WGN: 4 hurt after CTA bus crashes into currency exchange building in Roseland

 

[VIDEO] There have been some posts about this on instagram Friday night. I immediately was able to identify where this was once I saw it the Currency Exchange at 111th & Michigan. Just across the street from the former Walgreens that was once located there.

There was a bad accident from the eyewitness reports in the above story from WGN-TV there was a chase and a car tried to swerve around an oncoming bus. The bus hit the car and then crashed into that currency exchange.

Thankfully all injuries are considered non-fatal.

CBSChicago: Lawsuit accuses Roseland Community Hospital, fired doctor of fraudulent billing

 

[VIDEO] A scandal at a far south side hospital. Roseland Hospital is at the center of a scandal where the hospital billed for coronavirus testing that was never provided. Jermont Terry reports on WBBM-TV.

High-Low Foods on E. 111th Street #tbt

Via Pete Kastanes of Vanished Chicagoland. This store was located at 409 E. 111th in the Roseland neighborhood. This is the corner of 111th & King Drive and the building itself is still standing, the business itself is still a neighborhood corner store.

Here is a photo of a High-Low Foods Store. Once located at 409 E 111th St in the Roseland neighborhood of Chicago. pic.twitter.com/5MNegwpQuD

— Pete Kastanes (@PeteKastanes) January 6, 2021

Here is a Google Streetview look at the same location in 2019

Metra Electric station at 111th Street #tbt

 

[VIDEO] The train station right at the Pullman National Monument was uploaded to YouTube by the channel M K on November 16, 2015 - basically over five years ago. Showing passengers getting off of a train at night from Randolph Street.

Surely it might be different by now even little by little however it would be nice if there were some improvements. Especially if this could become a future tourist attraction with the national monument nearby.

CTA Red Line extension project #RLEReady #Ward09

[VIDEO] CTA has a new video out about the CTA Red Line extension that is still being planned that takes the Red Line further south into Roseland and Altgeld Gardens where the final destination is 130th Street. The next critical phase for this ambitious project is construction which is expected to cost $2.3 billion half of that would come from federal funding and the rest from non-federal funding i.e from the city of Chicago, state of Illinois and/or even CTA itself.

I like these renderings of the various stops on the southbound Red Line extensions.

White Castle 2 E. State Street in Roseland #Ward09 #tbt

You may well have seen this photo below on social media taken in the mid-1980s of the White Castle that formerly stood at 111th & State Streets or actually 2 E. 111th street. I'm most familiar with this location since often looking for a hamburger slider fix this was where my folks went. At some point during the 1990s this location was closed and demolished.

Then looking for photos I found an even older photo of the White Castle taken in 1937 according to the information on the photograph. Could be the same building and I don't recognize the neighborhood around it.

Via Pinterest

Of course back in the 1980s the White Castle was surrounded by a post office to the north and then to the east on 111th Street was the YMCA. The post office is still there however the YMCA is long gone though the building itself remains.

I hope you enjoy this look back and a break from the dire news regarding coronavirus.

Fire destroys south side food pantry #Ward09

[VIDEO] Been quite a while since I've shared a local story on this blog. On Monday there was a fire in Roseland near 111th/Michigan where a church operated a food pantry. You see the story above from WGN.

There is a GoFundMe drive page [CLICK HERE] for this church and also it was reported that Rev. Jesse Jackson is pledging help for this church as well. From ABC 7

But soon after it burned, Reverend Jesse Jackson reached out to the congregation's bishop launching a relief drive to help keep the mission going.

"This means the world to me and for them to show this kind of love you know some times when you've been giving for so long,and no one gives back and when someone finally gives, you're just stuck, you don't know what to say but thank you, " said Bishop Jerome Powell.

Jackson acknowledges that the church at 111th Street and South Michigan Avenue has been a resource for 75 families since 2004 and a helping hand for the area's economically challenged, feeding people on Sunday and giving out clothes.

"Ministries is a beacon of light and hope and we want to keep that light burning and keep hope alive," Rev. Jackson said.

Thursday, a truck is parked outside the church for people to donate non-perishable goods, clothing and toiletries

Friday, it will be parked outside of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition Headquarters at 930 East 50th Street.

I also wanted to share this from the YouTube channel CharlieBo313. After they leave a crime scene on 103 Street west of Wentworth near a Dollar General store there they head up towards the fire at Beacon Light Ministries. You will see this at about the 1:15 min mark of the video [VIDEO]

#fbf 111th Street & Michigan Avenue

The photo above was taken in 1907 and the building you see in the front foreground according to Chicago history blogger J.R. Schmidt remains at the corner of 111th & Michigan Avenue. If I recall correctly for many years it was a Walgreen's until that location moved across the street. Though now the former Walgreen's store on the north side of 111th Street is now a dollar store.

Of course the progress of time over the course of 111 years ago (111th street and 111 years ago hmmm), we see a lot of the buildings are no longer standing. And of course the city ran its last streetcar in 1958. Even better according to Schmidt who posted this late last month:

A century ago traffic was so light on this stretch of Michigan that small children could wander around aimlessly in the street—not advisable today, in the era of the automobile.

Yeah totally agree with that statement! Click the link to see the photo Schmidt took in 2018 of this same area.

Annual back to school picnic and health fair August 18, 2018 #Ward09 #BuildingwithBeale

This one of many events that seemed to have picked this particular day. Who can turned down a back to school picnic however.

Ward09.com

Saturday, August 18, 2018
11:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Palmer Park
201 E. 111th Street

Of course give Ald. Beale's office a call with any questions! 773.785.1100

BTW the above image was taken from Ald. Beale's new ig page. Give it a look and follow to see what else he's up to!

111th & Michigan Roseland, Chicago

Found a photo of this corner 111th/Michigan on twitter - which was retweeted on @thesixthward.

Today is #NationalFriedChickenDay! Here is a photo of Chicken Unlimited. This one was once located at E 111th St & S Michigan Ave in the Roseland neighborhood of Chicago. Countdown to 36,000 likes to Chicago’s Extinct Businesses continues! 8..7..6..5..4..3..2..1 pic.twitter.com/7PLFz0dKUY

— Chicago's Extinct Businesses (@chgoextbusiness) July 6, 2018

Chicken Unlimited was once where the currency exchange is currently located. This is how this corner looks now. Quite a vast difference.

As you will see below some buildings are missing and while the Google Street image below is from 2015. The building in two years time looks vastly different and it has me wondering if this is the same building as Chicken Unlimited. Now I wonder! 

Pullman gets a 2nd Gotham Greens facility

Via Reana / Flickr

Found a post about this on instagram recently, and decided to find the accompanying story for this via Chicago Tribune. There's something going on in Pullman with that Whole Foods distribution center and now Gotham Greens coming with a new greenhouse:

The new $12.5 million, 105,000-square-foot greenhouse will be on South Doty Avenue on the former Ryerson industrial site in Pullman, according to Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office, near the company’s first Pullman greenhouse on top of the Method soap factory. The expansion reflects both the company’s success in the Chicago market — through selling its products in chains including Jewel-Osco and Whole Foods Market — as well as the continued redevelopment of the Pullman area. While Gotham’s first Pullman greenhouse was a rooftop structure, the second one will be free-standing.

“We’re thrilled to be building a second, larger, state-of-the-art greenhouse facility in Pullman,” Gotham Greens CEO Viraj Puri said in an email. “Retailers, institutional food service operators are increasingly attracted to consistency and reliability of our year-round, local produce supply. Further, consumer interest in locally produced food continues to grow.”
...
The project could receive up to $3.35 million in tax increment financing assistance for site work on 6.2 acres, though that’s still subject to City Council approval, according to the mayor’s office. The existing zoning of the planned development would also need to be amended to allow for light manufacturing, according to the mayor’s office.

The land — situated just north of Planet Fitness along the Bishop Ford Expressway — is part of the former Ryerson industrial site owned by U.S. Bank and Pullman-based nonprofit developer Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives.

David Doig, president of CNI, said the nonprofit would improve the site before selling it to Gotham Greens for up to $800,000.

The new Gotham Greens greenhouse will employ about 60 workers.

Here's the aforementioned ig post by Ian Lantz below!

A post shared by Ian Lantz (@ianlantzart) on Feb 9, 2018 at 11:35am PST

Whole Foods Market distribution facility open in Pullman

This all occurred yesterday including the bread breaking which is what they do when they open new stores. For example they did the same thing upon opening the Whole Foods store at 63rd/Halsted. This is from the Mayor's ig page.

A post shared by Mayor Rahm Emanuel (@chicagosmayor) on Jan 8, 2018 at 1:50pm PST

And also Elgie Sims - state representative of the 34th District for Illinois - was also in on the action and also posted a college of pics on his ig page also.

Glad to join other elected officials and community leaders for the opening on the Whole Foods Distribution Center in the historic Pullman neighborhood. This will bring hundreds of jobs to our community as we continue to revitalize where we live. #greatthingshappeninginhd34

A post shared by Elgie Sims (@elgie_sims) on Jan 8, 2018 at 2:09pm PST

Here are some related tweets to this event from some local media sources

. @WholeFoods has made a big investment on Chicago's South Side. https://t.co/SGOjr89MCz

— CBS Chicago (@cbschicago) January 9, 2018

Whole Foods distribution center opens in Chicago https://t.co/d318g0GYi7 pic.twitter.com/fG1tgpuqMO

— NBC Chicago (@nbcchicago) January 9, 2018

Chicago Mayor breaks bread at the opening ceremony for Whole Foods distribution center in the Pullman neighborhood https://t.co/eC5FJrMPvt pic.twitter.com/zHUcxjcuAS

— Curbed Chicago (@curbedchicago) January 8, 2018

A new @WholeFoods distribution center has opened in the historic Pullman neighborhood.https://t.co/3wbfbVaEJP

— WCIU, The U (@wciu) January 8, 2018

Update on the planning for CTA Red Line extension

CTA Red Line extension

Recently got an update with regards to where the Chicago Transit Authority is currently with the planned Red Line extension south from 95th Street to 130th St. near Altgeld Gardens. You can read a two sheet update here from their official website.

With this in mind there are two videos with regards to the extension which in my opinion is beneficial to the far south side of Chicago. However, what I strive to do on this blog is to be fair and the first video is a local homeowner who is opposed to the Red Line extension because it's construction means the destruction of homes as far as whatever alignment the CTA will choose.

This first video is courtesy of The Chicago Reporter - and posted to YouTube in December 2016 - and shows commentary by Shari Henry who opposes the extension as the project could threaten her family home. We see a drive around through the communities that are affected by this proposed project. As I may hope there could be further development Henry uses 95th as a guide with little business development around the 95th Terminal. [VIDEO]

The next video shows a proposal for the revitalization of the intersection at 115th & Michigan - although yeah they refer to this as 116th & Michigan. This is geared towards transit oriented development with mixed use buildings that hopefully will include storefronts, low-income housing, a grand entrance to the nearby L station, and greenspace to be used for community events. Seems like a great plan that should be considered even if it must be refined. The video was posted to YouTube in May 2017. [VIDEO]

Here's yet another video which was posted to YouTube in Dec. 2012 - 4 years ahead of The Chicago Reporter video with Shari Henry. Of course this is a video that is in favor of the Red Line extension to 130th Street and certainly wants us to know the benefits of building this extension. An hour commute to downtown Chicago for cultural, education, or even jobs. The far south side won't be so disconnected or it won't take so long to take advantage of all the opportunities the city of Chicago has to offer. [VIDEO]

Forgot to add the above video was before the 2013 Red Line south reconstruction and before the current redevelopment of the 95th Red Line terminal.

What you see below is the project development phase which is the final environmental impact statement and record of decision as far as the Red Line alignment along the Union Pacific Railroad route. I suppose this means which side of the tracks will have their properties impacted which is also explained in the two-page report from CTA.

Tribune: Planned warehouses could bring thousands of jobs to Pullman

On Wednesday @thesixthward on instagram reposted a screen cap that is a rendering of the future warehouses expected to come near 103rd/Stony Island provided by this Chicago Tribune article. As a matter of fact, these warehouses will be closer to 111th Street near the Walmart. Below I will share the post provided by Ian Lantz who owns The Pullman Cafe.

A post shared by Ian Lantz (@ianlantzart) on Sep 5, 2017 at 3:28pm PDT

And now onto the article itself which lays out future development in Pullman:

Minneapolis-based developer Ryan Cos. and nonprofit community developer Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives said they plan multiple industrial buildings totaling as much as 1.2 million square feet on land immediately north of the Whole Foods facility. U.S. Bank, which owns the land, is also involved in the project.

The exact number of jobs will depend on the type of tenants that lease space, but the project could potentially create as many as thousands of jobs, according to 9th Ward Ald. Anthony Beale.

"This is the culmination of a lot of our work to bring more jobs to the community," said David Doig, president of Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives. "In the last 30 to 40 years this area has lost tens of thousands of jobs, which has been a source of the area's decline. Jobs are important in rebuilding the area."

Construction of the more than 50-acre complex, called Pullman Crossings, could begin by next summer, said Tim Hennelly, Ryan's president for the Great Lakes region.

The warehouses will be along 103rd Street and Woodlawn Avenue, just west of Interstate 94 and Harborside International Golf Center.

Warehouses are the latest phase of the larger, 180-acre Pullman Park development to replace a former Ryerson Steel plant. Previous phases brought in the nearby Method Products soap factory and Gotham Greens rooftop greenhouse.

The community, which once had a dearth of shopping options, also has been boosted in recent years by a Walmart store and other retail, including Ross Dress for Less and Planet Fitness.

Tribune Graphics provided an illustration of the expected development.

Planned warehouses could bring thousands of jobs to Pullman https://t.co/8U3FrNI5mI via @Ryan_Ori pic.twitter.com/9DC7f3y9n9

— Tribune Graphics (@ChiTribGraphics) September 5, 2017

There is of course more to come beyond these warehouses to come near the Walmart in Pullman:

Other construction in the area includes the 135,000-square-foot Pullman Community Center at 103rd and Woodlawn and retail buildings at 111th Street and Doty Avenue, where a Potbelly sandwich shop, a bakery and a dry cleaner will open later this year.

A visitors center to the Pullman National Monument, created in 2015 by the federal government to commemorate the neighborhood's rail-car-making past, will open in 2019, Doig said.
...
Other construction in the area includes the 135,000-square-foot Pullman Community Center at 103rd and Woodlawn and retail buildings at 111th Street and Doty Avenue, where a Potbelly sandwich shop, a bakery and a dry cleaner will open later this year.

A visitors center to the Pullman National Monument, created in 2015 by the federal government to commemorate the neighborhood's rail-car-making past, will open in 2019, Doig said.
...
The exact number of warehouses will be determined by the preferences of tenants, although the developers may decide to build without leases signed by next summer, Hennelly said. The combined cost of the warehouses could range from $50 million to $90 million, depending on the uses, he said.

Government incentives including tax increment financing, enterprise zone tax breaks and the federal New Markets Tax Credit program could fund about one-third of the warehouse development's cost, Doig said.

Here's hoping these developments will prove to be a boon for Pullman and Roseland.

Curbed Chicago: Plan to renovate Pullman’s historic 1880 factory building is moving forward

Plans are being made to turn the historic Pullman factory and clock tower - located at 111th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue - to become a visitor center. In addition there will be a interpretive center and HQ for National Park Service operations. This is an initiative of the National Park Service and Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives.

The NPS’ ambitious plan to renovate Pullman’s historic factory building is moving forward https://t.co/ptHf4K9tPO pic.twitter.com/7bDVOaqk7u

— Curbed Chicago (@curbedchicago) March 20, 2017

9th Ward events

9th Ward Paper Shredding Event!

• Friday, August 19, 2016
  10:00 am - 1:00 pm
  Dollar Function Parking Lot
  319 East 103rd Street

9th Ward Back to School Picnic and Health Fair

• Saturday, August 20, 2016 
  12:00 PM to 3:00 PM
  Palmer Park
  201 E. 111th Street

For more information on these events call 9th Ward Alderman Anthony Beale at 773.785.1100

Click here to view e-mail

US Bank building on 111th Street

1000 East 111th Street

The US Bank building is located near 111th Street just off of the Bishop Ford Expressway (I often just call this stretch the Calumet Expressway as the Ford is the newest name for this highway). I mostly know of this building as the Pullman Bank building, however, as it happens banks go through name changes as they go through new owners.

Before US Bank took ownership of this building it had been owned most recently by FBOP Corporation which bought Pullman Bank & Trust Company in 1999. FBOP Corp failed in 2009 and US Bank came in to purchase the remaining assets.

This is an unusual building on the south side and it certainly a landmark on this part of town recognizable. In googling the history of this building it has been surmised that it has been used as a billboard or free advertising for whoever owned this building.

Since I'm sure most businesses seek to not sink much money onto labor or otherwise utilize processes that don't cost much money I'm sure US Bank doesn't use the whole building. Pullman Bank presumably used this as their HQ and that changed when ownership changed between banks. It makes me wonder if there are other tenants in this building.

And through more googling I found the Calumet Area Industrial Commission has offices in this building to help those out of work find jobs. And the Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives are in that building as well.

Vacant building on 111th & Edbrooke

This residential building is on the corner of 111th & Edbrooke. The next street over is Michigan Avenue. Literally here is an abandoned house/apartment building literally open to the elements as the windows on the top floor are broken. The building beyond this one is in a similar state.

You can check out these properties via Google Streetview

 

There are previous years shots of those buildings and they seemed to be in better condition than they were on my recent walk to Pullman. Wow what a difference a few years makes.

So on my recent walk to Pullman brought me past Shedd School to the Walmart in Pullman where I took shots of the future site of the Whole Foods Market distribution center. Then back west on 111th Street to hop on the Michigan bus to go back north. There are more shots to share.

Walking through Pullman

107th & Cottage Grove

 On a wet day I decided to take a walk into the Pullman neighborhood. I never ventured from the main thoroughfares, just walks along most of the periphery until I got to Walmart. Then upon leaving Walmart the walk ended at 111th and Michigan where I hopped on a bus to go back north.

Took some shots along the way. Some of the sights that I saw when I finally arrive at my destination. Unfortunately it wasn't a bright sunshiny day it was raining. Hopefully when the weather is nice on a day in the future this is something I can try again. Perhaps even venture into those areas of great interest to me architecturally and as a budding urbanist.

Just for the sake of it, here's a pic below of the future site of the Whole Foods Distribution facility and you also see in the background he Methods plant in the back.

720 E. 111th Street

720 E. 111th Street

I do hope the put a sidewalk here when this facility is finally constructed. This is the same area from that second snapshot.

720 E. 111th Street

I hope for nicer weather in the future so that I can do this again and have more documentation of the sights. There are more to share from this day, hopefully you will see in the near future.

More media on the Pullman Whole Foods distribution center #teamwholefoods

Cross-posted via The Sixth Ward

ABC 7 did a story on this Thursday

And then they noted an information session for those interested in a job at the coming Whole Foods Englewood store expected to open this fall. That event should've been held Thursday night at Kennedy King College (@ 740 West 63rd Street).

The Tribune was there at a presser at the site located near 720 E. 111th Street. If you want to forgo reading that article there's a video there you can watch. It shows comments made by Michael Bashaw the Midwest region President of Whole Foods flanked by Mayor Rahm Emanuel & 9th ward Alderman Anthony Beale.