Here is a satellite view of Woodlawn taken from Google Maps:
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It looks like anywhere between Ingleside and Woodlawn, on either side of 63rd, would be best. Emma emailed me about going today to scout spaces, but we haven't connected yet... so if anyone wants to go down and do some scouting, that is where I would suggest looking.
8 comments:
So Emma and I just got back from looking at places... the corner of 63rd and Woodlawn looked like by far the best place. It's bordered by those red brick condos we saw the first day on one side, and by this completely vacant and completely new commercial space on the other side. The lot is the northwest corner of the intersection at 63rd and Woodlawn.
Is it safe to say this is a tentative location? A project for someone would be to research what used to be in that location, as well as in the other vacant lots on 63rd between Woodlawn and Ingleside. If no one else wants to, I can have that information by next class, but with the history presentation I'm a bit swamped this week. Let's get something decided on this if we want to do it, so we can get moving as soon as possible.
So I'm going to try to talk to the Maps department at the Reg tomorrow to see if they have anything about the area (I've been told that they usually get a lot of maps of Chicago during the 60s). I'll try to scan and upload images once I get them.
Alright, cool. Also, current ownership would be good to know as well.
If possible, I think it might be wise to avoid a location that was too incendiary when it was occupied. Since our RSO deals with housing and we plan to install furniture, I think a residence would be the best; unless we have some pertinent comment to make about an aspect of that area that would be better served by chalking out a blueprint of, say, an office, or a liquor store. I don't know what our "guests" will know or remember about that site, or how that will affect the "functional site" of our work down there, you know?
The problem with that approach is that all of it was "vice center" back in its day... Remember, 63rd was the location of Baby Skid Row. It wasn't so much housing that was cleared from 63rd-- most of it was commercial, although putting in a house outline might be a statement about the relationship between commercial activity and residential life, a relationship which I find intriguing given this area's history. Again, once we know the specific history we will have some decision making to do.
Y'all are little rockstars.
Moving and Shaking.
Just had to give a shout-out to my favorite undergrads.
Have you even considered working with local leadership and organizations who have this information already? Or are you simply trying to be renegades?
The site you've identified is City-owned property and absent a Right of Entry Agreement, you will be considered trespassing if you use it as you've described.
Michelle-
We indeed have done a fair amount of research. We've spoken to most of the major institutions in the Neighborhood (including Apostolic, DHS, the Kappa service center, etc), and spoken to quite a few neighboorhood residents. I would urge you to consider that this blog is very outdated, and contains little of the substance of our research efforts. I hope you consider also that this is a logistics and planning page for a group, and by no means a full presentation of our group efforts toward dialogue and conversation, before you make a rushed judgment like branding us "renegades".
That may be so, and it's a risk we're willing to take.
It is apparent even in your tone that you have disagreements with what we're trying to do here. My request for you, if you're interested in making an informed judgment, would be to come to the site tomorrow and talk with us. If you have information on the area that we've overlooked-- great, we'd love to hear from you. If you take issue with what we're doing, that's just as important for us to hear. We don't want to just come down and make a statement in an area that, even after doing extensive research, we only know from an outside perspective; we are extremely interested in hearing from those who know more than us, who've been around longer than us, who've been working for and living in Woodlawn.
Again, I just want to extend an invitation to you. We'll be on 63rd from 3-6 or so tomorrow, and I hope to see you there.
Will
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