FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS
Congratulations to the new and returning
2023 OTTA Ofcers and Directors. Find out what
exciting new things are planned for 2023 in
Message From The President and Committee
News…….........................................Pages 1,2 3.
Lots to “quack” about in this issue. Meet the
Benson Family and delight in learning about
their happy Duck House adventures...a must
read……..........................................Page 5.
Speaking of “ducks” …. what local artist and
artwork inspired the “duckie” graphics for this
Spring Newsletter? Find out on.....Page 5.
Our local school, LaSalle Language Academy,
now a magnet school, has come a long way
since it rst opened in 1869. Read about its
history, the construction of the new building
in 1961, and its rebranding that has made
it the outstanding academic institution it is
today……...........................................Page 6.
SPRING 2023 | 1
WWW.OLDTOWNTRIANGLE.COM
WWW.OLDTOWNTRIANGLE.COM
WWW.OLDTOWNTRIANGLE.COM
OLD TOWN
TRIANGLE ASSOCIATION
Hello and Happy 2023 to all. New
beginnings and new opportunities are
coming to the OTTA. I would like to
thank all the members for their support in elect-
ing me as your new President. We are all grateful
for the hard work and dedication of our outgoing
Board members, Dee DeCarlo, President, Chris
Nelson, Vice President, and Steve Nichols, Direc-
tor. We thank them for their many meaningful
accomplishments including our solid nancial
position, By-Laws revisions, creating the Acces-
sibility Committee and our continued focus on
historic preservation. We are pleased to welcome
our new Board members, Aneta Tomaszkiewicz,
Vice President, and Beth Burk, Director. Return-
ing Board members include Anne Giels, OTAF
Co-Chair and Second Vice President, Marya Lu-
cas, Secretary, Brad Neuman, Treasurer and Zac
Bleicher, Elaine Frey, Carly Jenkins, Alan Lougee
and David Montgomery, Directors. A big thanks
to all members who contributed to our 2023 An-
nual Meeting in January. We’ve just completed
our initial February Board meeting with many
initiatives being planned for the neighborhood
this year, and we’re thrilled to have the business
of the new Board well underway.
A principle focus for this year is to continue
our work in Strategic Planning. A commitment
to this endeavor was agreed to at our Annual
Meeting in January 2022. A Strategic Planning
Committee was formed last year, chaired by Brad
Neuman. Workgroups are developing plans for
the OTTA that will ensure our neighborhood
stays vibrant, en-
gaged, and safe.
Our key focus is
twofold: commu-
nity engagement
and community
stewardship. The
Board and its
Standing Commit-
tees are also exploring new events, activities, and
business opportunities that will help us achieve
our goals while preserving the charm and char-
acter of our community.
We understand how important it is to have
the voices of our residents heard. We are commit-
ted to listening to everyone’s ideas and concerns
and to engage with our residents, the many other
neighborhood associations in the 43rd Ward,
and our Alderman in meaningful, eective ways.
With your ongoing support, we can continue to
develop the energy, enthusiasm, and momentum
for a better future for our OTTA community. We
look forward to working together to bring about
positive change and to make our community a
better place for all. Thank you for being a part
of our team and for your commitment to our
neighborhood. Our Mission: Connect, Collabo-
rate and Care.
Sincerely,
MESSAGE FROM THE
PRESIDENT
SPRING 2023
OFFICERS:
Ray Clark, President
Aneta Tomaszkiewicz,
First Vice President
Anne Giffels,
OTAF Co-Chair & Second
Vice President
Marya Lucas, Secretary
Brad Neuman, Treasurer
Raymond Clark, President, OTTA
Raymond Clark
2023 Art Fair poster by Chicago artist,
Andrew Arkell.
ART FAIR COMMITTEE
Anne Giffels, Chairperson
In just four months, The Triangle will wel-
come many thousands of guests to our beautiful
neighborhood. More than 700 artists applied to be
part of the 73rd Annual Old Town Art Fair and an
accomplished jury of gallery owners, art educators
and artists met to select the nalists. Our Exhibi-
tor's Committee is working on the invitations,
which will be issued very soon.
One of the most exciting pre-Fair events took
place on January 26th at the Old Town Triangle
Annual Meeting – the reveal for this year's Art Fair
poster! The artist is a local – Andrew Arkell – and
the poster truly represents the growth of the Fair
and its strong Chicago roots. We hope you love it
as much as we do.
In addition to the juried artists, the Exhibi-
tor’s Committee is working to invite Chicago-area
emerging artists to be part of the Fair. We hope to
include artists from community groups, non-prot
organizations, art schools and our friends from
Access Living to showcase the art created by the
many diverse voices of Chicago.
As always, we will have our Garden Walk, Chil-
dren’s Corner and musical artists. The Old Town
Art Fair has something for everyone – mark your
calendar for June 10 and 11!
The Art Fair Committee has been hard at work
for several months, and we are moving into high
gear with planning and preparation. Committee
chairs and volunteers represent the very best of
Old Town, and we invite everyone to join us.
Seated l.to r: David Montgomery, Ray Clark,
Brad Neuman, Standing l.to r: Beth Burk, Ane-
ta Tomaszkiewicz, Zac Bleicher, Alan Lougee,
Carly Jenkins Missing: Elaine Frei, Anne
Giffels, Marya Lucas
Continued on page 2
COMMITTEE NEWS
Compiled by Jane Bachmann
Zac Bleicher
Beth Burk
Elaine Frei
Carly Jenkins
Alan Lougee
David Montgomery
DIRECTORS:
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2023 NEW AND RETURNING
OTTA OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
2 | SPRING 2023
WWW.OLDTOWNTRIANGLE.COM
COMMUNITY SAFETY COMMITTEE
David Montgomery, Chairperson
The OTTA joined the 43rd Ward Alliance to host a forum with the candidates for the 18th
District Police Council on Friday, February 10th. This is a new Police Council, and three people will
serve in each of the city’s police districts for four-year terms, and reciive a monthly honorarium of
$500. The six candidates for the 18th District are:
Those elected will be tasked with building connections between police and communities, devel-
oping community policing initiatives, getting community input on CPD policies, and ensuring the
citywide Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA) hears the commu-
nity’s concerns. For more information about the Council, please go to https://www.chicago.gov/city/
en/depts/ccpsa/supp_info/serving-on-a-district-council.html.
GRANTS COMMITTEE
Zac Bleicher, Chairperson
The Grants Committee oversees and administers the grant program that the Old Town Triangle
Association oers to schools, institutions and organizations in our neighborhood and that serve our
community. Grant applications are accepted annually: The deadline is Saturday, April 1st. Applica-
tions can either be picked up at the OTTA oce or downloaded from the OTTA website (OTTA-
GrantApp.pdf (oldtowntriangle.com)). Grantees are honored and awards distributed at the Old Town
Art Fair Thank You Party in mid-June.
NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT
COMMITTEE (NIC)
Corinne Svoboda,
Committee Member
Old Town Triangle residents enjoy green spaces
in its parks and pocket parks and in all, we count 11!
NIC manages and oversees the biweekly maintenance
of 2 pocket parks – Willow Park and Menomonee Park
(both between Wells and Crilly Court at Willow and
Menomonee) – plus 3 parks, including Triangle Park
(Clark and Wisconsin, with fountain), Sedgwick Plant-
ing Mound (just north of the two John Kearney horse
sculptures) and Fern Court Planting (between Willow
and Menomonee, adjacent to the Midwest Buddhist
Temple). The other parks in our neighborhood are
maintained by CDOT.
Green spaces are essential places! You never know
what you will see in the parks: A music teacher leading
a young cellist through her lessons at Triangle Park;
children and dance theater groups at Ella Jenkins Park
creating sidewalk art or trying out new moves; and, a
mother and father having wine and cheese on their
picnic blanket at Sedgwick Planting Mound adjacent to
the Children's Playlot while their toddlers play nearby.
These encounters are precious and point out the essen-
tial need of parks for all of us to enjoy a truly energizing
urban lifestyle.
COMMITTEE NEWS | Compiled by Jane Bachmann | Continued from page 1
At the 2022 Annual Meeting, members
assigned a high priority to preparing a strategic
plan. Exploring ways to fund the project at
a low cost, we were referred to the Compass
organization, who recommended John Eng-
man. In addition to John’s extensive consulting
experience, he served as Executive Director of
the Chicago Architecture Foundation. John has
generously supported the activities to-date on a
pro bono basis.
The Strategic Planning Committee (SPC)
includes outgoing President Dorothy DeCarlo,
new President Raymond Clark, Past Presidents
Phil Gra and Rick Rausch, Zac Bleicher, and
Diane Fitzgerald. Our work has been further
supported by four sub-committees:
Community Development: Planning, Develop-
ment, Improvements – Chair: Phil Gra, Gene
Brockland, Karl Hjerpe, Steven McClellan,
David Raino-Ogden, Jennifer Yengoyan.
Stakeholders: Constituency, Community En-
gagement, Membership, Events, Programs, Mar-
keting – Chair: Dee DeCarlo, Sandy Bredine, Vi
Daley, Jacob Ringer.
Governance: Setting Policy, Continuity/Lead-
ership/Training, Bylaws, Advocacy – Chair:
Zac Bleicher, Beth Burk, Chris Nelson, Darius
Tandon.
Finance and Operations: Art Fair, Fundraising,
Grants, Art School – Chair: Diane Fitzgerald,
Shel Beugen, Claire Leaman, Leah Marshall,
Rick Rausch, Ericca Reavis.
Status
Of the seven purposes for the Strategic Plan,
three have been completed to-date:
• Prepared Organizational Assessment by
independent consultant, John Engman (ac-
cess the Assessment Reports Summary and
full report on the OTTA website – see access
notes below)
• Gathered input from Members, Government,
Business and Nonmembers
• 21 in-depth interviews of OTTA past/
present leaders and government ocials
• Neighborhood Outreach: postcards to
4600 residents (over 300 survey re-
sponses)
• Identied Organizational Issues
The eort to develop a lower risk, more
eective, less divisive advocacy strategy is in
process. Eorts to identify new opportunities,
dene target audiences and build our capacity to
eectively govern remain.
For More Information
Project Description, Assessment Report Summa-
ry, Statement of Purpose, the survey, survey re-
sults, drafts of mission/vision/values and project
updates are available at https://www.oldtowntri-
angle.com – click on “+ About OTTA” and you
will see Strategic Planning as the second menu
item. Be sure to take the survey if you haven’t
already done so. We look forward to hearing
your comments and suggestions on the mission,
vision and values. Please feel free to reach out to
me or any of the Ocers/Directors by emailing
us at planning@oldtowntriangle.com.
A rodeo at Ogden Park Mall.
• Kimberly Lynn Bowman
• Amy Cross
• Robert Johnson
• Karen Kane
• Brad Kessler
• Lisa Seigneur
STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE
Brad Neuman, Chairperson
Cello lessons at Triangle Park.
SPRING 2023 | 3
WWW.OLDTOWNTRIANGLE.COM
WWW.OLDTOWNTRIANGLE.COM
COMMITTEE NEWS | Continued from page 2
FEBRUARY/MARCH/APRIL/MAY 2023
HISTORIC DISTRICT/PLANNING + ZONING
(HDPZ) COMMITTEE
Beth Burk, Chairperson
With the leadership of outgoing chairperson, Zac Bleicher, 2023 is o to a great start for the
preservation of the Triangle’s heritage, with the very rst Mid-Century Modern home in the His-
toric District on track to becoming a designated Chicago landmark property! The Walter & Dawn
Netsch House at 1700 North Hudson was suggested for landmark status by its current owners, Will
Forrest & Mark Smithe, who bought the home in 2014 and lovingly restored it. On January 12th, the
Commission on Chicago Landmarks voted unanimously to give a preliminary landmark recom-
mendation to the home. The designation is not only for the home’s exterior but also for the interior,
which commissioners said is a rare practice in Chicago. “We’ve learned it’s not just a home but it is
an extension of the community,” Forrest said. “We are committed to it being an ongoing commu-
nity and information space for members of the local community and architectural community of
Chicago.” Discussions are in the works to arrange a private tour for OTTA members later this year,
so stay tuned!
ABOVE: 1700 N Hudson Avenue, built in 1973-74 and designed by Walter Netsch of Skidmore
Owings & Merrill. Residence of Walter & Dawn Clark Netsch until 2013. Now the pround stewards
are Mark Smithe & Will Forrest.
FEBRUARY
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20TH
PRESIDENTS DAY
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21ST, 6:30 PM
HISTORIC DISTRICT/PLANNING &
ZONING MEETING
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24TH, 3 PM
STRATEGIC PLANNING MEETING
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28TH
CHICAGO MUNICIPAL GENERAL
ELECTION
MARCH
FRIDAY, MARCH 3RD, 3 PM
STRATEGIC PLANNING MEETING
MONDAY, MARCH 6TH
CASMIR PULASKI DAY
TUESDAY, MARCH 7TH, 6 PM
CAPS MEETING, BEAT 1813
(WEST SEDGWICK & WEST)
ST. JAMES LUTHERAN CHURCH,
2050 N. FREMONT
TUESDAY, MARCH 7TH, 7 PM
OTTA BOARD MEETING
THURSDAY, MARCH 9TH, 6 PM
CAPS MEETING, BEAT 1814 (EAST
SEDGWICK & EAST)
WINTRUST BANK, 100 W. NORTH
AVENUE
SUNDAY, MARCH 11TH
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME BEGINS
TUESDAY, MARCH 14TH, 7 PM
OTTA BOARD MEETING
MONDAY, MARCH 20TH
FIRST DAY OF SPRING
TUESDAY, MARCH 21ST, 6:30 PM
HISTORIC DISTRICT/PLANNING &
ZONING MEETING
APRIL
SATURDAY, APRIL 1ST
GRANT APPLICATIONS TO OTTA DUE
TODAY
TUESDAY, APRIL 4TH
CHICAGO MUNICIPAL RUNOFF
ELECTIONS
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5TH
PASSOVER BEGINS
SUNDAY, APRIL 9TH
EASTER
TUESDAY, APRIL 11TH, 7 PM
OTTA BOARD MEETING
TUESDAY, APRIL 25TH, 6:30 PM
HISTORIC DISTRICT/PLANNING &
ZONING MEETING
MAY
TUESDAY, MAY 7TH, 6 PM
CAPS MEETING, BEAT 1813 (WEST
SEDGWICK & WEST)
ST. JAMES LUTHERAN CHURCH
2050 N. FREMONT
TUESDAY, MAY 7TH, 7 PM
OTTA BOARD MEETING
THURSDAY, MAY 11TH, 6 PM
CAPS MEETING, BEAT 1814 (EAST
SEDGWICK & EAST)
WINTRUST BANK, 100 W. NORTH
AVENUE
SUNDAY, MAY 14TH
MOTHER’S DAY
MONDAY, MAY 29TH
MEMORIAL DAY
Six candidates running for 43rd Ward
Alderman are up for election on Tuesday, February
28th. The candidates include:
• Steven Botsford https://www.linkedin.com/in/
sfbots
• Brian Comer https://briancomer.com
• Rebecca Janowitz https://rebeccajanowitz.com
• Ald. Timmy Knudsen https://www.
knudsenfor43.com
• Steven McClellan https://43forsteve.com
• Wendi Taylor Nations http//wendifor41.com
The candidates participated in several forums
in January and February including forums at
DePaul University and Lincoln Park High School.
They responded to questions about property
taxes, public safety, neighborhood development &
beautication and transparency in government.
Get to know your candidate. Vote on February
28th. If no one receives at least 50 percent of the
vote, the top two candidates will proceed to a
runo on April 4th.
CALL TO ACTION
GET OUT AND VOTE ON
FEBRUARY 28TH
By Jane Bachmann
January 17th Forum at DePaul University. Photo
courtesy of Erin Henze of The DePaulia.
4 | SPRING 2023
WWW.OLDTOWNTRIANGLE.COM
PHOTO GALLERY | Compiled by Diane Fitzgerald
6 | SPRING 2023
WWW.OLDTOWNTRIANGLE.COMWWW.OLDTOWNTRIANGLE.COM
Contributing Photographers: Kim Beis, Stephen Benson, Diane Fitzgerald, Barb Guttmann, Michael Warnick
The cold snaps between November and now didn’t keep us from enjoying the activities of the neighborhood, like the OTTA Art School Student Art Exhibit opening
reception or the Annual Dinner & Meeting. Did you notice the very colorful mural on the building on Clybourn at Larrabee, painted by Chicago artist Brett Whitacre?
With our generally mild winter (!), The Benson Ducks have made a few appearances at their pond at 215 W Eugenie. Walk by and say hi!
SPRING 2023 | 5
WWW.OLDTOWNTRIANGLE.COM
WWW.OLDTOWNTRIANGLE.COM
PHOTO GALLERY | Compiled by Diane Fitzgerald
WWW.OLDTOWNTRIANGLE.COM
The graphics inspiration for this issue is “Lucky Ducks” by artist Jamie Murphy.
Jamie has been taking art classes at Old Town Triangle for about 20 years and is a
teacher's aide in a Wednesday evening OTT art class. She’s a lifelong Chicagoan,
and likes to paint things she sees around the city, especially at night when lights
are glowing. In the past she was very much attracted to carnivals and painted a few
carnival scenes. This artwork was inspired by a popular carnival game at Fiesta del
Sol that worked like this: “If you picked the right duck, you won a prize, and the prize
was determined by the number on the bottom of the duck.”
ART INSPIRATION FOR THE
NEWSLETTER GRAPHICS
The delight of surprise is what makes
our days memorable, right? Well delight in
the fact that we have duck-neighbors at 215 W
Eugenie, if you don’t already know that?
Stephen Benson, partner Kim Beis
and his children – Jack (15), Marie (13) and
Tess (10) – moved into The Triangle from
Hyde Park in March 2020, the same day that
Chicago and the country shut-down due to
Covid, Sunday, March 15th. They are 2-doors
east of the Covid Concert house at 219 that
graced us with concerts every Friday night
during the lockdown! And then that late
Autumn, after considering chickens as pets
– as inspired by one of Marie’s best friends –
but dismissing them after extensive research
by Dad, the kids came home from school one
day to two baby ducks, their new pets! And
so, it begins…
We know dog and cat breeds and now
you will know duck breeds! The Benson
Family has three breeds of ducks: Indian
Runners, Call Ducks and a Black Swedish,
for a total of 6 ducks. Five are female. They
are named Maple (male), Saturn, Ivy, Matilda,
Darla and Eclipse. The Call Ducks can y but
never y away. Their habitat has been up-
graded since the lockdown and now features
a pond, lush landscaping and a memorial to
Daisy the Duck who passed away in 2021. The
Benson Ducks have been hand-raised, love
the love of people and are more like dogs
than cats – socialized to feel the love of the
family! By day and with most weather condi-
tions, the ducks hang in the front yard. By
night they luxuriate in their Garage Mahal,
indoor space that has been converted for
their every need – food, water and bedding
with heating pads! They are non-migratory,
and they forage.
The Benson Ducks have a routine. They
usually sleep-in. The girls lay eggs – one a
day-ish, good timing considering the supply/
demand issues with eggs in our food supply,
and ination. Every morning, they march
along the gangway from the garage to the
pond, looking out for each other on the hike.
At the end of the day they prefer to hike
home down the alley making their morning
and evening trek a loop. Lettuce is a duck
treat and they are treated to it every day, usu-
ally after their feeding of meal worms. About
10 nches or barn swallows join in with the
ducks at feeding time, and the ducks don’t
mind…at all! They are happy to share their
home with wildlife!
Have the Bensons found a duck-sitter
for the ducks? You bet. The family’s three
dogs have a walker who also takes care of the
ducks and stays at the house when the family
is traveling!
As the weather improves for people,
make sure you swing by 215 W Eugenie to see
the 6 ducks – who have thrived during the
winter months because ducks are hardy! –
doing a little water ballet in their fabulous
pond. Here’s a preview video clip https://
www.ickr.com/x/t/0000009/gp/128866721@
N02/VY4pp068i7. And stop by @littleeug-
eniezoo in Instagram for more duck delights!
NEIGHBOR SPOTLIGHT
The Benson Family & Their Duck House
Diane Fitzgerald
ABOVE: The Benson Family. Top Left l/to r: Stephen
Benson, Tess, Marie and Jack. Bottom Center: Kim Beis
(zooming from Mexico) and Diane Fitzgerald.
ABOVE: Meet Matilda
and Darla in Septem-
ber 2020. Darla, left,
is an Indian Runner
and Matilda is a Black
Swedish. RIGHT: And
here are (l.to r) Saturn,
Maple and Ivy in April
2021, the small-ish Call
Ducks, direct descen-
dants of Mallard ducks.
Where is Eclipse? You’ll
see her in the video!
Editor’s Note: We’ve featured a duck story once before in the OTTA newsletter – in the July/
August 2012 issue and titled “The Mallards of Menomonee”, written by long-time Triangle
neighbor, Candace Jordan. She and her husband, Chuck, moved from the Triangle in 2013. Of
note in her story – their backyard at 217 W Menomonee was registered as a wildlife sanctuary!
Newsletters are archived on the OTTA website here Old Town Triangle Association » Newslet-
ter Archive. OTTA website here Old Town Triangle Association » Newsletter Archive
In 1869, a school opened on Clark near North
Avenue called LaSalle Street Primary School. The
Great Chicago Fire of 1871 burned it away, so as Chi-
cago recovered and population moved north, a new
school was in demand.
The City opened a new school on January 10,
1881. It was a twelve-room school on Eugenie and
Hammond (now Orleans), named after the French
explorer of the Illinois Valley, René-Robert Cavelier
Sieur de LaSalle. Back when Old Town was a quiet
German settlement, LaSalle School was three stories
tall, with twelve high-ceilinged classrooms. Its design
made the school a Chicago highlight.
An 1893 addition facing Eugenie included an as-
sembly hall/auditorium and gymnasium on the third
oor. The addition was made over where the play-
ground had been so children played in the street —or
inside St. Michael’s Church in bad weather. Priests
caught them playing hide and seek in the pews and
confessionals!
Homer Bevans was the principal from 1884 until
1908, 24-years as the school’s second and longest-serv-
ing principal. It was said he was “only appreciated by
intellectual people.” He was known to read Thoreau’s
Walden Pond to the kids.
When the windows were open, you could hear
the dress factory and a horse barn next door. By the
mid-20th century, many Old Town settlers were gone
and bigger rooming houses and hotels came in. The
school had 16 nationalities represented from the
immigrant laborer families in the neighborhood. The
school was proud of having students whose great-
grandparent alums were still in the neighborhood—
and alums who gave their lives in both World Wars.
In 1961, 80 years later, a new building went up
with 21 classrooms after the City bought a factory
site and nine housing lots. By 1966, there were 800
students, but a decade later, enrollment fell to only
one hundred. The school wanted to restore parent
faith in public schools.
The result was rebranding the school in 1978 as
LaSalle Language Academy. Principal Helen Mar-
cyan brought French, German, Spanish, and Italian
oerings to the racially integrated school focused
on an appreciation of dierent cultures. Becoming a
magnet school, neighborhood students mixed with
those admitted through the application process. The
population rebounded to 500 by 1985.
Alum and current Local School Council mem-
ber, Steven McClellan, remembers principal Dr. Amy
Weiss Narea (1984-2007 or 23 years!) doing intercom
announcements in four languages. The school
facilitated students taking trips to the countries of
languages they were learning. Overall, the close-knit
community of the school and the novelty of language
exposure, starting in kindergarten, made him feel
fortunate to attend.
The community felt so close-knit in part be-
cause LaSalle Alumni have returned to teach. Special
education classroom assistant Reed Lubin said, "I
graduated from LaSalle in 2006 and came back to
work here in the fall of 2017! Mr. Van Steen was my
favorite teacher as a kid and coming back and getting
the chance to play basketball with him almost every
day was one of the coolest things I've gotten to do in
my adult life.
Alum Jim Duckworth has organized a Face-
book group of alumni, “LaSalle Elementary School,
Chicago Illinois,” that has connected with more than
1,000 graduates. Using class record Jim has found
dating back to 1914, he calculates that 6,745 students
have graduated from LaSalle since then. We’re check-
ing into records from 1881-1913…
LaSalle opened a beautiful, multi-purpose
green turf eld in 2019, built over what was an asphalt
blacktop. During construction, remnants of the
original buildings’ plumbing and infrastructure were
found! It’s amazing to imagine all of the students
who’ve played hard and studied hard here at LaSalle
for the last 142 years!
Special thanks to Diane Fitzgerald and Ericca Reavis for
digitizing early LaSalle documents, as well as Jim Duck-
worth, Kat O’Brien, Reed Lubin and Steven McClellan for
help with this story.
Editor's Note: Paul Kendrick is an OTTA member, Lincoln
Park resident, and an author of three historical books,
most recently, Nine Days: The Race to Save Martin
Luther King Jr.’s Life and Win the 1960 Election.
From LaSalle’s Art Teacher, Chris Thomas:
LaSalle Language Academy has partnered with
the artist Matthew Homan and his organization
YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL (you-are-beautiful.com) to
design and paint a mural on the storage container
in the school’s parking lot, facing Sedgwick Street.
Recently, Matthew’s project manager, Shae Syn-
nestvedt, visited LLA to take measurements and
photos of the container. From there, YAB's design
team is creating multiple digital mock-ups of pos-
sible designs for the installation/mural. There will
be student involvement painting the mural, which
is expected to be completed in late May. This art
installation will not only provide beautication to
the school and neighborhood and positive messag-
ing to the community but also enhance LaSalle’s
students’ art education. None of this would have
been possible without funding from the OTTA.
We cannot thank you enough for the support and
look forward to sharing the end result with you
and the Old Town community.
Editor’s Note: LaSalle Language Academy was awarded
$5,000 from the OTTA for this outdoor mural project,
the full amount of their request.
HISTORY OF OLD TOWN
THE HISTORY OF LASALLE LANGUAGE ACADEMY
By Paul Kendrick
GRANT SPOTLIGHT
LaSalle Language Academy’s
Art Department Project
By Diane Fitzgerald
LaSalle School playground, circa 1950s. Where are
the trees? Check out 1710-1720 N Sedgwick Street
in the background, including the current homes of
Beth & Brad Burk, Donna & Payam Zarei and Kim &
Trigg Thorstenson!
ABOVE: A rare photo of the old school next to the new one under construction. From the Chicago Sun-Times, 1961, courtesy
of Jim Duckworth. RIGHT: 1950 photo of the original school, built in 1881 – north half of east facade on N Orleans
Students from Room 8, 1893 – ve years after
George Eastman went to market with his “Kodak”
camera!.
6 | SPRING 2023
WWW.OLDTOWNTRIANGLE.COM
SPRING 2023 | 7
WWW.OLDTOWNTRIANGLE.COM
COMMUNITY CORNER | Compiled by Donna Zarei
Green City Market Is Back Outdoors April 1st in
Lincoln Park and May 6th in the West Loop.
The neighborhood’s favorite Farmers' Market
brings together dozens of local, sustainable farm-
ers and food producers, community programs for
all ages, and more. Check out the market sched-
ule on our website. www.greencitymarket.org.
Final
COMMUNITY CORNER |Compiled by Donna Zarei
MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
Thursday, September 15
th
- Faith on Fire Series ten-week study program offers a spiritual journey of a
lifetime! Travel through the Bible, rich in history and meaning. For information or to register, visit st-mikes.org in
the News section.
Saturday, September 24th – Volunteers are needed to make sandwiches for the less fortunate at 10 am in the
Parish Center. If interested, please contact Barbara Shields at bshields@st-mikes.org or call the office at
312-642-2498.
Sunday, September 25th – Come to the Beer and Brats Picnic to celebrate the Feast of St. Michael and
Oktoberfest from 12:15 -2 pm. All are welcome. Register at: https://beerandbrats.eventbrite.com/.
October 1st and 2nd – St. Michael’s Parking lot will once again be the stage for Wing Out 2022. For more
information, visit: https://wingout.greencurtainevents.com/e/wingout-chicago-2022.
Friday, October 7th – Blessing of Pets and Dogs N Dogs on the St. Michael Parish lawn starts at 4 pm. All pets and
their human companions are welcome.
For up-to-date news and events, please visit our website: st-mikes.org!
Lincoln Park Cooperative Nursery School has limited space available in our Parent Tot,
Nursery, and Junior Kindergarten classes for the 2022-23 school year. SAVE THE DATE for our Open House:
Saturday, October 22 from 10 am-12 pm. Contact [email protected] for more information and to
RSVP or inquire about enrollment.
Lincoln Park Co-op is
currently accepting applica-
tions for the 2023-24 school
year. We have limited availabil-
ity in our 5 part-time programs
that serve children 18 months
to 5 years old. You may apply on our website
lincolnparkcoop.org or reach out to our
Membership Committee with questions:
membership@lincolnparkcoop.org.
LaSalle annually celebrates various cultural
and international traditions. For Black History
Month, we’re hosting our Annual Black Business
Fair! Old Town families are encouraged to attend
and support Black-owned businesses of all kinds
on Friday, February 24th at 4 p.m. in our gym-
nasium (enter o the playground entrance). For
more information about the school, visit www.
lasallechicago.com.
The Village Chicago is the City’s premier social
and services community network for people over
50. We oer fun and engaging social activities
(400 plus events a year) where you can make
friends and be a part of a larger community.
We also bring together academics, authors, and
experts to help you learn and grow—and man-
age life transitions. And when you need extra
support, we are here to connect you to expert
referrals, volunteer assistance, or just oer a
listening ear.
For information, an online calendar of events or
to learn about becoming part of The Village go to
info@thevillagechicago.org or call 773-248-8700.
Lincoln Park Community Services welcomes
you to join us at our Annual Metamorphosis
fundraising event! The festive gathering of the
community includes savory food and drinks with
a dose of doing good. Come celebrate highlights
of the LPCS community while supporting our
mission of empowering Chicagoans experiencing
homelessness. For more information visit www.
lpcschicago.org.
Art on Sedgwick still needs people to send in
photos for the Old Town Portrait Project. The
Old Town Portrait Project invites people who live
or work in the Old Town community to submit a
photo of their choosing to Art on Sedgwick.
Veteran Chicago artist, John Bakker, will then
use these photos to create portraits that will last
over 100 years. Each portrait is hand-painted on a
wooden box with a hand-lettered biography that
tells the story of those pictured. More informa-
tion is available at: http://www.artonsedgwick.org/
blog/old-town-portrait-project/.
Join us for The Village Chicago’s Benefit – Can’t Stop the Beat
on September 16
th,
from 5-7:30 pm at the Holtzschneider
Performance Center, DePaul University School of Music,
2330 N. Halsted Street
Enjoy the songs of Chicago’s Porchlight Musical Theatre, the presentation of their Trailblazer Awards along with
appetizers and drinks, a raffle, and a silent and live auction. For tickets ($75 for members and guests; $85 for
others) and the raffle ($25 each or five for $100) go to https://thevillagechicago.org/.
For details about The Village Chicago, see their annual report
For nearly 40 years, the Lincoln Park Conservancy has preserved and enhanced Lincoln Park
through volunteer power, fundraising and park improvements. This year, we’re recommitting to
past projects including the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool & North Pond, while growing our natural areas
stewardship to all neighborhoods touching the Park. Your support during our annual fund helps
us sustain the Park’s special places and grow new endeavors to make its 1,200 acres even better!
For information go to https://lincolnparkconservancy.org/.
Join the Lincoln Park Conser-
vancy on Earth Day, April
22nd for a Park workday &
celebration at North Pond.
Then, kick o the Summer
Solstice with the Conser-
vancy during our annual
Gala for Lincoln Park on June 22nd. Become a
2023 sponsor and receive promotional benets
including event tickets and web exposure
year-round. Learn more at lincolnparkconser-
vancy.org or contact info@lincolnparkconser-
vancy.org with questions.
The Menomonee Club's Fall Session begins September 6th. Join us for Basketball, Judo, Fencing, Taekwondo, and
RetroActive Sports! Learn more at www.menomoneeclub.org.
PRE-ORDER YOUR FRIENDS OF LINCOLN PARK HIGH SCHOOL COOKBOOK
The DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) Committee of Friends of Lincoln Park High School (FOLPHS) is very excited
to announce that we are creating a custom cookbook featuring favorite recipes from the LPHS community.
Cookbooks will be available to purchase for $25, and you can preorder your cookbook here: FOLPHS DEI
Cookbook Order Here. All funds raised will be donated to fund critical academic needs; faculty and staff
education and support; SMART Boards; and numerous student programs that the CPS budget does not cover.
We need your help to fill this cookbook with fabulous recipes, reflecting our amazing and diverse community!
Please submit 3-5 of your favorite recipes by Friday, September 16
th
. To submit recipes, click Submit Recipes
Here . Login in with username FOLPHSDEI2021 and password lettuce369. Please
email [email protected] with any questions. Visit the FOLPHS website at https://www.folphs.org/ for more
information. Thank you and let's get cooking!
The Menomonee Club's
Spring Session begins March
13th. Join us for Judo, Fencing,
Taekwondo, RetroActive
Sports, and Basketball Gametime! For more
information go to www.menomoneeclub.org.
Do you believe in magic? The
Friends of Lincoln invite you to
join us on March 10th for a night
of dinner, drinks and magic as
we celebrate our Lincoln Community at The
Fairlie (339 N Bell Avenue). This special gala
event includes an online auction to raise funds to
support the students of Lincoln Elementary.
Purchase your “Believe in Magic” tickets here:
TICKETS.
Also, are you interested in a school tour? Regis-
tration is on our website https://www.lincolnele-
mentary.org/.
Ash Wednesday is March 2nd. Weekday masses
are held during Lent (February 23rd – April 5th)
Monday through Saturday. See website for
detailed schedule.
Lenten Food Drive
The goal of the Lenten Food Drive, an an-
nual parish project sponsored by the Human
Concerns & Needs Commission, is to stock the
shelves of the Catholic Charities Food Pantry
with food. See website for details.
The Keys to the Bank Gala is Friday, May 5th at
Wintrust’s Grand Banking Hall.
For more information, visit our website www.
st-mikes.org.
COMMUNITY CORNER | Compiled by Donna Zarei
WWW.OLDTOWNTRIANGLE.COM
8 | SPRING 2023
WWW.OLDTOWNTRIANGLE.COM
MARCH | DAN NELSON
With color and humor, he paints stories and
tries (very successfully) to insert some humor. He
could tell you what he believes that story is, but
encourages you to imagine for yourself what is
happening in the painting.
Dan is a Chicago born and raised artist living
on the north side. He is a 1975 graduate of
Chicago’s Ray Vogue School for Graphic Design
and has worked in advertising since graduation. He
began painting about eight years ago, starting with
abstracts, moving to sunrise/sunsets and changing
to his current collections of pets and their people.
EXHIBITION: FEBRUARY 25 – MARCH 31
OPENING RECEPTION: MARCH 5 | 2-4 PM
LESLIE WOLFE GALLERY
Diane Sokolofski
Co-Editor
Diane Fitzgerald
Co-Editor
DeAnna Clark
Graphic Designer
Christie Renfroe
Riverside Graphics
Jane Bachmann
Paul Kendrick
and Donna Zarei
Contributors
Barbara Guttmann
Director Of Operations
Kaleigh Dent
Administrative Assistant
OFFICE/GALLERY HOURS
Tuesday-Friday 10am-5pm
Saturday 10am-1pm
OFFICERS
Ray ClaRk, PResident
aneta tomaszkiewiCz, FiRst ViCe PResident
anne GiFFels, otaF ChaiR & seCond ViCe PResident
maRya luCas, seCRetaRy
BRad neuman, tReasuReR
DIRECTORS
Zac Bleicher
Beth Burk
Elaine Frei
Carly Jenkins
Alan Lougee
David Montgomery
OLD TOWN
TRIANGLE CENTER
1763 N. North Park Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60614
Tel: 312.337.1938
The Old Town Triangle Association
TIMES is published by the
Old Town Triangle Association
Communications Committee.
www.facebook.com/OldTownTriangle
www.oldtowntriangle.com
OUR MISSION STATEMENT
The Old Town Triangle Association is a
community-based, not-for-prot orga-
nization dedicated to enhancing the
quality of life for residents who live in an
area of the City of Chicago bounded by
North Avenue, Clark Street and the ghost
of Ogden Avenue (“The Triangle”).
SPRING 2023
estaBlished in 1948
March | April
All The Right Moves
12 | SPRING 2023
APRIL |CHUNBO ZHANG
Food Treasure Series: Zhang’s current art
practice involves paintings and installations that reect
her interest in the dierence and connection between
Chinese and American cultures, and the anxiety she ex-
perienced as a foreigner living in America and adapting
to its culture. She chose food as the subject because it is
not only essential in our daily life, but also an entry point
for a foreigner to understand an unfamiliar culture.
Snow Series: This series was inspired by
Chicago's snowy winters. She was drawn upon the
close-up texture of icy snow. To present the exqui-
site, transparent and salt-melted nature of snow,
she worked primarily with salt, water, and ink. This
allowed her to work intuitively based on observa-
tion and interpretation. In some paintings, the
abstract images serve as the background layer, and
then Chinese ne-style painting and printmaking
technique is applied for the nal touch. This spon-
taneous (uncontrolled) and ne-style (controlled)
painting and printing processes are used alterna-
tively in order to create detailed and imaginative
world within and beyond the existing imagery.
EXHIBITION: APRIL 1 – APRIL 28
OPENING RECEPTION: APRIL 9 | 2-4 PM
LEFT: “Bagel” RIGHT: “Deep Dish Pizza” Both artworks
are part of her Food Treasure Series.
Since 2010, Dee Clark takes
our words and creates the
artful layout that makes them
interesting stories. She takes
our photos and oers them up
one wonderful page after
another, helping us record our
own history as we make it. Dee creates the colorful
interactive digital graphics and enabled us to make
an easy transition from print to digital. She is
always open to new ideas and opportunities but
creates a shared vision in the nal design. Her
full-time job is as brand designer who brings
idealistic and conceptual vision to inspiring designs
that communicate across multi-channels of the
brand. Dee came to the OTTA via Robert Gibbs,
former Board member and the rst Chairperson of
the Communications Committee. Check out Dee’s
website at: www.deeclarkcreative.com.
Christie Renfroe is the
extremely ecient Design and
Marketing Manager with
Riverside Graphics for 20
years. She has been working
with the Old Town Triangle
Association since 2016,
printing and mailing our OTTA newsletter. She has
an eagle eye when it comes to quality output and on
more than several occasions saved the day in
pre-production. When we took the newsletter
digital in 2021, Christie continued to produce
magnicent, low quantity runs of The Times for
our members who were without email.
Christie and Riverside Graphics, serving Chica-
go since 1965, have provided other printing services
to the OTTA, like the recent neighborhood survey.
Over the years, they have consistently delivered a
nished product of the utmost quality in a timely
manner. Visit www.riversidegx.com.
Meet two behind-the-scenes people who make the magic of The Times
happen: Dee Clark, graphic designer, and Christie Renfroe, production manager.
NEWS YOU CAN USE |“The Times” Production Team | By Diane Sokolofski
