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1601 N. Clark Street Chicago, IL 60614
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Near Northwest Side Planning Commission records

Descriptive Summary

Repository
Chicago History Museum
Research Center
1601 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60614-6038
Creator
Near Northwest Side Planning Commission
Bib number
00066584
Title
Near Northwest Side Planning Commission records
Dates
1956-1964
Quantity
7 linear ft. (15 boxes)
Call number
MSS Lot N
Language
English

Restriction(s)

This collection is open for research use.

Terms governing use

Copyright may be retained by the creators of items, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law, unless otherwise noted.

Provenance statement

Gift of the Near Northwest Side Planning Commission (accession #: X.3506.2010).

Please cite this collection as

Near Northwest Side Planning Commission records (Chicago History Museum) plus a detailed description, date, and box/folder number of a specific item.

Collection Summary

Correspondence, financial and legal records, meeting agendas and minutes, code violation complaints, contact lists, publications, maps, architectural drawings, materials collected from other local organizations, and other administrative records of the Near Northwest Side Planning Commission, a non-profit organization aimed at revitalizing the West Town community of Chicago (Ill.). Materials relate to the commission's membership, board meetings, zoning issues, other Chicago neighborhood and government organizations, and community events.

Biographical/historical note

The Near Northwest Side Planning Commission (NNSPC) was formed in the mid-1950s and operated under the leadership of executive director Kurt H. Berg. The NNSPC was a non-profit neighborhood organization whose activities centered on the revitalization of the Chicago neighborhood bounded by the I-94 expressway, Augusta Boulevard, California Avenue, and Kinzie Street. The commission's primary goals were to eliminate blight, to improve and modernize housing, to attract private investment to the Near Northwest Side, and to be recognized as a certified conservation area by the Community Conservation Board of Chicago. The commission was active during the mid-1950s and 1960s.

Related material

Related materials at Chicago History Museum, Research Center, include the Near Northwest Side Planning Commission photograph collection (1980.0168).

Other Finding Aids

Finding aid also submitted to Explore Chicago Collections portal.

Indexed Terms

Organization and Arrangement of Collection

The collection is arranged in eight series

Series 1. Correspondence, 1956-1962 (box 1-4)

Series 1 consists of correspondence, primarily between Kurt H. Berg, executive director of the NNSPC, and various commission members, local business owners, community leaders, and government officials.

Series 2. Other organizational records, 1957-1962 (box 4-6)

Series 2 contains publications, reports, surveys, correspondence, and press materials from other community, neighborhood, and government organizations, including the Chicago Housing Authority, the Chicago Commission on Human Relations, and neighborhood conservation groups. Materials are grouped by organization.

Series 3. Events, 1957-1962 (box 6)

Series 3 consists of publications, correspondence, receipts, photographs, and newspaper clippings about events organized by or related to the NNSPC. Events include talent shows, bingos, giveaways, and a public hearing.

Series 4. Financial and legal records, 1956-1962 (box 6-9)

Series 4 contains financial reports, contribution records, requests for membership dues, receipts, salary and rent records, bills, by-laws, resolutions, and rules for hearings of the NNSPC.

Series 5. Office files, 1956-1964 (box 9-13, 15)

Series 5 contains zoning code violations and complaints to the Mayor's Office of Inquiry and Information, committee and subcommittee meeting agendas and minutes, address and contact lists, master copies of notices, and information concerning vacant city lots.

Series 6. Press and publications, 1956-1961 (box 13-14)

Series 6 consists of press releases, newspaper clippings, newsletters, and pamphlets related to the NNSPC, and other neighborhood and government organizations such as the West Central Association, the Chicago Housing Authority, the Young Men's Christian Association, the Chicago Commission on Youth Welfare, and the Chicago Commission on Human Relations.

Series 7. Architectural files and maps, 1959-1961 (box 14)

Series 7 contains maps of Chicago and the Near Northwest Side, architectural drawings of a house, and the Chicago Plan Commission proposal for the "Central South Area Plan" (1960).

Series 8. General files, 1958-1960 (box 14)

Series 8 contains a summary of the Near Northwest Side Conservation Program; an essay by Norman Ross entitled "The Population Explosion;" a paper by William H. Brueckner, executive director of the Chicago Commons Association, entitled "The Corner Group Worker as a Change Agent in the Life of the Group and its Members;" and other miscellaneous records.

Detailed list of contents of the collection

Series 1: Correspondence
1956-1962
Box 1
Title
Correspondence
Dates
1956-1962
Box 2
Title
Correspondence
Dates
1956-1962
Box 3
Title
Correspondence
Dates
1956-1962
Box 4
Title
Correspondence
Dates
1956-1962
Series 2: Other organizational records
1957-1962
Box 4
Title
Other organizational records
Dates
1957-1962
Box 5
Title
Other organizational records
Dates
1957-1962
Box 6
Title
Other organizational records
Dates
1957-1962
Series 3: Events
1957-1962
Box 6
Title
Events
Dates
1957-1962
Series 4: Financial and legal records
1956-1962
Box 6
Title
Financial and legal records
Dates
1956-1962
Box 7
Title
Financial and legal records
Dates
1956-1962
Box 8
Title
Financial and legal records
Dates
1956-1962
Box 9
Title
Financial and legal records
Dates
1956-1962
Series 5: Office files
1956-1964
Box 9
Title
Office files
Dates
1956-1964
Box 10
Title
Office files
Dates
1956-1964
Box 11
Title
Office files
Dates
1956-1964
Box 12
Title
Office files
Dates
1956-1964
Box 13
Title
Office files
Dates
1956-1964
Box 15
Title
Office files
Dates
1956-1964
Series 6: Press and publications
1956-1961
Box 13
Title
Press and publications
Dates
1956-1961
Box 14
Title
Press and publications
Dates
1956-1961
Series 7: Architectural files and maps
1959-1961
Box 14
Title
Architectural files and maps
Dates
1959-1961
Series 8: General files
1958-1960
Box 14
Title
General files
Dates
1958-1960