NEAR-History

NEAR - New Eastside Association of Residents.........HISTORY

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The history of our residential association NEAR began with our community's commercial association. Chicago's New East Side was designated an official Chicago neighborhood by the Mayor (as reported on the CNES website) Anchored by the original skyscraper, One Prudential Plaza, the area has been expanding and building ever since. With a master plan that includes the extensive underground "Pedway" system that links most of our commercial buildings in an environmentally controlled atmosphere, the three-tiered New East Side keeps truck traffic down below, pedestrians above.

In 1988, Chicago's New East Side Association was formed to mainly represent the commercial buildings. It consists of board members from the major property owners, building management and amenities located on the New East Side. The membership list reads like a who's who in commercial real estate: Prudential Plaza, The Aon Center, Blue Cross/Blue Shield Building, 233 N. Michigan, 303 E. Wacker, The Fairmont Chicago, The Hyatt Regency Chicago Hotel, The Lakeshore Athletic Club, and the Mid-America Club. Samual Budwig of the Metropolitan Structures helped create and served as the first president of the New Eastside Association (ref: Tribune obituaries, Apr 15, 2011)

The New Eastside Association of Residents (NEAR) has represented the residential buildings since 1991. On March 1, 1991, the New Eastside Association of Residents (NEAR) was incorporated as a Not-For-Profit Corporation in the State of Illinois.

The original 1991 Officers and members of the Board of Directors were:

President – Lynn Thomsen

Vice-President – Pam Martin

Secretary/Treasurer – Madelaine Kleinman

Director – Elliot Lapan

Director – ____

1992

President – Alice H. Harper

Vice-President – Madelaine M. Kleinman

2nd Vice-President - T. vonDonop Buddington

Secretary – Lynn K. Thomsen

Treasurer – Robert L. Goodman

199__

President – Daniel A. Cantor

First Vice-President – Alice H. Harper

Second Vice-President - Eleanor S. Kovac

Recording Secretary – Lynn Hirschfeld Brahin

Treasurer- Robert L. Goodman

Membership Chair – Roz Goodman

2001

President – Alice H. Harper

Vice-President (Programs) – Anna M. Anthony

Vice-President – (Hospitality) – Eleanor S. Kovac

Secretary – Lynn Hirschfeld Brahin

Treasurer – Howard Adlin

2006

President – Richard F. Ward

Vice-President (Programs) – Anna M. Anthony

Vice-President (Hospitality) – Eleanor S. Kovac

Secretary – Lynn Hirschfeld Brahin

Co-Treasurers – Howard Adlin / Richard Thennes

2008

President - Richard F. Ward

Vice-President (Programs) - Anna M. Anthony

Vice-President (Publicity) - Patricia Reis

Director (Hospitality) - Leslie Fox

Secretary - Lynn Hirschfeld Brahin

Co-Treasurers - Richard Thennes / Deborah Eaves

2010

President - Richard F. Ward

Vice-President - Dr. Fran Weinstock

Treasurer - Richard Thennes

Secretary - Pat Reis

Director - Leslie Fox

Director - John Wizgrid

2015

President - Richard F. Ward

Vice-President - Dr. Fran Weinstock

Treasurer - Richard Thennes (retired 11/2015) / Thomas Besore (appointed 12/9/2015)

Secretary - Leslie Fox

Director - Todd Doersch

Director - Gerald Moriarty

2016

President - Richard F. Ward

Vice-President - Dr. Fran Weinstock

Treasurer - Gerald Moriarty

Secretary - Leslie Fox

Director - Todd Doersch

Director - Thomas Besore (resigned 8-4-17)

Director - Joyce Gallagher

Director - Duncan Bourne (appt by board 6-12-18)

Director - David Piell (appt. by board 6-12-18)

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INFORMATION FROM THE WEBSITE http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/zo/?id=100200

Chicago's New Eastside is the area between Grant Park and the Chicago River, bounded on the east by Lake Shore Drive and on the west by Michigan Avenue. The site is mostly man-made land southeast of the old mouth of the river where Fort Dearborn was built in 1803.

Until the 1970s the land was used as a vast railyard by the Illinois Central Railroad. It was developed gradually in several stages, including the Illinois Center megaproject. Development is expected to be finished by 2010 upon completion of Lakeshore East, another large mixed-use project designed to bring a more orderly layout to the eastern half of the area.

The following buildings are currently listed in New Eastside: (source: Emporis website link above)

# Building Complex Floors Year

1. Aon Center 83 1973

2. Aqua Lakeshore East 82 2009

3. Boulevard Towers East Illinois Center 80

4. Mandarin Oriental Tower Illinois Center 65 2008

5. 340 on the Park Lakeshore East 64 2007

6. Two Prudential Plaza Prudential Plaza 64 1990

7. Cuneo Building 60 1929

8. Park Millennium Illinois Center 57 2002

9. The Parkshore 56 1991

10. North Harbor Tower 55 1988

11. Harbor Point 54 1975

12. The Tides Lakeshore East 51 2007

13. The Shoreham Lakeshore East 47 2005

14. Columbus Plaza Illinois Center 47 1980

15. Michigan Plaza South Illinois Center 46 1985

16. The Regatta Lakeshore East 45 2006

17. Swissôtel Chicago Illinois Center 45 1989

18. 151 North Michigan 45 1925

19. Buckingham Plaza 44 1982

20. One Prudential Plaza Prudential Plaza 41 1955

21. Doral Plaza 40 1982

22. Outer Drive East 40 1963

23. 300 East Randolph 37 1989

24. Fairmont Hotel Illinois Center 37 1987

25. The Chandler Lakeshore East 36 2007

26. General Motors Building 36 1929

27. 333 North Michigan 34 1928

28. Hyatt Regency Chicago II Illinois Center 33 1980

29. Hyatt Regency Chicago I Illinois Center 33 1974

30. Blue Cross-Blue Shield 32 1997

31. Two Illinois Center Illinois Center 32 1972

32. The Lancaster Lakeshore East 30 2005

33. One Illinois Center Illinois Center 30 1970

34. Three Illinois Center Illinois Center 28 1979

35. Michigan Plaza North Illinois Center 25 1981

36. Old Republic Building

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The information (is being confirmed) that the New Eastside was designated an "official neighborhood" by the Mayor, as reported on the Chicago's New East Side (CNES) website (no longer posted).

Also, the statement (was confirmed and corrected) on the homepage of the New Eastside website that: " Since the 1920's...This sign is located just north of Randolph on Harbor Drive. The "New Eastside" name was used as early as 1929 in a Chicago Ordinance on the Randolph Terminal Properties referring to the "Randolph Street Viaduct" over the railroad tracks. CORRECTED INFORMATION - We learned from the text in the actual 1929 Chicago City Council Minutes (from their warehouse storage) that the word "New" in the title is actually "new" in the text. So the name New Eastside is really from the 1980's. We are attempting to "preserve our historic name" by having the city's sign department replace the signs that have been lost over the years. There are currently eight remaining signs in the New Eastside area."

Valuable historical information on the origin of the New Eastside area is available on the HISTORY webpage: http://www.neweastside.homestead.com/History.html

"NEW EAST SIDE" is the name indicated on the CHICAGO NEIGHBORHOOD MAP sold in many Gift Stores. This map was distributed by the Chicago Association of Realtors www.CAR.realtor.com ,and copyrighted in 2001 by Big Stick, Inc. (no longer posted).

As new information is researched, it will be published on this page.

This page was last updated: June 20, 2018

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This is the New East Randolph Viaduct that was initially constructed over the railroad tracks in 1908. The automobiles along Lake Shore Drive appear to be from the 1950's era. One Prudential Plaza was built in 1955.

Monroe

Randolph Viaduct

Lake Shore Drive

Prudential

Wrigley