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Negro Digest offices, State Street
Ebony magazine, 1992
Ebony magazine, 1992
BLOG |
At the back of last year the Bee branch of Chicago Public Library, housed in the former headquarters of the Chicago Bee newspaper, was reopened to the public after an extensive renovation.
As reported in outlets such as the Chicago Crusader and Curbed Chicago, the $2.3 million renovation had included an extensive refurbishment of the entire building and repair work on the building's exterior art deco design. Other notable aspects of the redesign included custom new spaces for young children, families and teenagers, and an upgrade of computer equipment. Its nice to see the Bee building getting some much-needed TLC. After the long fight to secure its future during the 1980s and 1990s, the building was largely neglected by the city's leaders, and this renovation effort helps to address some long-standing structural and service issues. At the library's reopening, 3rd Ward Alderman Pat Dowell acknowledged the building's importance as a 'community anchor', and hoped that the refurbishment would help spark broader business development and redevelopment projects throughout Bronzeville. As part of the ongoing sell-off of JPC's commercial and private assets, Crain's Business Chicago reported last week that Linda Johnson Rice is looking to offload the iconic Palm Springs house bought by her parents John Johnson and Eunice Johnson during the mid-1970s. The connection to "Black Media Architecture" comes through the building's designer, Arthur Elrod. Elrod was also the man behind the lavish interiors at the Johnson Publishing headquarters at 820 South Michigan Avenue in Chicago, as well as John and Eunice Johnson's apartment on Lake Shore Drive, both of which had been completed a few years before the purchase of their Palm Springs property. Elrod had invited the Johnson's to spend a weekend with him in Palm Springs following the completion of their Lake Shore Drive home, and the publisher and his partner had quickly fallen in love with the area.
The property they eventually purchased is located in the exclusive neighborhood of South Ridge, famed for playing host to celebrities such as Bob Hope and Steve McQueen. The Johnson house had once belonged to Ralph Stolkin, an oil magnate and furniture manufacturer who had retired to Palm Springs after spending much of his career in Chicago. The 5,300-square-foot house includes an interior courtyard with an open-air swimming pool, panoramic views of the San Jacinto and Santa Rose mountain ranges, and a tennis court. |