tuesday 13 december 2005 6:00pm
I-Space - 230 west superior

download: transcript from lawndale roundtable discussion (200KB PDF)

At the start of the 2006 Burnham Prize--Learning from North Lawndale--, the Chicago Architectural Club will host a round table discussion with the theme of the competition: Defining the Urban Neighborhood in the 21st Century.

The neighborhood of North Lawndale, on the west side of Chicago, has a unique history. It was a home base at one time for Martin Luther King, and before that, for Golda Meir. It was the birthplace of the Sears and Roebuck Company and McCormick Reaper Company, which were part of a now vanishing industrial history that once provided many jobs. It was a locus of upheaval during the riots of the 1960s and is now home to one of the poorest communities in the City of Chicago.

The architectural legacy of North Lawndale remains strong despite decades of hard times. This architectural legacy is a reminder of the impact of buildings on neighborhood identity; the cohesiveness of North Lawndale as a community can be attributed in part to the architecture.

Please join the discussion of the past, present and future of North Lawndale.

Admission is free for all.

Participants

Ned Cramer Moderator, CAF

Charles Leeks Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago

David Brown University of Illinois at Chicago

Robert Bruegmann City Design Center, University of Illinois at Chicago

Susan Conger-Austin Illinois Institute of Technology

Sharon Haar University of Illinois at Chicago

Helen Slade Chicago Architectural Club

Elva Rubio University of Illinois at Chicago