Clara Kirk’s West Englewood United Organization had begun with two feet firmly planted in the community, and maintained a good reputation across Chicago. Yet the very force that propelled the organization from its founding—its neighborhood spirit—may have been its downfall.
Business
Opening Up
by Sharon Lurye •
With its move complete, the Seminary Co-op Bookstore celebrates a “grand opening.”
At This Juncture
by Ari Feldman •
Like much of Bronzeville, 51st Street is at a kind of crossroads. Many neighbors perceive things as having vaguely gotten better, but exactly what is going into the gradual changes of “the strip” is not obvious.
Common Scents
by Jennifer Sung •
Zorayda Ortiz—perfumer, owner of Pilsen Bike Tours, community gardener, and former medical researcher—stands in front of a mural by Alejandro Medina on the corner of South Blue Island and Cullerton. She hoists her bicycle in the air.
A Meal at Amelia’s
by Tallinn Kiefer •
Amelia’s Mestizo Grill sits at a cultural vantage point.
A Sweet Saturday Night
by Eve Rodgers •
In an elegant mansion on King Drive, Bernard and Denise Loyd opened their home for Saturday Night Sweets, a micro-funding art event curated by the Revival Arts Collective.
In the Shadow of Mount Olympus
by Taro Matsuno •
It may be some time before the Michael Reese Hospital site is developed, though as long as the city continues to own the property, the clock is ticking.
Bridging the Gap
by Jacqueline Nesbitt •
At Bridgeport’s Co-Prosperity Sphere, locals sell North Side entrepreneurs on a neighborhood’s future.
