Andersonville People Spot
After more than a year of working with the City of Chicago and countless other partners, we are elated to inform you that our hard work has paid off. The Andersonville "People Spot" is officially open to the public! This feat could not have been achieved without the incredible support of 40th Ward Alderman Pat O'Connor, CDOT, our amazing Kickstarter supporters, Moss Design, Demeter Millwork, Studio Murmur, Gethsemane Garden Center, Patch Landscaping and many of our local businesses. We now have one of the most unique and inviting public spaces anywhere in the city. I hope that you will all get a chance to stop by the space and enjoy! Look for a brand new bicycle corral to be installed adjacent to the people spot within the next few weeks as well as a mural to span the outside walls. Stay tuned for updates to come.
People Spot Partners
Moss is a full service architecture studio with a penchant for environmentally conscious, sustainable design. Founder Matt Nardella and his team at Moss were a natural fit for this pilot project; as the organizers of Chicago's first PARKing Day celebrations and because of their sustainability efforts they already had a great understanding of what we hoped to achieve with our first people spot in Andersonville. With an emphasis on the green space, openness and public seating of a real park, Moss delivered on our vision for this space down to the very last detail. We cannot even begin to thank Matt and his team for the immense amount of time and effort that they donated to this project. It is safe to say we simply would not have been able to design or build such an incredible site without their generosity and their insight.
Demeter Millwork/ Helios Design
Demeter Millwork was founded in 2010 with the mission of providing custom, quality, and unique millwork with a focus on sustainable design and construction. In the hands of Project Manager Hans Fedderke and his crew of incredibly talented carpenters, and craftsmen, Demeter created what we can confidentally say is one of the most unique and inviting public spaces in the City of Chicago. Demeter displayed an unbelievable amount of professionalism and generosity as they helped us through the unfamiliar territory of the build out and construction process that the project required. Being the first in the city to build a site like this comes with many perks but equally as many hurdles to overcome. We are infinitely grateful for Demeter's services on this project.
Studio Murmur is a Chicago-based industrial design firm providing consulting services in design research, product design and product development. Studio Murmur worked hand in hand with Moss to design the most functional and enjoyable space possible. Their contributions to the final product, that you can now see on Clark Street, were invaluable.
With the incredible help of John Eskandari and his crew in Gethsemane's Trees and Shrubs Department we have now collaborated on three distinct projects with overwhelming success. In July of 2011 John and his team helped us plan and execute our first pop-up green space that ultimately led to our pursuit of the People Spot. After a second successful pop-up park in July of this year, John helped us coordinate our people spot plantings, paying close attention to native plants and plant that would look great through the fall. Simply put, Gethsemane is an exceptional local Andersonville business that has supported the work of the Andersonville Development Corporation and the Chamber of commerce on numerous projects throughout the years, and the People Spot is one project we could not have done without them.
People Spot is one project we could not have done without them. Patch Landscaping is a full service local landscaping company that has worked closely with eco-Andersonville and the Andersonville Development Corporation on a number of past projects including the donation and installation of our pop-up park grasses in 2011 and 2012. Naturally when were ready fill our planter boxes, and we were ready to lay down sod on Andersonville's steepest slope we wanted Megan Anderson and her incredible crew at Patch Landscaping. Megan and her crew went over and above what was asked of them and we now have a beautifully landscaped oasis in part because of their hard work.
This project would not have been possible without the incredible commitment of the city's Department of Transportation, in particular, Gerardo Garcia, and Janet Attarian of the Streetscape and Sustainable Design Program. Gerardo and Janet while working tirelessly as our liasons between the many different city departments involved project, they were also working as the architects of the city's newly formed "Make Way for People" program. So not only were they influential in the development of our People Spot, but they were directly involved in the development of three other people spots that were installed simultaneously in the Kenwood and Lakeview neighborhoods. We cannot Gerardo, Janet and their team at CDOT enough, for their terrific work and patience through this long process.
People Spot Press
Metropolitan Planning Council, August 20, 2012
Chicago Reader, August 8, 2012
40th Ward Gazet, August 6, 2012
Chicago Tribune, Blair Kamin, August 3, 2012
Medill Reports Chicago, July 31, 2012 (Video)
Fox Chicago, July 31, 2012 (Video)
Chicago Tribune Interview, July 30, 2012 (Video)
Governing Magazine, June, 2012
Huffington Post, April 13, 2012
