The Farcroft towers forebodingly off in the distance to the right. This is Shambhala Meditation Center's last winter and this picture taken just after the last (major) snowfall. On the door you can still see the meditation schedule which is Tuesday from 7 pm til 9 pm, Sunday from 9 am til noon, and Queer Dharma is on Sunday night from 6:30 til 8:30 pm. "Free meditation is available during the first hour of each sitting time" Queer Dharma is also available at the Chatarunga Holistic Fitness Center in Hyde Park 1525 E 55th st # 302 from 7-9 pm.
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The parking garage that will be likely erected here is facing some opposition. Namely the "Stop The Lake Front Car Tower" petition that was started on Bill Morton's site RP in 1000 words. There is already a small very old parking lot on the south side of Sherwin. While the parking garage won't have the same curb appeal of the folksy meditation center it should be a boon to the area, including the retail to the south, including Bill Morton's Quest Computer business in the building at Chase and Sheridan. Earlier this week the new parking garage cleared another hurdle getting an okay by the Alderman's advisory board as announced on DNAinfo.com (These pictures were taken on the morning of March 6th.)
An anonymous tip to Chevanston's mailbox revealed that there could be a protest against the "garage tower" this coming Saturday the 23rd. It would entail a walk from J Pritzker's house in Evanston and all the way down to Joe Moore's house and to Shambhala. That would be a long walk. But this wouldn't be officially announced unless corroborated with something concrete. The garage is supposed to four stories tall and house 250 cars, not very Earth friendly which doesn't sit well with the left leaning burgh of Rogers Park, Illinois, population 55,000. There are protest flyers at the soon to close Charmers nearby.
On Rogers Park Facebook Joe Smigielski found a link showing that donations were made to Joe Moore from Pritzker. In general the local opposition has taken to Rogers Park Facebook to voice their dismay at this project. This writer most agrees with Josh Culick's assessment " Yes the communist looking architecture of the four adjacent nursing homes, gas stations, and seedy Motel will be forever marred by this ungodly BRAND NEW ATTRACTIVE STRUCTURE." If there is something to fight for in Rogers Park it would've been the Adelphi Theatre which was truly tragic to lose (which Bill Morton fought valiantly for).
Reading the comments at DNAinfo.com (which is annoying because you have to keep hitting the view five more comments link) is making this writer hungry. Don Gordon is taking about McDonalds hamburgers and Ruth Chris' hamburgers.. Tom Mannis is trying to figure out if he wants a quarter pounder or a double cheeseburger. The past fast food debate has spilled into the "car tower" discussion it seems. Ok where can we vote on what hamburger we want to eat? This writer votes for a Ruth Chris burger.
Mainly the comments are not in my back yard, put it somewhere else and then if you were to try to build it some where else the nimbies would come out in full force there. The important point here is Pritzker owns the land and has the alderman's and the mayor's ear, if people really think that the alderman can stop what a billionaire wants to build you are giving the alderman too much credit.
4 comments:
Tear the gosh dang thing down.
There are too many cars parked on the street so I think this will help things, and I like hiding cars away out of sight. It'll be a shame to lose this building, though... but Sheridan will continue to be a fine street.
Game point for Mr. Rogers. This is THE most uproariously entertaining posting ever to appear on Chevanston. Witty, clever, pithy and interesting. This is what good journalism should be about. I was simultaneously educated and entertained. BTW did you know that those Buddhists horse traded with Oprah Winfrey and snookered her in a great property deal?
Didn't know that BWM, those Buddhists have good karma and good business sense.
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