Downtown Auroran EMERGE

Downtown Auroran an arts & culture magazine

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The Real Workers of LaSalle Street Plus. . .

• Conscientious artist Jen Evans • Waubonsee parking problems? Dan Hites has solutions!

• poetry • recipe • photography • culture calendar

w he re c ul t u re me e t s l i f e …

Downtown Auroran

Artist Profile DTA profile: Maureen Gasek

Since beginning to work on Downtown Auroran magazine

last spring, I have met some incredible people. And I must Maureen Gasek uses color like it’s her Samantha Oulavong

rightly thank Facebook for assisting in making connections best friend. She knows what makes red haveorange never light been up. made or at least for speeding up work, that blue might shine and And Gasek, 46, can become so intimate the match making.

downtownauroran@gmail.com Marissa Amoni Publisher and Editor Kim Granholm Production Assistance Dave Sobotka Graphic Designer Marissa Amoni Ad Sales

with color that a canvas might blush.

One of the first things that I did to promote the magazine On the Cover: “Color is my thing,” she says. “You to know color theory to – not a fan page, but a group Sea Illuminations Joe Dispensa, Steve Summer of was have to create a Facebook group S.G. Summer Company, Sandy know how color works.” so that people could be part of this emerging thing. One of Spang of Expocad and Kaye the first peopleis who metstraight through the group Jennifer Tanner Trudo, who is a frequent Mason of Chek-Lab Printing.

So orange neverIjust orange – it’s a was mixture of yellow Photos by Lana Kozol. and red.

“You get vibrancy when you mix colors,” said Gasek in contributor to the magazine. her unique half-round house on Aurora’s northeast side.

Trudo posted a photograph from the spring 2009 ArtWalk to the group page and I asked her “I really getmagazine. people to look at my art. Everybody if I could usewant it fortothe I never ended up using looks that photo, but I used several othand nobody sees anymore. I want people to really look at things. ers in the summer issue that she took along Broadway Avenue. And then she kindly offered It is such a hectic world. We are inundated with so much stuff. to capture and his amazing– collection film People Soterios can relateGardiakos to color, shape, movement that is my of goal – projectors for the fall issue. I have them use their imagination,” she said. love to her work.

AndGasek then there is Trudo’s musician husband who says she has always had her “hand Kevin in art.”Trudo, She sold heris always ready to enthusiasti– a collage of her hands –Kevin for a quarter when she was callyfirst lendpiece a helping hand.

Recently, (www.thekevintrudo.com) jumped into getting a in first grade. When she was only 13 years old, Gasek taught Planetary Sunset Reef Fire Web site going for the magazine (www.downtownauroran.com). plaster classes to adults at the plaster studio that her brother and

uncle in Wisconsin, where Fiehn, she grew up. She taught them Along theowned way, I’ve also met Teresa a talented photographer, and her significant other, how to paint; stain and varnish the miniature plaster statues that artist Jeff Millies. And then there is the wonderfully loquacious and animated Jeanne Norris, were popular at the time. who can always be counted on for anything related to downtown Aurora.

Gasek has worked with clay and metals in the past and now The list of great people who want to revive downtown goes on and on (David Lewis, Jen Evfocuses on mostly acrylics. She teaches acrylic painting as well ans, Fawn Clarke-Peterson, andStreet Natalie McCain, etc.). And that is just a small sampling of as a jewelry-making classMatt at Water Studios in Batavia.

the 300 people who are members of Downtown Auroran’s Facebook group.

She’s involved in the local art scene, is a member of the Aurora

You can meet some theseonfolks on the first Thursday of mostinmonths when we get together Art League and of serves the Cultural Creatives committee downtown Aurora.

She assisted in the selection of artists for the for DAAM (downtown Auroran arts mixers) at River’s Edge Café on Downer Place. The first Aurora ArtWalk this fall.

DAAM was held in November and we successfully filled several tables at the café.her The secondexpressive one in December the entire Gasek paints stunning, pieces in afilled converted back of the she shares with her handy husband – café –room and they arehome sure to grow.

Downtown Auroran (DTA) is a local independent operation.

We are focused on the downtown and its success – especially the burgeoning arts and culture movement. Opinions are encouraged and expressed, but they are not necessarily those of DTA. Downtown Auroran is published quarterly, and 1500 copies are distributed free of charge Cavernous Exploration throughout downtown and select locations in the Aurora area.

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carpenter and sculptor, Scott Robertson. She dove into painting

At the weago discussed “oughta” fullDecember time aboutDAAM, three years and stillwhat runs her graphichappen design business, and Epsilon Design Consulting.

She Weber says that in downtown we got someand fabulous ideas. Jeff sugbalancing both professions gives both the left and right side of gested a film festival, Jeanne Norris is working on bringing the her brain a workout.

Balkan Gypsy Band from Minnesota to downtown and my faShe paints her canvases on a who spinning a gift from vorite was an ARTWorks student said,easel, “We should do anher art husband.

And she signs each piece on the back so it can be festival on Water Street.” We’re already working on it! turned on the wall to suit the viewer.

I hope to see you at the next DAAM on Feb. 4 or try to make it to “I have a real organic style,” Gasek says of her paintings. Some the one on March 4. people see planetary or landscape themes in her work; others see dragons, fish, monsters and faces. Whether the viewer feels they are in space or under water when staring at Gasek’s imaginative paintings, they are transported to a different reality.

2 Fall 2009

Downtown Auroran Downtown Auroran

Winter 2010 13

index

features

cover story

Buddha in the Snow

By Karen Fullett-Christensen Fluffy Flurries II

By Iggy Mwela

A u ro r a n Wo rd s

page

4

DTA profile: Jen Evans

page

11

A r t i s t P ro f i l e

24-28 E. Downer Place Fox Theatre Building, built 1920

Historical Notes

Awakening LaSalle Street

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15

Ta b l e o f C o n t e n t s 4 auroran words 5 locust report 6 cover story 9 citizen voices 10 downtown voices

Winter 2010

11 artist profile 12 recipe 13 culture shock 14 submissions 15 historical notes

Downtown Auroran

The sleepy and once seedy LaSalle Street is waking up thanks to many dedicated folks who see the potential in the former “Auto Row.� Join Jimi Allen intern Lana Kozol as she and another intern familiarize themselves with one of the most historic streets in Aurora.

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Auroran Words Buddha in the Snow

Fluffy Flurries II

By Karen Fullett-Christensen

By Iggy Mwela

The snow retreats across the lot Nearly imperceptibly Where the surface had been hard and smooth Now, holes appear Pockets of air and dead, brown leaves Like the porous mass of craggy rocks The movement of glaciers across the grass Leaving debris – a backyard moraine Frozen treasure or random trash The wind is dry and the temperature low But the sky’s light is changing A first-line clue, the vaguest hint A slow transition to winter’s end For those who pay the closest attention And notice the ice on the Buddha’s head Is starting to melt His jovial face and uplifted arms Begin to emerge from the blanket of frost His smile not yet full, but the teasing is there: Foreshadowing spring.

Previously False forecasting’s forced friends and families Facing a façade, for flakes never fell Because the flesh of flakes never froze Forcing flocks of fetuses to fall We fame Fahrenheit for firmly holding Mercury above freezing Currently Fluffy flurries form, falling fast to the floor Free fall speed is their velocity Eventually Inches become feet of fused flakes forming Slippery roads Forcing vehicles to fishtail frantically into fatal fatalities Fear fixates us to our personal facilities

Karen Fullett-Christensen lives in Aurora and is the development coordinator for the city of Aurora’s Neighborhood Redevelopment Division. Fullett-Christensen is the author of four poetry manuscripts; Alarms and Metaphors is the latest. She leads a book club in downtown Aurora called Books and Bread.

Happily Flocks of children flee to foothills Lay face up on flat tops Freely flushing down the front side With frictionless flat boards Following each other’s footnotes back to the top Fanatically Fishermen fish for floating fish Under fragile surfaces with fishhooks n fishnets Fishing for filets to fry But fifteen minutes and fingers become frigid Frostbite fades their prints we file for identity Formally February becomes our foe And Folgers Coffee is the only thing featured in our cups F*@k I’m finally finished While you were forced to read this FANTASTIC! Ignatius “Iggy” Mwela, www.poetrytolife.com, lives on Aurora’s east side and is a professional performance poet. Mwela recently launched a You Tube site, IggyMwela, and Cometry – a fusion of comedy and poetry at www.cometry.org.

Window Art

by Perry Slade

Perry Slade is a photographer who lives on the east side of Aurora. His photographic epiphany began with a photograph (which he still owns) that he took of an automobile hubcap on a car parked in front of his home. He says it reflected an image of a slice of the neighborhood where he grew up.

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Downtown Auroran

Winter 2010

The Locust Report Reporting on the News and Gossip in Downtown Aurora

Jeremy Keen

• The holidays might be over, but good holiday music lasts forever – so a copy of this year’s locally produced and recorded “City of Lights Vol. 2: Handmade Songs of Joy from Aurora, IL” is a must have even after the Christmas season. The CD is the brainchild of Aurora singer and songwriter Jeremy Keen and features Christmas covers and originals from Aurora area artists. For a second time, Keen joined musicians and friends Ben Thomas, Willowfair, Andrea Dawn, Zachary Goforth and others. The 2008 effort, “City of Lights: Songs of Joy from Aurora, Illinois,” was recorded sparsely, with minimal instrumentation and at the musician’s homes with Keen’s laptop and recording software. The result was an honest, beautiful collection of folk-tinged Christmas covers and originals. Visit River’s Edge Café or contact Andrea Dawn at www.andreadawnmusic.com to purchase “City of Lights II” for next year’s stockings.

•R iver’s Edge Café decided to readjust their hours once again due to slow foot traffic downtown. The current “open for business” hours are weekdays 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. with Thursday being the only late night. The café is now closed on the weekends.

•A nnie Craig is now giving classes at her newly opened studio “Om Towne Yoga” at 41 W. New York Street, Suite B, across from Ballydoyle. Craig teachs Ashtanga yoga, where the movements are linked together with the breath. It is a fairly active and athletic type of yoga, Craig said. Stop by and check out the schedule posted in the window.

• Richard and Shirley Green want to welcome you to Comfort Zone Barbeque for wood pit smoked ribs, fried catfish, pulled pork and more. The Green’s started serving up soul food in November at 37 W. New York Street, across from Ballydoyle, after moving from their Oswego location. Prepare yourself for some swinging live music, as they get ready to expand into the spot next door this winter. Jazz and Blues anyone? www.comfortzonebbq.com.

• The Paramount Theatre is still searching for a talented and driven executive director to oversee the popular venue and create a school for young and talented performers. Dick Hawks is the interim director and a school is high on his list of goals for the historic theater. Hawks said he wants the theater to also put on their own shows.

•B usiness Solutions moves to downtown Aurora. The premier information systems consulting company will occupy the storefront at 14 W. Downer Place, Suite 10 in the Metropolitan Business College building. “Aurora downtown development is important to us,” said Director Matt Hook.

•C ould parking meters in downtown Aurora be a thing of the past? That’s what Aurora Downtown’s parking committee is suggesting in its “final recommendations” report to the city.

Dan Hites leads the committee and wants the meters gone, but not all business owners agree. Sal Aranella, owner of Eyeland Optical, is fine with the meters, but wants them to be set for only 90-minutes. Do you think the meters should stay or go? Comment on our Facebook group page.

•T o rent or to buy? The sale of the historic Elks Club building in downtown Aurora was held up by that question until recently.

At the end of November, the Aurora City Council approved developer Steve Arwady’s backup plan to rent units at the Elks Club building on Stolp Avenue and Benton Street. Arwady hopes to sell the 19 units as condos, but will rent them “if necessary.” Also postponed by the snail-like closing is the much talked about restaurant that could occupy the ground floor. Chef Amaury Rosado is getting antsy, since he planned on moving in last fall. But Rosado is still committed to downtown Aurora.

• Ballydoyle completed their outdoor deck, which is a great viewing platform for the canoe chute below. Charlie Zine and others hope to rebuild the chute in 2010 with state funding from the IDNR. • They’re not your mother’s figure models! Dr. Sketchy’s antiart school is now in Aurora thanks to artist Lisa Gloria. Gloria is presently looking for a venue in downtown Aurora to hold live cabaret figure drawing – complete with risqué costumes, bawdy attitudes and booze. The 3-hour events are held bi-monthly and welcome local artists to get sketching. www.drsketchyaurora.com.

Richard Green

•C hef Amaury Rosado may or may not be moving into the Elk’s Club building, but he is going to open an Italian concept restaurant where the shuttered Pesto Ristorante stands at 31 W. New York Street. “It is something like you would find in downtown Chicago,” Rosado said. He expects it to be premiering by winter’s end.

Winter 2010

Downtown Auroran

5

Awake Joe Dispensa

Kaye Mason

Sandy Spang

Steve Summer

ening LaSalle Street Cover Story

Words by Lana Kozol - Photography by Marissa Amoni

After a gloomy day of wandering around, the feeling that LaSalle Street is a has-been and now creepy street was strong.

It was not promising in the least.

T

he next day, my fellow intern and I went to the library to search the area’s history.

Maybe at one point it was a popular street.

Two days were spent in this pursuit, resulting in a handful of pictures, and a few remarks here and there about LaSalle Street. A later trip to the Aurora archives would prove only slightly more fruitful.

Mr. Dispensa’s excitement was intoxicating and impossible to ignore. He was overflowing with news about plans for building an arch (at the entrance of Auto Row), making LaSalle Street the place to be and how soon he sees that coming.

He showed us into the main floor garage of the Theiss building, where sat before our very eyes, a 1927 Cadillac, possibly used in the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre. The car had been stripped down to the putty colored primer, and the interior was completely bare down to the wood floor base. The original hubcaps are still on the wheels, displaying the Cadillac crest emblem.

We discovered that LaSalle Street was a residential street before 1890, and in 1890 the first commercial building was built on the block.

Many of Aurora’s auto related businesses were on LaSalle, making it the “Auto Row.” Two of the buildings, the Coats building and the Theiss building, are three story buildings made for car sales and service, with huge freight elevators that used to move the cars to all three levels of the building. The Coats place was constructed in 1907, and was made with mostly wood; whereas the Theiss building, built about 1912, was made mostly of concrete, making it much less of a fire hazard.

During the week, we had visited a reenactment store, a printing place and a furniture store, plus we talked to a few passersby. The slightly unnerving part was that each person said the same thing; the street was apparently a fairly unhappy place just until recently. All mentioned drunks, drugs and prostitution. A few people even advised that we stay off the block at night.

The start of week two found us standing outside staring into the sun at some painters working on apartment windows across the street. A man stuck his head out of one of the windows and brightly inquired if we needed an apartment. We replied, “No,” but asked if we could see them anyway, and the request was immediately granted.

He introduced himself as Joe Dispensa, the owner of the apartments and the Theiss building. After greetings and explanations were made he very Winter 2010

enthusiastically guided us around the flats, telling us anything we wished to know. Once back out on the block, Mr. Dispensa began to take us around and gave us the grand tour of LaSalle Street.

Downtown Auroran

Our tour continued down the street to Chek-Lab Printing on the corner of LaSalle and Benton streets. Mr. Dispensa ushered us into the little waiting area where we anticipated the appearance of Kaye Mason, the president of the company, whom Mr. Dispensa was very adamant we meet.

Ms. Mason glided from her office to greet us all warmly. I was in awe that this woman is well into her eighties but hardly seems a day over sixty. Ms. Mason informed us that 1906 was the year the first printing company moved into the building, however it had been in business for five years before coming to LaSalle Street. It has changed various names throughout the years but has always been a printing company.

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Cover Story Cont.

Ms. Mason’s husband began working there in 1946, however she didn’t officially work there until 1968. She later bought the business in 1977. Ms. Mason talked about the good old days on the street, when LaSalle Street was still the place where doctors and dentists resided. There was a candy store, people felt safe being on the street and life was pleasant on LaSalle.

When my fellow intern and I parted ways with Mr. Dispensa, we were bubbling with excitement. So much was happening on LaSalle Street! There is a committee working on the revitalization of the street and the city is giving them help getting things cleaned up. There were newly installed flowerpots on the ground and hanging on the light poles and property owners were beginning to return their buildings to the way they were first made.

There was talk of making this an “Auto Row” again, turning many of the buildings into museums. The 1927 Cadillac would be a huge draw to the street; its history had already brought in huge attention.

Later, I stood to observe a dark peacock green storefront for a moment; it had a balcony on the second floor with bowed windows and gold decorative work along the top and bottom. The door read: S. G. Summer Company Plumbing and Heating.

My assisting intern pushed open the heavy door and I followed her in. A rush of cool air, the smell of plastic pipes and glue and the metallic odor of tools welcomed us.

The shelves were loaded with tools and supplies. In the back, at a large desk scattered with papers, sat an older gentleman, who seemed slightly surprised to see us. His laid back demeanor and his simple sense of humor was delightful. We discovered that he has been a plumber for almost 60 years. He began his profession at E.J. Farrel & Company in the same location. Like Kaye Mason, he too loved the ‘40s and ‘50s on the street, saying it would be neat to see it all back.

Next, Sandy Spang gave us a tour of 69 S. LaSalle Street. Spang is the chief financial officer for Expocad, a software company.

We learned that the building was first constructed as a Moose Lodge where it lived until the 1960s. It was converted into an indoor soccer hall for a short while, then Expocad and two other companies moved in.

The following day we were invited to the Business Owner’s meeting on the third story of the Theiss building. Mr. Dispensa appeared to be the ringleader of the whole affair; Kaye Mason was there as well as a few other familiar faces.

The main topic was an arch; Joe had a drawing of one, but all quickly discounted it.

Other ideas were tossed about with the main conclusion being a car theme. The go ahead would be given at the next meeting to start looking for car clubs who would be interested in coming here. I admired each person’s ability to frankly and openly throw out ideas or point out the flaws in others. All were polite and thoughtful, a very refreshing thing to see.

Afterward as I gazed down the street, I could almost see the street transforming - it being yet again one of the nicest blocks in Aurora. I could see it becoming a busy street, full of cars and people and full of thriving businesses. It can be the pride of Aurora.

Lana Kozol, 18, lives outside of Davenport, Iowa. Kozol worked as an intern for Jimi Allen Productions on LaSalle Street in the summer of 2009. She tumbled out onto the sidewalk, pen and notepad in one hand, a camera in the other and observed the former “Auto Row” for two weeks. “A typical downtown area, I thought. If you’re thinking about the not-so-good part of downtown,” said Kozol, who plans on pursuing photography as a career.

On a sunny day in October, Friends of LaSalle Street Auto Row held the first LaSalle Street Auto Row Car Show featuring cars circa 1975 and older. The successful family friendly event included a caricature artist, pulled pork sandwiches and trophies for show winners.

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Downtown Auroran

Winter 2010

Citizen Voices Who do you want to see perform at the Paramount Theatre?

Dan Howard Aurora resident and database administrator in Chicago “The Steep Canyon Rangers – a bluegrass group. I have a rather specific taste in music,” Howard said.

Steep Canyon Rangers are an acoustic quintet out of Asheville, North Carolina.

Their latest CD, Deep in the Shade, made it to the Billboard Bluegrass Top Ten. They played the Paramount Theatre in Denver, CO in October.

Frank Grill Batavia resident, who works in Naperville “I want to see more comedy acts. Something more than musicals,” Grill said.

Grill recently saw The Capitol Steps and Shanghai Circus at the Paramount.

Winter 2010

Susan Sosa Elmhurst resident and employee at World Relief’s Aurora office on Downer Place “I’d like more opera – classical opera or dancing,” Sosa said. Sosa added that she appreciates the programming at the McAninch Arts Center at the College of DuPage.

She said it is usually the program times or the performances that keep her away from the Paramount.

Sanura Young Wheaton resident and city of Aurora employee “Patti LaBelle. She’s one of my favorites,” Young said. Young doesn’t attend performances at the Paramount because she said they don’t appeal to her.

Downtown Auroran

Marie Lubshina Aurora resident, talented barista and Sears home expert “Tom Waits and Louis C.K.” Lubshina wants to see Louis C.K. at the Paramount because “he’s just funny” and Waits could fill the Paramount. “It’s nice to not have to drive into the city,” she said.

Cassie Moore Warrenville resident and WCC sign language instructor “Eddie Izzard or The Orchestra.” Izzard is a British stand-up comedian and actor. The Orchestra is an offshoot band of Electric Light Orchestra formed by drummer Bev Bevan.

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Downtown Voices It’s Great to BiRP!

Challenges and Triumphs of a New Decade

By Nate Miller

T

he door swings open at 3:13 p.m. and the familiar excited voices of the BiRP kids fill the Triple Threat Mentoring studio.

“Yo Nate … What are we doing today?”

BiRP stands for Bicycle Repair Program. I created and launched the program for Triple Threat in the summer of 2008. The kids pick out a donated BMX bicycle, I teach them how to take it completely apart and then the kids rebuild the bikes from scratch. The frame gets a new paint job at a local auto paint shop and by the end their bike is as good as new (and theirs to keep)! We spend time talking about character issues and respect and the kids also do a community service project. Many of the kids come back after BiRP and help out as Youth Leaders. I also began a BMX Team this fall for our BiRP graduates so they can learn some riding skills.

It is great to see the kids work hard and find that they can make a difference for someone else as well as achieve a goal for themselves. I could never have put this program together without the help of volunteers and support from local businesses like Auto Paint Techniques, who donate the paint jobs and teach the kids about the painting process. Aurora has some great community!

Nate Miller lives on the east side and is the arts director at Triple Threat Mentoring located 76 S. LaSalle Street, Unit 202. Learn more at www.triplethreat.org or e-mail Miller at nate@triplethreat.org.

Guest column by Dan Hites

T

his new decade could see the rebirth of Aurora’s downtown.

If we look past the current downturn, there are a number of developments in 2010 that will set the stage.

Of greatest impact will be the resolution of Waubonsee Community College’s parking needs. If Waubonsee continues to use their old campus along with the new, their parking demand will be 1950 spaces; almost half of all the public parking in the downtown!

Fortunately, the city recognizes the problem and has been negotiating and planning with Waubonsee. Some solutions that I suggest are: use the budget surplus dollars from Waubonsee’s new building to construct a parking garage, sell their old campus and use the proceeds to build a garage, lease the Tivoli parking garage (on Galena and River) at rates that the city or casino can build another garage, or lease spaces in another garage that a developer might build at a rate to amortize the costs plus maintenance. Assuredly, they will come to a solution in 2010 whereby Waubonsee takes responsibility for the problems they have and will create.

With the new decade we will see the strengthening of an emergent entertainment district. The Comfort Zone BBQ now joins Ballydoyle and two other restaurants will arrive shortly (including an Italian concept in the shuttered Pesto Ristorante).

Combined with the Hollywood Casino and Las Quinta De Los Reyes, New York Street is quickly becoming a place to go.

Plans and projects will also continue to remake downtown. A new public library (at the former Beacon-News site), the new RiverEdge Park, redevelopment of the Elks Club, and an awakening of Shodeen’s development will contribute mightily.

Aurora Downtown (the oversight organization for the downtown special services area) is also expected to have greater influence in the future. The group will be instrumental in designing plans for the redevelopment of both La Salle Street and Downer Place. This will be in addition to their efforts to create an Arts and Entertainment District, remove the parking meters, and finish the last portions of the river walk.

Let’s release the possibilities.

Dan Hites owns the Metropolitan Business College complex at 14 W. Downer Place in downtown Aurora. Hites recently finished converting the building at 60 S. River Street into eco-friendly high-end loft apartments. He can usually be found at River’s Edge Café.

Tactile Maneuvers

by John Stanicek

John Stanicek is an Auroran artist. He works in clay at Waubonsee Community College. Stanicek serves on the Aurora Public Art Commission.

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Downtown Auroran

Winter 2010

A r ti s t P r o f i l e DTA profile: Jen Evans

One night as the snow fell and

the lights shone, Jen Evans fell in love with earth-digging machines. The same machines that she had despised previously for the wrath and destruction they were causing.

Evans, 32, was sick of Aurora and its lack of urban planning. The suburban sprawl was tiresome.

But then it hit her. The same excavator that she figuratively spat on was an elegant creature.

“They became beautiful to me,” she said as she recalled that night nearly a decade ago.

Evans got busy taking photographs of the diggers and started to bring the heavy machinery to life in a series of encaustic (pigment in beeswax) paintings.

“I turned what I hated into an inspiration,” she said.

Evans then left the suburbs with her husband, Chris, and their two daughters and spent time in Japan. Even so far from home, she couldn’t shake construction equipment and the Komatsu excavators that she saw called to her.

But when Evans returned home and entered graduate school at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, she was encouraged

to explore something other than excavators. She completed a video installation on motherhood – she had three girls now – but went right back to painting the machines after she finished her masters in studio art.

Evans paints the excavators in yoga poses because that is how she sees them in her mind, she says. And the encaustic process is very permanent, which is ironic to Evans since the paintings will likely last longer than the “poorly planned subdivisions that are so temporary.”

“I like using a media that can last longer than the whole situation,” she said.

Evans, who teaches drawing and design for the ARTWorks program in downtown Aurora, said she is now more interested in doing than observing and recording. These days she is happy digging dirt in her own backyard garden or on a farm in Wayne, Ill - where the farmer is focusing on growing nutrient-dense food.

Evans is also passionate about “unschooling” her three daughters. She calls herself an “eclectic unschooler.” “I found my tribe in unschooling,” she said.

Whether it is art, school or gardening, the notion is simple, “You take what you don’t like and you make it beautiful.”

“I have been using the excavator in my work on and off for seven years now, inspired by their anthropomorphic qualities and my own frustration at the sprawl in the Aurora area.”

– Jen Evans

Winter 2010

Downtown Auroran

11

Keith Malloy

by Nate Miller

Nate Miller says he has a passion for color, line and movement.

He lets his creative juices flow in his work with Triple Threat Mentoring and on personal projects as time allows. Miller is recently inspired by other local artists (Danny Powell, Kevin Lustrup) to continue to grow.

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Out! Steppin An evening with Michael Ingersoll & the stars of Jersey Boys

saturday / 1.16.10 / 8pm - Wine & Cheese Party after show $20

Joan Rivers

Tim Conway

friday / 3.5.10 / 8pm

sunday / 5.23.10 / 3pm

& Friends

Call the Box Office for Tickets at 630-896-6666 www.ParamountAurora.com • 23E. Galena Blvd. Aurora, IL

PACE

PARAMOUNT ARTS CENTRE ENDOWMENT

Drapery by Katie Klaus Katie Klaus lives in Aurora and is a junior at Waubonsie Downtown Auroran Valley High School. Art is a newfound passion forWinter Klaus. 2010

Culture Shock JANUARY WINTER GARDEN OF YOUTH

Thru Jan 8 An annual exhibit of works of art

by Aurora students in grades K through 12.

Open Jan. 6, 7 & 8 from noon to 4. Free-$3. Aurora Public Art Commission at the David L. Pierce Center, 20 E. Downer Place. 630-906-0654. www. aurora-il.org.

THE GUILD

Mon Jan 25 at 7:30 A get together for anyone who “does music.” Free and there’s coffee. Backthird Audio, 67 S. Stolp Avenue. (630) 264.2366. www.backthirdaudio.com.

HEY MONEA!

MARCH DAAM!

Thurs March 4 at 6 Join with others who want to grow the arts in Aurora. Share ideas about how to improve our arts community and mingle with other artists. Downtown Aurora Arts Mixers are held on the first Thursday of most months. Free. River’s Edge Café, 18 W. Downer Place in downtown Aurora.

RED WANTING BLUE

Fri March 19 at 9 Get your live music fix! Serve yourself a good plate of Americana with this solid indie band out Columbus, OH. Ballydoyle Irish Pub, 28 W. New York St. (630) 897-3343.

Sat Jan 30 at 9 Get your live music fix! This rocking trio out of Canton, Ohio is ready to play tunes from their 2009 debut CD, “Wine, Women and Song.” Ballydoyle Irish Pub, 28 W. New York St. (630) 897-3343.

PAINKILLER HOTEL

FEBRUARY

THE GUILD

DAAM!

Thurs Feb 4 at 6 Join with others who want to grow the arts in Aurora. Share ideas about how to improve our arts community and mingle with other artists. Downtown Aurora Arts Mixers are held on the first Thursday of most months. Free. River’s Edge Café, 18 W. Downer Place in downtown Aurora.

PAINKILLER HOTEL

Sat Feb 6 at 9 Get your live music fix! Great local band Painkiller Hotel with Eddie Perez front and center will satisfy all of your rockin’ needs. Ballydoyle Irish Pub, 28 W. New York St. (630) 897-3343.

THE GUILD

Mon Feb 22 at 7:30 A get together for anyone who “does music.” Free and there’s coffee. Backthird Audio, 67 S. Stolp Avenue. (630) 264.2366. www.backthirdaudio.com.

LARRY MILLER AT COPLEY THEATRE

Sat March 26 at 9 Get your live music fix!

Great local band Painkiller Hotel with Eddie Perez front and center will satisfy all of your rockin’ needs. America’s Historic Roundhouse, 205 N. Broadway. (630) 264-2739.

Mon March 29 at 7:30 A get together for anyone who “does music.” Free and there’s coffee. Backthird Audio, 67 S. Stolp Avenue. (630) 264.2366. www.backthirdaudio.com.

Thurs thru Sun from Feb 11 thru Feb 21 The popular comedian Larry Miller takes the stage at Copley Theatre in downtown Aurora for “Cocktails with Larry Miller: Little League, Adultery and Other Bad Ideas.” Miller is a regular guest on The Late Show with David Letterman and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. $30.50. Times vary. Call the Paramount Theatre box office for tickets. 630-896-6666.

GRAND GALLERY ART OPENING

Feb 13 Aurora artist Maureen Gasek’s colorful paintings will take over the 2nd floor of the Paramount’s Grand Gallery during Feb. and March. Join artist Gasek (featured in the fall issue of DTA) for appetizers and a cash bar.

Paramount Arts Centre, 8 E. Galena Blvd. 630896-6666. www.paramountaurora.com

ART AT CITY HALL: COLOR RULES

Thru Feb 26 An exhibit of oil pastel and oil stick paintings by the Yellow House Artists.

Open Mon-Fri, 8-5. Free. Aurora City Hall, 44 E. Downer Place. www.aurora-il.org.

Untitled

Spiros Koliopoulos

LIMITED RUNS & SHOWINGS THE M WORD: A SCOTTISH TRAGEDY IN FIVE ACTS REDUCED TO TWO FOR THE ATTENTION DEFIECIENT Fri and Sat Jan 29 thru March 6 at 8 An original play by Jack Schultz featuring a caravan of itinerant actors, circus performers and gypsies who have come into town to perform the story of Shakespeare’s Macbeth from the back of their wagons in spite of the inherent superstitions attached to all such productions. Riverfront Playhouse, 11-13 Water Street Mall, is a 90 seat, not-for-profit theatre located next to City Hall on the Water Street Mall in downtown Aurora. $12-$15. 630-897-9496. www.riverfrontplayhouse.com. Reservations recommended for most shows.

A.P.R.S. www.auroraparanormal.com Winter 2010

Downtown Auroran

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the collection on a more permanent and regular basis at some point.

“I’d like to have a museum get *the collection+ or a place in Aurora, but no one has shown any interest,” Gardiakos said. He has approached the city and SciTech about future  possibilities for the collection.





“It’s more than just a hobby. It is a serious thing,” he said. 

  

Newly opened on the west side!



homemade Yoga & Pilates food and fresh 514 Terry Ave. brews give usjust south of Prairie St. our edge 630-730-1029 www.AuroraYogaCenter.com 18 W Downer Place

John’s Smoke Shop

by Matthew Jung

Matthew Jung lives in Aurora and graduated from West Aurora High School in 1994. Jung works in Naperville, visits Canada often and plays drums in the Chicago-based band A Light Sleeper.

Matthew Jung

- downtown

Submit to DTA!

Auroran We welcome submissions in the following categories: Fall 2009 • Recipes (vegetarian, local, organic and ethnic) • Poetry, lyrics or short stories • Artwork • Photography Please e-mail to downtownauroran@gmail.com. By submitting to DTA, you give expressed permission for DTA to publish your work in print or on the Web for purposes related solely to Downtown Auroran magazine. There is no payment for submissions.

Note: submitted material should relate to downtown Aurora either through the content or the author.

We are also looking for news, events and happenings related to downtown.

Deadline for submissions to the Spring issue: March 1.

Available in April!

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Downtown Auroran

Winter 2010

Historical Notes 24-28 E. Downer Place - Fox Theater Building, built 1910 The Fox Theater building

along the east side of Stolp Island might be confusing to passerby without a brief history lesson since there no longer is a Fox Theater.

But before the Paramount was built, the Fox Theater was the place to go and when all lit up, it added to the city slogan, “Aurora the City of Lights.”

Architecture

courtesy of the City of Aurora and the Aurora Historical Society: The building, which is actually three separate buildings, was united by a brick and terra cotta façade around 1920.

The center building was built around 1880 and became the Fox Theater Building in 1910; the three buildings still had separate facades and appearances.

On the front of 26 E. Downer, the familiar reclining terra cotta fox can be seen in a circular medallion above the upper windows, while still projecting out of the mouths of the lions on either end of the building are portions of the supports that once held a heavy outstretched canopy that sheltered the entrance for theater-goers.

The Fox Theater opened in 1910 as a 1,800-seat theater for silent movies and live vaudeville shows. From 1902 to 1910, the theater itself was the Aurora Coliseum, a large public hall used for roller-skating, social events and banquets.

In 1915, Fox Theater owners Frank Thielen and Jules J. Rubens opened the Sylvandell Dance Hall, adjoining the Fox Theater to the north, with an entrance on what is today Galena. They connected the two buildings with the enclosed “Fox Promenade,” which overhung the river on the west side of both In 1919, the owners undertook a major remodeling project, converting the Sylvandell into the 2,250-seat Rialto Theater. The Fox Theater was also improved at this time. It was then that the three buildings along Downer were united with a fancy new façade, and the Fox Theater enterprise expanded to occupy more of the structures, as well as leasing out space for shops and offices.

The Rialto Theater was destroyed by fire in October 1928. In 1930, the Fox Theater was condemned and demolished, and in the place of both theaters, the Paramount, “The Showplace of the Fox River Valley,” opened in September 1931.

Since that time, a variety of shops and offices have been in the old Fox Theater building.

Swalley Music House occupied the building for nearly five decades before closing in 2006.

Today, alongside the river, an open promenade hangs where the once-enclosed Fox Promenade was; a built-in sign along the top riverside wall of 28 E. Downer proclaims “FOX THEATRE BLDG AND PROMENADE.”

History

courtesy of the Aurora Historical Society: The theater itself stood behind the three buildings, with the main entrance being through the middle building, now 26 E. Downer (currently Eyeland Optical), with theater offices upstairs.

All of the buildings are quite old. The westernmost section (24 E. Downer) is the oldest, built as the YMCA building in 1871. The YMCA occupied it until 1908, when the organization built a new structure at LaSalle Street and Downer Place (since demolished).

The easternmost section, along the river (now owned by the Paramount Theater) was built as the home of the Aurora Beacon newspaper in 1884 (after having been in offices on Broadway for 23 years). The Beacon (later Beacon-News) stayed there until 1920, when they moved into a new structure where North Island Center stands today.

Winter 2010

Fox Theatre circa 1920 courtesy of the Aurora Historical Society.

Downtown Auroran

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