The Citizen's Right
of Empowerment
An organization of persons having a common interest
PLUS
A district or locality, often with reference to its' character or inhabitants
EQUALS
Neighorhood Associations
An Account of an Association
in 1879
It would appear an association
was established as early as 1879
image below - Lake View Saga
An Account of Associations
in 1884
History of Cook County by A.T. Andreas
1) The Lake View Maennerchor was organized in October 1881; its
present officers being Otto Ernst president, G. Sceffker vice president, William
Smiffker corresponding secretary, William Bloom financial secretary, Christian
Gall archivist, and Emil Zott musical director. The society numbers thirty six active
members its headquarters being on the corner of Sheffield and Belmont Avenues.
2) The Lake View Citizens Association District No 1 was organized March 15 1879
with the following officers R.S. Andrews president, M Kunkel vice president, G.W. Barnett secretary, A.S. Maltman treasurer. Its present officers are A.S. Maltman
president, Robert Griffith vice president, EH Griggs secretary, and M Kunkel treasurer. The object of the association is to promote public improvements in the Town[ship] of
Lake View in general and District No 1; in particular regular meetings held
monthly at Lake View Music Hall [at the] corner of Lincoln and Sheffield Avenues.
3) Lake
View Lodge K of H [number] 2,929 was organized March 27 I883 with eighteen members. At
present the Lodge numbers thirty five members. The Lodge meets every Friday evening at Klatt's Hall No 1698 Clark Street (pre 1909 address).
4) Lake View Council Royal Arcanum No. 694 was organized on July
I3 1882 with fifteen charter members..The Lodge numbers at present
thirty-one members.
Deering Lodge No. 7I7 was instituted August 21 I882 with
fourteen charter members.
5) The Lake View Sons of Temperance Division
No. 87 was organized in the fall of 1881. It now has fifty members and meets in
the Lake View Music Hall.
Other societies of Lake View worthy of being mentioned
are Wrightwood Council No. 756, Royal Arcanum,The Lake View Club,The Lake Shore
Club,The Lake Side Rifle Club, and a new literary society in which the moving
spirit is Frank Jewett. In February 1884 [This organization had] a brass band of fifteen pieces organized at Rose Hill under the leadership of Professor Prior of Evanston [Township].
Neighborhood Association
Maps
on the North-side
Community of Uptown
a note
The Community of Uptown is mentioned in this post only because the neighborhoods of Graceland West and Southeast Ravenswood
(X marks the spots) are not part of the Lake View Citizens Council for some reason but are part of the Community of Lake View
Community of Lake View Associations
then as of 2023
ELVN upsorbed BHN and then TN & HN merged
Community of Lincoln Park
Below is the Community of Lincoln Park that apparently as a crossover into Lake View with the Diversey Harbor Lakeview Association north of Diversey Parkway to Surf Street.
The Need to Organize
and Protest/Advise - to be heard
This section are articles were found online from the Chicago Public Library newspaper section - Chicago (Daily) Tribune as contributor
The citizens of the Township/City of Lake View was a vocal and fisty group who voted for annexation to the City of Chicago because with population growth came challenges that out-grew the govenment structures that was in place since 1857.
The 'Need to be Heard'
would continued long after the annexation
Below are some historical samples
Protest Transport Hike
in 1890
the City of Lake View was annex to Chicago that previous year
A Taxpayers Association
Protest
in 1903
14 years after the annexation the residents have not lost their spirit for change
A 200 Resident Complaint
in 1907
An Organization Formed
against Vice In 1909
Organized Association
on Diversey Parkway
in 1911
in 1948
Lake View Citizens Council
awards & prizes in 1957
in 1967
in 1977
Some Associations
in 1984
in 1996
The Focus of this Post
2006 map - 44th ward master plan
a new map as of 2019 below - LVCC website
Belmont Harbor Nieghbors Association was desolved and upsorbed by the East Lake View Nieghbors
** Triangle Neighbors merged with Hawthorne Neighbors
to be called Heart of Lake View in 2023
An Account in 1952
by Lake View Saga 1847-1985
While the city organized into official neighborhoods by 1930 citizens began in earnest to organize into civic groups by 1950's mostly due to change in the economic and social fabric of the city in general and neighborhood of Lake View in particular.
While the citizens of Lake View had ad hoc associations prior to 1952 the Lake View Citizens' Council (LVCC) became a permanent citizen advisory organization that exists to this day. (LVCC) is a non-profit civic organization serving the Lake View neighborhood The are eleven sub-neighborhood associations presently that form the LVCC. The council was intially formed to counteract the expansion of apartments called 4+1’s that were built though the 1950's -1970's, unruly taverns on Broadway, in the 1970's acted as a safeguard against residential and historical building displacement as well as help manage the influx of different cultures that moved into the area with non-governmental assistance.
LVCC: Formation
and Founders
in 1952
The Association Plans
in 1952
an association badge - Ebay
The Growth of Lake View
by 1954
A List of Articles about
Lake View Citizens Council
via Chicago Public Library
A Sampler from
the 1950's
Protest Against
Home Razing
press photo - Ebay
zoomed below
Samplers from
the 1960's
A Clean-Up Parade
in 1966
Saving Homes for Seniors
in 1967
Blight Still a Problem
in 1969
1962 Lake View Citizen's Council Children's Fair - Ebay
the blending of photos
3042 N Pine Grove looking north
via Robert Zamora,
contributor to LakeView Historical - Facebook
with his research location on this photo
Another Fundraiser & Fun
A Sampler from
the 1970's
I lived in a 4+1 for
almost 20 years on Stratford Place
(my Facebook album)
against condo conversions & high rents
negatives - Chicago History Musuem
Sun-Times photogragher
The Neighborhood
Associations List
map - 44th ward master plan 2006
Descriptor of Each Sub-group:
Belmont Harbor Neighbors
(dissolved in 2013)
and absorbed mostly by East Lake View Neighbors Association in 2020. Triangle Neighbors gained an area east of Halsted Street
East Lake View
Neighbors
ELVN Facebook
and absorbed mostly by East Lake View Neighbors Association in 2020. Triangle Neighbors gained an area east of Halsted Street
ELVN Facebook
SNA Facebook
WLVN Facebook
Sheil Park Neighbors
merged with West Lake View Neighbor
merged with West Lake View Neighbor
in 2006
Triangle
Neighbors
Triangle Neighbors and Hawthorne Neighbors
merged in 2023 to be called
Association
since 1979
not a member of LVCC
GWCA Facebook
map of their area - their website
'The Graceland West Community Association (GWCA) is a non-profit 501.c.3 corporation. GWCA was
established in 1979 and has continuously represented the neighborhood.
Leadership includes nine Council Members who serve staggered 18-month elected
terms. They are supported by Block Rep
volunteers.' - their website
list as a sub-group
in the Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce
*a some area is located in Lake View*
Other Civic Associations
in the Area:
a new association 2018
not part of LVCC
'Neighbors for a Better Lake View is a relatively new, nonprofit advocacy organization committed to building a better Lake View for all of us. We’re focused on building stronger community ties, safer streets, better schools, and clean water for everyone. In April, a few neighbors came together to start this new group and advocate for the community we love. In just two months, more than 1000 residents joined, and we’re just getting started. We hope you will join us, we would love to get to know you!' - their Facebook page
East Ravenswood/West Graceland community is within the borders of Lake View so that community has a shared interest in both the RCC and the LVCC. Since 1958, Ravenswood Community Council has served the
diverse interests of local residents and businesses. Like the LakeView Citizens
Council the RCC was originally founded to fight crime and community blight.
Over five decades, RCC has led efforts to
preserve affordable housing, eliminate troubled buildings, assisted in the
redevelopment of the Ravenswood industrial corridor and helped respond to urban
deforestation through the ‘greening’ of the greater Ravenswood community. This
organization serves the area bounded by Addison Street on the south,
Bryn Mawr
Avenue on the North, Clark Street on the East, and the Chicago River on the
West. This area includes the Lincoln Square and North Center neighborhoods.
For the neighborhood of Lake View that means community of
East Ravenswood/West Graceland; the area west of Clark Street, Ravenswood
Avenue to the west, Addison Street to the south to Montrose Avenue to the north.
The Lakeview Action Coalition currently called Neighborhoods for Equality: Northside is a non-profit, multi-issue community organization that has a more broad involvement in issues of the day. The Coalition is comprised of 41 institutional members, including religious congregations, non-profit agencies, banks, business associations, a credit union and a senior citizens caucus. These diverse institutions are stakeholders in the Chicago communities of Lake View, Lincoln Park and North Center. In December of 2011 'peeved' at what they described big pay packages at the nation's biggest banks, a Chicago group urged its members Thursday to withdraw their money from such institutions, showing up at a Chase branch in East Lake View to demand a meeting with a bank executive. About thirty-five members of the Lake View Action Coalition marched on the Chase branch at 3032 N. Clark Street, shouting "Bust up big banks!" before being escorted out by police and rallying across the street.
My Involvement
I was a member of the
N\neighborhood association called
Belmont Harbor Neighbors
my brief tenure was
2011-2013
I designed the website and took the photographs
on behalf of the association
The following are some issues the association had try to resolve. All photos below were taken my me as Communications Chair
Here were some the Issues:
Issue: Divvy Bikes
This company planted a station in front of a condo building on the corner of Pine Grove and Addison. The problem was the location of the station at the corner near a stop sign. The condo association filed a lawsuit to have the station entirely removed from the corner. The condo owners asked for assistance from the our association. We agreed that only the solar panel of the station should be relocated due its immediate location next to the 'stop sign'. The condo owners were not happy over the compromise and continued with their lawsuit. Here are some photos I took before the meeting that produced the compromise.
southeast corner of Pine Grove and Addison
the stop sign in the distance
the stop sign near the intersection
the solar panel device
solar panel to the right of photo
Issue: The Wendt Playlot
Renovation & Re-dedication
During one of our normal meetings the alderman's assistant, who regularly attends BHN meetings, mentioned to the board members if we would be interested in a 'freebie' from the Chicago Park District. The district offered new equipment for any park or playlot within our geographically location. BHN only hand one in mind
- Wendt Playlot that was first dedicated in 1992.
After several months of planning by the BHN secretary, the alderman, park district officials and other members of the BHN board the old equipment was removed and land graded and new equipment installed that concluded with a second dedication with the mayor of Chicago in attendence. The last weekend before the re-dedication ceremony was to buy and plant scubs for the new space by the board members of BHN. The pictures below tell the story.
The dedication rock of 1992
The Design Options:
The Construction Phase:
 |
 |
The Planting Phase:
The Re-Dedication Phase: :
our home-made sign
The member of spearheaded the project
Issue: The 'Chicago Out' Hotel
The Chicago Out Hotel was to be located between Buckingham and Roscoe in the heart of Boystown alont Halsted Street. This hotel was billed as the 'straight friendly' hotel of Halsted Street. This planned development pitted the business owners of the Halsted strip with the residents who lived east of it, particularly the homeowners across the narrow alley - an alley used to gain access to homeowners' garages.
one of several meetings - the 19th police district building
all above photos - Garry Albrecht
There were several articles published by DNAinfo on this subject - look under the sub-reference Boystown. 
This issue played a major part in a dissolution of BHN after 40 years of existence. Below are photos related to the alley and buildings that played part in associations' decision not to voted for the construction of the hotel that fell within the associations local geographical area of responsibility. The alderman adhere to the associations decision.
1st rendering
The space on Halsted Street
The developer used Mark's Chop Suey that his company purshased (center in photo) as the centerpiece of the planned development proposal. The developer bought this property without surveying community support from non-business community.
2nd rendering after residents complained of shadow issues
a 'shadow meeting' was held at SideTracks Video Bar with some of the residents that were directly affected by lack of sunlight to their properties that was due to the height of the building - a rezoning issue that only the alderman could grant.
This alleyway was to be used for the hotel deliveries
that faced the backyards of property owners and garage space
This alleyway was to be used for the hotel deliveries
that faced the backyards of property owners and garage space
the alley entrances for deliveries
back of Mark's Chop Chuey
wth a photo below of the opposite view
The last and final rendering
of this failed development
No Post Notes
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