Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance
Encyclopedia
The Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance (PDNA) is a non-profit resident organization in the South Loop community of Chicago
, Illinois
. The PDNA, founded in 2006, has grown to provide support and representation to thousands of residents living in and around the Prairie Avenue
Historic District, Central Station and Museum Park, south Michigan Avenue
corridor, and the broader South Loop. An area regarded as the fastest growing neighborhood in Chicago and one of the hottest neighborhoods in the country. Basic Members receive free email updates and newsletters on community events; development news; educational, historical and cultural programs; select surveys and other important community news and information. The PDNA provides additional membership programs offering support and benefits to residents, condominium/townhome associations, businesses, cultural institutions and organizations who reside within the Organization's boundaries and who agrees to and supports the purpose of the Alliance.
The purpose of the Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance is to provide an environment to meet neighbors, exchange ideas, prioritize projects, propose solutions, and implement plans for the neighborhood. The Neighborhood Alliance is concerned with issues that affect the quality of life in the community. Issues such as: education and schools, proposed residential and commercial development, zoning regulations, traffic and infrastructure improvements, as well as social activities and events that will strengthen the neighborhood. Additionally, the PDNA is committed to developing, facilitating, seeking community input, organizing, and delivering a variety of comprehensive community surveys, and/or an assortment of community projects and programs such as neighborhood festivals, block parties, seasonal celebrations, crime prevention activities, historical and educational programs and beautification plans for upgrading neighborhood parks.
With such rapid growth in the South Loop, residents who live within the Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance boundaries have become increasingly concerned about the quality of new development and the quality of work performed on properties converted to residential use. Condo boards and residents have begun to band together to make their voices heard. Some have already achieved high-profile status. Additionally, the Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance and area residents work with the Alderman to actively review proposed development projects in an effort to encourage smart growth and to protect the architectural character of the Historic Prairie Avenue District
seeking to be respectful of important nearby structures such as the Landmark Glessner House Museum and Clarke House Museum.
On September 6, 2008, Alderman Robert Fioretti presented The Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance with a City Council resolution declaring September 6 as 'Prairie Avenue Day'. The City Council Resolution was presented to the PDNA at The Festival on Prairie Avenue, Mayor Richard M. Daley was in attendance during this significant moment. The Festival on Prairie Avenue, which took visitors back to the time of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in recognition of the street's restoration to its 1890s appearance, was attended by over 1,200 residents. At the festival, the PDNA honored Mayor Richard J. Daley
for his role in creating 'The Prairie Avenue Historic District', the first Historic District in Chicago. Current Chicago Mayor (and neighbor) Richard M. Daley
attended the festival and accepted the honor on behalf of his father.
The Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance and its residents banned together to successfully save the Vietnam Veterans Art Museum building at 1801 S. Indiana Avenue, a cultural pillar of the neighborhood, from being sold privately and converted into a night club. Instead, the building was purchased by the city of Chicago and conveyed to the Chicago Park District
to become a new Community Center. The PDNA presented recommendations to the Commission on Chicago Parks and the Alderman to name an important new park which is located near 18th and Calumet Avenue, the site which marks the 1812 Fort Dearborn Massacre. On August 15, 2009 (the anniversary of the battle) the PDNA joined with the Alderman, Chicago Park District officials, Historians, Native Americans, Illinois Armory National Guardsman, Battle Descendants and a large number of community residents to commemorate and officially name the site as the Battle of Fort Dearborn Park and unveil an historic marker outlining the site's significance. The PDNA is also focusing on the development of other highly anticipated neighborhood parks.
on Jan. 27, 2010 the Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance introduced the South Loop Neighborhood Watch with the support of the 1st District police and 2nd Ward Alderman, Robert Fioretti. Additionally, the South Loop Neighborhood Watch Google Group was launched. This important communication tool allows the neighborhood to share BEAT 133 crime alerts, tips, or suspicious activity of value to the community. Beat 133 compromises the Prairie District neighborhood, the Central Station and Museum Park neighborhood and the South Michigan Avenue Corridor.
By aligning with the Alderman, businesses, cultural institutions and other like-minded organizations, the PDNA and its residents aim to bring much needed infrastructure and retail to the area.
, Cobb and Frost
, Solon Spencer Beman
, Howard Van Doren Shaw
, and Alfred Alschuler. Henry Hobson Richardson
, a Boston architect, designed the Glessner House, a fully furnished house museum considered one of the most significant residential designs of the 19th century. A variety of architectural tours are available throughout the year, showcasing both the neighborhood as a whole, and specific buildings that have been preserved as house museums. More than two dozen buildings and sites, including mansions, industrial buildings, Motor Row District
showrooms, and more, can be seen by walking through the area.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. The PDNA, founded in 2006, has grown to provide support and representation to thousands of residents living in and around the Prairie Avenue
Prairie Avenue
Prairie Avenue is a north–south thoroughfare on the South Side of Chicago, which historically extended from 16th Street in the Near South Side community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States, to the city's southern limits and beyond. The street has a rich history from its origins...
Historic District, Central Station and Museum Park, south Michigan Avenue
Michigan Avenue (Chicago)
Michigan Avenue is a major north-south street in Chicago which runs at 100 east south of the Chicago River and at 132 East north of the river from 12628 south to 950 north in the Chicago street address system...
corridor, and the broader South Loop. An area regarded as the fastest growing neighborhood in Chicago and one of the hottest neighborhoods in the country. Basic Members receive free email updates and newsletters on community events; development news; educational, historical and cultural programs; select surveys and other important community news and information. The PDNA provides additional membership programs offering support and benefits to residents, condominium/townhome associations, businesses, cultural institutions and organizations who reside within the Organization's boundaries and who agrees to and supports the purpose of the Alliance.
Mission and Purpose
The Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance is a community organization whose mission is to build a sense of community and to promote the common good and social welfare for the South Loop area in Chicago. Also, to preserve the integrity of the neighborhood’s historic character and educate the public about its history. Further, to address issues of the neighborhood and provide it with an effective and transparent communication link with city municipal and government officials, developers, businesses and other influential groups, and to empower the community to work together in improving the neighborhood with the objective of fostering a collective, respectful and unified voice that translates into a powerful and influential force for improving and maintaining the community.The purpose of the Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance is to provide an environment to meet neighbors, exchange ideas, prioritize projects, propose solutions, and implement plans for the neighborhood. The Neighborhood Alliance is concerned with issues that affect the quality of life in the community. Issues such as: education and schools, proposed residential and commercial development, zoning regulations, traffic and infrastructure improvements, as well as social activities and events that will strengthen the neighborhood. Additionally, the PDNA is committed to developing, facilitating, seeking community input, organizing, and delivering a variety of comprehensive community surveys, and/or an assortment of community projects and programs such as neighborhood festivals, block parties, seasonal celebrations, crime prevention activities, historical and educational programs and beautification plans for upgrading neighborhood parks.
Accomplishments
The Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance is concerned with issues that affect the quality of life in the community. Issues such as proposed residential and commercial development, zoning regulations, environmental, traffic and infrastructure improvements, as well as events that will strengthen the neighborhood. The PDNA objective is to sponsor a variety of projects such as neighborhood festivals, block parties, town hall meetings, crime prevention activities and upgrading neighborhood parks.With such rapid growth in the South Loop, residents who live within the Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance boundaries have become increasingly concerned about the quality of new development and the quality of work performed on properties converted to residential use. Condo boards and residents have begun to band together to make their voices heard. Some have already achieved high-profile status. Additionally, the Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance and area residents work with the Alderman to actively review proposed development projects in an effort to encourage smart growth and to protect the architectural character of the Historic Prairie Avenue District
Prairie Avenue District
The Prairie Avenue District is a historic district in the Near South Side community area of Chicago, Illinois. It includes the 1800 and 1900 blocks of South Prairie Avenue and the 1800 block of South Indiana, and 211-217 East Cullerton. It was the site of the Battle of Fort Dearborn and became the...
seeking to be respectful of important nearby structures such as the Landmark Glessner House Museum and Clarke House Museum.
On September 6, 2008, Alderman Robert Fioretti presented The Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance with a City Council resolution declaring September 6 as 'Prairie Avenue Day'. The City Council Resolution was presented to the PDNA at The Festival on Prairie Avenue, Mayor Richard M. Daley was in attendance during this significant moment. The Festival on Prairie Avenue, which took visitors back to the time of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in recognition of the street's restoration to its 1890s appearance, was attended by over 1,200 residents. At the festival, the PDNA honored Mayor Richard J. Daley
Richard J. Daley
Richard Joseph Daley served for 21 years as the mayor and undisputed Democratic boss of Chicago and is considered by historians to be the "last of the big city bosses." He played a major role in the history of the Democratic Party, especially with his support of John F...
for his role in creating 'The Prairie Avenue Historic District', the first Historic District in Chicago. Current Chicago Mayor (and neighbor) Richard M. Daley
Richard M. Daley
Richard Michael Daley is a United States politician, member of the national and local Democratic Party, and former Mayor of Chicago, Illinois. He was elected mayor in 1989 and reelected in 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007. He was the longest serving Chicago mayor, surpassing the tenure of his...
attended the festival and accepted the honor on behalf of his father.
The Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance and its residents banned together to successfully save the Vietnam Veterans Art Museum building at 1801 S. Indiana Avenue, a cultural pillar of the neighborhood, from being sold privately and converted into a night club. Instead, the building was purchased by the city of Chicago and conveyed to the Chicago Park District
Chicago Park District
The Chicago Park District is the oldest and largest park district in the U.S.A, with a $385 million annual budget. It has the distinction of spending the most per capita on its parks, even more than Boston in terms of park expenses per capita...
to become a new Community Center. The PDNA presented recommendations to the Commission on Chicago Parks and the Alderman to name an important new park which is located near 18th and Calumet Avenue, the site which marks the 1812 Fort Dearborn Massacre. On August 15, 2009 (the anniversary of the battle) the PDNA joined with the Alderman, Chicago Park District officials, Historians, Native Americans, Illinois Armory National Guardsman, Battle Descendants and a large number of community residents to commemorate and officially name the site as the Battle of Fort Dearborn Park and unveil an historic marker outlining the site's significance. The PDNA is also focusing on the development of other highly anticipated neighborhood parks.
on Jan. 27, 2010 the Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance introduced the South Loop Neighborhood Watch with the support of the 1st District police and 2nd Ward Alderman, Robert Fioretti. Additionally, the South Loop Neighborhood Watch Google Group was launched. This important communication tool allows the neighborhood to share BEAT 133 crime alerts, tips, or suspicious activity of value to the community. Beat 133 compromises the Prairie District neighborhood, the Central Station and Museum Park neighborhood and the South Michigan Avenue Corridor.
By aligning with the Alderman, businesses, cultural institutions and other like-minded organizations, the PDNA and its residents aim to bring much needed infrastructure and retail to the area.
Architecture
The Architecture within the boundaries of the Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance represents every major building period in the history of Chicago, from the 1836 Greek Revival Clarke House (now a museum) to modern townhouse and condominium developments. Many of Chicago’s most important architects designed buildings here, including surviving examples by Daniel BurnhamDaniel Burnham
Daniel Hudson Burnham, FAIA was an American architect and urban planner. He was the Director of Works for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. He took a leading role in the creation of master plans for the development of a number of cities, including Chicago and downtown Washington DC...
, Cobb and Frost
Cobb and Frost
Cobb and Frost was an American architectural firm. Cobb and Frost was founded in Chicago, Illinois by Henry Ives Cobb and Charles Sumner Frost in 1882. The firm was dissolved in 1889 when Cobb began work on designing the Newberry Library...
, Solon Spencer Beman
Solon Spencer Beman
Solon Spencer Beman was an American architect who was based in Chicago, best known as the architect of the planned Pullman community and adjacent Pullman Company factory complex. Several of his other largest commissions, including the Pullman Office Building, Pabst Building, and Grand Central...
, Howard Van Doren Shaw
Howard Van Doren Shaw
Howard Van Doren Shaw was an American architect. He became one of the best-known architects of his generation in the Chicago area.-Early life and career:...
, and Alfred Alschuler. Henry Hobson Richardson
Henry Hobson Richardson
Henry Hobson Richardson was a prominent American architect who designed buildings in Albany, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and other cities. The style he popularized is named for him: Richardsonian Romanesque...
, a Boston architect, designed the Glessner House, a fully furnished house museum considered one of the most significant residential designs of the 19th century. A variety of architectural tours are available throughout the year, showcasing both the neighborhood as a whole, and specific buildings that have been preserved as house museums. More than two dozen buildings and sites, including mansions, industrial buildings, Motor Row District
Motor Row District
The Motor Row District is a historic district in Chicago’s Near South Side community area. Motor Row includes buildings on Michigan Avenue between 2200 and 2500 south, directly west of McCormick Place convention center, and 1444, 1454, 1737, 1925, 2000 S. Michigan Ave., as well as 2246-3453 S....
showrooms, and more, can be seen by walking through the area.