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One of the largest vacant parcels of developed land on the North Side is the historic Julia Lathrop Homes. The future of this public housing site has been coming into focus in recent months, and the process has created a bitter confrontation between former residents, neighbors, community activists, and the Chicago Housing Authority.
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Kusanya Café, an inline espresso bar and gallery located at 825 W. 69th Street, opened last month to a flurry of press intrigued that someone would launch such a business venture in Englewood. Writers described it as a “rare sit-down dining experience” in the neighborhood, and expressed curiosity about management’s decision to not install bulletproof glass.
Four years passed between the initial idea of opening Kusanya Cafe and its debut on November 19, 2013. Those years were fraught with multiple instances of absentee commercial property owners backing out of lease negotiations, and banks refusing to lend money for the venture. Kusanya’s eventual success relied heavily upon Kickstarter funding and the rallying of resources within the neighborhood.
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After seeing some of the city’s most beautiful greystone houses and learning about medical pioneer Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, we’ve saved the best for last in our three part series: The Forum. Mostly vacant for decades and facing demolition, its fate changed in the Fall of 2011 when the building was rescued by Urban Juncture.
The first signs of life in this historic 19th century building will be a cafe and art gallery next year. Later, the ballroom will come back to life as a live music performance venue.
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Now that we’ve seen the fabulous greystones on Dr. Martin Luther King Drive, let’s continue with Part 2 of our series, and walk further down 42nd Street. A modest red Queen Anne house with subtle cornice bracketing is a neighborhood landmark because of an extraordinary man who once lived there.
445 E. 42nd Street was for decades the home of Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, also known as “Dr. Dan.” He is widely credited as the first to successfully perform surgery to repair a damaged heart, and his daring and skilled feat made headlines around the world in 1893.
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