VOCAL Neighbors

Wrigley Rooftops

As part of their continuing quest to ensure that people can't do what they want with their property, Preservation Chicago has decided that the Wrigleyville Rooftops are now an endangered feature.

Mind you, NOW they don't complain that the rooftop clubs are bad -- why, they add to the neighborhood character! (Of course, if the underlying buildings had been landmarked in the first instance, you would never have rooftop clubs in the first instance, because that would have been a facade alteration that you could see from the street, and hence prohibited. But no-one ever brings up those inconvenient little facts on the benefits of freedom, it seems...).

The back story is essentially this. Several years ago, the Cubs' owners sued the rooftop clubs, saying that they were siphoning off millions in revenue from the Cubs by allowing people to watch the games for free. (This was driven, in part, by the rooftop owners' concern that the expansion would put them out of business). Lots of lawyering going back and forth, with an eventual settlement in which some rooftop owners agreed to divert roughly 17%ish of their revenues back to Tribune & Co. as "compensation".

Now, the Cubs also want to raise their bleacher numbers, which would obstruct the rooftop views; so the obvious proposed solution is to let the rooftop guys build higher. Then everyone wins, right? Cubs get more bleacher seats, and more people get to enjoy the Cubs experience each season. Rooftop owners' investment in the rooftop clubs won't be wrecked. Alderman Tom Tunney gets to call himself a miracle worker.

But Nooooooo, says Preservation Chicago. If they allow THAT, why they might build some really high steel and glass structures, which are prima facie UGLY, and now we won't have charming brick and stone to look at as the outfield backdrop anymore! Tragedy! Stop the presses! Danger, danger, danger! One of the 7 most endangered areas in all of Chicago!

Ummm, shall we take a deep breath, think, "calm, blue lake," and consider that when the Cubs raise the heights of the walls of the friendly confines for bleacher space, what Preservation Chicago thinks they'll be looking at? Is the brick and stone going to magically levitate to satisfy their aesthetic pinings??? And what, pray tell, is the safest material to use to ensure that you don't have the rooftops caving in on the original 100+ year old walls?

Can't we at least agree that maybe the whole effete elitist thing is getting a bit out of hand when a good chunk of the affected area involves a rooftop-wide "Budweiser" beer ad?

Their constant theme is anti-change, freeze everything. That is not what our city is about.

Sheesh. It's a good thing Mr. Fine didn't accompany the soldiers occupying Fort Dearborn. With the Preservation Chicago mentality, we would never have had the glorious buldings along Michigan Avenue just south of the river; rather, we would be listening to speeches about the beauty of the wood grain in the stockades...

posted by The Grants @ 3:16 PM