Jackie Taylor Supercharges Black Ensemble Theater

The property at 4427 N. Clark has been the home of the Japanese American Service Committee, or JASC, for over 50 years, but as of this summer, JASC became a tenant in its longtime home. 

JASC 4427 N. Clark (Google Maps)

Jackie Taylor and Black Ensemble Theater are the new owners, purchasing the property from JASC for $5.5 million dollars.

For those unfamiliar with JASC, the Committee and the building on Clark have been a community anchor for years, at first serving a large influx of Japanese residents coming out of the internment camps of WWII.  JASC then transitioned to a central gathering place for Chicago's Japanese community as it dispersed throughout the city.  JASC has operated a community center with amazing programming on Clark for years, as well as the (newly remodeled) Heiwa (Peace) Terrace at Lawrence and Sheridan. The history of this amazing organization is well worth a read.

With a $17 million mortgage on the former JASC property, BET appears set for further expansion and construction on the huge JASC site. Overall, BET appears to have invested around $20 million dollars on area real estate acquisitions, with five big moves in just over 10 years to control significant portions of the 4400 block of Clark Street. 

The properties BET either owns outright or has an interest in are shown in red below.

Google Maps

1. The beautiful BET Theater at Sunnyside and Clark was built beginning in 2010 and completed in 2011, replacing a former candy factory.
2. BET bought the property at 4453 N. Clark for $1,000,000 in 2018.   The building was demolished in 2019. 
3. In 2021, using funds provided by Mackenzie Bezos, BET bought into the then under construction building at 4410 N. Clark as a partner of developer MCZ Development.
4. Earlier in 2022, BET bought the property at 4507-09 N. Clark for $1,625,000.
5. The new property (former JASC building and parking lot), purchased for $5,500,000.

While we have no details on how Ms. Taylor and BET plan to utilize the properties, the purchases are in line with her longstanding plan to create a full fledged community for BET, a plan that at times has included proposals for an education center, art galleries, restaurants, and housing. 

Having watched this strip with interest over the last 10 years, we predict that the plan, given the mortgage, will include construction of a new building or extensive renovation of the existing JASC campus, likely combining the empty lot on the corner of Clark and Sunnyside with the JASC property as part of a new building or complex directly across the street from the theater. 

For its part, JASC is going to stay on site as a tenant until mid-to-late 2023 as the board of directors searches for a new home.

We are excited to hear what's next from Ms. Taylor and BET!

Huge New Self Storage Set to Open at Uptown's Western Border

One of our editors in the area has been watching the construction of the former factory and warehouse building at 4701-4707 N. Ravenswood for close to a year now, and with construction nearly complete, it appears that a huge self-storage (916 units) is on the verge of opening to the public.

4701-4707 N. Ravenswood (August 2022)

LSC Development is behind the purchase and renovation. No details yet on a formal opening date, a website, or rental rates, but adding another modern storage facility to the mix will improve consumer choice in the neighborhood. 

Preston Bradley Center to Be Reborn

We have been following updates with the Preston Bradley Center for over two years since it first went on the market. 

Preston Bradley Center

Today we learned that the beautiful and historic building at 941 W. Lawrence that was once home to Preston Bradley's Peoples Church has been sold to orthopedic surgeon, blues enthusiast and philanthropist Dr. Daniel Ivankovich. .

Dr. Ivankovich tells us his dream is coming true with the purchase, which will become a home for his philanthropic activities as well as a music and cultural arts center. He envisions hosting "concerts, plays, educational seminars, fundraisers for charitable organizations," and other cultural events.

Dr. Ivankovich is an imposing man (almost 7 ft tall!) known as "Chicago Slim," co-leader of the Chicago Blues All-Stars, when playing blues shows. He is also a blues DJ (Right Reverend Dr. D) and member of the board for the Chicago Blues Society. Most importantly, Dr. Ivankovich is known as the "Bone Doc" in his most important role as an orthopedic surgeon. 

Dr. Ivankovich has had a profound effect on Chicago's community since his graduation from medical school, working as an orthopedic surgeon as well as medical director and co-founder of OnePatient Global Health Initiative, a nonprofit foundation based in Chicago with a mission “to treat patients... who have musculoskeletal health disorders, regardless of their ability to pay.”

Dr. Ivankovich was born in Zagreb, Croatia and moved to Chicago in 1968. His parents were both doctors at Rush University, and he joined the Northwestern University Wildcats for a short run as a star recruit before blowing out his knee early in his freshman season during a showcase game with Patrick Ewing (no joke!). During his recovery, Dr. Ivankovich, who played violin in his youth, learned to play the guitar, and fell in love with the Chicago blues scene. He ended up hosting a popular (and syndicated) radio show on WNUR 89.3 focusing on the blues, and has continued his love affair with the blues to this day. 

Dr. Ivankovich currently works as the medical director of OnePatient while simultaneously running three OnePatient clinics in Chicago's most underserved areas. His policy with OnePatient is to treat patients regardless of their ability to pay, and OnePatient has treated close to 200,000 uninsured or underinsured patients from troubled neighborhoods in Chicago. 

Dr. Ivankovich also keeps up a performing schedule with his band and keeps close contact with the blues community through his work with the Chicago Blues Society. Dr. Ivankovich has worked for years helping aging local blues musicians navigate the healthcare system, providing many of them and their families with free care and financial assistance. 

We are excited to see what this new chapter for the Preston Bradley Center brings and look forward to learning more about what Dr. Ivankovich has planned.

Hail To The Chiefs!

Today's completed version of the terra cotta

What the storefront looked like about ten years ago

The renovation is done on one of our favorite storefronts in Uptown, at 4629 North Broadway.

An original terra cotta face
(courtesy of Formed Space)

Since 1930, the Native chiefs have looked over Broadway, sometimes in better days, sometimes in worse.

The entire terra cotta façade had been looking rough for decades. When the building was purchased a few years ago, the new owners contacted FORMED SPACE to do the renovations.

The chiefs' heads were recreated by artisans in Italy, but the rest of the terra cotta, including the stage curtain, remained in rough shape.

We were told the entire façade would be improved, and it has been! We took the most recent photo (top) this past weekend.

The renovated face
(courtesy of Formed Space)

It doesn't look new, but it does look fabulous. A tiny terra cotta jewel box in the heart of Uptown.

For those who wonder why the Native chiefs? -- We don't know. 

According to the Uptown Historical Society, the storefront was built for a Thom McAn shoe store, which shared space with a ladies' millinery shop. The stage curtain was possibly a nod to the then-bustling Uptown Entertainment District.

The completely renovated space is now the home of Manske Dieckmann Thompson Architects.

Old National Comes to Uptown and Other News

We recently saw the first evidence of something we heard through the grapevine but hadn't confirmed. 

Those seeking another banking option at Lawrence and Broadway are in luck, as Evansville, Indiana based Old National Bank is continuing its expansion into Chicago with a new branch at the former Bridgeview Bank Building. Old National merged with First Midwest Bancorp last year.

The new location maintains a drive through (pictured above) for the time being, and access to the location will be Monday - Friday 9am-5pm, Saturday 9am-noon. The new branch can be reached at 872-365-6925. 

With Bridgeview Bank departing, the name for the ongoing Flats rehabilitation project remains up in the air, but nothing we have heard so far suggests that Flats will adopt the names of current tenants (WeWork and Old National) in branding the new building.

Meanwhile, just to the east and north, the owners of the Aragon Ballroom recently applied for a zoning change that will finally, after many years, zone the property correctly. For many years, the rear parking lot has been zoned as residential, and the rezoning will bring the entire property, including the parking lot, into a unified commercial zoning. Expect more details on that process to emerge soon.

Malden Closed Between Lawrence and Leland On Saturday Afternoon For Fall Festival -- You're Invited!

From Lakeview Church of Christ in Sheridan Park:

"Please join us for our Annual Fall Festival on Saturday, October 22 from 1-5pm. 

Malden Street will be blocked between Lawrence and Leland. We will have games for all ages, food, candy, non food treats for those who are have alternate dietary needs or restrictions and a bounce house.

Hope to see you there.

*Special Performance by Mr. Pope, Inspirational rapper and CPS teacher!"

48th Ward Town Hall Tonight In Uptown

From Ald. Osterman:

"Dear Neighbor, 

This week, I'm hosting the final two 48th Ward town hall meetings of the fall. Please see below for the dates and times of the meetings, including an important scheduling change for the meeting originally scheduled for tomorrow, as it is being moved to Wednesday (10/19).

• NEW DATE: Wednesday, October 19th, 6:30pm
  Somerset Place Apartments, 5009 N Sheridan Road
• Thursday, October 20th, 6:30pm
  Edgewater Presbyterian Church, 1020 W Bryn Mawr Avenue

I hope you can attend on Wednesday or Thursday, and I look forward to sharing more about the work going on in the Ward. If you have questions, please contact our office at harry@48thward.org or (773) 784-5277."

Bodi Shak Makes The Move From Broadway To Clark

4609 N. Clark, the new home of Bodi Shak

Bodi Shak has called the corner of Broadway and Leland home since its opening back in June of 2017, where it developed a loyal following of Uptown residents. 

We were surprised to learn last month that Bodi Shak was closing and moving to a new location. We now know they made the move to some swank new digs on Clark Street just north of Wilson.

Loyal readers know that the Clark Street corridor is exploding, and the 4500, 4600 and 4700 blocks will soon see a huge influx of new residents thanks to the development boom taking place up and down the street..

If you're a loyal workout fanatic, you probably knew about the Bodi Shak move. If you aren't, definitely check out their new home. The gym continues to specialize in yoga and strength training and the new space is already decorated and filled with equipment. It looks great! 

More pictures of the interior on the Bodi Shak Facebook page here. Give them a follow and give them a call at 872-806-2889!

Open House Chicago Returns to Uptown This Weekend

Chicago Architecture Foundation / Open House Chicago

Open House Chicago, one of our favorite annual events, returns to Uptown this weekend, with 6 sites in Uptown opening their doors to the public for free tours.

The 6 locations are spread across Uptown, with opening dates and times listed below:

Riviera Theatre (4746 N. Racine) 

Open Saturday 10/15 from 10am - 2pm 

5040-5060 North Marine Drive Condominiums 

Open Saturday 10/15 from 10am - 4pm, Sunday 10/16 from 12pm - 4pm

Buddhist Temple of Chicago (1151 W. Leland)

Open Saturday 10/15 from 10am - 5pm, Sunday 10/16 from 1pm - 5pm

KOVAL Distillery  (4241 N. Ravenswood)

Open Saturday 10/15 from 12pm - 5pm, Sunday 10/16 from 12pm - 5pm

St. Mary of the Lake Roman Catholic Church (4200 N. Sheridan) 

Open Saturday 10/15 from 10am - 5pm, Sunday 10/16 from 1:30pm - 5pm

St. Thomas of Canterbury Roman Catholic Church (4827 N. Kenmore)

Open Saturday 10/15 from 10am - 5pm, Sunday 10/16 from 2:00pm - 5pm

There are many, many additional sites across Chicago open this weekend, a number of which are never accessible to the public. A full list can be found here.

Go forth and find some cool places to see!

Foster Bottleneck Through October

DuSable LSD at Foster (Google Maps)

Several readers have written us about the bridge closure on DuSable Lake Shore Drive at Foster. From reports, the closure is currently reducing southbound traffic to two lanes immediately prior to the bridge. Traffic then expands back to four lanes at Lawrence.

From what we can tell, this is part of a bridge redecking project that is supposed to last though October 31. 

We hope that they will done as soon as possible, but if you are north of Foster right now, allow extra time if you are traveling south on DSLD.

BPN Quarterly Meeting To Cover Election of New Board Members

Join Buena Park Neighbors in person for our third Community Meeting of the year. This meeting is made possible thanks to our friends at IRPINO Real Estate - they will host this event and provide snacks and cocktails! We'll have some general housekeeping topics being covered as well as our 2023 election for our BPN Executive Board. 

• Date: Wednesday, October 12
• Time: 7-8 pm
• Location: Chicago Corinthian Yacht Club - 601 W. Montrose Ave
• RSVP: Please ensure you register your attendance HERE

One Potato, Two Potato (UPDATED!)

While we have known a food concept was coming to the former Urban Grill space at 1132 West Wilson for a little while, we had no idea it was DONUTS. 

Downstate Donuts (Facebook)

UPDATED October 5, 2022:

We reached out to the company and they can't wait to open in Uptown. No firm opening date yet as they do the build-out of the space, but we'll keep you informed.

Here's what they say: "The new retail location will have even more specialty donut flavors, serve Vietnamese coffee, and may partner with other independent vendors to sell their specialty items as well. 

Our famous "trikes" (donut tricycles) will be out serving other neighborhoods and available for event rental.  Those interested in booking for the holidays can reach out now to dsdevents@downstatedonuts.com.

As a black-owned business, we look forward to working with non profits in the city such as the local Chamber of Commerce, Inspiration Corporation, and Farmers Markets to bring jobs and smiles to Chicago."

ORIGINAL POST:

More donuts? Ohh, our wallets and waistlines!

Owner Virgil Roundtree announced earlier today that he is opening a brick and mortar version of his popular pop-up Downstate Donuts at the corner of Wilson and Clifton. And what's cool is that the donuts in question are potato donuts. 

Born in Chicago, with a detour to Memphis and back to Chicago, Roundtree holds several degrees and considered law school, but found himself drawn to the culinary world. After starting a couple of food adjacent companies, Roundtree started experimenting with cooking food himself in 2017 and moved full time to making donuts in 2018. Just four months after starting making donuts, Downstate won first prize at Donutfest with his "simple" vanilla glazed donut, and has gone on to a lot of success since, including multiple pop-ups at local events (with the "Donut Trike"), as well as in store sales at local markets like Foxtrot and Andale. 

We miss the amazing couples who were behind Urban Grill (a huge loss for the community) and Uptown Donuts (before the owners moved to Texas). We are thrilled to see a great business take over in their former space, as Downstate is in an ideal location just across from Truman College and steps from the Wilson L station.

With this and Stan's Donuts within a city block, Uptown just became a great place to calorie splurge after your workout at JT Training Studio, set to open soon at 1124 W. Wilson.

We wish Virgil and his team much success!

Chicago Marathon To Affect Lakefront Traffic on Sunday

The 2022 Chicago Marathon route doesn't come through Uptown, but it will be as close as a block away in Lake View. 

If you're a Sunday morning traveler, expect traffic on the roadways between here and downtown (and sections south) to be affected. It's a good time to take the L or wait until early afternoon, if you're able.

It's going to be a good day for the runners, in the high 50s and low 60s. Expect a speedy race.

The entire route is here.

Demolition Alert - 4706 N. Malden

4706 N. Malden (Google)

It appears the end is near for a single family home that has stood at 4706 N. Malden since 1898. 

Demolition permits were issued September 29 to demolish the Victorian single family home. The beautiful exterior shows some signs of wear and tear, and real estate sources we spoke to said that the interior was heavily compromised due to an overall failure to maintain the home in good repair as well as several renovation projects that were never completed. The home had been vacant for several years since the owners moved to Florida prior to placing the home on the market.

Given the severe disrepair, extensive water damage and years of deferred maintenance, the home had many suitors but spent a long time on the market with no offers. The extensive amount of work necessary made the home very difficult to sell.  The issues can be seen in the real estate listing photos.

The home sold for $540,000 in April to a suburban developer (SitePros). SitePros has a limited internet presence but has been involved in a range of multiunit new builds, mostly on the northwest side.  

While the demolition permit is a sign that the developer sees the home as unrecoverable, it obviously can be renovated as a single family home. However, since the lot is zoned multi-family (RT-4), the developer can, and in this case likely will, develop the lot with a multiple unit building. 

Recall that this area previously lost another rundown but beautiful single family home at 4607 N. Magnolia when the local block club refused to consider an upzone proposal that would have saved the building. 

Although things look very grim at this point, it sure would be nice if this home could be saved at the last minute, and we are hopeful that the local block club and public pressure can save this one from the wrecking ball.

Winthrop Garden Muralist To Be Featured On WGN On Monday (UPDATED)

The artist Mauricio Ramirez, who created the beautiful mural on the side of the refurbished Winthrop Family Historical Garden on the 4600 block of Winthrop, will be featured Monday on the WGN News at Nine, as part of its salute to Hispanic Heritage Month.

Many of you met him while helping to paint the mural. This is a chance to find out more.

WGN's blurb reads:

"Artist Mauricio Ramirez describes his artwork as crossing borders and boundaries. In May, Ramirez was commissioned for a pro-bono mural which wrapped the Bounce Children’s Foundation/ Wintrust building along the Kennedy Expressway. In Pilsen, Ramirez was partnered with a building owner for the Pilsen Warrior Mural, which depicts an Aztec warrior and generational growth. Ramirez has several other murals in Chicago, but he is also known for his national and international work. Dan Ponce reports."

UPDATE: The WGN piece is here, with several scenes of the community paint at Winthrop!

Flu/Covid Vaccine Event on Saturday

From Ald. Cappleman's latest newsletter:

"With flu season upon us and a new bivalent COVID booster available it is the perfect time to start preparing for getting both vaccines. 

We hope you'll join us THIS Saturday, October 1st from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM at St. Mary of the Lake, 4220 N Sheridan Road, for a Chicago Department of Public Health COVID and Flu vaccination event. While walk-ins are accepted, advanced registration is encouraged. You can register for the vaccine event here.

The updated COVID vaccine is designed to specifically target the omicron subvariants and it will be available at the event along with COVID and flu vaccines. Further information about the vaccines including on deciding which booster dose is right for you can be found here.

If you are unable to attend, you can find more vaccination opportunities here or by scanning the QR code below. Let's keep working on ensuring the 46th Ward is protected against COVID and the flu! Thanks for doing your part to keep yourselves and your neighbors safe."

Blessings of The Animals At Area Churches This Week

In honor of St Francis of Assisi and his compassion for animals, some Christian congregations have a tradition of holding Pet Blessings near his feast day (October 4th), including in and around Uptown. 

If you have a pet you'd like to bring to have blessed, we are aware of these opportunities in the areas including and around Uptown:

• Mary, Mother of God Parish (three locations): "Bring your dogs, cats, birds, ferrets, snakes, elephants, or any other pet for a blessing by the Franciscan Friars of Mary, Mother of God Parish.
• Saturday, October 1st, noon, St. Ita School Playground, 5525 N Magnolia
• Saturday, October 1st, noon, St. Gregory the Great Courtyard Parking Lot, 5545 N Paulina
• Saturday, October 1st, 1pm, St. Thomas of Canterbury Church Steps, 4827 N Kenmore
• All Saints Episcopal Church, Wilson and Hermitage, will have pet blessings at the 9am and 11am Sunday worship services on Sunday, October 2nd. "After each service, a pet procession will take us out to the lawn for refreshments (both human and pet varieties) and an "Ask a Vet" session with our own Dr. Steve Larson. Have a pet, but can't bring them? No worries! Bring your favorite pet picture and receive a blessing that way. Don't have a pet? Come and enjoy the fun anyway."
• St Mary of the Lake, Buena and Sheridan, Tuesday, October 4th, Belltower Garden. "All parishioners and neighbors are welcome to bring their pets (leashed) to a special blessing!"

Pet blessings are non-denominational and neither you nor your pet need be affiliated with the church at which the blessings are given.