Lois Weisberg <fax#312-744-1616> Date: Tue, 9 Sept 1997
TO: Mayor Richard M. Daley, City of Chicago, City Hall - Room 507, Chicago, IL 60602
Dear Mayor Daley:
I recently met with members of the Maxwell Street Historic Preservation Coalition. I believe their vision of a revitalized Maxwell Street District can be an exciting part of our city's cultural landscape and an important tourist destination.
The Coalition proposes the creation of a historic district, centered on Maxwell Street and on South Halsted Street, dedicated to immigrant history and to the district's central role in the development of Chicago blues. They suggest that the area be restored to its appearance during the mid-1940's, when thousands of African-Americans flowed into Chicago from the South, many of them coming directly to Maxwell Street.
The Coalition urges the University of Illinois at Chicago to favor this proposal in its development plans for the area. I support this idea and hope you will too.
The Maxwell Street area has historic importance as the "Ellis Island of the Midwest," home to Irish, German, Italian, Greek, Jewish and Mexican immigrants. In addition, Maxwell Street is known and revered by millions of blues fans all over the world. It has been mentioned on blues records since the 1920s. As the Chicago Blues Festival demonstrates each year, our city's blues heritage is a powerful tourist draw. The proposed Maxwell Street Historic District will be the city's first permanent blues landmark, and it will be suitable for family enjoyment. The model is Beale Street in Memphis, which is now Tennessee's most visited tourist attraction.
The Coalition's proposal for Maxwell Street is attracting support from all over the world. A Maxwell Street Historic District that captures the flavor and echoes the heritage of old Maxwell Street will provide a vital anchor for the new Maxwell Market nearby, helping that valuable institution survive and thrive at its new location.
The Chicago blues, which has influenced most of today's popular music and is so much a part of Chicago's unique cultural heritage, deserves a permanent monument. The Maxwell Street Historic District can be that monument. I urge you to support this proposal.
Sincerely,
Lois Weisberg
Commissioner, Department of Cultural Affairs
City of Chicago
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