W E D N E S D A Y
July 17, 2019 Vol. 39, No. 50 ONE DOLLAR @oakpark @wednesdayjournal
JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest
Hidden gem of a home Page B1
Proposed Wright center faces opposition Oak Park Historic Preservation Commission unlikely to approve demolition, alterations to historic structures By TIMOTHY INKLEBARGER Staff Reporter
The Frank Lloyd Wright Trust’s plan to build a new visitor and education center next to the famed architect’s home and studio got off to a rough start this week with a presentation to the Oak Park Historic Preservation Commission. The commission took no action on either of the trust’s plans to either remove or demolish a historic home at 925 Chicago Ave. and alter another historic building at 931 Chicago Ave. The proposals are part of a plan to make more space for a new 8,000- to 9,000-squarefoot visitor and education facility. Representatives of the trust presented their request for a certificate of appropriateness for the proposed demolition/removal and alteration to the commission at a meeting on July 11, but commissioners roundly opposed both proposals. In taking no action on either request, See WRIGHT CENTER on page 15
Sun shower
ALEXA ROGALS/Staff Photographer
Kick boards serve a dual purpose in the kiddie pool fountain at Rehm Pool. More photos on page 16.
Former Defender editor laments print’s demise Oak Park journalist helmed historic paper’s newsroom for five months
By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
Shari Noland, 49, of Oak Park, knew what she was getting into when, in 2017, she decided to leave her job as communications director for the Oak Park Education Foundation in order to become executive editor
of the Chicago Defender. The cash-strapped newspaper’s best days were behind it, but the Defender’s rich legacy still resonated with the veteran journalist. “I had a contact who knew someone who said they were looking for an editor,” Noland said in a recent interview. “I hadn’t planned on leaving the Education Founda-
tion. I liked it. But I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work for the Defender.” Last Wednesday, the nearly 115-year-old newspaper, once the most authoritative voice in Black America, released its last print issue — the cover boldly announcing See DEFENDER on page 12
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