I thought this was somewhat interesting as well.
Homeless shelter may be on move
Tigerman agrees to design new Pacific Garden
By Ana Beatriz Cholo
Tribune staff reporter
Published November 30, 2004
After almost five years of talks with city and school officials, Chicago's oldest and largest homeless shelter might be getting a new home on the corner of 14th Place and Canal Street in a state-of-the art building designed by one of the city's renowned architects.
The Pacific Garden Mission, which occupies a nondescript building at 646 S. State St., next to Jones College Prep High School, would move to a new building designed by Stanley Tigerman with a 2-story atrium and a huge greenhouse on the third floor that would provide jobs and food for residents.
But the deal for a new building has not been completed, officials at the mission and the Chicago Public Schools stressed. Also unfinished is the sale of the mission's State Street property, which the school district wants in order to put up a new building for Jones College Prep.
Peter Cunningham, a schools spokesman, said the district is "committed to making [the deal] work," but "it's not fully baked yet.
"We have to buy [the land], get it rezoned and then Pacific Garden has to get all the financing [for the new building] in place," Cunningham said.
But the fact that both sides have agreed on a site for the mission's new building and a design for it has been drawn up is reason for optimism, officials said
"We are going through the finances of how this is going to happen," mission attorney Thomas Johnson said, adding that the amount the mission gets from the city for its building is an important factor. "The site has been the stumbling block. Now we have a site. That is a major, major step in the right direction."
Johnson said he is optimistic the deal will be completed by the end of the year.
Pacific Garden Mission has been a fixture in the city for 127 years. With a sign outside the building proclaiming "Jesus Saves," up to 1,000 men a day get fed and seek shelter at the facility during the winter.
Tigerman said he was drawn to the shelter's mission and the people who work there.
"I prefer doing work for people who need me," Tigerman said. "How many suburban villas for princes and princesses are you expected to design before you go berserk? I am much, much, much more interested in providing architectural services for those most in need, and this is one of those circumstances."
The mission also would sell another building it owns at Grand Avenue and the Kennedy Expressway that houses homeless women and children, mission President David McCarrell said. They would be housed in the new building, he said.
Chicago Public Schools has a direct interest in the mission's plans because of Jones, which has been transformed from a 2-year technical high school into a premier selective-enrollment school for students around the city. District officials have been pushing for the South Loop property since 1999.
Johnson said the mission is not opposed to leaving its current building. But the mission's leaders are intent on keeping their shelter in the downtown area because that's where homeless people feel most comfortable and where the mission could continue to get help from local businesses such as restaurants, Johnson said.
The city has proposed a variety of sites for the mission. But in each case, there was opposition--from neighbors, an alderman or nearby businesses. A year ago, city attorneys filed a lawsuit to condemn the mission in what some say was an effort to speed up the process of expanding the high school next door.
Attorneys for the shelter said they tried to work with the city even as they were being sued.
The turning point in negotiations was reached in August when city officials found the land at 14th and Canal, now occupied by a closed auto emissions-testing facility, for sale. The area, located between the Chicago River and Dan Ryan Expressway, is primarily industrial.
At the Nov. 17 Board of Education meeting, the board authorized the school district to begin negotiations on the purchase of the land.
The $20 million expansion of Jones includes a much-needed library, fitness center and classrooms. The library now is housed in the counseling office and counselors must work out of a hallway.
The lack of space has put a strain on students in a variety of ways, Principal Donald Fraynd said.
Athletes must practice at a closed high school that is a 20-minute ride away. The commute not only causes transportation problems, it works against building school spirit, Fraynd said.
"We don't have very many fans at games," he said.
Local School Council Chairman Walter Paas found out about the new proposed site Monday.
"I am just really relieved that they are finally coming to a resolution now," Paas said.
At a public meeting scheduled for Dec. 9 at Jones College Prep, 606 S. State St., Tigerman will present his design plans for the new shelter and take questions.
Copyright © 2004, Chicago Tribune