43-Year-Old Bezazian Branch Library Mural Being Restored; Meet The Original Muralist On Wednesday

Day One of the mural restoration! (photo courtesy of reader Rick Baer)

You can really see how the paint has faded, down to almost bare brick in several spots (photo courtesy of reader Rick Baer)

The original colors of the mural, mapped out

Ald. Cappleman stopped by on his way to the NUNA Block Party to take a look and talk with artist Tony Passero 

It takes a lot of supplies to redo a mural!

The mural in its early, non-sun-faded days (courtesy of Friends of the Bezazian)

It's good to see parts of Uptown's past being restored. And while this isn't on the scale of the Uptown Broadway Building or the Bridgeview Bank Lobby, we are happy to hear that a long-time goal of the Friends of Bezazian is being realized.

A reader writes:

"Saturday was a big day for the Bezazian Branch Library [1226 W Ainslie]. From its inception, the advocacy group for the branch, Friends of Bezazian, singled out restoration of the mural on the east side of the building as a priority.

Today the work began! We are excited to have it happen as we celebrate the branch's 60th year.

Muralist Tony Passero and his assistant Jerry began the process of making the mural vibrant again, a project that will take approximately two weeks. It was designed in 1974 by a Chicago artist, Janis Pozzi-Johnson, and was painted by local children.

But 43 years of sun took its toll and the mural has faded badly. You can see a photo of it in 2010 here. It got even worse during the past seven years.

We are so happy to see bright colors on that wall once again. Tony took minute paint scrapings from the mural and ran them through a computer program that was able to ascertain what the original colors were. The restoration will be a two-week process that will include applying primer paint, repainting, letting the mural cure, and then applying a protective coating to preserve the colors and prevent damage in the future.

We are so pleased to have the original muralist, Janis Pozzi-Johnson, return to the Bezazian Branch on Wednesday, August 9th, at 1pm, to meet Tony Passero and to consult with him. We invite your readers to come meet both of them at that time and learn about the mural, its history, and its future."

Tony and Jerry will be hard at work, weather permitting, for the next couple of weeks. Stop by and say hi!

The artists:

• In the years since she designed the mural, Janis Pozzi-Johnson has held numerous solo and group art exhibitions both nationally and internationally. 
• Tony Passero is a Chicago-based muralist and graphic designer. He has recently done commissions for Major League Baseball/the Cubs, Major League Soccer/the Fire, and the K9s for Cops public art exhibit that is currently displayed on Michigan Avenue.

The Aquitania -- Windows on the World

click to enlarge

We heard from reader Rick Baer:

"Hey UU, I snapped this pic of the Aquitania apartment building at 5000 N Marine (NW corner of Marine & Argyle) this afternoon (Monday 4/11/2016).  I like the way the late afternoon sun lights up the the building's ridges and shows off the decorative festoons, plus there's some nice reflection of trees and sky in the windows.  I've been told that the the Aquitania was home to silent movie actors while they filmed at Essanay Studios (now St. Augustine College) in the 1300 block of West Argyle."

For more on the history of the Aquitania, which was lakefront property when it was built in 1923, click here.

To see a previous post of Rick's photos, click here.

Full Moon Jam Takes Place Tuesday Night (and Twice More This Summer)

Photo by Rick Baer from the July 2016 Full Moon Jam (click to enlarge)

Now that the ohgeewilltheyeverstop spring showers are in the rear view mirror, we can finally recommend a visit to the Full Moon Fire Jams, an Uptown tradition.

From the Facebook page:

"The Full Moon Jams are free, family-friendly events that happen every full moon during the summer months in Chicago, from May to October, weather permitting. The FMJs are an official part of the Chicago Parks District Night Out in the Parks series. 

Started in 2004 by a group of friends celebrating a birthday, the jams have grown in size to accommodate the increasing amount of drummers, fire spinners, families, and random passers-by who come to enjoy the night."

It's a thrilling sight, with fire dancers, drummers, musicians, and other performers and a crowd of spectators. The jams take place between sunset and 10pm. There is a strict code of conduct to ensure everyone's safety; please review it, and the FAQs.

The remaining 2019 dates are:

• Tuesday, July 16th
• Wednesday, August 14th
• Thursday, September 12th

The jams take place a quarter mile south of the Foster Turf Fields on the lakefront, south of the beach, on the east side of the lakefront trail, in the big field. Approximate address: 5100 N Lake Shore Drive.

Time To Vote! It's Uptown vs Woodlawn In The Curbed Cup

24 hours to do it! It's the penultimate round of the Curbed Cup voting for best neighborhood in Chicago.

Vote here! Tell your friends, too.  But hurry. Voting ends at 11:30am on Thursday.

Uptown is up against Woodlawn, the sole South Side contender.

Curbed says, "The united Uptown neighborhood cruised through the first two rounds of voting, but it will have to overcome Woodlawn—the only remaining South Side neighborhood on the bracket—to advance to the final. In many ways, Uptown is the perfect representation of what a Chicago neighborhood should be—it’s densely populated, affordable, diverse, and close to the lakefront. There’s a reason why Uptown always does well in the Curbed Cup, and that is that its residents are almost fanatical about their love for their neighborhood. Will Uptown claim yet another Curbed Cup?"

Remember to vote!

Photo courtesy of reader Rick Baer.

Bridgeview Bank Rumored To Become First Midwest Bank (Updated)

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Photo credit: Rick Baer 

According to Crain's, Bridgeview Bank might soon be First Midwest Bank.

In an article today, Crain's says:

"First Midwest Bancorp is in advanced discussions to acquire the parent of Bridgeview Bank Group, a deal that would strengthen suburban-oriented First Midwest in the city of Chicago.

A deal, if it's finalized, is likely to be announced within days, sources said.

Bridgeview Bank, best known perhaps by the striking 12-story terra cotta building in Uptown that dates back nearly a century, has nearly $1.3 billion in assets. It operates 14 branches, including some choice North Side locations in Edgewater, Lincoln Park and Lincoln Square, as well as Uptown."

Bridgeview has been a good neighbor in Uptown, putting multiple millions of dollars into a three-year restoration of the one-time Sheridan Trust & Savings Bank building at 4753 North Broadway.

We'll stay tuned and see what happens.

Update: Well, that didn't take long. On Thursday, December 6th, the acquisition was announced. Click here to read the press release.

Scenes From The First Uptown Thai New Year Water Festival

Thank you to reader and frequent contributor Rick Baer, who shared his photos of the Thai New Year Water Festival, taken on Saturday of the two-day event. We hear a good time was had, and at one point the line to enter stretched from Lawrence to Foster. We hope it's an annual event. (Hint, hint!)

Season's Final Full Moon Fire Jam Takes Place Tonight

Tonight is the last Full Moon Fire Jam of 2016. If you haven't been to one of these before, we highly recommend it!

It takes place about a quarter-mile south of Foster Avenue along the Lakefront Trail. The Facebook page says, "It is in a grassy field area EAST of Lake Shore Drive and WEST of North Simonds Drive. And it is SOUTH of a big SOCCER Field with artificial turf and lights for night games."

It goes between 6pm and 9:45pm, and remember it gets dark early these days. The earlier you get there, the easier it will be to find.

It is highly, highly encouraged to read the Facebook page and the official Jam page before you get there, particularly if you want to learn to spin fire. Timing and FAQs are important.

Enjoy, howl at the moon, and enjoy one of Uptown's newest and coolest traditions.

Thank you to the amazing and talented Rick Baer for providing these photos to us. They were taken during the Fire Dragon portion of the July Fire Jam. We appreciate his talent and generosity. Better views can by seen by clicking and enlarging each photo.

And Fall Begins Now

We're posting these photos at 3:44pm, the moment of the September equinox. May we be the first to wish you "Happy Autumn."

Reader Rick Baer sent these in and says: "Here's a couple of pix I took of the Uptown Bank building on Saturday September 21.  The pix were taken just before sunset on a gorgeous evening. The building is located at the southeast corner of Broadway and Lawrence and the pix were taken on the northwest corner (in front of the Green Mill Lounge). Bridgeview Bank (the owners) have done a great job restoring the facing of the building."

"If you look at an enlarged view of the first attachment (the close-up shot), you can see vertical rays of sun on the north side of the building - the last time we'll see the sun there for 6 months."  (click on each photo for a larger version.)

So here's looking at you, Bridgeview Bank.  We're lucky to have such a well-maintained historic building right at the corner of what's shaping up as the Uptown Entertainment District.  We'll be looking forward to the sun peeking around that corner of the building again on March 20, 2014.