Riverside Info Topic: Lincoln slept here...

Riverside Info Topic: Lincoln slept here... http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ Discussion Forum for Riverside Illinois en Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:27:11 +0000 MikeT on "Lincoln slept here..." http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/lincoln-slept-here/page/2#post-3932 Fri, 16 Mar 2007 10:35:57 +0000 MikeT 3932@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ In this thread, I want to fold in a Landmark letter that also speaks on this subject of exposing Riverside... <a href="http://rblandmark.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=2180&SectionID=3&SubSectionID=17&S=1" rel="nofollow">http://rblandmark.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=2180&SectionID=3&SubSectionID=17&S=1</a> 1/16/2007 10:00:00 PM Email this article —¢ Print this article Letters Riverside needs inventive solutions Recently, I was reading an article in the Economist magazine that spoke about small town living. It said that so many small towns in America were having difficulty surviving these days, that many had to be quite inventive in their revitalization strategies. Many of the towns cited as examples were located in Texas and were truly the essence of small-town living. After reading the article, I began to realize that not one single reference was made about the option of using a TIF. Instead, these towns figured out a way to increase their visibility in the world, increase their street traffic, increase their tourism and revitalize their businesses through creative thinking. Each town capitalized on their most identifiable asset and used it as a draw to increase their visibility to tourists. One town became the setting for a music festival, drawing on their roots in country and folk music. Another was simply in the path of the African killer bee migration, and now has a huge draw of people that want to experience the thrill of being near that many killer bees. How inventive! They are now prosperous towns, with summers that swell with tourists. It seems to me that Riverside has always had the assets that make it an attraction. Olmsted's vision in beautiful landscaping far outweighs any killer bee migrations! A historical landmark status is something extremely special, and certainly has the potential to be a significantly bigger draw than it is. The word that is used by everyone that I speak to about Riverside is "quaint." That description does not apply to a town with a three-story parking structure located where there were once Victorian homes. "Quaint" refers to a town that capitalizes on its historic status, its charm and its character. Asking developers to come into this town to build rows of townhomes does nothing to make this a more desirable village. Imagine what kind of marketing could have been accomplished with the initial $137,000 spent on the application process for the TIF to invite unknown development. I feel that this exceptional village could have been managed in a way that promotes its many assets, not in a way that destroys its character and charm bit by bit. Riverside is the most amazing example of Olmsted's vision extant, and if the village manager's vision had been in place to preserve it, protect it and promote it, we could already be reaping the benefits of a business district that is thriving. Just saying that we care about the historical relevance of Riverside is not enough. It takes a true commitment to our historical landmark status. That includes preservation and creative foresight, without rolling over for developers who want density and monstrosity of a scale just to make an extra dollar. It saddens me that our village feels that they are now so desperate for money that they will sacrifice everything that is unique about Riverside, and turn it into just another TIF development that looks like every other one that surrounds us. What I wouldn't give for killer bees! Chandra Reynolds Riverside KimJ on "Lincoln slept here..." http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/lincoln-slept-here#post-3930 Fri, 16 Mar 2007 09:15:13 +0000 KimJ 3930@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ I think that there was a silent film actress that lived on the south end of Scottswood. Harts Cottage? J. Buttim.... lives there. Mike T. you know him. (hate using peoples names on forum.) spatny on "Lincoln slept here..." http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/lincoln-slept-here#post-3869 Wed, 14 Mar 2007 16:09:04 +0000 spatny 3869@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ Joey Glimco. Charles Ansani. Two entrepreneurs of the old school and prominent labor leaders. Catherine on "Lincoln slept here..." http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/lincoln-slept-here#post-3866 Wed, 14 Mar 2007 15:51:36 +0000 Catherine 3866@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ Perhaps the mobster you are thinking of is Milwaukee Phil Alderisio, who lived on Berkeley (sp?) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_Alderisio" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_Alderisio</a> I hear that General Sherman's niece lived in the house built 1869, designed by LeBaron Jenney, variously called the Vaux house, Seven Chimneys, etc., on Riverside Road, and an anecdote: she sold some of the property's land on condition it not be built on. This condition was promptly ignored. Looking out the window she said, "Now I know I have lived too long." Of course, Jens Jensen. MikeT on "Lincoln slept here..." http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/lincoln-slept-here#post-3837 Wed, 14 Mar 2007 12:01:44 +0000 MikeT 3837@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ From the another thread, I learned that there are Rockefeller McCormack Brookfield Zoo connections to Riverside. <a href="http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic.php?id=94&page=3&replies=83#post-3812" rel="nofollow">http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic.php?id=94&page=3&replies=83#post-3812</a> . Does anyone know if the Tomek's were notable in some way? I know the Coonley's are the same Coonley's that have the exclusive private school in Downers Grove, and so have some notoriety in addition to Wright as the designer of their house. Who was the owner of the house on Herrick and Cowley? Was that person notable? Of course, there is the Babson Estate and Sullivan. But we probably do not want to memorialize that connection since it is an embarrassment to the town. Here are some more notable things about Riverside that have not been mentioned in this thread yet: GAS LAMPS and Curvilinear streets "got lost in Riverside" spatny on "Lincoln slept here..." http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/lincoln-slept-here#post-3821 Wed, 14 Mar 2007 10:12:17 +0000 spatny 3821@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ EDC please take note of Aberdeen's post and link above. Maybe we could actually do the Wright in Riverside Brochure and take it to Oak Park and actually do something this year? Time flies. Aberdeen on "Lincoln slept here..." http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/lincoln-slept-here#post-3815 Wed, 14 Mar 2007 09:29:33 +0000 Aberdeen 3815@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ I would think EDC primarily, though coordination with Historic and Preservation for content and Plan and Landscape on any signage volume and location would be desirable. The IL Dept. of Commerce Tourism Bureau offers 2 matching funds programs (applications due in May) for which Riverside could apply. The first is the Tourism Attraction Development Program (TAP), which provides matching funds of up to $1 million for the development/rehabilitation of the attraction itself. This could conceivably cover anything from signage to the improvement of a passive recreational area (improvement of fishing areas is one of the examples cited in the program description) so there is an opportunity for applicants to be creative. The second is the Tourism Marketing Partnership Program (MPP) which provides 40-60% of the marketing costs for brochures, ads and website development, depending on the potential tourism impact. (Targeting visitors outside a 50 mile radius.) Here is the link: <a href="http://www.illinoistourism.org/grantsall.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.illinoistourism.org/grantsall.html</a> mjvolo on "Lincoln slept here..." http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/lincoln-slept-here#post-3814 Wed, 14 Mar 2007 07:33:35 +0000 mjvolo 3814@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ I go back to brochures and high quality information signage. What commission or board would be involved with that to get it moving? Maybe also working with the Illinois Department of Tourism. MikeT on "Lincoln slept here..." http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/lincoln-slept-here#post-3807 Tue, 13 Mar 2007 20:13:35 +0000 MikeT 3807@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ a related question is: does anyone know of any other famous people or things, no matter how remote the linkage, associated with Riverside or the place called riverside? We probably cannot link to famous people currently living here, if any. Frank Nitti - that's pretty famous, and we talked about the association with Hoover and the dress (cool). I believe there were other mafioso from riverside from my recollection when we read 'Al Capone does my shirts' for my son's bookclub (5th grade level). I had done research into this. Wasn't Riverside a place for Indians to use as a camping or chataqua place or something? so here is a list so far... planned suburb nat'l landmark landscape olmsted jenny (skyscrapers) wright avery coonley and the school? lincoln Nitti Mafioso Indians portage ? gardens (I noticed how the gardener came out in the KimJ and corbi exchange, and all was well with the world; it's like in being there, where life is like 'a garden') <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYLy1Yj_P_Q" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYLy1Yj_P_Q</a> Elisa on "Lincoln slept here..." http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/lincoln-slept-here#post-3754 Mon, 12 Mar 2007 17:04:51 +0000 Elisa 3754@http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/ Although I can't confirm with exact details, yes I was aware that Lincoln's last descendent did live on Scottswood. I don't know enough to know if he was born here, but I have it on good authority that he lived here!