[Oe List ...] 5th City Auto Center

Fri Dec 4 11:13:08 CST 2009

Lynda, I have 100's of pictures of 5th City from the time we were part 
of the project.  Moreover, I have many pictures from the trips we took 
including the Odyssey Global II, 5th City Circles the East, and the trip 
to Bermuda.  I believe Lela was present on all of these trips and was a 
fun participant as well as several other 5th City residents.  I would 
gladly share these on line and may have to do a Picasa album but as you 
know my ego is so motivated by pleadings of colleagues such as you.

Since you asked, I will explore the process of sending out some of my 
precious photos.

Jim.

Lynda Cock wrote:
> Jim Jewell and Jim Baumbach, two men I recall with the cameras.  
> Indeed wealth of history you hold.  If there is a place for such in 
> the Archives project or the Repository, I hope you will bequeath some 
> of your digital findings where we can all share. Do you have a good 
> one of Lela that you could share on line? With gratitude,  Lynda
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From:* oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net [mailto:oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net] 
> *On Behalf Of *Jim Baumbach
> *Sent:* Friday, December 04, 2009 7:22 AM
> *To:* Order Ecumenical Community
> *Subject:* Re: [Oe List ...] 5th City Auto Center
>
> Long before Google produced their first set of city pictures, I 
> wandered the streets of Fifth City photographing many different 
> structures including the razing of the chapel, administration building 
> and the gym at 3444 Congress Pkwy.  Driving past the vacant lot where 
> the Auto Center used to stand so proudly, always left me with a very 
> empty feeling.  It wasn't until I started digitizing my negatives, 
> recently, that I once again relived the fantastic event held in Fifth 
> City.  The day of the ground breaking for the Auto Center.  From Cathy 
> Byrnes (daughter of Jane Byrnes, previous mayor of Chicago) to the 
> Marshall HS Band, and all of the familiar faces of Fifth City, one by 
> one, speaking in a packed Washington Hall of the Community Center 
> about the wonderful promise and symbol this edifice represented.  The 
> ground breaking, itself where so many people symbolically pushed their 
> shovels into the soil on that cold February day in 1983 was an event 
> rivaled only by the Fifth City Plaza dedication 8 years earlier.  I 
> always wondered about the sad tragedy of the Auto Center that held 
> such a promise of possibility of creating jobs for the local residents.
>
> Thanks again for the Google update.
>
> Jim Baumbach
>
> W. J. wrote:
>> Of course those of us who are Google 'spies' knew that. Apparently 
>> the City took it down after the title holders gave it back to the 
>> banks and they walked away. That would be my best guess. Now it's a 
>> fenced parking lot, rather than an abandoned hulk that would pose a 
>> threat to the community from 'unauthorized use.'
>> That's probably also the reason so much of 5th City is now vacant lots.
>> The silver lining in this sad story is that many of the formerly 
>> glass- and brick-strewn vacant lots from Kedzie down 5th Avenue to 
>> the Community Center are now vegetable gardens. 
>> Marshall
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> *From:* Jim Baumbach <wtw0bl at new.rr.com>
>> *To:* Order Ecumenical Community <oe at wedgeblade.net>
>> *Sent:* Thu, December 3, 2009 4:00:52 AM
>> *Subject:* Re: [Oe List ...] Google Maps: view of 5th City Iron Man
>>
>> Thanks Marshall.  It is possible to tour all of Fifth City with the 
>> Google views.  Sadly all of the residences where Alice and I lived 
>> for 10 years there are gone.  I would like to know if anyone knows 
>> what happened to the 5th City Auto Center.  It is completely gone.
>>
>> Jim Baumbach
>>
>> W. J. wrote:
>>> This Google view shows the Iron Man withe the 5th City Community 
>>> Center in the background and the shopping center to the right.
>>> Marshall
>>>
>>> <http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&client=safari&q=fifth+avenue+and+Kedzie+Chicago+map&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=S+Kedzie+Ave+%26+W+5th+Ave,+Chicago,+Cook,+Illinois&gl=us&ei=TGkXS4iOGpSesgOk_OiwDg&ved=0CAwQ8gEwAA&ll=41.877009,-87.710874&spn=0.000663,0.004039&t=h&z=19&lci=com.panoramio.all&layer=c&cbll=41.877009,-87.710873&panoid=cx1m3GxOxOFDyjM7qlwdxw&cbp=13,68.5,,1,-0.02 
>>> <http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&client=safari&q=fifth+avenue+and+Kedzie+Chicago+map&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=S+Kedzie+Ave+%26+W+5th+Ave,+Chicago,+Cook,+Illinois&gl=us&ei=TGkXS4iOGpSesgOk_OiwDg&ved=0CAwQ8gEwAA&ll=41.877009,-87.710874&spn=0.000663,0.004039&t=h&z=19&lci=com.panoramio.all&layer=c&cbll=41.877009,-87.710873&panoid=cx1m3GxOxOFDyjM7qlwdxw&cbp=13,68.5,,1,-0.02>>
>>>
>>> This email was sent to you by a user on Google Maps (maps.google.com 
>>> <http://maps.google.com>)
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
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