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April 27, 2006

Field’s Green Fades to Black

Thursday afternoon Macy’s debuted their plans for Marshall Field’s State street store. In September the Macy’s name will appear on black awnings, which will replace the green Field’s awnings. Landmark status will prevent the Field’s nameplate and clocks from disappearing completely.

The complete coverage of Macy’s four year makeover plan as reported on Crain’s Chicago Business electronic edition follows.

Federated plans major overhaul of Field's
>From the Crain's Chicago Business Newsroom
Flagship store to be called Macy's at State Street April 27 14:03:00, 2006 By Sandra Jones
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(Crain’s) — The hallmark green awnings at Marshall Field’s State Street will turn black in September when the 154-year-old name is replaced with its new
moniker: Macy’s at State Street.
The black canopies are just one of a round of changes new owner Federated Department Stores Inc. has planned for the iconic Chicago State Street store as it moves to assuage shoppers upset with losing the Marshall Field’s moniker.
Rendering of new awnings planned for revamped Macy’s at State Street store.

The store will function as Macy’s Midwest flagship and a testing ground for new concepts that could be rolled out across the more than 800 Macy’s stores nationwide, Federated Chairman and CEO Terry Lundgren said at a press conference today at the State Street store.
The retailer also plans to restore the Frango mint display kitchen on the seventh floor and is working to bring production of the famous candy back to Chicago, Mr. Lundgren said. Field’s closed the State Street candy kitchen in
1999 and moved production to Pennsylvania when it was owned by Minneapolis-based Target Corp.
“We’re going to make this a great store, a store you’ll be proud of,” says Mr. Lundgren.
Federated is looking for an upscale fresh food market to lease space on the lower level so residents in the Loop have a convenient grocer within walking
distance.
The 28-Shop, a designer boutique created in 1941 catering to Chicago’s carriage trade, will get special treatment. The old entrance at 28 East Washington will be restored and shoppers will have private elevator access to the shop. The store will also offer valet parking at the entrance. A young designer shop is in the works to showcase local Chicago designers.
Rendering of new signage planned for State Street store

A four-year plan to clean and restore the stores façade will begin later this year. And the Chicago History Museum, formerly the Chicago Historical Society, will curate and maintain Field’s archives. A plaque describing the building’s history will be added to the outside of the building above the “Marshall Field and Company” plaque. The building’s landmark status mandates Federated keep the nameplate and the famous Field’s clocks.
Federated, based in New York and Cincinnati, acquired Marshall Field’s when it bought St. Louis-based May Department Stores Co. last year for $11 billion. It is changing all the local department store chains it acquired in the deal, including Field’s, to Macy’s as part of its plan to create a national department store.
“We’re taking the local department store and changing the name to Macy’s while still retaining the local character,” says Frank Guzzetta, chairman and CEO of Macy’s North. “What everyone expects to have will still be here and more."
That is everything except the Field’s name.
“Marshall Field was a city founder and to have someone come in and change the name, it’s hard to accept,” says Rita M. Post, 65, who has been shopping at Field’s since she was a child. “I just think it’s a bad idea.”

Posted by hinsdalereference at 7:27 PM

April 26, 2006

You Should Be Dancing!

You Should be Dancing! Or Enjoying a Dance Performance!
Celebrate National Dance Week – April 21 – 30, 2006
For information on area performances, go to SeeChicagoDance.com. Sponsored by the Chicago Community Trust’s Excellence in Dance Initiative, this site includes a calendar of professional dance events in the Chicago area, a directory of local and visiting dance companies, dance news, discount offers, ticket sales, and member newsletters.

For more information on the national professional dance scene, take a look at Dancemagazine. The latest issue is in the library’s Quiet Room. Or check out their Web site for news and performance reviews.

Inspired by “Dancing With the Stars”, Mad Hot Ballroom or Fred and Ginger?
Check out the following sites to find ballroom dancing instruction:
Ballroom Chicago.com
Ballroom Dancers.com

Chicago Summer Dance returns this summer. Take a lesson in Grant Park and dance to live music.

PP

Posted by hinsdalereference at 12:01 PM

April 20, 2006

Earth Day is Saturday, April 22

When spring cleaning and decluttering, be kind to Mother Earth (and everyone who inhabits it) by disposing of waste responsibly. And by recycling what you no longer need, you can keep it out of the landfill altogether. Besides Goodwill, organizations' rummage sales, and (naturally) library book sales, here are some suggestions for recycling or donating what you no longer need.

DuPage County is celebrating Earth Day by hosting a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event for chemicals, thermometers, and other items from the house and yard.

DuPage County’s Guide to Waste, Recycling & Energy tells where to recycle electronics, textbooks, and other household items.

Enter your zip code at Earth911 to find out where to recycle everything from agricultural motor oil to yard waste, including construction materials, videotapes, cell phones, tires, and packing peanuts.

The Nike Reuse-a-Shoe program will give your old sports shoes new life by converting them into basketball and tennis courts, athletic fields, and running tracks.

Electronic equipment contains hazardous materials that will be released into our air and water unless properly handled. Dell, Hewlett Packard, IBM, and Epson are among the manufacturers and retailers that take back their own and sometimes other companies’ products.

Have stuff that’s too good to throw out but don’t want to hassle holding a garage sale? Join a Freecycle group and give the outgrown bunk beds or that lawnmower you won’t need in the condo a new home in Hinsdale, Burr Ridge, or another local suburb.

The Doings published a list of places to donate baby supplies, bicycles, medical equipment, small appliances, and radios and TVs, among other things you might not think of. ("Dispose Yourself to a Greener Lifestyle," August 15, 2005, p. 21-22)

Share the Technology hosts a database of used computer and office equipment. Post a donation or a request to find a local person or organization who has what you need or needs what you have.

Infinitec, Inc. is the assistive technology program of the United Cerebral Palsy Association of Greater Chicago. Its Assistive Technology Exchange Network (ATEN) recycles computers and other technology to benefit learners with disabilities in the Chicago area and Illinois.

Why bother? Studies show that recycling has many Economic Benefits. Recycling reduces the need for new landfills, prevents pollution, saves energy, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and conserves natural resources. It also creates jobs, both in the recycling industry and in the services it uses; generates tax revenues; and investments in recycling equipment and the companies themselves contribute to economic growth. A study quantifies these benefits in Illinois and nationally.

Recycling has a proven record that’s Too Good To Throw Away. It's worth the little effort it takes.

Posted by hinsdalereference at 10:53 AM

April 18, 2006

Illinois Executive Branch and Corruption

The Illinois Executive Branch has a tarnished history. Prior to former governor George Ryan’s conviction on April 17, 2006, three other Illinois governors were indicted on corruption charges.

Lennington Small, Governor of Illinois 1921-1929, was indicted for money laundering. The charges stemmed from his term as Illinois State Treasurer, but failed to stick as the jury found him innocent. Members of that jury later gained patronage jobs with the state.

William G. Stratton, Governor of Illinois 1953-1961, was acquitted of tax evasion charges.

Otto Kerner, Jr., Illinois Governor 1961-1968, was convicted on 17 charges ranging from bribery and conspiracy, to perjury.

Daniel Walker, Illinois Governor 1973-1977, was imprisoned after his political life, for mismanagement of the First American Savings and Loan Association.

For a more in-depth look at the dark history of Illinois politics read this article from the April 18, 2006, Chicago Tribune.

Posted by hinsdalereference at 11:55 AM

April 12, 2006

April is the ----- Month

The often quoted opening line of T. S. Eliot’s The Wasteland labels April “as the cruellest month”. This may be true, but it is also a much celebrated month. The following is a small sample of the organizations and causes who claim April as the time to raise awareness.
April is National Poetry Month
April is Jazz Appreciation Month
April is National Kite Month
April is National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month
April is Rosacea Awareness Month
April is Stress Awareness Month

Posted by hinsdalereference at 3:16 PM

April 5, 2006

Momentum builds for proposed addition to the Chicago skyline

Chicago, considered by many to be the Mecca of skycraper architecture, is attracting global attention for the proposed Fordham Spire, a twisting 2,000-foot-tall highrise designed by notable Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. The structure recently received final zoning approval from the Chicago City Council. If constructed as proposed, it will become the nation's tallest building, exceeding the Sears Tower by more than 500 feet.

Calatrava has previously made a mark in the region with the striking Quadracci Pavilion at the Milwaukee Art Museum, which was his first building project in the United States. To see this and other Calatrava designs, check out the library's copy of Santiago Calatrava: The Complete Works, a 2004 retrospective book illustrating many of his structures. For additional information on the Fordham Spire project, read the Chicago Tribune editorial Chicago, reaching higher. To see how it compares with the rest of Chicago's skyscrapers, including the Trump International Hotel & Tower, visit the Chicago diagram on SkyscraperPage.org.

Calatrava has previously made a mark in the region with the striking Quadracci Pavilion at the Milwaukee Art Museum, which was his first building project in the United States. To see other Calatrava's designs, check out the library's copy of Santiago Calatrava: The Complete Works, a 2004 retrospective book illustrating many of his structures.

For additional information on the Fordham Spire project, read the Chicago Tribune editorial Chicago, reaching higher. To see how it stacks up visually with the rest of Chicago's skyscrapers, including the Trump International Hotel & Tower, visit the Chicago diagram on SkyscraperPage.org.

 

[MBO]

Posted by hinsdalereference at 3:28 PM