Fear No No. Lawndale

By Justin Sondak in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 20, 2006 6:50PM

In North Lawndale, you’re more likely to notice the massive billboards peering over the Eisenhower and the flashing police surveillance cameras than the 100-year-old greystone homes, industrial towers, and boulevards. Too bad the neighborhood’s architectural legacy often gets lost over concerns for public policy and public safety. Roebuck built the original Sears Tower here a century ago, and Magic Johnson might bring new business here soon.

Tonight the Chicago Architecture Foundation introduces us to these West Side jewels, as it opens “Learning From North Lawndale.” The exhibit celebrates the historical legacy of a neighborhood that has been “Chicago Jerusalem,” a laboratory for blues music, and a locus for civil rights activity in 1960s Chicago. Tonight’s speakers include the President of Lawndale Heritage and the Executive Director of WNLO, the neighborhood’s future online radio station.

“Learning From North Lawndale” opens tonight and is on display through November 18 at the Chicago Architecture Foundation, 224 S. Michigan Ave. Tonight’s opening runs from 5:30 – 7:30. More info at www.architecture.org.