Gino and Bernadette Battaglia <blues@bluechicago.com; fax# 312-642-6168> Date: Wed, 21 May 1997
Blue Chicago is located at 736 N. Clark in Chicago; Phone: 312-642-6261
Dear Chancellor Broski:
We want to express our support for a Maxwell Street Preservation District and hope the University of Illinois also supports this. In this society of shopping malls and franchised entertainment companies that can be found in any large urban area in the country, we believe it is important to preserve the cultural uniqueness that makes Chicago a special city. We also believe it is important to keep this history and local color alive for future generations.
Maxwell Street is a vital aspect of Chicago's rich past and our belief in the importance of preserving this is so strong that we have commissioned a well-known artist, John Carroll Doyle, to create a beautiful oil painting entitled "Maxwell Street Market." The original is displayed in our place of business, Blue Chicago, a blues nightclub (established in 1985) that is not only frequented by local music lovers, but also visitors from Europe, Asia, South America, Canada and the United States. Our life work is dedicated to exposing people to the rich cultural music called "blues" and we believe it is important that this American art form be kept alive. We have enclosed a copy of the reproduction for your enjoyment.
In closing, we hope you will make this issue one of the priorities of the University of Illinois, and thank you for considering our comments.
Sincerely,
Gino Battaglia, Bernadette Battaglia - Owners of Blues Chicago
cc: The Honorable Mayor Richard M. Daley
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