#TBT Michigan Avenue in Roseland

Long time no see. Allow me to wish you all a Happy New Year. Hopefully the past holiday season was a wonderful and joyous one.

I found the three pics below in the Roseland History Group on Facebook and just though this was a great look back at Michigan Avenue in the past. And my hope is that one day it could go back to its former glory. Especially once that Red Line extension is finally built

The first two pics shows the area surrounding the long demolished State Theater which is about one block north of 111th Street. It appears these two photographs below are shown on the Cinema Treasures site credited to Dr. Gene Ossello and was taken in 1967.

CBS Chicago: Fire shutters iconic Calumet Fisheries smokehouse

 

[VIDEO] I don't recall ever visiting this place but I know this is a hot spot. 

Calumet Fisheries was in the news already for failing a health inspection, however, today there was a fire and that means it might be a while longer before they're back in business. CBS Chicago was on the scene to speak with a manager for this establishment. He says they will be back!

Amazing they've been in the same building since the 1920s and under the same ownership or at least the same family owners since the 1940s. Located on 95th just before crossing over the Calumet River bridge.

Has anyone ever been there? What do you think about the food they serve?

Chicago Tonight: CTA & City eyes community centric development around future Red Line extension #Ward09 #ChiMayor23

 

[VIDEO] I suppose this could be a question for both Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson for the 2023 runoff, what is their position on the CTA Red Line extension. What would they be able to do to make this future extension into Ward 9/Roseland a reality?

When your city is turning into a ghost town? #ChicagoElections

 

[VIDEO] I suppose this is a quick meme about Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the state of Chicago. The Mayor says the business climate of the city is great, yet we hear about the city losing businesses.

The most recent news is the Old Navy on State & Randolph is closing. I remember that it was home to a Borders Books up until the company went bankrupt in the early 2010s. And Old Navy used the have the store one block south on State & Washington which was briefly a Gap and now is home to another retailer Primark.

And now Old Navy is leaving State Street entirely. Worse still there are a number of empty storefronts along State Street. Just look further south beyond Monroe Street at least. I was shocked to see after the riots downtown in 2020 - after George Floyd's death - that a Foot Locker store closer to the DePaul University Campus near Adams & State had closed down.

The issue is crime. It's shocking to see police with their flashing blue lights sitting on the streets in and near downtown Chicago basically there as a presence. It was true during the unrest of 2020 and it's true even now just go up and down Michigan Avenue at night.

You know I must say I wanted Rahm Emanuel to go in 2019, well he stands down and is replaced by Mayor Lightfoot. Right now, he looks like a better mayor compared to Lightfoot as he is now Ambassador Emanuel in Japan. While it's a bit early to say, how many people could say that about Mayor Lightfoot?

BTW, with the above video I like the Marvel Comics Antman references.

McDonald's near 95th & Dan Ryan closed?

 I found this photo below on Facebook stating that it's now permanently closed.

Via Joe Myers on Facebook

This location has been here since the early 2000s and it was shocking within the last week to see that there was no one in the parking lot and drive through within the last two or so weeks. With it's location it's very odd that there was no one there or that it was closed.

On the other hand in the handful of times that I've been there as a customer I found that the customer service left a lot to be desired. One time I ordered something and the cashier said nothing and just pointed as if I knew what she was trying to say or ask. So my first thought was that well people finally got wind of the customer service up there and they started to lose business. Though again, this location was always jumping even if I rarely ordered any food there.

Other explanations I've seen has been about violent crime near this McDonald's say some people got shot. As you see in the above pic there is plywood over some of the windows though I don't know if there was a shooting there that affected the building or anyone inside or not.

Another explanation is that just as was done with the lots on the east side of the Red Line's 95th Terminal which used to have a Jim's polish stand, two gas stations and a strip mall, they also bought the property on the west side of the terminal. Just curious how much of this property CTA bought and can be expected to be demolished in the near future.

Regardless looking for something to eat once you get off the bus or train on 95th Street. McDonald's is now one less place to do so.

Half-off sale at the soon to close Englewood Whole Foods Market

 Starting on Friday there is a half-off sale at the soon to close Whole Foods Market Englewood store. The store is scheduled to close for business on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. The closing was announced earlier in the spring after being in business since Fall 2016.

According to the Sun-Times some customers are lamenting the loss of this store located in Englewood's former business district 63rd & Halsted Streets. Also those who are working there were offered transfers to other locations, when the store opened in 2016 they hired 100 people to work there many of whom live in the community.

Of course here's a silver lining, the store's closing has inspired a community garden in Englewood.

Whole Foods’ decision to close its Englewood store inspired resident to build a thriving community garden. https://t.co/hLW29lA7Av pic.twitter.com/R3EBTflW9q

— Block Club Chicago (@BlockClubCHI) November 11, 2022

ABC 7 Chicago: Chicago's 'Donut King' celebrates 50 years on South Side

 

[VIDEO] Anytime I see anything on Old Fashioned Donuts located in the "Roseland Business Strip" at 11248 S Michigan Ave I always say I want to go get some donuts from there. Here's a story WLS-TV did on the local longtime neighborhood food establishment. It's great to see Burritt Bulloch who is the owner still working hard with family at this donut establishment.

Perhaps at a nearby polling place donuts will be served to election judges and voters in Tuesday's election.

Whole Foods Market Englewood closing date set

 While this is a bit out of the scope of this blog, this is something that I covered often over at The Sixth Ward. From the time it was announced to the time it opened at 63rd & Halsted Streets, and now we know when Whole Foods Market Englewood will be closing.

According to Block Club Chicago it will be on November 13, 2022. From the time it was announced in the fall of 2013 it was heralded as an oasis in the food desert in Englewood to develop part of the old commercial district. One developer gave his take:

Leon Walker, the managing partner of DL3 Realty, which spearheaded the $20 million Englewood Square development, said in May the store was a success in encouraging other businesses to commit to the square, but it couldn’t perfect the “science of grocery” to create a store well-received with local customers.

Well there goes my own fantasy of seeing Whole Foods open a store in the Pullman/Roseland communities. Although Whole Foods does have a distribution facility on 111th Street near the Calumet err Bishop Ford Expressway.

Never been there? Well Devodare_Chicago on YouTube got you! [VIDEO]

 

Crain's: New hotel, grocery store pitched for Pullman #Ward09

 Some exciting projects coming to the far south side. Pullman could get a hotel and Altgeld Gardens - which is a long way from Pullman - could be getting a new grocery story.

Via Crain's Chicago Business

One year after the Pullman National Monument debuted as a hopeful tourist attraction, two developers have lined up plans to add a hotel for visitors and a grocery store for residents in the burgeoning area.

In one of two projects proposed in and around the far South Side neighborhood, a venture led by Chicago investor Andre Garner is seeking a city grant to help develop a 101-room Hampton by Hilton hotel at 111th Street and Doty Avenue, a few blocks east of the clock tower building that has been restored as a visitor center for the historic site. In the other, Cleveland-based grocery operator Yellow Banana has applied for the same grant to help it develop a Save A Lot supermarket immediately south of Pullman at 130th Street and Eberhardt Avenue.

Both developers have applied for $5 million in assistance through the Chicago Recovery Plan development grant program, according to a joint statement they issued with Ald. Anthony Beale, 9th. The grants are partially funded by local recovery money from the federal American Rescue Plan Act passed last year.

The plans could add to a series of developments in and near Pullman along Interstate 94, where the 180-acre former Ryerson Steel plant site has been transformed in recent years into a mixed-use campus, dubbed Pullman Park. The historic-but-disinvested property now includes a Method Soap factory that opened in 2015, a pair of greenhouses from produce grower Gotham Greens and a Whole Foods distribution center and an Amazon delivery center, among other new developments.

Read the whole thing. 

 

The former Illinois Service Federal branch on 87th Street soon to reopen

 If you live in Chatham and do business with GN Bank - formerly known as Illinois Service Federal - is reopening their former branch on 87th Street & King Drive. According to Steve Daniels from Crain's:

Chairman Papa Kwesi Nduom, whose wealthy family rescued the bank in 2016 with millions in fresh capital when it was on the brink of failure, says the Chatham branch is open on a drive-thru basis for withdrawals and deposits. It will return to full service once licensing is completed, he says.

“This is being done to signal to the community that we are putting customer service high on our priority list,” he says in an email.

If you were following the FB page Concerned Citizens of Chatham the issue with this closure is what would replace the bank on this property. There were concerned about a marijuana dispensary possibly being located there. Well now a bank will be back on this property.

BTW, this article was from last year. GN Bank is a Ghanian-American company who rescued ISF in 2016 from failure. In this December 2021 article from ProPublica we find out GN Bank has a number of issues:

Five years later, the historic institution — renamed GN Bank — remains deeply troubled. Under the Nduoms, the bank has closed one of its two locations, cut staff, alienated many longtime customers and effectively stopped making new home loans, though that’s one of the central reasons for its existence. In 2020, the bank was again put under restrictions after regulators found “new violations of law, rule or regulation.”

Yet the Nduoms aren’t solely responsible for GN’s struggles. Regulators have failed to carry out a federal mandate to “preserve and promote” Black-owned banks, a ProPublica investigation has found.

Leading up to the Nduoms’ acquisition, the federal Office of the Comptroller of the Currency ordered the bank to reduce the risk in its loans, which led to less revenue. Then, the agency signed off on the new owners, even though they lacked banking experience in the United States and had investments abroad that posed known regulatory risks. Since then, the bank has been under close watch, yet the Nduoms have made a series of decisions that diminished the bank’s profile and quality of service.

NBC Chicago: Jewel-Osco Stores Reinstate Mask Mandate for Employees Due to High COVID Transmission

 So you won't be surprised when you see workers at your local Jewel stores masked up:

As a new subvariant of omicron continues to spread across the country and COVID cases continue an uptick in Illinois, Jewel-Osco stores are asking employees to once again wear masks.

"Jewel-Osco continues to follow the guidelines set by the CDC and Illinois Department of Public Health," a spokesperson from Jewel-Osco said in an email statement to NBC 5. "Due to current high COVID transmission rates in the counties where we have stores, the Distribution Center, and the corporate office we are requiring associates and vendors to wear a mask."

As of Tuesday, 15 counties in Illinois are currently at "high community transmission.

Whole Foods Englewood closing

I'm sharing this news with you because Roseland can be viewed in the same way as Englewood. The Whole Foods store at 63rd and Halsted is closing in the near future after being open since Sept. 2016. It was supposed to be an oasis in the food desert.

The Englewood Whole Foods was supposed to be a South Side Chicago game-changer. Now it's pulling out. https://t.co/YkHesTVTtc via @crainschicago

— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) May 3, 2022

I want to note the statement of the Mayor recently on this issue via Block Club Chi:

At an unrelated news conference Monday, Lightfoot called the closure a “great disappointment” and “gut blow” to Englewood. She said the Whole Foods was an “interesting experiment” from former Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who she said championed a store that was too expensive for the neighborhood and where few residents shopped.

“I don’t know about most of you, but most Chicagoans are hard-pressed to pay, for example, $15 a pound for a piece of steak,” Lightfoot said.

The store was often empty, even on Saturdays when “grocery stores all over the city are absolutely crowded with people,” Lightfoot said.

“To me, what it underscores — and I wasn’t here when this decision was made — you cannot bring investment to the community without talking to the community and making sure the investment makes for that community,” Lightfoot said.

...

The storefront won’t be left empty, leaders said. Lightfoot said her team will work with the community to make investments that “make sense for those neighborhoods.”

“We’re going to work our tails off to get a new alternative — one that the community wants and can access and participate in,” Lightfoot said. “It shouldn’t be that we’re plopping something down in a community where we haven’t engaged with them, we haven’t talked to relevant stakeholders to see if it’s something that they want, they need and that they’re going to be able to take advantage of.”

UPDATED Willie Wilson gas giveaway station list.

 The tweet I shared with you over the weekend was taken down and another tweet had a new flyer with a list of 49 stations to get free gas on March 24, 2022. I'm sharing the actual graphic and the tweet. On Wilson's FB page #50 is listed as BP station on 17460 Kedzie, I presume this is somewhere in the south suburbs.

Gately's & S.S. Kresge Co. in Roseland #tbt

I found and saved these two photographs from Roseland south of 111th Street and Michigan Avenue. I feel as if these are appropriate because we're in the Christmas season although tomorrow will be Christmas Eve. And of course these two photos don't show South Michigan Ave during Christmas time. 

Probably during much warmer weather. The dates for these photos are unknown perhaps they were taken in the 1960s or 70s. The Gately's store as many of you may know went out of business in the early 1980s. The building that once contained that store has since been demolished after a bad fire. I do believe the sign survived however as I write this no idea as to the whereabouts of that landmark.

As far as S.S. Kresge Company I don't know when that store closed its doors right next door to Gately's. I have found out that S.S. Kresge Co outlets ultimately became the Kmart chain. Do you remember Kmart? I do and many Kmart stores have closed in recent years. Perhaps you shopped at the one that was once located in Oak Lawn on 95th or a number of locations around the city.

I hope you enjoy this look back and I do wish you a Merry Christmas and hoping that you've had a very joyous holiday season.

Block Club Chi: New Culver's restaurant in Pullman now hiring

 Culver's is a burger chain that has locations in Bronzeville near 33rd & King Drive and one in Evergreen Park near 95th & Kedzie. They're expanding into the historic south side neighborhood of Pullman. And they're seeking applicants.

Via Block Club Chicago:

The Culver’s will open in early November at 111th Street and Doty Avenue. The restaurant is seeking applicants to fill 60-70 full-time and part-time jobs.

“It’s important that we work in the community to provide people of all ages with new opportunities that offer the skills and experience,” Baron Waller, the owner and a mentor who grew up on Chicago’s West Side, said in a statement. “It is one of the best ways to build a brighter future.”

Although prior restaurant experience is a plus, it is not necessary. Interested applicants can apply on Culver’s website.

...

“We’re excited that Baron has chosen to bring Culver’s to the Pullman and Roseland community,” Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) said in a statement. “Culver’s will be a great addition to the community serving not only residents, but the visitors to the Pullman National Monument Visitor, the Pullman Community Center and employees of all the businesses in the area and more.”

Jewel-Osco Melrose Park facility hiring

 Long time no see Ninth Ward Chicago so here I share a job opportunity found via Concerned Citizens of Chatham on fb. It's for Jewel-Osco's distribution facility in Melrose Park so hopefully you're prepared for that commute if anyone is interested. Refer to information below if you have any questions about the position posted.

Sun-Times: Altgeld Gardens Commercial Building

Via WisconsinHistory.org

Since I mentioned Altgeld Gardens a few days ago on this blog, I found this Sun-Times article on an architecturally significant building in that part of town called the Altgelt Gardens commercial building:

Hasty Tasty Grill

 Found this in a fb group for Harlan High School alumni this building was said to be located east of Michigan Avenue on 95th Street. No indication of how long this business has been on operation, however, it was said that it was where the "coach buses" used to stop. So perhaps this was the old Trailways depot which is soon to become a food pantry?

BlockClubChi: Chatham Building That Housed Black-Owned Bank For Sale For $1.5 Million

 I shared news about this last week on this blog. Jamie Nesbit Golden writes about this.

A Chatham building that housed a Black-owned bank is for sale for $1.5 million. https://t.co/YuYZrYyTlL pic.twitter.com/iq4k623UdG

— Block Club Chicago (@BlockClubCHI) February 5, 2021

Bank branch at 87th & King Drive for sale

347-371 E 87th Street

This former Illinois Service Federal/GN Bank branch is for sale on 87th & King Drive. When driving by I've observed that there's hardly any business taking place there. I and perhaps others who live nearby wondered if this branch had been closed since ISF was purchased by GN Bank. And now we see some evidence of this with this listing shared by Concerned Citizens of Chatham.

This location is right on the borderline of both Wards 6 & 9.