CHICAGO NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS - LOOP, EDGEWATER, LINCOLN PARK, LOGAN SQUARE, OAK PARK
LOOP
Railroad reconstruction crews rebuilt a nearly century-old
curve along the CTA Loop
elevated tracks in about five minutes.
The recently completed work replaced about 1,000 feet of
track, rail ties and train signals at Wabash Avenue and Lake
Street and was in reality, done over the course of one full
weekend. A stunning time-lapse video
that was shot over the period of the 54 hours condensed the work into five
minutes. To view an edited version of
the video that runs about a minute and a half, click here.
According to officials, the project involved a well designed process of
demolishing the old tracks and installing new rails in a slightly different
alignment in order to make the ride smoother and reduce wear-and-tear on
trains.
Find out more by clicking here.
EDGEWATER
The North Side men's emergency homeless shelter slated to
close Dec. 1 will remain open for the rest of the month and move to a new
location for the first part of 2009, said shelter officials recently.
Epworth United Methodist Church in Edgewater will allow
the REST Warming Shelter, located inside the church, to stay in operation
until the end of the year, REST board president Michael O'Hara said.
The shelter, which houses 65 homeless men each night, had planned to close Dec.
1 after the church doubled the rent it charged the organization. But the church
relented and allowed the shelter to stay in the church for one additional
month.
"There were 65 happy guys Monday night," O'Hara said. "When we
made the announcement, it was like the Cubs had won the World Series."
Click here to
read more.
LINCOLN
PARK
Lincoln Park Zoo is displaying it's Zoo Lights. There are plenty of old and new fun events
this year.
Get your photo taken with a classic Santa in the
Kovler Lion House. Stop by and see the musical
light show extravaganza on the South Lawn.
Stay warm by sipping warm festive cocktails, spiced wine and
frosty beer and partake in some holiday crafts.
Enjoy dinner and treats at Park Place Cafe along with holiday shopping
at Wild Things! Try the Endangered
Species Carousel, LP Zoo Holiday Express train rides and African Safari Ride
too.
For more information, click here.
LOGAN SQUARE
The Chicago Underground Library has surfaced.
After a year spent on hold and without a permanent space, the non-profit has
partnered with AREA Chicago and InCUBATE, aligning their missions to illuminate
the city's arts scene, past and present.
The Underground Library archives and indexes
small, indie and obscure literary artifacts. AREA Chicago, a non-profit magazine,
highlights "local social movements, political and cultural
organizations," according to the Web site, and InCUBATE is a research
institute striving to create connections between local and visiting artists.
The three organizations now share a Logan Square location, 2129 N. Rockwell
St., in the Congress Theater building.
Underground Library co-founder and director Nell Taylor describes some of their
collections.
Click here to learn about it.
OAK PARK
The executive director of the Unity Temple
Restoration Foundation, Emily Roth, was thrilled to rush into the historic Oak
Park structure and announce the good news.
The historic Frank Lloyd Wright building-troubled by
crumbling ceilings, leaky walls and the prospect of a repair bill of more than
$1 million-had just been awarded a $200,000 federal grant.
In a 100th anniversary year filled with sobering news about the architectural
masterpiece, this was something to celebrate. The Save America's Treasures
grant was part of $10.52 million handed out by federal agencies which also included
the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and the National Park
Service.
Click here to read the whole story.
JENNIFER ARCAND & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO
