Archive for the ‘Events’ Category

Restored Tower Revealed!

Monday, May 10th, 2010

International Tailoring Company Building, circa 2003

International Tailoring Company Building, circa 2003 when the clock tower was still sheathed in ugly corrugated metal.

The International Tailoring Building at 847 W. Jackson Boulevard (eastbound Route 66) in Chicago has been on the National Register of Historic Places since June 2008. It is currently undergoing an interior renovation as Tailor Lofts, to be used as off-campus student apartments for the University of Illinois-Chicago. More importantly for Route 66 travelers, the beautiful exterior restoration has brought the building back to its original look. For years, a four-story clock tower was sheathed in ugly corrugated metal.

The gleaming enameled terra cotta now shines again, and the four clock faces show the current time in all directions just as they did when the building first opened in 1916.

The restored International Tailoring Building as it looks today

The restored International Tailoring Building as it looks today.

The second decade of the 20th century was a volatile time in the Chicago garment industry. Most large clothing companies farmed piecework out to sweatshops that employed immigrants for low pay in deplorable conditions. In the aftermath of several worker strikes, companies like International Tailoring decided to build large modern factories and to hire the workers directly, thus putting the sweatshops out of business. This building is a legacy of that period in Chicago history.

The building was built in 1916 from designs by the architectural firm of Mundie & Jensen, formerly Jenney, Mundie & Jensen. This firm was established originally by William LeBaron Jenney, the architect and engineer responsible for building the Home Insurance Building in 1885, the world’s first skyscraper to use steel beams in its structural skeleton. The firm also designed the downtown building used for a Sears Store at the southeast corner of Van Buren and State (currently Robert Morris University), and the Union League Club at 65 W. Jackson.

Ron Warnick posted about the International Tailoring Building on Route 66 News when the building was first placed on the National Register in 2008. There is also a Wikipedia entry concerning the building. It is great to see a grand old building on Route 66 lovingly restored and revived for a great new purpose.

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Posted in Architecture, Chicago, Events, Highways, Illinois, US | No Comments »

Route 66 Walking Tour Special — 66%!

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

Lion Statue, Art Institute of Chicago

Many of our Walking Tours meet next to the Lions at the Art Institute of Chicago

I have conducted walking tours in Chicago since 2005, mainly focusing on the history and architecture to be seen along the Route 66 corridor in Chicago’s Loop. Although these Route 66 walking tours have become my specialty, I have conducted all sorts of custom tours as requested as well. Some recent custom tours have included:

  • A walking tour that traveled from the Tribune Tower to Millennium Park highlighting the Burnham Plan of Chicago
  • An architecture tour of Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright buildings in Chicago’s Loop
  • A driving tour of vintage Chicago movie theaters and studios, from the location of the old Essanay Studios, to the Biograph and Chicago Theaters.

All of the tours, whether focusing on Route 66 or a custom topic or theme, generally include some discussion of Chicago’s history, transportation, culture, and architecture.

A brochure describing my tour offerings is available by clicking here

The cost for a 2-hour walking tour is usually $15 per person. However, in light of the ongoing economic woes, I have decided to offer a special price for a limited time. For parties of four or more, you will be able to take a walk on Chicago’s Route 66 for just 66% of the normal price–that is just $10 per person!

Anyone who would like to take advantage of this special price can contact me via email:

dave@windycityroadwarrior.com

or by telephone at 312-432-1284. All tours are by appointment, so write or call to get your kicks on Chicago’s 66 for 66%!

Posted in Chicago, Events, Highways, Tours, US, Wanderings | No Comments »

Route 66 goes to Lowell Indiana!

Saturday, April 10th, 2010

This coming week represents a first for me, as I cross the state line out of Illinois to bring Route 66 to Lowell, Indiana. This is the first time that one of the PowerPoint presentations we offer will be seen at a library outside of Illinois. The Lowell Public Library at 1505 E. Commercial Avenue (Indiana Rt. 2) will host my presentation of Historic Route 66: A Journey Through History at 7 p.m. on Tuesday April 13, 2010. To register that you are coming (most libraries like to have a head count) call 219-696-7704, or go to their website: http://www.lowellpl.lib.in.us

It is also kind of a homecoming for me, since Lowell is where I attended three years of high school, sophomore through senior years, and where I graduated in 1975 (yes, way back in the last century). My ties to Lowell have nothing to do with why I am going to their library for this presentation, because the folks there had no idea that I was a former resident of the town when they contacted me about the program.

When I lived in Lowell, it had a population of about 4,000 people, and I see that as of the last census it has grown to over 7,500. It was always a rural area in the southern part of Indiana’s Lake County, dominated by farming. There was train service in the 20th century from the Monon and nearby from the New York Central, and in the auto era it was (and still is) on Indiana state highway 2 between Indiana 55 and US 41. Not far to the east, superslab I-65 cuts its swath–the less said about that, the better.

In my school days from 1972-75, there were at first no franchise restaurants. That changed with the opening of a Dairy Queen. There was a very good restaurant named Dante’s that had pizza and Italian fare and it was an outlet for Broasted Chicken as well.

Over on US 41, just south of the intersection with Indiana 2 leading into Lowell, for most of my youth long before we moved there we often passed by and saw a barn with a painted sign advertising Look Out Mountain “In Rock City, near Chattanooga Tennessee. See Seven States!” I used to drive my parents crazy asking them when we could go down to Look Out Mountain!

I look forward to returning to Lowell, provided my passport and visa is in order for the border crossing from Illinois and Indiana. I hope any Hoosiers with an interest in Route 66 will come on down to the Lowell Public Library, 1505 E. Commercial Avenue (IN Route 2), at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 13, 2010. To register that you are coming (most libraries like to have a head count) call 219-696-7704, or go to their website: http://www.lowellpl.lib.in.us

Posted in Events, Highways, Indiana, Presentations, US | 2 Comments »

Two New Presentations from Windy City Road Warrior

Friday, August 21st, 2009

For the last two years, I have enjoyed meeting people at libraries, museums, social meetings, and senior centers while presenting my programs on Route 66, the Plan of Chicago, and the Roads that Lead to Lincoln. Now, I have added two more PowerPoint presentations to our portfolio:

  • The Architects of Chicago’s Route 66, and
  • The Illinois & Michigan Canal: Past and Present

    • 1930s postcard view of Chicago's skyline from Grant ParkThe Architects of Chicago’s Route 66 presentation is based upon an award-winning series of articles that has appeared in the Federation News, the quarterly publication of the National Historic Route 66 Federation, since 2007. The structures along the Route 66 corridor in Chicago, where Route 66 began its western journey, were the face that the city presented to visitors and travelers. Architects whose work graced the Chicago Loop thoroughfares that carried Route 66 traffic (Jackson Boulevard, Michigan Avenue, and Adams Street) include W. W. Boyington, William Le Baron Jenney, Daniel Burnham, John Root, William Holabird, Martin Roche, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Mies van der Rohe. This program will look at the reasons why this corridor became a haven for travelers and visitors. It will also explore the evolution and changes of the built environment over the course of the highway’s commissioned life from the perspective of the architectural styles of the designers that shaped it.

    Stonework and footbridge over the I & M Canal at LockportThe Illinois & Michigan Canal: Past and Present will take a look at the long prelude to the building of the canal. Starting with the first exploration of the future canal corridor by French-Canadians Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet, through the protection of the area by the U.S. Fort Dearborn, and then the succession of treaties with the Native Americans that ceded control of the area to the Federal government. The promise of the canal, which would create an unbroken navigable highway of water from the Great Lakes to the vast Mississippi River system, led to such decisions as where to draw the border between the new state of Illinois in 1818 and the Wisconsin Territory to the north.

    It was the building of the canal that created a need for a municipality on the southwest shore of Lake Michigan–Chicago. Through this planned city, platted on paper before it ever existed on the swampy tall-grass prairie, it was expected that the goods and commerce transferred between large lake vessels and canal barges would bring wealth to Illinois and create a gateway between the settled east and frontier west.

    The presentation’s final section will be a virtual tour of the Illinois & Michigan Canal corridor as it looks today, and it will showcase many of the places of historical and recreational interest that travelers can visit now. These sites include preserved sections of the canal and its limestone and wood structure in Lemont, Lockport, Morris, and LaSalle, and a look at the marvelous exhibits about early explorations and canal building at Will County’s Isle a la Cache Museum in Romeoville and the Joliet Area Historical Museum.

    We are also continuing all four of our current presentations, and I am eager to bring them to any venue with an interest. For more information on any of the presentations, please check out the Presentations page on this blog.

    Posted in Chicago, Events, Presentations, Scenic Byways | 1 Comment »

    Join me at the Printers Row Lit Fest

    Sunday, May 31st, 2009

    For the second year in a row, I will be selling and signing my books and related items at the Printers Row Lit Fest, billed by the event’s sponsor, the Chicago Tribune, as the Midwest’s largest literary event! The Fest will be held June 6-7 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. I will be at the tent of the Illinois Womens Press Association (IWPA), where I will be offering my three books: Exploring Route 66 in Chicagoland, Images of America: Route 66 in Chicago, and The Roads that Lead to Lincoln. More information about the Lit Fest, including a downloadable map of the event, is available here:

    Printers Row Lit Fest — chicagotribune.com

    The IWPA tent will be located on Dearborn Street, just a little bit north of Polk Street. Please stop by! If you already own a copy of one or more of my books, feel free to bring them with you so I can sign them. Here’s hoping I see many of you this coming weekend in Chicago!

    Posted in Books, Chicago, Events | No Comments »

    David G. Clark Wins Communications Awards

    Saturday, May 23rd, 2009

    David Clark won 3 IWPA Awards in 2008, and 2 in 2009

    David Clark won 3 IWPA Awards in 2008, and 2 in 2009

    On May 16, 2009, the Illinois Women’s Press Association (IWPA) held their annual Spring Awards Luncheon to honor the winners of the Mate E. Palmer Communications Contest. Chicago author David G. Clark, also known as the Windy City Road Warrior, was honored to win First Place in two categories for his published articles that use historic highway Route 66 through the Chicago area as their unifying theme.

    In the Special Series category, Clark won the first place award for three of his articles that appeared in the Federation News, the quarterly publication of the National Historic Route 66 Federation. The series, titled “Architects of Chicago’s Route 66,” discussed the careers and buildings of architects Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright. The contest judges commented that the series exhibited “reporting that bridges the gap between history and the current community” and contained “meticulous research.” The articles were published in the Spring, Summer, and Autumn 2008 editions of the Federation News.

    In the Special History Articles category, Clark won first place for “Filling the Skies with Commerce” parts 1 and 2, published in the Spring and Summer 2008 editions of Route 66 Magazine. These articles recounted some events of aviation history that occurred along the Route 66 corridor in the Chicago area. The contest judges wrote in comment, “Documenting the early aviators of Chicago and the city’s fascinating history with flying was a great subject. Clark’s river (ocean?) of facts is almost overwhelming. Reading Clark is like taking a drink from a fire hose.”

    In all, 36 members of the IWPA won 110 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and honorable mention awards in the Communications Contest. As stated by the IWPA, “This competition recognizes excellence in communications and covers a wide range of categories in print and electronic media, books, photography, advertising, and public relations.” The first place winners are automatically entered into the contest of the National Federation of Press Women (NFPW). Winners of the national awards will be announced at the September 10-12 NFPW conference in San Antonio, Texas.

    The Silver Feather Award, given to the contest participant with the highest score for all submissions, was won by Suzanne Hanney, editor-in-chief of Chicago’s Streetwise, a weekly publication sold by homeless vendors. The contest also honored 69 students for their winning entries in the High School Communications division.

    The NFPW and the IWPA are organizations “of professional women and men pursuing communications careers in journalism, public relations, advertising, graphic design, new media, marketing, photography, book publishing, education, and more. The organization[s]…[are]…dedicated to professional excellence and the right and responsibilities of the First Amendment.”

    David G. Clark also won awards last year from the IWPA Communications Contest. In 2008, Clark took top honors in the Non-Fiction History Book category for Images of America: Route 66 in Chicago and in the Special History Articles category for “Architects of Chicago’s Route 66: John Root and D.H. Burnham,” published in the Route 66 Federation News. From the same “Architects of Chicago’s Route 66” series, Clark’s article on William LeBaron Jenney garnered a second place honor.

    In June 2008, Clark received the Founder’s Award from the Route 66 Preservation Foundation for his role as “ambassador” to people visiting the eastern end of the historic highway in Chicago. In addition to his writings, Clark gives guided tours of Chicago’s history, transportation, and architecture, and presents PowerPoint programs at local libraries and social organizations.

    Posted in Awards, Chicago, Events | 4 Comments »

    Motor Tour Cruisers invited to take a Walk in Chicago

    Saturday, April 11th, 2009

    On Friday, June 12th, participants in this year’s Illinois Motor Tour are invited to take a walking tour in Chicago at a discount price. In keeping with the theme of the 20th anniversary Motor Tour, Cruising the Land of Lincoln, the walking tours will emphasize the historic places visited by Abraham Lincoln or his family along the Route 66 corridor in Chicago’s Loop. Two tours will be offered:

    A highlight of the East Tour is a visit to the 'Begin Historic Route 66' sign

    A highlight of the East Tour is a visit to the 'Begin Historic Route 66' sign

    10 a.m. June 12th—East Loop Tour. We will start at LaSalle Street and Jackson Boulevard and walk east to Michigan Avenue, the original place where Route 66 began. We will walk north along Michigan to Adams Street (westbound Route 66 after 1953) and walk back to LaSalle Street. Lincoln locations along the way include the site of the hotel where Mary Todd Lincoln lived at the time of her alleged suicide attempt; where Robert Todd Lincoln worked when he was President of the Pullman Palace Railcar Company; where Tad Lincoln attended school; and where Lincoln’s funeral train arrived in Chicago in May 1865. Other highlights include the world’s tallest building with weight-bearing walls and the Tiffany mosaics of the Marquette Building. Of course, we will also discuss Route 66! The tour will last approximately two hours and covers about one leisurely mile (no stairs).

    Union Station, on the West Loop Tour

    Union Station, on the West Loop Tour

    1 p.m. June 12th—West Loop Tour.     We will start at LaSalle and Adams Streets and walk south to Jackson, then west to Clinton Street. After a visit to Union Station, we will walk back east on Adams to LaSalle. Lincoln locations along the way that we will discuss will be the old Chicago & Alton depot, where Lincoln’s Pullman funeral car departed for Springfield in May 1865; the place where Lincoln was nominated as President; where Lincoln worked as a commissioner for the Illinois & Michigan Canal; and where Lincoln argued in Federal Court on behalf of the Rock Island Railroad in the Effie Afton case. Other highlights of the tour include Sears Tower, the movable bridges over the Chicago River, and a look at Lou Mitchell’s Restaurant. And yes, we will talk about Route 66 all along the way. The tour will last approximately two hours and covers about one leisurely mile (some optional stair climbing).

    Tours normally cost $15 per person, but Motor Tour participants and members of the Route 66 Association of Illinois will receive a discount for these June 12th tours. Participants taking either one of the tours will receive a 33% discount–$10 per person. Anyone interested in taking both tours will receive a 50% discount—only $15 per person for both tours—like getting two tours for the price of one!

    Reservations are required: Call Dave Clark at 312-432-1284, or email dave@windycityroadwarrior.com. So come to Chicago on June 12th to Follow in Lincoln’s footsteps as we get our Kicks on Chicago’s Route 66!

    Posted in Chicago, Events, Highways, Lincoln, US | 2 Comments »

    How the 2016 Olympic Bid affects needed Chicago Planning initiatives

    Thursday, March 26th, 2009

    Last fall, I wrote an academic paper entitled Planning Chicago: A Century of Lessons. The paper touched on many planning subjects and initiatives, including mass transit, green technology, and rail freight improvements. The following excerpt deals specifically with the 2016 Olympia Bid and its dangers:

    Currently, the city of Chicago is using a bid for the 2016 Olympics to jump-start many planning initiatives, hoping that the potential prestige of the games will convince state and federal politicians to fund mass transit and infrastructure improvements. MarySue Barrett, president of the nonprofit Metropolitan Planning Council, states, “The Olympics force you to be forward-looking in thinking. People need to think about it not as a one-time event but as a preparation for the next wave of residential and commercial investment and corporate relocation and expansion” (Krohe, July 2007, p. 50). Advocates of the Olympic bid are hoping that the games will be the “Big Plan” that will unite state residents, business leaders, and politicians of both political parties behind the Chicago region’s needed infrastructure improvements…

    Our current reliance on using the 2016 Olympic bid to create results is a gamble that might backfire if another city succeeds in landing the Olympics. The city of Chicago is hoping that their attempt to become the host city for the 2016 summer Olympic Games will influence the state and national legislators to fund needed transportation improvements for the Chicago region… The concern is that a negative response to Chicago’s bid might have a cascading negative effect on…needed initiatives. Since the Olympic bid is being put forward as the impetus for these programs, will a Chicago failure in the Olympic pursuit lead to a lack of support for the infrastructure improvements?

    As a region, Chicago must unite behind planning initiatives on their own merit in order to ensure their adoption and completion. Their benefits far outweigh the short-term gains of a successful Olympics bid, and they are too important to ignore if the Olympic bid is unsuccessful. All sectors of society stand to gain from planning improvements, and most lose if we fail. Eventually, problems must be solved, and the cost of doing so in the future is much greater, and the benefit much smaller, than if the problems are tackled now. We must not only make “no little plans,” we must act on the plans that we make.

    The entire paper can be viewed as a pdf here.

    Posted in Chicago, Events, Highways, Planning, Railroads, Trucking | No Comments »

    Dissenting Opinions on Chicago’s 2016 Olympic Bid

    Thursday, March 26th, 2009

    The Huffington Post has this interesting article by Tom Tresser, a Chicago educator and oranizer, addressing concerns about the city’s attempt to host the 2016 Olympic Games.

    2009-03-24-No_Gamestiny.jpg

    Here is a small quote:

    Tom Tresser: No Games Chicago Rallies April 2nd

    The games organizers often talk about “economic impact” and “lasting legacy” for the games.
    The likely impact and legacy will be debt, displacement and diminished public parks.

    While I am not as staunchly against the Olympia bid as Tresser and the other protesters, I do understand their concerns. I wrote a paper on this subject last fall, which I will be posting up shortly.

    Posted in Chicago, Events | No Comments »