Janelle L. Walker <jlwalker@grenzglier.com> Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997
Dear Chancellor Broski:
This letter is to officially register my support for the efforts of the Maxwell Street Historic Preservation Coalition.
As a graduate student at the Folklore Institute at Indiana University, I am currently working on my dissertation which deals with the development of modern tourist attractions at historic or traditional sites. My project focuses on the development of Chicago's Navy Pier and the New Maxwell Street Market. Of course, any investigation of the new market must consider the old market, and so I have followed the negotiations of the city of Chicago and the UIC closely over the past several years. I was deeply saddened by the move of the market, but am now even more concerned that the university has plans to completely obliterate the memory of the old marketplace. I want to urge you to save the site of the old market, to see its history as a "usable past" which can be joined with the future of the university and neighborhood.
I am sure the university is considering the fate of the Halsted-Maxwell Street area from all angles and that it is not your intention to systematically destroy a cultural enclave rich in history and tradition. But that is exactly what you will be doing if you continue with reported plans to "transform" the area around the campus "as part of an effort to solidify a spot in the academic big-leagues" (Chicago Tribune, March 12, 1997). It seems to me that these plans for institutional and commercial development can also include a historic district which would not only honor the immigrant experience, the Great African-American migration, the heritage of Urban Blues music, American entrepreneurialism, and the many ethnic, linguistic, and cultural traditions of the Maxwell Street Market, but would also serve as a tourist attraction, ultimately bringing revenue and reputation to the UIC. These sorts of attractions are a big draw in many U.S. cities.
The site of the original Maxwell Street Market can be a strong asset for the city of Chicago and for the university -- it can be the cornerstone of your redevelopment plans, the jewel in the crown of a vital, vibrant, authentic urban university district. You are in possession of a landmark of great historic significance. I sincerely hope that scholars in the future will be able to cite the UIC as an institution of vision, an institution which created a vital historic district by successfully joining the past and the present, tradition and progress, into a neighborhood and monument worthy of academic and touristic attention.
Sincerely,
Janelle L. Walker
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