Easter Weekend Demolition Freaks Out Chicago Neighborhood
Posted by Editor on April 13, 2020
The smokestack for the former Crawford Power Generating Station was brought down by explosives in the early morning hours of Saturday, sending an enormous cloud of dust into the neighborhood across Pulaski Road. The wafting cloud coated homes, cars, trees, and streets with a fine powder at a time when people have been ordered to stay in their homes because of a pandemic that kills...
Shuttered Pilsen Power Plant Coming Back As Data Center and More
Posted by Editor on January 29, 2019
We're learning more about the future plans for Fisk, the former coal-powered power station that closed five years ago. Chicago Edison opened the Fisk Street Generating Station in 1903. At five megawatts it had the most powerful steam turbine the world had ever seen and was hailed as a marvel of technology for years to come. Others hated the plant and blamed it for numerous...
Home » Pilsen
Written By Editor on April 13, 2020 in demolition, Little Village, Pilsen, _story
The smokestack for the former Crawford Power Generating Station was brought down by explosives in the early morning hours of Saturday, sending an enormous cloud of dust into the neighborhood across Pulaski Road. The wafting cloud coated homes, cars, trees, and streets with a fine powder at a time when people have been ordered to stay in their homes because of a pandemic that kills people by attacking their lungs. People in the area...
Written By Editor on January 29, 2019 in Pilsen, Proposals, _story
We're learning more about the future plans for Fisk, the former coal-powered power station that closed five years ago. Chicago Edison opened the Fisk Street Generating Station in 1903. At five megawatts it had the most powerful steam turbine the world had ever seen and was hailed as a marvel of technology for years to come. Others hated the plant and blamed it for numerous health problems in the surrounding neighborhood. Now...
Pilsen Factory Flips Residential With 99 New Homes
Written By Editor on December 27, 2016 in Construction, Pilsen, _story
There's been a modicum of speculation about the old abandoned factory at 1432 West 21st Street over the last year or so. Ever since it went on the market, people have noticed that its location, close to the intersection of Blue Island Avenue, schools, parks, and lots of yummy new development, made it seem like a no-brainer for residential conversion. And so it shall be, according to new construction permits issued by the city of...
Slice of Life: Can The St. Adalbert Towers Be Saved?
Written By Daniel Schell on April 15, 2016 in church, Pilsen, slice of life, _story
Demolition of historic structures will always raise passion levels to peak anxiety. When the subject of said demise involves an old Chicago church, that angst skyrockets through the roof. Just ask fans of the former Saint Dominic's Church in Cabrini-Green, or West Town's Saint Boniface, just to name two. Saint Boniface still has a chance to be saved, but the venerable Saint Dominic lives on only in memory. Now...
Colorful Pilsen Neighborhood Loses Landmark Nuevo Leon To Fire
Written By Bill Motchan on December 2, 2015 in Pilsen, _story
The colorful, mural-filled stretch of West 18th Street in Pilsen just lost a landmark–Nuevo Leon Restaurant at 1515 West 18th was destroyed by fire just after midnight on December 1. An extra-alarm fire spread from Nuevo Leon to neighboring Tortilleria Sabinas. The restaurant was known for both its tacos de sabinas and its multi-colored façade. There is no shortage of mural art along this stretch of West 16th Street and...
Lagunitas Chicago TapRoom Celebrates The Holiday With Four Shiny New Tanks
Written By Bill Motchan on December 29, 2014 in Pilsen, _story
Santa Claus might just be a craft beer aficionado. That could explain the arrival last week of four shiny new stainless steel tanks at Lagunitas Chicago TapRoom. The massive Pilsen brewery at 1843 South Washtenaw welcomed the German-made tanks with open arms. It's part of the brewery's master plan to ramp up production and take advantage of the growing popularity of craft beer. Current production capacity for Lagunitas Chicago is...
12 Things You (Probably) Don't Know About Thalia Hall
Written By Bill Motchan on August 5, 2014 in 18th Street, history, Pilsen, _story
At the corner of 18th and Allport Street in the Pilsen neighborhood, there is a large, imposing building. It was built in 1892 by a saloonkeeper named John Dusek (pronounced "DOO-sheck"). The building has changed hands many times over the past 120 years, and witnessed a significant change in the surrounding community as its demographics shifted from Bohemian to Mexican-American. The sturdy building has miraculously remained...
Great Neighborhood Walks Of Chicago: Bienvenidos a Pilsen
Written By Bill Motchan on July 21, 2014 in Pilsen, _story
Chicago truly is a series of one fascinating neighborhood after another. If you're armed with a camera and interested in seeing an especially colorful area, it's hard to beat Pilsen. Today I joined a dozen street photographers to absorb the sights, smells and sounds of the Pilsen neighborhood. We stuck mostly to the heart of the action along 18th Street, meandering down an alleyway here and there. We viewed ornate old churches,...
Pilsen Artists Use Old Tech And Current Thoughts to Make Social Statements
Written By Bill Motchan on March 17, 2014 in art, Pilsen, _story
Stop me if you've heard this one before. A musician walks into an old macaroni factory and starts a printing company. The musician is Jamiel Dado. He and his wife Elizabeth Isakson-Dado are creating one-of-a-kind art posters at their six-month-old Tandem Felix Letterpress. The company is located at 2150 South Canalport Avenue at the Lacuna Artist Lofts in Pilsen. Tandem Felix shares space with a number of galleries in the former...
Gulliver, Not in Lilliput, But in the Heart of Pilsen
Written By Bill Motchan on October 23, 2013 in art, Pilsen, _story
Driving or walking through Pilsen, you quickly become acclimated to the colors, sights and sounds that influence the vibrant neighborhood. Especially the sights. Street art is in abundance along 16th street, although the images tend to be raw and random. If you want to see a truly unique work of public art, you need only venture to 1900 West Cullerton Street. That's the site of Hector Duarte's studio, one of the popular stops on the...