A Year In Review for the Hyde Park Community

President Barack Obama traveled to Chicago several times in 2019 to check on the progress of his presidential library that will be built in Jackson Park by 2021. Photo credit: Courtesy of the Obama Foundation
President Barack Obama traveled to Chicago several times in 2019 to check on the progress of his presidential library that will be built in Jackson Park by 2021. Photo credit: Courtesy of the Obama Foundation

A Year In Review for the Hyde Park Community

BY WENDELL HUTSON, Contributing Writer

For 2019, the Hyde Park community inched closer to someday becoming home to the Obama Presidential Library while the Museum of Science & Industry announced plans to rename itself and a local show store was named number one in Illinois.

Obama Presidential Center (OPC)

After construction was delayed by a 2018 lawsuit by the Protect Our Parks group, a federal judged tossed out the suit in June 2019 thus allowing development for the center to proceed as it now races to be completed by 2012.

In tossing out the suit, U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey, said in a written ruling, that the center “surely provides a multitude of benefits to the public. It will offer a range of cultural, artistic, and recreational opportunities as well as provide increased access to other areas of Jackson Park and the Museum of Science and Industry.”

Even though the group said it would appeal the judge’s ruling, the OPC is not off the hook yet. It must still finish a federal review process before ground can be broken on the $500 million project.

And while the Obama Foundation was not named in the suit, David Simas, the foundation’s CEO, said in a statement, “(we) are thrilled with the city’s victory and grateful to all of those in Chicago and beyond who have believed in this project and made their voices heard every step of the way. Our vision for the Obama Presidential Center has always been one where the location reinforces the project’s core aims: a celebration of history, a place of connection and engagement for the public, and an investment in community.”

Top Business

Wesley’s Shoes, a black-owned business at 1506 E. 55th St., was recognized as the best in Illinois at the 2019 Gold Medal Service Awards sponsored by Footwear Insight, a trade magazine for footwear sellers. Wesley’s Shoes was also ranked 13th nationally by Footwear Insight among all shoe retailers.

The family-owned business was founded in 1970 by the late Rev. Alvin J. Wesley, and according to Bruce Wesley, owner of Wesley’s Shoes, it is the oldest independent, black-owned shoe retailer in the country.

“While we have been nominated three times before for a service award, this is the first time we actually won,” said Wesley, 57. “But I plan to be number one next year and every year thereafter.”

Footwear officials said, Wesley’s Shoes was the only Chicago shoe merchant to make the covenant list and received 97 out of 100 points.

And as far as expanding the business, Wesley said that is not part of his immediate plans unless an opportunity to do so comes forward.

“Brick and mortar stores are fading out and the overhead can be expensive. I’d rather focus more on improving our online sales for the future,” said Wesley. “But you never know what can happen in the next five years so we’ll see how things go.”

Nearby in South Shore, a new full-service grocery store opened after a six years of being a food desert neighborhood.

On Dec. 11, Local Market by Shop and Save opened a 62,000 square-foot store inside the Jeffery Plaza, 2101 E. 71st St. in space vacated in 2013 by Dominick’s when it closed the store.

Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th), whose ward includes Hyde Park and South Shore, recruited the store to the ward and said she was grateful that residents now have a local shopping option.

“This is just the beginning so stay tuned,” said Hairston. “It’s been a long road getting to this point but now we are here and plan to move forward in rebuilding South Shore’s local economy and making it an even greater community.”

In March 2019, Jewel Osco opened a 48,000-square-foot store at 6014 S. Cottage Grove Ave. in Woodlawn, but Hairston said while that’s good, more grocery stores are still needed for the South Side before it can no longer be considered a ‘food desert.’

“Research has shown in Naperville there’s one, ‘major’ grocery store for every 13,000 people, so if four additional grocery stores were built on the Southeast Side of Chicago (which includes South Shore) there would still only be one, major grocery store for every 27,000 people,” explained Hairston. “And as good as four more stores may sound, the South Side would still be grossly underserved.”

Name Change

The Museum of Science & Industry, 5700 S. Lakeshore Drive, was established in 1933 but in 2019, museum officials announced it would rename itself the Ken Griffin Museum of Science & Industry after receiving a $125 million donation from the Chicago philanthropist.

“The most important thing is that we are absolutely thrilled and proud to become the Kenneth C. Griffin Museum of Science and Industry,” David Mosena, the museum’s president and chief executive officer, said in a statement.

According to the city’s tourism bureau, the MSI was the second most popular museum in 2018; the last year figures were available, with 1.56 million visitors. The Art Institute of Chicago was first with 1.62 million visitors.

Latest Stories

Latest Podcast

STARR Community Services International, Inc.