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TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PANEL JULY 26-27, 2007 INDUSTRIAL RENAISSANCE: ESTABLISHING A CREATIVE INDUSTRIES DISTRICT CERMAK ROAD, CHICAGO ULI Chicago, a District Council of the Urban Land The Campaign for Sensible Growth is a coalition of Institute, has more than 1,300 members in the government, civic and business organizations pro- Chicagoland area who come together to find solutions moting strategies to enhance the economic vitality of and build consensus around land-use and develop- the greater Chicago region while preserving open ment challenges. The Urban Land Institute’s mission space, minimizing the need for costly new infrastruc- is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land ture, and improving the livability of communities. and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. More than 200 organizations and 1,000 individuals are members of the Campaign, including ULI Chicago. ULI Chicago gratefully acknowledges the support and The Campaign is co-chaired by the Metropolitan ongoing assistance of its Sustainers: Planning Council and Chicago Metropolitan Agency Chicago Title Insurance Company for Planning. Crown Community Development Epstein The Campaign thanks the following supporters of its LaSalle Bank technical assistance work: OWP/P, Inc. The Allstate Foundation Shefsky & Froelich Ltd. Bank of America The Walsh Group Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation U.S. Equities Realty The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation McCormick Tribune Foundation Washington Mutual INDUSTRIAL RENAISSANCE: ESTABLISHING A CREATIVE INDUSTRIES DISTRICT CERMAK ROAD, CHICAGO CONTENTS 1 ON THE WATERFRONT 3 REANIMATE AND REINVENT THE DISTRICT 4 QUESTIONS FOR THE PANEL 5 CREATIVE INDUSTRIES AS AN ECONOMIC ENGINE 8 WHAT IS A CREATIVE INDUSTRIES DISTRICT? 9 OPPORTUNITY AT HAND: THE SPICE BARREL CREATIVE INDUSTRIES DISTRICT 15 IS IT FEASIBLE? THE FINANCIALS 19 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTING THE SPICE BARREL CREATIVE INDUSTRIES DISTRICT 21 SPICE BARREL: CREATIVITY, COMMERCE, COMMUNITY, AND CONVERGENCE Front Cover: The Hoyt building (left) and Thomson & Taylor Spice building (right) are joined by the Cermak Road bridge, which connects Chinatown to Pilsen. Photo: Michael Davidson Inside Front Cover: Looking north from the Thomson & Taylor Spice building, along the south branch of the Chicago River. Photo: Michael Davidson ON THE WATERFRONT at the tri-corners of Jefferson and Lumber streets and Cermak Road, where the twin On the bend of the Chicago River on the city’s engines of rail and water converge. near southwest side sit four largely vacant industrial buildings whose bricks and mortar Chicago at the turn of the century was a giant carry the ‘DNA’ of Chicago. Built in the early factory unto itself. Sitting in the middle of a rap- years of the 20th Century, these four land- idly expanding country, the city welcomed raw marked buildings — just 1.5 miles from the materials in one door and shipped products out Loop — housed the massive food, spices, barrel the other. River and rail were the backbone of makers, and other industries that launched this production, and the cluster of buildings Chicago’s reputation as the city that works. W. along Cermak Road was a key hub of com- M. Hoyt & Co., Wendnagel & Co., Western merce. Every morning, thousands of workers Shade Cloth Co., and Thomson & Taylor Spice streamed across the Cermak Road bridge, itself Co., built these industrial behemoths — with a marvel of engineering, for another day’s labor more than 800,000 square feet among them — at the Hoyt (465 W. Cermak), Wendnagel (2130- 46 S. Jefferson Street/600 W. Cermak Road), O L L E T O B A I R A M An illustration of the study area shows where water, roads and buildings converge to create what one panel member called “an extraordinary urban room.” The four landmarked buildings and the landmarked bridge are depicted in pink. 1 H T W O R G E L B I S N E S R O F N G I A P M A C , N O S D I V A D L E A H C I M The historic Cermak Road bridge connects the W.M. Hoyt building, in the distance at right, with three others to the west of the Chicago River, including the Thomson & Taylor Spice building, at left. Western Shade Cloth (2141 S. Jefferson), and product before it was packaged and shipped to Thomson & Taylor Spice (500 W. Cermak) local grocers throughout the Midwest. buildings. Like the city itself, the warehouses were self- The din of the hustle and flow of raw commerce contained factories, with ships unloading raw could be heard for blocks, as workmen in the materials stem to stern onto the docks while Wendnagel building hauled redwoods off the trains were loading finished goods to depart for ships from California, planed and cut the raw the newly settled West. These buildings, said timber, and bent and formed the wood into the Tim Samuelson, cultural historian, Chicago water barrels and tanks that would revolutionize Dept. of Cultural Affairs, “worked for a living.” fire safety — and which to this day dot the roofline of the city. The river is quiet today, and the commerce of the information age has moved to highrises of Across the street at the Thomson & Taylor Spice the nearby Loop. But the ghostly echoes of that building, men moved the massive shipments of industrial clamor linger in the halls and floors of bulk spice and teas along the production line, these massive structures. Some say, on a warm through the grinders, and up to the fourth floor day, you can even catch a whiff of coffee and where the tea and coffee tasters sipped the final spices. 2 In April 2006, recogniz- uses into these four historic buildings, and, in “The panel has ing the historic and archi- the process, create jobs and opportunities for provided an excit- tectural significance of the surrounding communities. As urbanist Jane ing opportunity to these buildings and their Jacobs said, “new ideas start in old buildings.” bring ... communi- surroundings, the ties together and Chicago City Council des- create jobs ... ignated the area a land- REANIMATE AND REINVENT THE They’ve given us a mark district, the only DISTRICT blueprint as a one in the city located in jumping off point to begin to make a Planned Manufacturing With the goal of revitalizing this area into one this a reality.” District (PMD). A PMD that supports the creative industries, the restricts the sites to Chicago Dept. of Cultural Affairs (DCA), Dept. DAVID BETLEJEWSKI, industrial uses, and as of Planning and Development (DPD), and Ald. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, Sam Assefa, deputy com- Daniel Solis (25th Ward) asked the Urban Land EIGHTEENTH STREET missioner, Chicago Dept. Institute Chicago District Council (ULI) and DEVELOPMENT of Planning & Campaign for Sensible Growth (Campaign) to CORPORATION Development, explained, convene a Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) of a PMD is designed to real estate development experts, urban planning protect the manufactur- and design professionals, and community devel- ing job base of the city. The district contains the opment leaders. The goal was to create a plan four buildings and Cermak Road bridge, the last remaining moveable Scherzer rolling lift bridge in Chicago, a “ballet dancer in steel,” as Samuelson called it. The district figuratively and literally bridges the communities of Pilsen to the west and Chinatown to the east, with the South Loop, Bridgeport, University Village, and Bronzeville. Today, the district sits poised for reinvention as a 21st-Century industrial corridor centered on a 21st-Century economy: what economist Richard Florida calls “the creative class” of “high bohemian” workers who spur economic devel- opment. The vision of the city is to create a vibrant, eco- nomically viable district centered on creative industries, ranging from fine arts, film produc- tion and fashion, to engineering and informa- tion specialists and other professionals who cre- Cultural historian Tim Samuelson (center) leads the panel on a guided tour of the study ate and innovate. The city’s goal is to put new area, which gave panel members the opportunity to see the site first-hand, ask ques- tions, and take photos for later analysis. 3 to “retain and reanimate the district,” as DCA’s QUESTIONS FOR THE PANEL Barbara Koenen put it. “We want to think about new industries for this “This is an interesting and timely challenge,” area,” said Assefa. “We want to create a syner- said TAP Chair Julia Stasch, vice president for getic relationship between what could come and U.S. programs, John D. and Catherine T. what is here.” Reflecting this potential, the TAP MacArthur Foundation. “The city is on a contin- sought to address the following questions: uing path of growth and change.” The panel was the 19th TAP ULI Chicago and • What are the market demands and finan- cial feasibility for creative industry real the Campaign have convened in the Chicago estate in Chicago that are appropriate for region since 2001. Based on the ULI national an industrial corridor? model, each TAP is assembled by request of a community to address specific development • What specific space requirements are challenges, such as downtown revitalization, needed by the creative industries? planning for retail growth, neighborhood devel- opment, or environmentally sensitive develop- • What market needs of the creative indus- tries can be served by these four buildings? ment. Whatever the call, TAPs create an action plan for the communities. • Can the buildings be renovated in a cost- effective manner to meet the market “We’re not swooping in as experts,” said Stasch, demand? of the TAP panel’s recommendations. “We’re offering ideas on how existing assets can help • How would these uses complement sur- realize local, citywide, and even regional aspira- rounding industrial uses in the corridor? tions.” • How would these uses fit into the neighboring communities of Pilsen and Before the two-day meeting, on July 26 and 27, Chinatown? 2007, TAP volunteers received detailed back- ground information, a problem statement, and • How much of the demand for these uses specific questions the community would like the can serve the surrounding area’s Latino panel to address.

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