Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance

The Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance (PDNA) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) resident organization in the South Loop community of Chicago, Illinois. The PDNA was founded in 2006 to provide support and representation to thousands of residents living in and around the Prairie Avenue Historic District and south Michigan Avenue corridor. An area regarded as the fastest growing neighborhood in Chicago and one of the hottest neighborhoods in the country. Membership enrollment in the PDNA is open to condominium / townhome associations and owners of single family residences. Residents living outside the PDNA boundaries, but still residing in the South Loop, may become affiliate resident members and businesses in the South Loop may become affiliate business members.

Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance
The PDNA represents The Prairie Avenue Historic District John G. Glessner House, 1800 South Prairie Avenue

Mission and Vision

The mission of the Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance is to bring neighbors together in order to build a sense of community, preserve the integrity of the neighborhood’s historic character, address issues of the neighborhood, provide the neighborhood with an effective communication link with the Alderman, developers, government officials and other influential groups, and to empower residents to work together in improving the neighborhood. The objective being to foster a collective, respectful and unified voice that translates into a powerful and influential force in the community. The PDNA's vision is to facilitate and encourage residents to devote their time and energy to improving and enhancing the neighborhood which encompasses Lake Shore Drive to the East, Indiana Avenue to the West Cermak Road to the South, 15th Street (St. Charles Rail) to the North, and all cross streets within this area. The PDNA also provides support to south Michigan Avenue from 16th Street south to Cermak, and all cross streets in between. View map of the Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance.

• Pictured: Pullman statue 'Black Partridge saving Mrs. Helm' which stood on the Pullman estate on Prairie Avenue and 18th Street. The monument was erected by George Pullman in 1893 during the World's Columbian Exposition. Although marked for well over a century by a cottonwood tree and later this bronze monument, nothing today marks the traditional site of the 1812 Fort Dearborn Massacre
  Pictured: Pullman statue 'Black Partridge saving Mrs. Helm' which stood on the Pullman estate on Prairie Avenue and 18th Street. The monument was erected by George Pullman in 1893 during the World's Columbian Exposition. Although marked for well over a century by a cottonwood tree and later this bronze monument, nothing today marks the traditional site of the 1812 Fort Dearborn Massacre
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  Pictured: The Henry B. Clarke House, architect unknown, is located at 1827 S. Indiana Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. Built in 1836 and untouched by the great Chicago fire of 1871, the Clarke House is Chicago’s oldest house and a classic example of the Greek Revival style. Moved twice and opened as a house museum in 1982, it features 19th century furnishings depicting life on the urban frontier. Designated a Chicago Landmark on October 14, 1970
• Pictured from left to right: Glessner House Executive Director, William Tyre; Alderman Robert Fioretti; Chicago Architecture Foundation Founding Executive Director, Jeanette Fields; Mayor Richard M. Daley; Chicago Architecture Foundation 1978 Festival Director, Marian Premer; Artist Jack Simmerling, and PDNA President, Tina Feldstein at The Festival on Prairie Avenue September 6, 2008
  Pictured from left to right: Glessner House Executive Director, William Tyre; Alderman Robert Fioretti; Chicago Architecture Foundation Founding Executive Director, Jeanette Fields; Mayor Richard M. Daley; Chicago Architecture Foundation 1978 Festival Director, Marian Premer; Artist Jack Simmerling, and PDNA President, Tina Feldstein at The Festival on Prairie Avenue September 6, 2008
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  Pictured: The John J. Glessner House, operated as the Glessner House Museum, is an important 19th-century residence located at 1800 S. Prairie Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. It was designed in 1885-1886 by architect Henry Hobson Richardson and completed in late 1887. The property was designated a Chicago Landmark on October 14, 1970. The Glessner House is a key Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance partner.

Acomplishments

The Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance is concerned with issues that affect the quality of life in the community. Issues such as proposed residential and commercial development, zoning regulations, enviornmental, traffic and infrastructure improvements, as well as events that will strengthen the neighborhood. The PDNA objective is to sponsor a variety of projects such as neighborhood festivals, block parties, crime prevention activities and upgrading neighborhood parks.

The PDNA has testified in front of Chicago City Council as well as, Illinois State lawmakers and experts who in 2008 traveled the state gathering testimony about how to update the Condo Property Act. That state law governs the formation of condo associations and assigns them and developers various responsibilities. With such rapid growth in the South Loop, residents who live within the Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance boundaries have become increasingly concerned about the quality of new development and the quality of work being done on properties being converted to residential use. For this reason, the PDNA is compiling data about problem buildings from membership associations allowing condo boards and residents to band together to make their voices heard. Some have already achieved high-profile status. Additionally, the Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance and area residents actively review proposed development projects in an effort to protect the architectural character of the Historic Prairie Avenue District seeking to be respectful of other nearby structures such as the Landmark Glessner House Museum and Clarke House Museum.

On September 6, 2008 Alderman Robert Fioretti presented The Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance with a City Council Resolution declaring September 6th as 'Prairie Avenue Day'. The City Council Resolution was presented to the PDNA at The Festival on Prairie Avenue, Mayor Richard M. Daley was in attendance during this significant moment. The Festival on Prairie Avenue, which took visitors back to the time of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in recognition of the street’s restoration to its 1890’s appearance, was attended by over 1,200 residents. At the Festival, the PDNA honored Mayor Richard J. Daley for his role in creating 'The Prairie Avenue Historic District', the first Historic District in Chicago. Current Chicago Mayor, (and neighbor) Richard M. Daley attended the Festival and accepted the honor on behalf of his father.

The Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance and it's residents banned together to successfully save the Vietnam Veterans Art Museum building at 1801 S. Indiana Avenue, a cultural pillar of the neighborhood, from being sold privately and converted into a night club. Instead, the building was purchased by the city of Chicago and conveyed to the Chicago Park District to become a new Community Center. The PDNA has presented recomendations to the Commission on Chicago Parks and the Alderman in hopes of naming a new park which is located near 18th and Prairie Avenue, the site which marks the 1812 Fort Dearborn Massacre. The PDNA is also focusing on the development of other highly anticipated neighborhood parks. By alligning with the Alderman, businesses and local merchants associations, the PDNA is also helping to bring much needed infrastructure and retail to the area.

Architecture

The Architecture within the bounaries of the Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance represents every major building period in the history of Chicago, from the 1836 Greek Revival Clarke House (now a museum) to modern townhouse and condominium developments. Many of Chicago’s most important architects designed buildings here, including surviving examples by Daniel Burnham, Cobb & Frost, Solon Spencer Beman, Howard Van Doren Shaw, and Alfred Alschuler. Henry Hobson Richardson, a Boston architect, designed the Glessner House, a fully furnished house museum considered one of the most significant residential designs of the 19th century. A variety of Architectural Tours are available throughout the year, showcasing both the neighborhood as a whole, and specific buildings that have been preserved as house museums. More than two dozen buildings and sites, including mansions, industrial buildings, Motor Row showrooms, and more, can be seen by walking through the area. View a listing of Landmarks and other Important Buildings.

References

  1. "South Loop Rising, Faces of the South Loop" Chicago Magazine, June 2007. 
  2. "South Loop strives for identity as a new neighborhood evolves" New Homes Magazine, October 24, 2007.  
  3. "I don't know. Why are you bothering me?" Chicago Sun Times, Feburary 16, 2007. 
  4. "Condo law needs teeth" Chicago Journal, October 8, 2008. 
  5. "The perfect shock" Chicago Sun Times, Feburary 16, 2007. 
  6. "Proposed zoning change threatens South Loop project" Crain's Chicago Business, July 20, 2007.
  7. "South Loop meetings discuss area events, developments" New West Gazzette, July 6, 2007. 
  8. "PDNA wants X/O investigation: planning department refuses" New West Gazzette, April 3, 2007. 
  9. "Haithcock promises to stall X/O, again" Chicago Journal, March 7, 2007. 
 10. "Pie in the sky" Chicago Journal, January 21, 2007. 
 11. "Oddball on the wrecking crew" Chicago Journal, September 3, 2008.
 12. "1890's revival at Festival on Prairie Avenue" New West Gazzette, August 2008. 
 13. "Park District gains property" New West Gazzette, August 2008. 
 14. "Park District aquires South Loop property" Chicago Journal, November 21, 2007 
 15. "Vets Museum goes to Park District" Chicago Journal, June  27, 2007. 
 16. "Party in a war zone" Chicago Reader, March 3, 2007. 
 17. "Cafe Society rumbles" Chicago Journal, Feburary 14, 2007. 
 18. "Park likely to be named for Black Partridge" New West Gazzette, August 2007.
 19. "Renaming: Black Partridge Park?" Chicago Journal, May 24, 2007. 
 20. "Blood on the ground" Chicago Reader, March 23, 2007.
 21. "Density envisioned around future el stops" Chicago Journal, November 19, 2008

External links

Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance

Clarke House Museum

Glessner House Museum

Friends of Historic Second Church