fyi, local news item on Art in Commercial Spaces...
Also note - copious references to a fine contributor to this forum. Nice to see him trying to argue for the value of The Spindle. When I have out of town and out of state guests, after I show them the winding streets of Riverside, I drive them to 22nd and Harlem, and they have immediate recognition of The Spindle, besides being a striking piece of art, it was in "Wayne's World".
Quick comment on its artistic merits: it suggests that we in this culture consume cars -and other such things-like so many pieces of chicken on a shishkabob. Makes you think. My brother in law just came back from Cuba and one thing that struck him was all the old 1950s cars still running in the city. This shows there are other ways to live than by merely consuming/adding/throwing out. Very ironic, and actually so well fitting, that such art was ever placed in a mall. The fact that the cars are rusting is also apropos to the piece - all at once, one can see the input and the output of consumption.
http://www.chicagosuburbannews.com/lagrangepark/homepage/x844964391
LIFE EXCLUSIVE: Car —˜Spindle' coming down —” whether it goes back up remains in the air
------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------
Photo by Andrew Westel
The "Spindle" at Cermack Plaza in Berwyn may be headed to the car graveyard.
Related Stories
History of Berwyn's Spindle
By Cari Brokamp, Copyright 2007 GateHouse Media Suburban Newspapers
GateHouse News Service
Wed Jul 04, 2007, 07:39 AM CDT
------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------
Story Tools: Email This | Print This
Berwyn, IL - The iconic 40-foot-tall car-kabob “Spindle— that punctuates Berwyn's Cermak Plaza is coming down —” perhaps permanently —” as part of a major renovation the center's owners plan for the now-dilapidated 50- year-old shopping destination.
Concordia Realty Management, which manages the center on behalf of an undisclosed group of owners, is looking to move the Walgreens to the statue's spot, calling into question the future of a piece of artwork made infamous in the 1992 movie “Wayne's World— and emblazoned on postcards, state tourism brochures and maps.
“The —˜Spindle' may or may not be maintained,— said Michael Flight, president of the management company. “The current ownership would have to spend a tremendous amount of money if they relocated it. The current ownership is not sure what they would like to do with it at this point.—
The “Spindle— has long been a source of contention within the city, a divisive and polarizing piece of public art that just as many love as hate. For years, city officials and residents have complained the piece is an eyesore, largely due to the garbage and bird waste that collect on the piece.
Flight said while the owners and some others may dispute the piece's place in the plaza, there's no question it's put Berwyn on the map.
“We have stressed (to the owners) that the —˜Spindle' is an icon for Berwyn and an Illinois landmark,— Flight said. “For good or for bad, people know where Berwyn is because of the —˜Spindle.' —
Flight said construction should begin before the end of the year to move Walgreens to a freestanding location, along Cermak Road. The proposed spot for the store would be built to the east of McDonald's, where the statue now stands. The plaza and its art
Cermak Plaza has become known as an outdoor art gallery for the large and diverse number of pieces that have come to know the shopping center as home.
Works of art in the plaza include:
—¢ a red helicopter
—¢ a mirrored body with its arms extended
—¢ the flattened exterior of a car
—¢ a metal wind piece
—¢ the “drum yard— area with large percussion-like pieces
—¢ the “good time clock— with its extensive maze of gears and wires
—¢ a wood and glass house structure containing an array of bells.
Numerous other pieces that have been in the plaza previously but are now gone include Big Bil- Bored, a collection of hundreds of random, often metal pieces, which was removed due to extreme disfavor in the community.
Carol Hively, a spokeswoman for the Walgreens corporate office, confirmed the store would be relocated to along Cermak Road. It has been at the current location since 1957, before the area even had zip codes assigned. The new Walgreens will have space for a drive-through pharmacy, now mandated by corporate policies, Hively said.
Berwyn Building Director Dan LeBeau did not return calls on whether Walgreens has yet obtained city permits for the construction.
The Walgreens move will free up space in the plaza, which Flight said will allow Marshalls clothing store to expand. Flight said the management company is in discussions with several other major retailers interested in the remainder of the Walgreens space.
OLD PLAZA, NEW BLOOD
Some residents complain that the former shopping destination for the west suburbs was allowed to slip through the cracks in the five decades since it opened, as vacancies emptied its stores and graffiti stained its walls.
Concordia Realty Management, which has managed the property since 1990, hopes to restore it by bringing some big-name retailers to the plaza.
“We think that it's going to not only improve the visibility of Berwyn because it's another place to go shopping in Berwyn, but it's also going to increase real estate and sales taxes for the city,— Flight said.
Flight's master plan calls for filling the vacancy left by Service Merchandise nearly five years ago. He said the management company is in discussions with three major, brand-name retailers to fill a large portion of the plaza, from the vacant former Service Merchandise space all the way to the edge of the Office Depot on the northeast end of the lot.
Flight would not disclose the names of the retailers, citing ongoing discussions. He said retailers currently occupying a store within that stretch will be relocated to another vacancy in the shopping center.
“Cermak Plaza has certainly suffered with the vacancy of Service Merchandise, but the tenants continue to do exceptional sales volumes there,— Flight said. “It's a phenomenal retail location and Berwyn is a great town for retailers.—
Flight said he expects to finalize negotiations with the designated retailer to fill the former Service Merchandise space within the next few months.
Berwyn Mayor Michael O'Connor said he hopes the new retail will help maximize the potential of the city's largest tax-paying real estate parcel.
“This would bring notoriety and justification that Berwyn is changing and able to bring a big name chain store to our community again,— O'Connor said. “It's been a long time since that happened. They're talking about $30 million a year in sales out of that store, and 1 percent sales tax of that is very attractive, and could really help the city provide better services.—
Flight said the management company also has long-overdue renovations planned for the plaza, including repaving and putting new lighting in the parking lot, and restoring store signs.
O'Connor said he recalls shopping and eating at Cermak Plaza as a child, and is optimistic for the changes.
“The plaza was really one of the first shopping centers around (but) it's changed an awful lot,— he said. “Now we're hoping it will be a little more modern (because) Cermak Plaza can be the largest retail sales tax generator in the city, and that's a very important part it can play in the city.—
..............................................
another link I happened to find showing that Mr Flight has long been a supporter of art in that commercial space.