Alisa Bearov Landrum <ablesq@erols.com> Date: Sat, 19 Jul 1997
Dear Mr. Broski:
I am writing to express my concern over the future of the remaining structures in the old Maxwell Street area.
Although I now live in Virginia, I spent a number of years in the midwest, some of them in Illinois, and have made numberless trips into Chicago, where my sister now lives. I love your city, and am very distressed to learn that an important part of it is now at risk of demolition.
Here in Norfolk, we have only just begun to recognize the value to a city of its historic structures, and the thirst that our citizens have to keep these physical links to our past. Ironically, our preservation group just this week commissioned a telephone survey of our city's citizens, and one of the questions was, "Do you believe that new residents and tourists prefer a city which preserves its old buildings and communities, or one which demolishes these older buildings and replaces them with new buildings?" The results were an overwhelming 90% in favor of preservation. I would be very surprised if the results would be different in Chicago.
One other situation which may be of particular interest to an educational institution: Here in Norfolk, our downtown basically died some years ago. It was filled with vacant buildings, including department stores, restaurants, small shops...all empty and dreadful. A local college, Tidewater Community College, has transformed those buildings into a splendid urban campus, including the old Smith and Welton Building Department Store resurrected as their new library. It is breathtaking! Surely the buildings of Maxwell Street could similarly be recycled for the benefit of all, including UI?
Please consider this issue with great care; demolition is forever.
Alisa Bearov Landrum, Esq.
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