Shannon Boland: South Loop Ambassador

Blackstone head concierge, Shannon Boland

Even though she lives in Uptown, the South Loop has a great ambassador in the person of Shannon
Boland, head concierge at the Renaissance Blackstone Hotel. She was recently profiled in the Chicago Tribune where she shares her experiences helping guests and visitors navigate the ins and outs of Chicago.

I met Shannon via Twitter about three years ago. As a newcomer to the South Loop, she was building a network of followers who could help answer questions about happenings in our neighborhood. We still share news and information to this day. In fact, every time I get my hair cut, I stop by the Blackstone afterward to catch up.

Shannon is from a small town in Missouri. A fine arts major (drama), she came to Chicago to join the city’s theater scene. Shannon became a concierge to pay the bills and realized that she loved helping people and solving problems.

For a link to the entire article, click here.

Chicago Firehouse restaurant on fire

South Loop landmark, Chicago Firehouse restaurant, 1401 S. Michigan, is on fire. According to the Chicago Tribune, the blaze started at about 10:30 a.m. Roofers doing repair work are being blamed for the fire. The roofers “had an accident,’’ said Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford who was at the scene, again according to the Chicago Tribune report. Sections of the roof appear to have collapsed. Everyone inside was able to get out safely.

Fire started on the roof, according to a report in the Chicago Tribune.

The blaze brought heavy smoke billowing down South Michigan Ave. At times it looked like heavy fog with little visibility between 14th and 16th streets.

Smoke was thick at 16th and Michigan

The Chicago Firehouse has been a South Loop landmark since it opened in 2000 was a favorite of Mayor Daley’s. According to the restaurant’s Web site, “The building was erected in 1905 by a famous architect by the name of Charles Harmann. The firehouse was built to serve the Prairie Avenue Community and its surroundings.

Residents of Prairie Avenue consisted of many of the first families of Chicago, such as the Marshall Fields, the McCormicks, the Palmers and the Glessners. Prairie Avenue from 17th to 20th Street was filled with the many socialites of the day who had built homes following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.”

The Big Move Day 1

The Harriet F. Rees House, formerly located at 2110 S. Prairie Ave. is on the move. Today was day one of the big move on it’s way to its new address: 2017 S. Prairie. To accomplish this feat (moving 762 tons of house), the movers (Bulley & Associates) “laid a series of 9-inch-thick stone on top of the asphalt paving and installed half-inch steel palates over that,” said Peter Kuhn, senior project manager, as reported in the November 9 edition of Chicago Tribune.

Locals gather to watch the big move.

Tonight the house will be perched in the middle of the street. Tomorrow it will be moved into place on a new foundation.

Kizoa slideshow: Rees House Move Day 1 - Slideshow

Shooting at Roosevelt Road CTA Station

According to a report in the Chicago Tribune, bullets grazed two men this morning just after 11 a.m. by the Roosevelt Rd. Red Line station.

Both men were taken to Northwestern Memorial in good condition.

For updates on this story, visit the Tribune Web site.

Teens Arrested in Roosevelt Rd. Shooting

Roosevelt Rd. train platform

Two Boys Arrested
Two teens were arrested in connection with the Roosevelt Rd. shooting that took place on Monday, December 26. Two boys ages 14 and 16 were taken into custody. The 14-year-old was charged with a felony count of aggravated battery and use of a deadly weapon. The 16-year-old was charged with unlawful use of a weapon.

Victim Treated and Released
The 21-year-old victim was shot in the torso on the Roosevelt Rd. Train Station platform. He was then taken to Northwestern University Hospital where he was treated and released.

Police recovered the handgun and the shooter has been identified by the victim.

Sources for this post: NBC Chicago, Chicago Tribune, and WGN

Update
According to a story posted to the NBC Chicago Web site, a man was robbed of his iPhone on the Harrison L stop platform. The 20-year-old man was attacked and knocked to the ground by five men. Robberies of iPhones and iPads, nicknamed “Apple picking” have been a concern for District 1 Commander Christopher Kennedy. At a recent CAPS meeting Commander Kennedy remarked that overall crime in the South Loop is down, but robberies, including strong-armed thefts of iPhones and other electronic devices have been a concern.


SLC Note: The original blog post, “Teens Arrested in Roosevelt Rd. Shooting” did not include attributions. This was an error on our part. Thanks to an anonymous comment, we were made aware of our error. SLC regrets this oversight.

Chicago Tribune To Publish Weekly Book Review

Weekly Book Review Ready To Launch
Would you buy a weekly book review for $2 above the price of your regular Chicago Tribune subscription? According to today’s ChicagoBusiness, the folks at the Tribune are hoping you will. It’s an attempt to offset the loss of revenue from diminishing newspaper sales.

What do you think? Is a weekly devoted to book reviews, author interviews, bestseller lists, and other book news a good idea? Is it worth $2?

Other ChicagoBusiness news includes the Ricketts family’s investment in the Cubs’s front office, including the recent hiring of Theo Epstein as President of Baseball Operations and Blue Cross Blue Shield’s hold on the health insurance market in Illinois.

Ricketts family, left to right: Pete, Tom, Laura, Todd

French Market Coming to Grant Park?

According to the Chicago Tribune, the south end of Grant Park may be home to a farmers market as early as Memorial Day Weekend. The farmers market would be operated by the folks currently running the French Market at Ogilvie train station.

The farmers market, according to the Tribune, would be open on Fridays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and operate through October.

What do you think? Would you welcome a farmers market in Grant Park?

"Chicago Code" Good for Chicago

According to an recent article in the Chicago Tribune, filming of the new Fox series Chicago Code is good for the city. While it's cool and glamorous to have Hollywood filming movies in the city, the impact isn't always long lasting. Consider the fact that the filming of Transformers 3 took place in the city for approximately two months. While these movie productions pump a lot of money into the local economy, when they're finished shooting, they're gone and so is the revenue.

The cast of Chicago Code on a press junket in Pasadena, CA

TV series filming in Chicago, although smaller in scope, generally employ people for a much longer term. In the Tribune piece, they quote Rich Moskal from the Chicago Film Office about TV series filming in the city. "They're filming almost nine months out of the year. It puts people to work longer. And a series can run multiple seasons." If Chicago Code is a hit, it could be a real jolt to the Chicago economy. The show, which premiers February 7, pumped approximately "$25 million into the local economy."

Chicago Code was one of six other Chicago-based pilots to film in the city, but only two were picked up. The other, Showtime's Shameless, filmed exterior scenes here.

Here's hoping that Chicago Code is a big hit; the jobs, the money spent here, would be welcome, indeed.

Smoke in Red Line Subway

The Chicago Transit Authority reported smoke in the Red Line subway this morning, sending firefighters to the scene, reports Crain's. According to the Chicago Tribune, smoke was reported between the Lake St. and Grand and State St. stations. A 9:35 a.m.posting by the CTA said trains were being rerouted to the elevated tracks between Fullerton and Cermack-Chinatown stations.

According the a posting to the CTA Web site, service on the "Red Line has resumed, but residual delays may occur. Service was disrupted due to Fire Department activity near Lake." The posting goes on to say allow for "extra travel time."

No injuries have been reported.