The Opportunity Shop (Mehves Konuk)

Last Friday night marked the opening of the Opportunity Shop, a temporary creative space where artists and audiences can engage with one another. The space is filled with artists’ work, areas for collaborative projects, and even thrift sales. As a steady stream of people moved in and out of the newly activated space, D.J. and Hyde Park dad Curtis Myers spun music from his personal collection. The sounds of conversations, video installations, and live performances spilled onto the otherwise quiet street. Inside, the crowd ranged from 5-year-olds captivated by erasable markers and an overhead projector, to loquacious activists for artists’ rights, to elderly couples reclining in cushioned chairs surveying the scene. It was Hyde Park at its best.

“The Op Shop is a community-based environment that creates opportunities for all those involved in the arts to engage one another,” says Amanda Englert, who along with Laura Shaeffer and the United Church of Hyde Park helped bring the Op Shop to life. In a space where a church thrift store brushes shoulders with School of the Art Institute of Chicago student films and photographs taken by a University of Chicago sociology PhD student, the community’s hunger for such an opportunity is clear.

“This is a true experiment in democracy,” explains Englert. “The shop is about the community response. It is a site for all different kinds of collaboration.” When MAC approached Shaeffer about occupying the space until January, Shaeffer, who runs the Home Gallery out of her two-story Hyde Park house, turned to her address book. Englert was one of the first people she called. Between their respective connections, they gathered a large number of interested artists. And the variety of artists is inspiring.

The Op Shop is designed something like an outdoor art market. Former individual offices have been carved into gallery spaces where the works of nearly forty artists are displayed. On Friday, many of the artists sat among their work engaging the passing throngs. “This project is unusual because here, artists hang their own work, price their own work, themselves, and handle all purchasing negotiations,” explains Englert. But sale profits are just one element shaping the shop’s dynamic.

On the Saturday afternoon following the Op Shop’s opening, Englert sits at the center table with her arms placed atop a lockbox. She details the curatorial duties to a volunteer who will take over her post for the next few hours. “This is an entirely volunteer operation,” says Englert. “And the number of volunteers has been great.” Englert is interrupted by a young couple who have stumbled upon the shop. They are artists interested in showing work. “See what I mean?” Englert smiles, “This space has such a special dynamic.” More than simply housing art, the Op Shop itself is a kind of a conversational, durational art piece. Over the next thirty days, Shaeffer and Engler hope to facilitate a site for exhibits, exchange, workshops, auctions, and performances. They will not serve as curators, but will instead allow the community to shape the project.

At the end of the month, the Op Shop will close, and MAC Property will turn the space over to a new business. Although both Shaeffer and Englert will be sad to leave, their goal is to continue to bring the Op Shop to unused spaces throughout the South Side. Ideally, the Op Shop will continue to grow and change and become a site of exchange throughout the South Side. Says Englert, “It will be sad to leave, but it’s also part of the Op Shop’s nature.”
Opportunity Shop, 1613 E. 55th St. Through December 31. Thursday-Sunday, 11am-7pm. theopshop.org

Many people asked about the aesthetics, logistics, or economics of specific developments. There was some skepticism about the Solstice’s design and some anxiety about ongoing renovations and rent increases at the Windermere, the Del Prado, and East Park Tower. Ungar’s answers appeared candid and to the point: he described the difficulties of inheriting buildings in an advanced state of disrepair, where, he said, an “unwritten social contract” had governed the relations between tenants and previous landlords, with one demanding few services and the other charging low rents. Ungar openly admitted, “We blew it,” in regards to maintenance issues last year, explaining that the company had “grossly underestimated how much there was to do” following its rapid acquisition of properties. One could hardly help but empathize with the owner of this company—who hails from New Jersey—as he told of his trials and errors in the “interesting, diverse, confusing, exciting community” of Hyde Park.

Articulate and charismatic, Ungar had little trouble in pacifying what could have been a justifiably disgruntled audience. But underneath the polite questions and answers lay the uncomfortable fact of MAC’s vast presence in the neighborhood’s rental market, which is only going to grow more costly as apartments are upgraded or converted to condos. Ungar acknowledged, “Gentrification is a double-edged sword. Some people can only afford to live in substandard apartments, and our activity is making apartments more expensive.” Pointing out that the company maintains 129 units of affordable housing in Hyde Park, he also stressed that a system involving “the profit motive” will ultimately be most effective in getting developers “to do something good for others and for themselves.”

Expect that motive to bring less positive changes to the neighborhood as well. Though Ungar said he doubts that MAC will continue to acquire large properties in Hyde Park, this is unlikely to reassure those who already feel they “don’t have options besides MAC,” as one woman said to her friend. “Now that you’re centralized, people don’t know what’s going on,” she asserted. “They’re afraid to ask questions—they don’t feel like management is sensitive to them.” Meetings like this one might help assuage those fears, but for many, they may do little to change the realities.

After having been uprooted, many of the complex’s residents have finally chosen a new home, with the help of Betts, who took charge to find a new building with a considerable number of available apartments. Between twenty and fifty current Pepperland residents will migrate to the same few buildings around 55th Street and Cornell Avenue, already occupied by a fair number of UofC students. A total of eight apartments will be used as 3-bedroom apartments, “converting the living rooms into bedrooms and sacrificing the communal space which is something that we’ve all been more than spoiled with at the Pepperland.”

But the new place won’t be the same, mostly due to the fact that it is not one unified, interconnected building that makes the Pepperland so unique. At their new place, Pepperlanders lamented about the need “to go outside” to enter neighbors’ apartments, alarm systems, and the unthinkable: “You have to buzz in a lot!” Nonetheless, Betts said that people signed the new leases before they had “even seen the apartments…the impetus of maintaining our community in some form was enough.” As for the “end” of the Pepperland, it is bound to be semi-permanent. But what will become of the building when it reopens? For one, it’s bound to be swankier and pricier, says Betts. Some think MAC will turn it into condos, but others remain doubtful, confident that the communal tradition imposed by the building’s very architecture is likely to live on.

There are some architectural quirks that can’t be replicated. The Pepperland basement is often compared to a pirate ship, with “treasures” residents have stored over the years (such as a hand-made disassembled hot tub). In it, their “bounty of catacombs,” as Swann called it, may be removed, but perhaps only to make room for a new one to emerge along with a new generation of patrons who enjoy the amicable hangout spot. And feelings about the new place, despite apprehensions, are hopeful. Swann assured me that a new name was plausible but yet undecided and under “heated debate.” So welcome a new pirate ship (possibly called “Old Deuce”) sailing in this fall. Ahoy.

In the first part of this issue’s feature, we introduce some of the basics of apartment-hunting.

Finding an apartment in Hyde Park can be a tumultuous journey, full of pitfalls and unexpected turns. The best way to suit up for apartment hunting season is to plan ahead and familiarize yourself with the options available. High-rise or owner-occupied? Studio or five bedroom? Near to campus or far away? Tiny windowless box or large spacious sunroom?

Essentially, knowing yourself and your options is the best way of guaranteeing a happy living experience. Hyde Park apartments offer a plethora of different options, and having some idea about what will make you, the tenant, happy, is essential in figuring out where you should make your home.

ROOMMATES
A good way to start thinking about your future apartment is determining with whom you could live. While this may seem like an obvious first step, it could also be where your apartment search ends. If you have a friend or acceptable acquaintance with an extra room opening up in his or her apartment, getting on the lease in place of that former roommate is fairly easy, and generally requires less hassle in terms of figuring out the specifics of moving in and out. Also, if you move into an apartment that you already know well, you understand exactly what you’re getting into. Especially since the unpleasant surprises of Hyde Park apartments, like leaking sinks and questionable radiators, tend to show up long after the lease is signed and the deal is done, this can be a huge advantage in overall satisfaction.

If you can’t move into someone’s apartment, you can find a solid group of roommates or decide that you want to live alone. Finding out who you want to live with and getting an apartment with the appropriate number of bedrooms means you won’t sign a lease that will be a financial burden on you. But be cautious when rooming with good friends, as peoples’ household behaviors and possible lifestyle tensions between roommates often don’t emerge until later, and you don’t want to sour a friendship or a living situation. Just make sure everyone knows from the start what is expected of each roommate and the apartment situation in general.

FINANCES
Having a number of roommates on the lease that resembles the final composition of your apartment ensures that you don’t have to cough up too much for a security deposit (though some companies, like MAC Management, are doing away with the security deposit, which is usually equivalent to one month’s rent and is due at the lease signing). Upon signing a lease, you may also have to pay the first month’s rent. In order to expedite the process of renting, it is best to make sure you have access to these funds right away. Most landlords will also ask for references and run a credit check, so previous unpaid bills could interfere with your chance at getting an apartment you like.

WHERE AND WHEN TO LOOK?
Traditionally, many Hyde Park leases start on June 15, which this year is the day after Convocation. However, because of the number of different realtors in Hyde Park, lease start-dates vary. Some management companies begin showing apartments with June leases around the beginning of April, as soon as they’ve received word that tenants do not plan to renew leases on individual units. April is a good time to begin to make preliminary calls to the management companies. Some units, including those in owner-occupied buildings with less than six units (many Hyde Park apartments fall into this category), are exempt from the usual municipal code, so make sure to find out what the terms of your lease actually are before you sign it. Chicago municipal code states that the landlord must “Not force a tenant to renew an agreement more than 90 days before the existing agreement terminates,” and must give “at least 30 days of written notice of his intention not to renew a rental agreement.” This means that if pursuing a June 15 lease for an apartment that is currently occupied, the new tenants should make sure to have the lease signed in full by the middle of May (and those who have leases they would like to renew should make sure to do so before then). Never, ever, sign a lease that you haven’t read completely. If you disagree with any item on a lease, don’t sign it. Also, keep in mind that for real estate, oral contracts are considered binding.

Because of this time frame, some smaller realtors do not show apartments for June rental until the end of April or the beginning of May, and dealing with them earlier may result in leases that start in the middle of May. However, if you see an apartment that you like a lot, the earlier starting date can be worth the extra month of rent, and can make the moving process easier.

The best way to start the apartment search is to call management companies, ask when they are showing their apartments, and what they have available. Asking around and researching on the internet should supplement this hands-on search, rather than replace it. Keep in mind that during the spring, there are usually hundreds of people looking for apartments in the same area, so be prepared to sign a lease very quickly if you decide you really want a place.

Finally, remember that some of the best apartments in Hyde Park may not be the easiest to find. They may require visiting multiple management companies, making appointments during regular business hours (not over the weekend), and presenting yourself well to landlords. Small sacrifices of time and careful attention to detail while searching for an apartment will ensure that you can truly make a home, sweet home, rather than being imprisoned in a small box with no natural light—unless, of course, such a cell is what you desire. (Rose Schapiro)

MAC Properties
Locations: 47th and Ellis; 47th and Woodlawn; 51st and Drexel; 51st and Greenwood; 51st and Kimbark; 51st and Harper; properties on Cornell and S. Hyde Park Blvd. from 51st to 56th; 52nd and Drexel; 52nd and Woodlawn; 52nd and Dorchester; 52nd and Blackstone; Most Woodlawn properties between 53rd to 55th; 53rd between Ellis and Greenwood; 53rd and Cornell; 54th Place and Cottage Grove; 54th and Ellis; 54th and Blackstone; 54th Place and Cottage Grove; 54th and Drexel; 55th and University; 57th and Kimbark; 57th and Lake Park.
Amenities included: Dishwasher in a few of the properties, hot water and heat included with rent.
Rent range: Studio $500-$1000
Two-bedroom $1000-$1400
Three-bedroom $1400-$1800
Four-bedroom $2000-$2400
Pros: No security deposit required, lease dates beginning in September, locations all over Hyde Park, variety of properties, some recently renovated properties such as the Algonquin (51st and Hyde Park), Woodlawn Court (53rd and Woodlawn), and the Blackwood (52nd and Blackstone).
Cons: Notoriously poor customer service, one-time non-refundable $300 move-in fee, gas and electricity not included in rent, some apartments are under-heated in the winter, many apartments in a general state of disrepair.
User comments: “I know that MAC has a bad reputation, but K&G gave them some terrible apartments and I think they have made some real efforts to improve them. In my experience they have been prompt and caring.” —Greg Muren.
Notes: Because MAC offers apartments in many of the popular locations for undergrads such as Woodlawn and generally dominates the property market in Hyde Park, they are known for having a lack of concern for helping people find apartments or providing good service that would keep or attract customers. MAC is known for having poor management both on the leasing and resident services side: losing track of rent, failing to respond to customer service needs, and having a lack of coordination amongst its staff. Having recently bought up many more Hyde Park apartments, they often do not know much about what properties they are selling. That being said, some residents have perceived a recent turnaround in resident services responsiveness, and MAC reportedly is beginning a project to renovate many of its run-down Hyde Park apartments.
Contact: MAC Chicago Leasing Office, 5418 South Woodlawn Ave, Suite G. (773) 324-8543. leasing@macapartments.com. (Laura Harmon)

Parker-Holsman Company
Locations: 5631-39 S. Kenwood Ave; 5756-58 S. Kenwood Ave; 5600-02 S. Dorchester Ave; 5464-76 S. Harper Ave; 5323-25 S. Woodlawn Ave.
Amenities: Laundry facilities.
Rent range: Studio/One-bedroom $540-700
One-bed/One-bath $750-780
Three-bed/Two-bath $1250-1400
Pros: Extremely well-organized, informative website, easy to get in touch with, clear-cut rules, seem to be well executed.
Cons: Higher prices, mostly year-long leases which usually start in June or July, don’t seem to have student-specific norms of conduct.
Notes: Well-established (since 1931), “good relationship with students.”
Contact: 1461 East 57th St. (773) 493-2525. phc@parkerholsman.com. www.parkerholsman.com. (Bonnie Kate Walker)

Regents Park Luxury Apartments
Locations: 5020-5050 S. Lake Shore Dr.
Amenities: Private health club, indoor pool, urban garden and bird sanctuary, onsite grocery store, heated garage
Rent range: Studio $1025–$1250
One-bedroom $1195–$1435
Two-bed/Two-bath $1495–$1875
Three-bed/Two-bath $1895–$2250
Pros: Regents offers a student discount for undergraduate students looking for two- or three-bedroom apartments at $699 per student regardless of floor level or floor plan. Membership to the health club is half-price with this special offer.
Cons: Heating/cooling and electric are not included in the rent prices
User comments: “It’s really nice, but I thought it was a little too luxurious. As a college student, I expected something more…something more cozy. It was a little dry and dull.”—Sung Eun Jung
Notes: In order to find an apartment in Regents, prospective leasers must fill out an application specifying their preferences. Those interested in a place for this September are advised to fill this out quickly.
Contact: Regents Park Office, 5020 S. Lake Shore Dr. (773) 288-5050. www.regentsparkchicago.com. (Elise Biggers)

McKey and Poague
Locations: Managed building at Kenwood and 54th; others available
Amenities: Usually household appliances, laundry room, bike rack room
Rent range: 2 Bedroom $900-1100
3 bedroom (very few available) $1500-1700
Pros: Likes working with students, attentive to student needs, very concerned with good management and customer service; goal is to “make life as easy as possible. Provide a safe, secure, nice apartment, so students can leave Hyde Park with good memories.”
Cons: No website, no company email address, hard to access.
User comments: “I haven’t had any problems with the management, and I love my apartment. I would definitely say my experience [with McKey and Poague] has been universally better than my experience with K&G.”— Anonymous tenant
Notes: Extremely nice and eager to accommodate, proud of good service and customer appreciation
Contact: 1348 East 55th St. (773) 363-6200. wallyjp@spc.global.net. (Bonnie Kate Walker)