Culture Clash
The collision course of efforts to preserve and promote the South Loop

By Shonta Durham & Christopher Pluta

	Photo by Brian J. Morowczynski The South Loop’s historic buildings, such as Dearborn Station, sit only blocks from the downtown skyscrapers.

Much has been written in recent years about the changing face of Chicago’s South Loop. Big businesses like Starbucks, Target and Home Depot are moving in, pushing small businesses out. Real estate prices are skyrocketing, with residences in the historic Blackstone Hotel going for as much as $6.35 million.

However, the changes are not just about gentrification. The South Loop is a historic area as well as a commercial and residential one, and the changes surrounding each of these aspects are complex.

Many neighborhood associations have sprung up over the past 20 years, each striving to preserve something about the area, whether it’s diversity, small businesses or the buildings that span the space from Cermak Road to Congress Parkway, and Lake Shore Drive to Canal Street.

But exactly what are these organizations trying to preserve, and what are the effects of this preservation?

Housing is a human right

	Photo by Brian J. Morowczynski Pacific Garden Mission has been housing the homeless since 1877.

Homelessness has been a persistent problem in the South Loop. Single Residence Occupancy hotels (SROs) have been replaced by upscale housing developments, leaving former SRO residents with no place to go.

The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) was founded in 1980 in an effort to combat this crisis. Its mission to end homelessness is based on a belief that housing is a human right in a just society.

“We hold demonstrations, rallies, and occasionally resort to civil disobedience if need be,” says Les Brown, CCH’s director of policy. “We also involve the homeless, encouraging them to direct their energy toward the government.”

CCH has had successes in changing government policy. In 1982, the organization lobbied for and won the first city funded homeless shelter in Chicago. In 1995, CCH launched the South Loop Campaign for Development without Displacement, aimed at creating a mixed-income community by preserving and expanding the number of SROs. It also pressed for any housing development in the South Loop receiving tax increment financing from the city to set aside 20 percent of the units for low-income families (those who earn 30 percent or less of the median household income).

One year later, the campaign secured a commitment from the city to prevent the destruction of six SROs in the South Loop as well as build two new SROs with supportive services, such as job training and job placement programs. However, the allotment of 20 percent of units for low-income housing fell through.

“Having affordable housing is one of the keys to eliminating homelessness,” says Brown. “But if the free market is the only one making decisions, we will continue to have the kind of homelessness and gentrification that is in the South Loop.”

Photo by Brian J. Morowczynski Architectural details adorn many South Loop structures.

Building up without tearing down

The South Loop has a rich architectural heritage, with buildings by famous architects like Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Sullivan as well as other structures that have long defined the area’s character. Sometimes these historical gems aren’t valued by those who are seeking to attract major retailers and build new housing developments.

Preservation Chicago was founded in 2001 to preserve historic architecture throughout Chicago while embracing innovation and experimentation.

“We will advocate for any piece of Chicago we deem historic or important,” says Jonathan Fine, President of Preservation Chicago. “We also organize various communities within Chicago so they can fight for their own historic buildings.”

In the South Loop, Preservation Chicago is trying to prevent the demolition of the Cermak/Indiana Flats, which stands adjacent to the former site of the Lexington Hotel, and served as Al Capone’s headquarters.

“With all of the new residential buildings in the area, this site has become ideal for construction,” says Fine.

“We envision the South Loop as a thriving commercial corridor with complete preservation of historic buildings,” says Fine. “It can become the type of densely packed urban center where people can easily navigate without an automobile, working, shopping and living all in close proximity, witnessing neighbors running into neighbors in the kind of accidental encounters that build strong communities.”

Focusing on the neighborhood

Chicago is a city of neighborhoods. In the South Loop, the Historic Printers’ Row Neighbors (HPRN) seeks to preserve the South Loop as a quaint and desirable neighborhood.

HPRN hosts monthly public meetings and meets with city officials to air residents’ concerns. It also prints a newsletter about issues affecting the South Loop, which is distributed at shops and real estate agencies throughout the South Loop.

One of HPRN’s biggest concerns is maintaining the neighborhood’s look and feel. “This is how we want the neighborhood to look, the way it is today,” says Mike Kelly, President of Historic Printers’ Row Neighbors. He says the biggest draw for residents of the South Loop is how serene the neighborhood is, even though it is only blocks from the heart of the Loop.

HPRN opposes the construction of numerous high rises because such buildings create additional traffic and diminish the overall historic feel of the South Loop.

“One of the reasons we started was not only to address development in a neighborhood, but also address development in a historic neighborhood,” says Kelly.

Promoting South Loop businesses

The board serves its members’ interests by bringing their concerns to City Hall. “Say if sidewalks need repair, we help petition the city to repair them,” says Bonnie Sanchez Carlson, assistant director. It also acts as an ambassador to incoming businesses and seeks to attract ones that residents feel will enhance their neighborhood.

“Our goal is to rethink what we want for the community now that it’s become more residential and hear what [residents] think will fit in to the community,” says Carlson.

During the first week of June, the Near South Planning Board hosts the Printers Row Book Fair with the help of diverse groups around the city. Each year, this gathering of book publishers and booksellers attracts more than 75,000 people, giving the public a view of what the South Loop has to offer.

Finding common ground

The Greater South Loop Association (GSLA) is unabashedly in favor of development. “It is about maintaining critical mass and inviting more retail into the South Loop,” says Andrea Peterson, Vice President of the group.

GSLA, which represents the interests of residential property owners and businesses, believes that small businesses can be clustered and successfully coexist with the larger retailers now moving into the area.

GSLA works with other organizations to foster reinvestment in local schools, and sees hope in programs like CHA redevelopment for mixed-income housing.
“The problem is finding common ground,” says Peterson. “If we could have a forum where people could honestly talk out each others concerns, we could solve our problems.”

The biggest problem facing the GSLA is the lack of funds due to a lack of interest. “People want community involvement but no one wants to pay,” says Peterson, who envisions a time when GSLA can branch out into more diverse activities.

Housing the homeless

“Our mission is to end homelessness across the board,” says Cynthia Strohschien, director of communications and public relations for Lakefront SRO. To accomplish this, Lakefront SRO operates nine buildings in Chicago’s Lakeview, Uptown, South Loop and Roseland neighborhoods. In 2000, Lakefront SRO opened a South Loop facility at 1521 S. Wabash Ave.

“Residents sign a standard one-year lease, like you or I, but we provide more than just a roof over their heads. We provide a home,” says Strohschien.

Lakefront SRO seeks to create stronger neighborhoods by providing stable tenants. It assists new homeowners with workshops on topics such as personal finances and community activism.

At the heart of the South Loop Lakefront SRO is its job-training center. “We provide many services, like job training, literacy courses and GED classes, not just for residents but for anyone who lives in the South Loop,” says Strohschien.