CHICAGO - As ambassador to the Illinois Main Street program, Lt. Governor Sheila Simon on Wednesday will designate the Six Corners business district in Chicago's Portage Park neighborhood as the newest Main Street community, the second such designation in Chicago.
"I'm excited to designate the Six Corners business district as an official Main Street community. This means access to technical assistance and training on economic development. The designation will compliment what the Six Corners Association has already done to revitalize this historic part of Chicago," Simon said.
The Six Corners business district is a historic commercial center at the intersection of Milwaukee and Cicero Avenues and Irving Park Road that used to be among the busiest in Chicago according to Ed Bannon, the executive director of the Six Corners Association. The business district includes The Peoples Gas Building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, and the Portage Theater, which was recently given preliminary landmark status by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks.
According to Illinois Main Street coordinator Mitzi Brandenburg, Six Corners received the designation based in part on its historic preservation needs and its efforts since 2007 to implement the Main Street Four-Point Approach, which provides communities guidance on revitalization efforts. One example of this was the Six Corners Association's assistance in the facade redesign of Six Corners Bistro, a restaurant currently under construction that is scheduled to open this summer.
Illinois Main Street is administered by the Office of Regional Economic Development at the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and offers its designated communities technical assistance and training in how to revitalize traditional downtowns, neighborhood business districts, and urban corridors. The program is part of the National Main Street Program at the National Trust for Historic Preservation Main Street Center.
Simon announced in March that the Illinois Main Street Program is once again accepting applications from communities interested in becoming part of the program. Communities interested in obtaining more information can visit www.illinoismainstreet.org.
EVENT: Six Corners Illinois Main Street Designation Ceremony
TIME: 2 p.m.
DATE: Wednesday, May 2
PLACE: Las Tablas Restaurant, 4920 W. Irving Park, Chicago
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