From Charles K. Cowdery <cowdery@ix.netcom.com>, President of the Maxwell Street Historic Preservation Coalition, September 29, 1999

My primary purpose in writing to each of you is to echo the offer made by David Bahlman, Executive Director of the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois, in his letter to you dated September 17, 1999. The Maxwell Street Historic Preservation Coalition is likewise ready to provide expertise and counsel to assist you in identifying an acceptable preservation solution for the Maxwell Street neighborhood.

As I said when I spoke at your May 14, 1998 meeting in Urbana, the University of Illinois is now custodian of the history and culture of Maxwell Street, whether you like it or not. What you do about Maxwell Street will become part of its history and yours, and will say something profound about the university and its values. I have served on public boards and know the extent to which you are at the mercy of staff. Therefore, I urge you to consider this issue independently. This is a policy matter about the university’s fundamental values and, therefore, appropriate for independent trustee consideration.

Please be aware that the administration’s claims that preservation is not affordable are unsupported and insupportable. A true preservation plan, embraced by the community, will give the university access to private and public funding sources not otherwise available to you. As the Chicago Tribune pointed out in its September 13th editorial, the two hottest words in city real estate today are "adaptive reuse." Private developers do not preserve old buildings for sentimental reasons, they do it because it makes good economic sense. A properly preserved Maxwell Street district will reward the university with incalculable goodwill, plus tangible economic benefits.

Over the many years of this controversy, the UIC administration has received thousands of protest messages from individuals and groups all over the world. All of the administration’s efforts to make this issue disappear have failed. The time has come for you to embrace Maxwell Street and make it work for you. If your staff cannot make that leap, you have the authority to replace them with people who can.

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