meeting, Pounds summed up what residents had been telling him about the viaduct. It had been described as dark, gloomy and uninviting. Pounds encouraged the attendees to describe how they wanted to feel when they were at the viaduct. The words included historic, proud, safe, inspired, and community. Some residents went into detail on what they would like to see depicted on the mural such as jazz and blues greats, community heroes and a timeline of neighborhood history from the 1940s to today.
Pounds said a call to artists would be going out in the next few months and from these applications three artists would be chosen to compete. For more information or to give suggestions, call 312 427-2724 or visit muralart.org.
But Jay Mulberry, father of the organizer and one of the artists of the original 47th St. project, shared this objection:I am writing in reference to the July 11 report on plans for the 47th Street viaduct. Unfortunately I was out of town at the time of the meeting discussed and the publication of your story.
Hyde Parkers need to understand that the graffiti murals under the 47th Street viaduct were maintained for 10 years by a group of young artists through an agreement I had with Metra. Those on the north side were permanent; those on the south were changed about every year. The murals were well known. Artists from all over the country came to see them and, when invited, add to them. Among them were highly respected graffiti muralists such as Rafa, Zore, Raven and Desi.
On September 7, 2006 the entire 23 panels were painted over by the city without notification being given to the rights-holder (me) or, as far as I know, to Metra. At that time Alderman Preckwinkle publicly claimed that this destruction was a "mistake" and that the artists would be given a chance to paint the area again.
Recently, however, Metra has withdrawn our right to paint the walls and Alderman Preckwinkle has begun to look for other artists. From your article I gather that she would like to see pictures of local heroes and musicians lining the walls.
However much Alderman Preckwinkle may prefer heroic portraits at an entrance to our community, the process of having them painted involves destruction and theft. The walls contained legitimate works of art, some of great sophistication, which were legally painted. The young people who worked on them did so with the high seriousness of any artistic endeavor, and at their own expense. The murals were vigorous expressions of youth culture and their destruction is a militant disrespect of that culture. (Can you imagine the outrage if Olivia Gude's "Where We Come From ..." at 56th and Lake Park had been similarly abused?)
"Taking out" the murals at 47th Street was an illegitimate act and, whatever your artistic taste, it should be condemned. As promised by Alderman Preckwinkle, the artists who organized and maintained the site for years should be brought back to do the work again.
For more information see http://highergliffs.com.
Jay F. Mulberry
Coverage of the objection, and answers from Ald. Preckwinkle, Pounds, othersMetra ends contract with muralists. Hyde Park Herald, August 1, 2007. By Nykeya Woods
Creators of local murals are outraged, claiming they are being kept in the dark as the alderman and art groups decide the fate of the white-washed viaduct walls at 47th Street and Lake Park avenue that once displayed their art.
Metra recently cancelled its contract with the 47th Street murals' creators, cutting off their access to the viaduct walls. The agreement gave them ongoing access to the walls, allowing for maintenance of and changes to the pieces.
"It's sad that the community where I come from, the community that I was born and raised in and made me want to be an artist like this is literally throwing away my artwork and spitting on it," said artist Sam Mulberry.
Mulberry, who called the alderman and the art groups' response "heinous," designed "Twelve Doorways of Perception," which used to be on the northern half of the 47th Street viaduct with 12 other graffiti and paintbrush artist's work in the late 1990s. He said that Fourth Ward Ald. Toni Preckwinkle, who admitted there was a mistake made, guaranteed to include them in the new mural production. "She promised that we would be the artists to restore it because it was a mistake. They destroyed our artwork," said Mulberry of the actions of the Department of Transportation. Mulberry teaches graffiti in Northern California and was born and raised in Hyde Park.
Preckwinkle denies any exclusion. Instead, she maintains that the muralists were invited to participate and literally haven't shown up. "They are welcomed to join the process if they wish," Preckwinkle said. "We've had a couple open meetings in which we have invited people. They haven't come. This is a process where you work with the people who show up and they haven't."
Despite Preckwinkle's claim, Mulberry believes that the incident, which occurred last fall, was planned. He said that the alderman purposely never made an attempt to contact him or any other artist, and that the parties involved have no respect for them. "Honestly, it was a set up. There are no two ways about it. She deliberately had the walls destroyed and now she is deliberately leaving us out of the process of creating them. It's wrong," he said. "The City of Chicago has vandalized our artwork."
Mulberry, who is on a cross-country mural trip, is also infuriated by the fact that in order to create new artwork, he and the other artists would have to submit a proposal to the Chicago Public Art Group. The Chicago Public Art Group, along with t he Hyde Park Art Center and South Side Art Center, are sending out proposals to area artists in the near future.
Artists advocate Liz Lazdins is working with Mulberry and several other members of the original group to ensure their voices are heard. She plans on talking with Preckwinkle and the art groups and to ask that priority be given to the original artists. "I think it's a tragedy that the wall got painted over," Lazdins said. "I thought it was beautiful. Compared to some of the murals we have in our viaducts, it was in really good condition."
And like Mulberry, Lazdins thinks that painting the viaducts white was a form of vandalism. "I feel like it was just vandalism to our community. I think that other mural artists would understand that," Lazdins said. Lazdins also said that artist who submit proposals to the Chicago Public Arts Group should stand in solidarity with the original artists.
Jon P0unds, executive director of the Chicago Public Arts Group, is spearheading the request for proposal and said that the original artists are not excluded. "I would hope that they would still participate, that they would see the RFP as an opportunity," Pounds said.
The other murals
From the Sept. 10 2007 TIF. mtg. minutes. Artists selected
53rd and 55th Street Mural Project Update: John Pounds, Director of the Chicago Public Art Group, Chuck Thurow, Hyde Park Arts Center, and Faheem Majeed, South Side Community Art Center are "curators" for the panels and murals at these sites. Four artists have been selected--Calvin Jones, Margaret Burroughs, John Himmelfarb, and Terry Evans--whose works lend themselves to art panels for the site. Lighting and a protective coating are also part of the project. In addition, part of the mural on the south side of 55th - Alewives and Victory Fish- will be preserved.
Hyde Park Herald, June 6, 2007. By Nykeya Woods
The South Side Community Art Center, the Hyde Park Art Center and the Chicago Public Art Group are soliciting local artists to refurbish several historic murals. Plans include 55th, 56th and 57th streets. Talks began when the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) whitewashed murals at the 51st and 47th street viaducts during improvements.
Jon Pounds, executive director of the Chicago Public Art Group, said that several panels will be installed during the renovation as "an outdoor gallery for artists."
His organization is spearheading the proposal, which was announced at last month's [May 14, 2007] 53rd Street Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Advisory Council meeting. Artists who live between 2nd and 79th streets and the Dan Ryan Expressway and the lake are encouraged to submit their work. "The interest is in making this geographically specific ...to artists who have made the South Side of Chicago a part of their complex history," Pounds said.
Pounds said once the proposal is sent out by mid-June, the next step will be to restore the viaduct murals, two of which were created by Hyde Parker Astrid Fuller in the 19070s.
Fuller is delighted that her murals at 57th Street--"The History of Hyde Park" and "The History of Social Work" will be restored. Each mural will be photographed, washed and sealed with an acrylic varnish and then the existing paint will be used as a guideline to redraw and repaint.
Fuller said that she would not be interested in creating new artwork. "Well I have enough of my statements up there," she said. "I would have to have someone do most of the climbing work. Its' been quite some years since I climbed up a scaffolding."
South Side community Art Center Curator Faheem Majeed said that he and Chuck Thurow of the Hyde Park art Center are helping Pounds decide which artists are selected. "Being one of the oldest African-American art institutions in the country, we have lists of artists with varying ranges of mediums and aesthetics who would be able to handle this," Majeed said.
[Ed.--Means of blowing up or adjusting scale and new, inexpensive means of reproduction, materials and attachments make this feasible, according to Pounds. Meantime, the 47th and 51st murals will not come back- see below]
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New proposal for niche mosaics by schools in 57th/Lake Shore Drive underpasses Rebecca Janowitz and Irene Sherr wrote the Herald in autumn 2006:
There is a wonderful proposal for a mosaic created by school children a the 57th Street underpass to Lake Shore Drive under the superb direction of Hyde Park artist Mirtes Zwierzynski. The Chicago Public Art Group is prepared to spearhead the fund-raising for this and for the restoration of the other murals, at 55th, 56th and 57th streets that meet CPAG's rubric.
More on the project form the Jackson Park Advisory Council December 11 minutes:
A public art project was introduced by guests Lauren Moltz, coordinator and volunteer on councils and boards of schools and numerous organizations; Jon Pounds, director of the Chicago Public Art Group, and Mirtes Zwierzynski, directing artist. The project would consist of placing mural mosaics in up to 64 niches (554 square feet) in the two underpasses under South Lake Shore Drive and 57th Drive that were built by Chicago Department of Transportation with recessed surfaces, with such public art in mind. The mosaics would be of hard-fired, close-set ceramic that would take up virtually no water and would be extremely difficult to deface and easy to clean off, as attested by the many such mosaics around the metropolitan area. The Hyde Park Art Center and Ms. Zwierzynski will oversee the production of colored tiles by students of nearly every school. To date most of the elementary schools in Hyde Park have signed on; Ms. Zwierzynski has helped several already to make and install murals in their schools. Mosaic production is curricular-imbedded and involves four teachers at each school. Opening involvement to other schools near the park was requested by JPAC, and participation by or presentation to other organizations was suggested. Ms. Moltz and Mr. Pounds will coordinate participation and fund raising, with as much as $100,000 budgeted if all the niches are to be filled over the next set of years. The theme or set of themes is under consideration but could include neighborhood and or park and other history, features, nature, people, activities or concerns. For information, Mr. Pounds suggested people visit the Chicago Public Art Group website—www.cpag.net.
Peterson moved that: Resolved, JPAC supports the 57th and Lake Shore Drive Underpass Public Art Project. Upon second by Louise McCurry, the motion was unanimously approved.Students learn by creating art for public, new art selected to brighten Lake Park viaducts.
InsideOut Fall 2007.
True public art is an enduring expression of a community and the people within it. So says Mirtes Zwierzynski, a public artist, muralist, and mosaicist who for twenty years has worked closely with Chicago area youth to create just such artistic expressions. Much of her work takes place under the umbrella of the Chicago Public Art Group, which engages communities and artists in creating high quality public art.
Mirtes is working with students from Bret Harte and Canter Schools on several mosaics for the pedestrian underpass at 57th Street and Lake Shore Drive. Their collaborative project began in October [2007] at the Hyde Park Art Center with the help of a $9,950 neighborhood beautification grant from the South East Chicago Commission funded by the University of Chicago. The underpass has concrete insets of various sized and shapes waiting for the mosaics that will be installed in spring 2008.
Mirtes says she helps young people create public art "first of all the bring art where there is no art. I do this because I believe that everybody has something to express. Everybody has some sense of art."
And collaboration is much bigger than the personal lives of individuals, she explains. "Collaborative art projects involve these students in a process of reflection, sharing, and creating together. They learn respect for the group. They learn both to give and to give up. Sometimes the group decides a student's sketch is too small or to big, and the process starts over again. Through this kind of intense collaboration they learn more about themselves, each other, and how to make judgments about values they have."
[Mirtes worked with student on decoration of water fountains on 3 floors at Canter School.] Visit Chicago Public art Group websiste, http://www.cpag.net.
Destruction of 47th murals. Summary, letters from original project organizer Sam Mulberry, reports and comments
June 2007: Through personal communication, this page has learned that it is not likely that the lost murals will be replicated or replaced by new by the organization and artists who made them or by others. Also, Metra has rescinded the lease or agreement of rights to do art on the 47th walls.
On September 8, 2006 a city crew whited out the murals on the 47th viaduct walls, apparently with erroneous instructions from the alderman's office. This was a part of the city's whiting of "unhistoric" murals and graffiti preparatory to the Lake Park/viaducts rehabilitation project to start later this year. Alderman Preckwinkle upon notification of the mistake and ability to assess the situation, called back the oversight organization, Higher Gliffs in California to apologize and assure them that she would try to get the means for Higher Gliffs to redo the murals. Higher Gliffs is headed by artist Sam Mulberry, son of Hyde Parkers Jay and Alice Mulberry. It is unknown yet who will paint new murals and whether those on the north side, which are permanent rather than changing, will be a restoration, similar design or new. View also in the Higher Gliffs site, http://www.highergliffs.com/index.htm.
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#1. Project organizer Sam Mulberry writes the following to the community, September 2006 Sam Mulberry 2) Letting other people know. So far the message has reached only a tiny fraction of those who would like to receive it. . Thank you. |
#2. September 20 Herald. Sam Mulberry: Saddened by murals' demise It is with deep sadness that I report the destruction of some of my and my friends' and colleagues' oldest lasting works of art. It is often difficult for murals to survive over the years and our projects at 47th Street were stalwart holdouts, hardly even being vandalized in 10 years of existence. The concept for the projects was developed by Mario Ganzalez and myself during the summer of 1996. We designated the north wall as the "Twelve Doorways of Perception" and invited 12 incredible artist to share their spirituality on that wall. My section was one of my first solo murals (although I got some help from Steph G who was doing the Hebrew mural at the time). The project took two years to complete and I was there most of the time when each artist painted, also picking them up at their houses and bringing them home. Ivan Watkins had a special impact on me when he swept the area in front of his mural and and inspired me to sweep the entire block. It really created a fresh feeling to have that huge walkway clean. It rained the night after he painted and his mural had lots of drips because of it, but it still looked amazing. We also painted the "Where are the Trees" mural on 51st and Lake Park across from Kenwood that first summer. The south wall was a showcase mural, repainted annually until Wyatt Mitchell died two years gao. We brought lots of Chicago graffiti writers as well as some from San Francisco, even some Germans, to the "International Gallery of Style." Those painting sessions were a lot of fun. When Wyatt died, all of his friends painted all the different graffiti names he used on that wall as a memorial. I was so shocked when Ivan called me to tell me that he had just watched someone paint over his section as he drove by last week. This isn't the first time that the city has painted over one of our viaducts by mistake. But it will be the first time that we as community require them to have us restore it. |
Jon Pounds (Chicago Public Art Group- www.cpag.net) Comments to the Herald September 27 2006
Murals chronicle area's history
So what's the big deal about painting out a mural? History is made all t he time; its not simply the choices and actions of historic moments and characters. The complex history of the South Side is written into the buildings and walls and memories of its residents. The complexity of that history results in buildings parks and murals that create a rich, layered, visual field.
Not every person has to love a building, a park, or a mural for it to have important meaning to that layered history. If that were the case, we would have a denuded, sterile environment; few buildings, monuments, or murals would ever be created.
Chicago Public Art Group advocates for honoring, even loving, the complex layering that creates a city. When, over time, people decide to take artistic action, they transform the city creating a dialogue about choice, beauty, style and meaning.
The murals of Hyde Park deserve careful consideration. They are the layered history of people's choices. While many murals really need restoration, they nonetheless tell important stories.
So let's not be quick to paint out murals. Murals beautify surfaces that otherwise would be quickly waterstained and, frankly, ugly. The murals at 47th Street may have seemed illegible to some, but those murals were created out of artistic passion and belief in the importance of personal expression. They should be renewed and replaced.
Two letter writers in the Herald of October 11 - Chris Fama and Maryal Stone Dale, said good riddance to murals. Dale said the original murals were art, not graffiti, but have been messed up by graffiti artists, who should be discouraged by just using plain paint. Fama said that major access points should be "bright, clean and inviting." Dale clarified October 25 that she meant "clean" and of any appropriate material, such as brick.
But John and Brenda Murphy say "No" to white walls in Oct 18 2006 Herald
We have followed with interest and then disappointment your coverage and then the letters you have received regarding the destruction of the 47th Street murals. Having spent nearly all of our adult years in Hyde Park, we have seen our community evolve in ways that we find both beneficial and destructive. among the more positive developments has been the adaptation of our neighborhood to the ever-changing contemporary urban culture.
The artwork that was produced by our young people for the 47th Street viaduct was an important expression of that ever-evolving process; its destruction, whether accidental or deliberate, diminishes the vibrancy of our community.
While undoubtedly expressed without malice, the call by a few in your paper for the return of "white walls" conjures up in our minds a very unfortunate symbol of times long gone by in Hyde Park. we say NO to "white walls" and YES to the return of our urban soul as expressed by the youth of our city!
The following was modified from a table provided by Irene Sherr, counsel to the TIF, based on letter dated October 15, 2002 by Jon Pounds.
| Viaduct | Mural Name | Artist | Rest. in Prog. | Restor. recomm'd | Maintain | Recomm. no restoration |
| 47th north | 12 Doorways of Perception | Artists org. by Higher Gliffs. | X [2006: restore/new | |||
| 47th south | International Gallery of Style | citywide graffiti and other artists | X rotates about yearly | |||
| 51st north | ? | ? | X | |||
| 51st south | No mural- brick | |||||
| 53rd north | No mural- brick | |||||
| 53rd south | The Circle Journey | Stephanie George, Ammar Tate, Beatriz Santiago Munoz, local youths | X | |||
| 55th north | Under City Stone | Caryl Yasko | X | |||
| 55th south | Alewives and Mercury Fish | Albert Zeno | X | |||
| 56th north | No mural | |||||
| 56th south | Childhood is without
Prejudice _____________ Where We Come From...Where We Are Going |
William Walker__ Olivia Gude |
X (then) X (then) |
X X |
||
| 57th north | Pioneer Social Work | Astrid Fuller | X (?) | X | ||
| 57th south | Spirit of Hyde Park | Astrid Fuller | X | |||
| 59th north | No mural [not true] | |||||
| 59th south | No mural | |||||
| 60th north | No mural | |||||
| 60th south | No mural [not true] |
To the Herald, October 25, 2006. Public art is alive in Hyde Park
Public Art is alive and in need of support in Hyde Park. A living tradition of public art enriches our shared environment. Respecting the past while making sure that there is room for future artists to work is a balancing act. Respecting the integrity of individual artists while acknowledging a range of voices in the community is a high wire balancing act. As challenging as this is, positive things are happening.
The mural at 56th Street has been identified, under the rubric created by the Chicago Public Art Group, as a strong candidate for restoration. While the work has been delayed by station renovations, funding has been secured from the University of Chicago and the South East Chicago Commission for this project. The mural, recently celebrated by the Chicago Tribune as one of the five most significant pieces of public art in Chicago, will be appropriately restored by the artist.
The upcoming renovation of the viaduct at 53rd and 55th streets will improve their safety and pedestrian appeal. There is a perfect opportunity to restore the mural on the north side of 55th Street but the funding is not currently available.
There is a wonderful proposal for a mosaic created by school children a the 57th Street underpass to Lake Shore Drive under the superb direction of Hyde Park artist Mirtes Zwierzynski. The Chicago Public Art Group is prepared to spearhead the fund-raising for this and for the restoration of the other murals, at 55th, 56th an 57th streets that meet CPAG's rubric.
To preserve these works of art and support new ones, the community must step up to the plate, as patrons as well as critics. Because public art as a category of artistic endeavor focuses on reflecting the deep concerns of the community, the opportunity for patronage and participation supports a vital connection.
The murals at 47th Street pose a thornier question than letters to the Herald have admitted. While recognizing the artist's commitment to his point-of-view, it must be acknowledged that the Spray Can movement, especially as it first emerged from graffiti art, has not sought the connection with the community truly public art encompasses.
The artist has the right, granted to him by Metra. to repaint the murals at 47th Street. Will drawings for any proposed murals at 47th Street submitted to Metra be shared with the community? The opportunity for a conversation with the community exists and could greatly increase community acceptance.
Hopefully Hyde Parkers will continue to have public art to be proud of and undoubtedly no one will like all of the public art. Discussion should be welcomed, the need for change and growth acknowledged and the necessity of fund-raising should call forth assistance from a variety of sources.
Rosellen Brown and Marvin Hoffman say murals part of Hyde Park History--bring the artists back.
Jack Spicer says, Restore 47th Street mural.
This kind of loss can induce a form of cultural amnesia. Restoration would bring back part pf our cultural consciousness and restore faith in the integrity of local government.
Herald, September 20, 2006:
Residents demand action, answers from aldermen, CDOT.
By Nykeya Woods
The 52st Street viaduct mural was discovered behind a coat of white paint over the weekend [of September 16-17]. that happened just as th e Hyde Park community mourned the loss of another significant mural at 47th Street, which a city work crew had whitewashed Sept. 7.
Now one former Hyde Park resident hopes Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) will correct the mistake / "We had all different cultures represented on that wall," said Sam Mulberry, referring to the 47th Street mural. Mulberry, w ho now lives in Northern California, wa 18 yeas old when he began painting murals along with Mario Ganzales, one of Higher Gliffs' founders, in 1996.
The two brought together other graffiti and paintbrush artists to "Twelve Doorways of Perception" on the northern half of he 47th Street viaduct. "It took a really long time to complete the north side because we chose specific artists," said Mulberry, who created the Buddha near the end. Other murals represented Mayan, African and Aztec spirituality. Mulberry, who teaches graffiti art to high school students, said each mural represents spiritual reality, with him focusing on yoga and meditation.
Two years passed, working mainly in the summer, before the group completed both sides of the viaduct. The murals honor other graffiti artists who have died. That is another reason why its artists are so upset, Mulberry said. The death of artist Wyatt Mitchell brought several of the artists back to the area. "A lot of the original people came back and painted his name. He had like seven or eight different graffiti's. They painted each one as a memorial to them," Mulberry said.
Now that the damage is done, Mulberry would like to come back and create more murals with the original artists. "The people involved in destroying it... they need to bring us back," Mulberry said. "[to] give us a chance to create something new and vibrant."
Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) said she has talked with Mulberry and will work on replacing the murals. "A mistake was made," Preckwinkle said. "Unfortunately, we should have been looking to preserve the one at 47th Street, and they got whitewashed."
Chicago Public Art Group Executive Director Jon Pounds learned about the whitewash via email and said the destruction of the artwork was a terrible loss for the neighborhood. The agency has been involved with recommending viaduct restorations. "I think the site has been one which has been self maintained. The community that created it continued with the responsibility of keeping it looking good," Pounds said.
According to the 4th Ward office, the murals at 47th and 51st Street were whitewashed by the Chicago Department of Transportation as part of an ongoing viaduct improvement program.
CDOT spokesman Brian Steele said he was unaware of his agency's involvement and at Herald presstime was looking into the matter. Top
Herald, November 15 2006
I was saddened that t he 49th Street "graffiti" murals were accidentally obliterated. It was mentioned in one Herald letter that graffiti artists had no respect the other murals in Hyde Park. In fact, it as many years before they were defaced, and then only when the weather and wall conditions had caused much deterioration.
I am hopeful that they and the other Hyde Park murals, including my own, "The Spirit of Hyde Park," "Pioneer Social Work" and "No Frills or Fads" (which depicts the history of the Chicago Public schools), can be restored. This would require financial support.
I would be glad to work with our local aldermen and interested residents to make this happen. The Chicago Public Art Group has indicated its willingness to work on the walls originally executed under its aegis. Top
The working group
that meets with Department of Transportation and other city project managers
is hurrying to make final adjustments and hold a public presentation/ discussion
at the May 14 2007 TIF meeting, so plans will be ready for the end of June,
so funding can be assured. Work (other than the signal work under way now)
is expected to run from May 15 into October. Note that these 2 phases do not
include rebuilding Lake Park, its sidewalks or lighting replacement. Major immediate
decisions are over proportions of historic photographs and original art are
to be shown in the blown up art panels (decision seems to have been for the
latter).
Anything that would trigger lengthy state review, such as street surfacing or curb work will have to be deferred. Also the table at this time is work beyond the street, sidewalk and intersection edges. Real money, in the $2 million each range from Metra, the city, Rep. Currie, and some possibly from aldermanic menu money has been assembled to do the most critical work in both wards first. This will be the 53rd, 55th (Phase I) and then 51st and 57th viaducts (with planning money in place and work expected in 2008) and 53rd and 55th intersections including the signal lights scheduled in Phase I. Mentioned for audible countdown signals was only 55th. (53rd signals and sidewalks are already under construction, 55th including crosswalk reconfiguration will come hopefully in summer or early fall.) In later phases will be 56th, 59th and 60th. There was talk of assembling money to at least white-spray surfaces not to be restored until late (47th being a different case)- especially 59th. The initial phases include some stretches of embankment planting and maintenance (to be paid for by U of C.- presently covered are 53rd to 55th and half stretch north from 57th toward 56th.) More stretches are encompassed but not funded. Note that such major changes as cutting traffic drop-offs into the raised sidewalks are not possible. Members called attention to lack of a storm drain at the northeast corner of Lake Park by Cafe Istria, which dips, leading to water impoundment.
Needing discussion at the May 14 public meeting (as well as more discussion with CTA) will be the pros and cons of eliminating the crosswalk on the east side of 51st due to the tightness of space for the projected ADA compliant ramps.
Changes in the viaducts will include full ADA treatment, sidewalks (which cannot be changed in elevation due to infrastructure beneath), patching and spraying columns, blasting the upper parts bare (recognizing that these will not be permanent fixes), new railings along the streets, new balustrades along the tops, installing appropriate metal arch supports ("vents) that will hold new lighting in the middle of the sidewalks and indirect lighting along the edges as well as water-catching troughs and holders for graffiti-proof metal, art-holding panels slightly removed from the outer walls. Hope is to have clearer signage and markings. The contract is more flexible and friendly with Metra than with Canadian National, but in both cases, the installations will have to be capable of easy removal for inspections, utility work, or changes. Final decision has not been made on whether the metal arches should call attention to themselves or fade into the background. There is no funding for or approval to work on the old skylights in the middle of the viaducts.)
The Chicago Public Arts Group, led by Jon Pounds and working with city departments, and the Hyde Park Art Center will take a quick look at modern inexpensive but secure acrylic-based transfer methods for large panels for spaces that will not have current murals restored (in acrylic and after viaduct work) and will present options --art, historic photos, or color panels or a combination-- to school groups and public meetings-- but decisions have to be made by June 30 and only $100,000 is now available.
Murals to be restored are the north side of 55th, north side of 56th, and both sides of 57th. The artists are willing to oversee or do restoration and there is funding to pay students to help.
Every effort will be made to phase the work and maintain total, including ADA access through at least one viaduct at each street at all times, although occasionally one side will have to be closed when raising arches or building the ADA ramps.
The embankments will have wrought-iron fences at the top of the grades by the tracks. Trees will be planted at the bottom of slopes where possible but otherwise have low low-maintenance prairie-mix pre-tested cover (template reported as approved by LILAC). The plants will be watered with bio-degradable drip piping and tended during establishment, but will thereafter be mostly self sustaining. U of C and SECC will tend and provide (with Cleanslate where there is the TIF) trash cleaning. This phase will not require removal or installation of walls. While similar planting is anticipated for the Lake Park medians, it was not clear to this reporter whether that is in fact to be done in these phases.
A new task force on needs of persons with disabilities was formed after a forum September 6, 2006. Formed by the 5th Ward Office Alderman Hairston, Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce, and Hyde Park Kenwood Community Conference, one of its first tasks will be to look again at Lake Park, 55th, and viaducts to see what improvements are needed to walks and ramps, signals, and signs, especially such as can be folded into the Lake Park Project. Aldermen Preckwinkle and Hairston were notified of desire for input in the Lake Park/Viaducts rehabilitation project for later this year, and of conditions on 55th and Lake Park for disabled and elderly.
The Chicago Department of Transportation announced in September that it will be accepting bids fro the viaducts 47th to 60th, starting with 53rd and 55th. The $16.8 million project is expected to start as early as the end of the year, as soon as the paperwork for the federal funding part is done. It will use the steel archway construction discussed in the sub pages of this web section. Involved are landscaping (maintenance partly borne by the University of Chicago), painting, column patching, lighting and guardrails. The future of the murals except 47th and 56th was uncertain. A panel or art covering may be used, at least for most. Dripping water will be diverted away. People involved including Irene Sherr of Community Counsel aver the areas will be clean and light. The project will be in five phases, and as work starts will be posted in www.cityofchicago.org/transportation. Already old murals and dingy sections are being whited.
October 27 2005, Thursday, 6:30 pm. William Walker and the first generation of Hyde Park viaduct and Chicago muralists were honored by the Chicago Public Arts Group at the Three Arts Club, 1300 N. Dearborn. Walker's "Childhood is Without Prejudice" at 56th St. and "Under City Stone" at 55th will be restored next year. More in Metra Viaducts-Lake Park page and the Metra Stations page. 312 427-2724.
A request for funding was submitted in August 2005 for Phase I, work on 53rd and 55th under Metra and on Lake Park, based on mid-stage completed drawings. An answer is expected about December 2005. (The skylights will not be included. The designers did take seriously criticisms at TIF Streetscape Committee meetings; how much simplification there will be is unclear.) The Committee in August considered what can be done short-term or in case the proposal is rejected, but decided to wait for the answer. Meanwhile, hopes for involving the Canadian National are even more remote with the latter's withdrawal from the CREATE citywide freight rail reconfiguration that envisioned abandonment not only of the old IC-St. Charles tracks near 18th but the entire stretch south to Grand Crossing, with their trains then going northwest to 33rd and Western.
The Streetscape Committee heard reports in summer 2005 on the Lake Park/Metra Viaducts project. A phase I (53rd and 55th under viaduct and Lake Park work) proposal was sent in August 2005 to IDOT Transportation Enhancement, which is 80% federally funded. Total cost of the phase I is $4 million. We should hear a response at end of year. The committee's concerns were fully presented before proposal finalized. Metra has committed $2 million; an intergovernmental agreement will be needed. Work is supposed to include Canadian National sections also. This project is supposed to include work on Lake Park, particularly the embankment and planting of the later 51st to 53rd, bus stop enhancement, and crosswalk rationalization and re striping, and redoing the signal lights. Work on the walls, murals, columns, ground surface (including streets) of the viaduct area would be quite comprehensive but probably not include the skylights and certainly no addressing of leak issues. Complaints were expressed about locations and style of the new Metra station signs all along the neighborhood. This had been brought to Metra, which was reported to be not very cooperative.
Members explored a something-for-now palliative, but decided that would be premature before hearing on the Proposal--and the project is moving up the priority list.
Members asked the consultant (Irene Sherr) to work with the planners to preserve the section (outside the TIF) of stone wall north of 59th St., also that the planners work with the Hyde Park Historical Society for the later-phase 55th to 56th work, especially the banks and walls.
There are requests to expand the hanging basket program to all of Harper Court and along Lake Park (?). Sherr suggested submitting this to the TIF Council.
Good news: Jerry Kleiner, developing the new restaurant in the north part of Harper Court tentatively called Harper Grill has provisionally committed to a major re landscaping in the vicinity of his restaurant.
The committee heard a report of the Parking Committees' thoughts on the 53rd Lake Park city lot, including repaving, striping, walks, fixing the fencing, way finding signage, et al. Members were receptive. Members were asked to join a walk through September 8 at 1 pm with the Dept. of Revenue. The City is expected to come up with a budget spread over 2-5 years.
Options for saving trees on 53rd were discussed with little encouraging found. The Department of Planning will not allow use of TIF money for such maintenance and operational needs. The company that maintains and waters the hanging baskets (funds raised independently in the community and from the University) says such tasks as tree watering are way beyond them. Members said property owners should be doing this, but it is the mandate of the committee to preserve and improve streetscape.
The consultant is exploring repainting the painted crosswalks on the entire TIF. Top
From March through May 2006 work was announced. Watch for public meetings this summer/fall.
June 2006 Rep. Currie reports funding received. (Note- Metra contributed about 2 million.)
Springfield Report, Hyde Park Herald, June 28, 2006
It's discouraging to come home, open the front door, and realize you forgot to tidy the place up before you left. And it's at least as bad when you open to door to a visitor who sees that your place is a mess.
Neighborhoods have front doors, too. For Hyde Park and Kenwood, Lake Park Avenue and its cross streets, from 47th to 57th, serve as an important entry point.
But these streets are hardly our neighborhood's most welcoming vista. The sidewalks crumble, the Metra retaining walls are in shambles, the few plantings on view are struggling and the ares under the train tracks are peeling paint and shedding concrete. Anyone who's driven, walked or biked along our Lake Park corridor recognizes improvements are way overdue.
Happily, help is on the way. The federal government's Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century provides money for state Transportation Enhancement Programs (ITEP in Illinois). The idea is to enhance transportation systems while building more livable communities and improving the quality of life.
I went to bat for the ITEP grant in Springfield. And I'm pleased to report that the Illinois Department of Transportation has awarded us $2.5 million to begin refurbishing our neighborhood's front door. Won't it be nice to have new lighting, new sidewalks, new guardrails, new plantings? Won't it be nice not to worry that the concrete under the Metra tracks might choose this moment to fall upon our heads?
Of course it will take more than a single season to finish the project. But the important news is that we've been approved and changes will begin to happen as soon as this coming fall. Work will begin on the 53rd and 55th streets viaducts. Both those cross streets and Lake Park Avenue will stay open for motorists and pedestrians, but some restrictions on parking will apply.
I'm grateful, of course, to the Illinois Department of Transportation and its Secretary, Tim Martin, for approving this ITEP grant. But we wouldn't have garnered his support without the hard work of 4th and 5th Ward alds. Toni Preckwinkle and Leslie Hairston, community consultant Irene Sherr and--it should go without saying--Cheri Heramb, head of the Chicago Department of Transportation.
ITEP grants are competitive grants. Our Lake Park Story was a very strong story. Working together, we told it--and we sold it.
Two murals will be redone by those originally involved.
In June the Chicago Public Art Group will undertake a 6-week restoration of "Childhood is Without Prejudice" (or Children Are the Future) by original producer Olivia Gude and early muralist William Walker, on the east end of the south side of 56th Street viaduct. Then Gude will repaint and extend into the station her highly praised 1992 mural on the west part of that viaduct, of figures with their interview comments: "Where we came from. Where we Are Going." The project will cost nearly $20,000, from the South East Chicago Commission and others. Jon Pounds of the Public Art Group hopes to secure funds to proceed to 55th Street and other murals.Also announced was that work on Phase I Lake Park Avenue and 55th and 53rd viaducts will start in autumn 2006. This was recommended in the Vision for the Hyde Park Retail District in 2000 (see page) and applied for over the past few years by the TIF. There were several charrette by the TIF Streetscape Committee. Total cost $16 m, this phase $4 m fully funded, half each Meta and the city. South East Chicago Commission and the University of Chicago will take over responsibility for the embankments.
In a March 2006 Herald commentary, Hannah Hayes called for support of rehab of the HP murals as a way to revitalize commitment to the arts in Hyde Park.
She recalls what artist Caryl Yasko's "Under City Stone" (inspired by a poem of James Agee and created with partial funding by the National Endowment for the Arts) on 55th Street has meant to her and tells of meeting her in March 2006 when she returned to Chicago to help the Chicago Public Arts group archive documents of he mural. Jon Pounds, director of CPAG, said that Yasko was the model and spark for the community art movement in the country and a founder of CPAG, who encouraged the explosion of murals here and elsewhere. Hayes calls the murals a visual history of the community and an impetus to oral storytelling. They form one of the four most important nodes of such art and are the most in need of repair. Yasko wants to return and repair "Under City Stone"--whether that will be permitted under the newly funded Lake Park/Metra project is uncertain. Restoration of the 56th mural starts summer, 2006 but CPAG will have to raise money if it wants more saved. CPAG also works in schools, including current creation of a playground mural by kids at Ray School.
Embankment planting south
of 47th is finished and some has reverted to dried out weeds.
The ramps at new stations at 56th and 53rd finally came down. All stations are
open but show evidence of poor workmanship in spots. The dedications planned
for early October, including one honoring the Kenwood Commuters Association,
were postponed. New low-rise walls clad with Joliet limestone and capped with
Bedford limestone were built between 56th and 57th and started north of 53rd.
Sections near the streets were beautifully landscaped (although not necessarily
with native/sustainable plants) and sections between grassed.
The city, Metra, and Aldermen Hairston and Preckwinkle have put out a call for small vendors for the stations at 51st, 53rd, and 57th. Caffe Sienna will occupy those at 51st and 57th. It is unknown if there will be a store in 53rd. Complaints are made about the viaduct sections east of Metra.
Read the story of exhibit of Hyde Park mural photos by Leah Mayers at Vespine Gallery, 1907 S. Halsted during the entire month of October.
This part of the Metra-City of Chicago rehabilitation, part of an umbrella Lake Park/Metra rehabilitation study begun as both part of PlanningNow/53rd TIF streetscape planning and an extension of the Metra station rehabilitation project, has been separated off. Only a $100,000 IllinoisFIRST grant was available for immediate implementation of the Metra embankment part, so the parties--including LILAC's Richard Pardo, accepted eliminating the familiar limestone walls between 47th and 50th. (LILAC was formed in the late '80s in part to pressure Metra into rebuilding the walls, as well as to replace embankment clear cutting and herbicide planting with landscaping.) Some residents are outraged at the teardown and weak public notification or are dubious the slope will be stable and retain trees, shrubs and other plantings. Others point to the continuous failure of the walls, even where proper drainage facilities are included and regardless of whether the slope has been cleared or is choked with trees and scrub. Some of the limestone will be used to build bus shelters along close-adjoining Lake Park Avenue. Most of us, including the Hyde Park Historical Society and many of those supposedly in a larger Lake Park/viaducts focus group, were out of the loop on the complete wall removal 47th to 50th.
Pictures on the removal of the wall follow text. See what the originals of Illinois dolostone looked like in David Schalliol'swww.metroblossom.com/historical.
More background:
Sprucing up Metra’s viaducts and embankments, Lake Park Avenue- can improvements advance neighborhood improvement?
“Streetscape” is seldom a top radar subject except when something we enjoy is being altered or we are inconvenienced by construction. Yet streetscape is more than “amenities” and affects how we relate to our neighborhood and our perception of its health and direction. That’s why recent projects for the Metra viaducts and embankments and Lake Park Avenue matter, and matter that they be done optimally.
When we see mini-gardens, nice lamp posts with adequate but not garish lighting, special attention paid to intersection safety and treatments, and plentiful, attractive bus shelters and trash receptacles, we relate to our surroundings as well maintained, special, and welcoming. When streets, walks and furnishings are rundown or broken and we see to trash blowing and gathering on streets (commercial especially), open lots and railroad rights of way, we can feel we’re in a place where no one cares.
A few years ago, studies were undertaken and improvements made, especially on the 53rd commercial street, as part of a neighborhood upgrade strategy. Now attention has shifted to the Metra right of way and Lake Park Avenue from 47th to 60th Streets.
In the 1990s, an HPKCC affiliate program committee, Landscape Initiative for the Lake Park Avenue Corridor (L.I.LA.C.) under Richard Pardo, received grants to re landscape Metra embankment sections and lobbied Metra to repair and restore its limestone-block retaining walls. Both were daunting tasks and further plans were set aside with onset of station reconstruction.
Funding for planning and beginning implementation became available from the state (thanks to Representative Currie and Senator Obama), the Chicago Department of Transportation, Metra, and the South East Chicago Commission. Three results are evident to date:
1) Deteriorating limestone retaining walls were torn down early this year along the east side of Lake Park between 47th and 50th. Many residents and some organizations thought this was precipitous, done before overall planning was complete and with insufficient consultation and consideration of preservation or future restoration options. Members of the Hyde Park Historical Society have documented remaining walls and made suggestions to the 53rd St. Tax Increment District Streetscape Committee concerning restoring remaining wall sections, in lieu of either teardown or use of concrete with faux veneer.
2) The South East Chicago Commission undertook with the Chicago Public Art Group to research and evaluate all the viaduct murals and decide which should be conserved, maintained, or abandoned. Criteria includes: done by an important artist, relates to Hyde Park’s character, history and people, or is important in the art mural movement, which in some respects started here. PAG’s work was thorough and commitment was made by SECC to fund restoration, now, of 56th Street murals. Others are slated for work when funding is identified and the character of viaduct wall treatment has been determined. Most of the artists are available and willing to restore their works. PAG considers the mural on the south side of 55th (Fish Market and Alewives) significant and hopes it will be restored. There was some public disappointment that certain murals are to be abandoned. The Public Art Group, which sponsors creation of murals and gives tours of the many murals around the whole city, can be reached at 312 427-2724 or jonpounds@cpag.net.
3) The Chicago Department of Transportation has funded grants to plan improvements for the whole corridor. Concept planning is nearly complete and key decisions need to be made. The project has been divided into six phases, starting with the viaduct pedways--53rd first, starting in 2005-- and leaving Lake Park improvements in landscaping and pedestrian friendliness for last. Each phase does something in both the fourth and fifth wards.Re landscaping the Metra embankment in a sustainable manner is still under study, with consultation in progress with LILAC and other gardening experts. Two treatments, depending on degree of slope, are envisioned. There has been community concern that some existing trees are kept and for variety of heights. Whether the constant litter problem can be fixed is unknown.
Viaduct treatments are likely to bring disagreements. Plans have already undergone several changes and now include, among general fix-ups, placing at every other column, lighting-bearing metal beams and posts running from the ground and across the ceiling (in some cases framing panels of mural or art on the outside wall). In recent drawings these appear to some fussy and pseudo 19th century. Streetscape Committee member question the justification for the high cost and wish to explore other, less intrusive lighting support.
Caveat: Metra continually insists the viaducts and their columns are structurally sound---but they can't keep spalling forever without serious damage (47th Lake Shore Drive viaduct had to have protective scaffolding until the whole viaduct was replaced). We learned on geologist Wigger's tour: Metal rebar, which reinforces the concrete from the inside, actually rusts over time and causes chemical weathering. This results in chunks of concrete periodically falling off the columns.
The Streetscape Committee holds open meetings irregularly and seeks additional members. Contact the 4th Ward Office to join or be placed on the notification list. The 53rd St. TIF Advisory Council next meets Monday, May 10, 7 pm at the Neighborhood Club.
Plans for Lake Park Avenue Corridor slowly progress but are far from written in stone, according to Maria Castaneda of CDOT who reported to the January, 2004 TIF Advisory Council. Minor improvements are planned for intersections, crosswalks, bulb outs and curb cuts. Much of this will wait evaluation of impact of the new BP Connect and McDonald's drive-through. The railroad embankment wall has been torn down 50th to 47th and the area awaits grading and landscaping this spring. More such work is planned in phases. Viaduct rehabilitation (the walls and columns, not the bridges) is envisioned also. Metra has committed $2 million, available in 2005 an 2006; request has been submitted (through Ald. Preckwinkle's Office?) for $2.9 from the city (CDOT-Mitigation?) .
January 11, CDOT gave more details on the Lake Park and viaducts planning (actually to 60th St.).
Preliminary designs for the 8 viaducts 47th to 60th call for decorative steel arches with more lighting, trees flanking entrances, and new sidewalks, facades, walls, and columns. Alderman Preckwinkle said the project is "focusing on brightening our community and infrastructure." Plans for Lake Park include resurfacing47th-57th, new street lighting, median and sidewalk landscaping, and corner extensions to protect pedestrians.
"Timelines are very general right now," said Maria Casteneda of CDOT. "At the very earliest we're looking for construction to begin in '05. If funding is in place." Staging is as follows:
Note: TIF documents sent prior to the May TIF meeting place Lake Park work in Phase 2.
At the February 24, 2004 TIF Streetscape Committee meeting, more detailed concept renderings were shared. Some preservationists questioned a general look of false historicity and agreed to supply a photodocumentation of the state of remaining limestone and concrete Metra embankment walls to the design team at the next TIF Advisory Council meeting.
The TIF Streetscape Committee met under its new Chairman, Andre Brumfield, to hear a detailed update from Janet Atarian of CDOT. (A copy of the book of drawings and sketches by DLK Architects is at the HPKCC office.) The project is conceived in 5 phases, each with some work in each of wards 4 and 5 and stretching from 47th to 60th. Only the first has some funding. The first emphasis will be on the Metra viaducts, then embankments, then street and sidewalk work. Phase 1 is in design. Funds assembled or requested for 2005 is $3.5 million. An intergovernmental agreement will be drawn up with Metra.
(Apart from the meeting, cautions were voiced about the feasibility and cost of the support design.) Questions were raised that some of the plan's furnishings (especially light posts and viaduct interiors) would give a "faux history" impression and be no cheaper or nicer than standard modern furnishings, about the future of various viaduct murals and limestone or concrete raised-tracks retaining walls and about "