27th Annual Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards 2021

Mural: Woodlawn Works, Rahmaan Statik and Chicago Public Art Group, 2015
RENEWAL
27th Annual Chicago Neighborhood
Development Awards ®
THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 2021

RICHARD H. DRIEHAUS
IN MEMORIAM
This year Chicago lost a true friend of the neighborhoods and visionary leader in Richard
H. Driehaus, who in 1998 partnered with LISC to create the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation
Award for Architectural Excellence in Community Design.
A focus on neighborhood architecture was unheard of at the time Richard conceived of the
award - architectural awards were reserved for downtown structures and institutional uses.
Over the years, architects and community partners in 72 projects in neighborhoods across
the city have been recognized for collaborative and innovative neighborhood architecture.
Richard’s vision and commitment to quality design for all Chicagoans has had an undeniable
lasting impact on how community development real estate is considered and done in
Chicago.
Richard’s personal engagement in the CNDA event was always a highlight of the evening.
His passion for Chicago neighborhoods, enthusiasm for the community builders and architects
being recognized and spontaneity was inspiring.
Tonight we are announcing a year-long celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Richard
H. Driehaus Foundation Award for Architectural Excellence in Community Design that will
include opportunities to tour Driehaus award winning buildings and learning sessions with
community developers and architects about the Award’s ongoing impact in Chicago. We
hope you will join us.

My Dear Friends
and Neighbors,
It is my great honor to join you all today to
celebrate the accomplishments of our city’s
neighborhood developers at this year’s Chicago
Neighborhood Development Awards (CNDA).
For me, this event is always particularly exciting
because it brings together community and
for-profit organizations and professionals from
all over our city to not only honor this year’s
awardees, but also recognize the deeply
impactful work that is being done to strengthen
Chicago’s neighborhoods.
Our 77 neighborhoods are 77 of our greatest
assets and must be treated as such. Our city is
brimming with block clubs and community organizations
who are doing just that—dedicating their time, talents, and energy to improve our
neighborhoods from the inside out. The positive impact of their many contributions is also
reflective of why it is so important that we recognize and honor their hard work at events
like the CNDA.
This past year has been difficult for us all. But through each and every one of this year’s
CNDA winners and applicants flows the same resilient spirit that sets our city apart from any
other place on the planet and sheds light even on our darkest days. In a time still marked by
uncertainty, it is beyond heartening to see this kind of resilience and tenacity for protecting
the health and wellbeing of our residents resonate throughout our neighborhoods.
Today’s awards are not only prestigious honors, but blueprints as well. And these blueprints
will show us how to build and support the community-led design processes we need in
order to create the more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable city we all deserve.
Thank you and congratulations to you all.
Lori E. Lightfoot
Mayor
Dear Friends,
Welcome to the 27th Chicago Neighborhood
Development Awards!
Every year when we gather together, we look
back at the year that has passed. I think it is
safe to say that 2020 was a pivotal year for
our society, for our communities and for many
of us as individuals. It challenged our notions
of equity and justice as a pandemic and racial
reckoning sent shockwaves through our city
and nation.
Last year when we gathered in May of 2020
to honor the year’s best designs, plans and
campaigns, we recognized the importance of
community as we contemplated the unforeseen
challenges brought on by COVID-19.
After experiencing such upheaval, it is always the hope that we will come through it
changed for the better—and ready to create change for the better. That change starts with
renewal, which is the theme of this year’s ceremony. To renew means to make like new; to
restore to freshness, vigor or perfection; to make new spiritually; to regenerate, to revive;
and to make extensive changes in; to rebuild. That is both a literal and metaphorical description
of what we are here to celebrate tonight.
As always, every group and project you will learn about tonight has made a profound difference
in the life of their communities and our city. Some campaigns or developments were
completed just in time to aid their communities in a time of stress. Others were created by
communities in response to the challenges and inequities they have faced for a long time.
Whether long planned or newly conceived, the work of the organizations and partnerships
will have sustainable impact. So tonight, we honor both the particular designs, plans and
campaigns, as well as those whose work is always that of renewal—who time and time again
help us regenerate, restore and rebuild community.
Finally, a special thank you to our donors and partners who worked so hard to bring you this
unique event. But I save the biggest thanks for every individual behind the organizations we
are here to recognize. Your achievements, despite the challenges that surrounded us, are
incredible inspirations. You served—and transformed—your communities when they needed
it most.
Meghan K. Harte
Executive Director, LISC Chicago

AWARDS COMMITTEE
JUDGES
Deborah Bennett
Polk Bros. Foundation (CHAIR)
Jeff Bone
Landon Bone Baker Architects
Eva Brown
Fifth Third Bank
Katie Cangimi
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois
Julie Chavez
Bank of America
Charlie Corrigan
JPMorgan Chase
Juliet De Jesus Alejandre
Logan Square
Neighborhood Association
Lawrence Grisham
Calvin Holmes
Chicago Community Loan Fund
Lisa Ladonna Cooper
State Farm
SELECTION PROCESS
JeNyce Boolton
US Bank
Tawa Mitchell
John D. and Catherine T.
MacArthur Foundation
Michelle Morales
Woods Fund Chicago
Louise Powell
John D. and Catherine T.
MacArthur Foundation
Matt Reilein
National Equity Fund
Darnell Shields
Austin Coming Together
Casandra Slade
Wintrust Financial
Joanna Trotter
Chicago Community Trust
A wide variety of dedicated organizations and innovative projects contended
for the 2021 Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards. Teams of volunteer
judges—from the non-profit, public and for-profit sectors—evaluated each
submission against three criteria: effectiveness of the organizational and
developmental process; community impact; project or organizational challenge.
After a series of site visits, judges made recommendations to the Awards
Committee for final determination.
Jaime Arteaga
LISC
Dena Bell
IFF
Deborah Bennett
Polk Bros. Foundation
Jack Bernard
JPMorgan Chase
Sangini Brahmbhatt
Asian Americans
Advancing Justice
Chris Brown
Southwest Organizing Project
Alexis Chernak
Applegate Thorne-Thomsen
Tameeka Christian
Chandra Christmas-Rouse
Enterprise Community Partners
Lynne Cunningham
Pamela Daniels-Halisi
BMO Harris Bank
Kathleen Day
POAH
Lesly Flores
First Midwest Bank
Elliot Frolichstein-Appel
RBC Capital Markets
Jeanne Gieseke
US Bank
Jake Gross
Byline Bank
Adam Gross
BPI
Danny Gutman
CIBC
Whitney Hill
LCM Architects
Andrew Hugger
Bank of America
Ed Jacob
Tenisha Jones
Westside United
Annie Kraft
Federal Home Loan
Bank Chicago
Mark Kruse
Heartland Housing
Paul Lopez
First Midwest Bank
Robert Macyauski
Fifth Third Bank
Cecilia Marchan
Bellwether Capital
Cynthia Miller
IFF
Ron Milsap
Providence Bank
Tawa Mitchell
John D. and Catherine T.
MacArthur Foundation
Steven Montgomery
LCM Architects
Deborah Moore
Neighborhood Housing
Services of Chicago
Michelle Morales
Woods Fund Chicago
Christine Moran
Illinois Housing
Development Authority
Mike Newman
Shed Studios
Cheryl Noel
Wrap Architecture
Tiffany Odeh
Associated Bank
Heather Parish
Pierce Family Foundation
Heidy Persaud
Center for Neighborhood
Technology
Louise Powell
John D. and Catherine T.
MacArthur Foundation
LaDonna Reed
Associated Bank
Guacolda Reyes
The Resurrection Project
Ravi Ricker
Wrap Architecture
Mary Fran Riley
Allies for Community Business
Claudia Rodriguez
POAH
Adam Rogers
CIBC
Gaby Roman
Devon Bank
Jerry Rotunno
Associated Bank
Teresa Rubio
Associated Bank
Dennis Ryan
Holy Cross Hospital
Trish Sessa
BMO Harris Bank
Erica Spangler Raz
Chicago Lawyers
Committee for Civil Rights
Katrina Van
Valkenburgh
Corporation for
Supportive Housing
Daniel Vega
LCM Architects
Isabel Velez-Diez
Allies for Community Business
Paul Vlamis
JPMorgan Chase
Yvette Warren
Quad Communities
Development Corporation
Cheryl Wilson
CIBC

Claretian Associates for
We’re Steel Here! South Chicago
When U.S. Steel abandoned its South Works
plant, which at one time employed 20,000
people, many feared the South Chicago
neighborhood it dominated, long a port of
entry and platform for upward mobility, would
be fatally wounded. Yet there were others
who, acknowledging difficult change, saw the
vacant land, the now-underemployed workforce,
and the robust, albeit idle, infrastructure
as assets on which to build for the future.
The result is “We’re Steel Here,” an ambitious
plan for the redevelopment of South Chicago
as a 21st century community, with diverse
and vital industries, residents and activities.
Specifically, the plan, sponsored by Claretian
Associates, a steady development presence
in the community for decades, calls for nine
inter-connected projects to create needed
housing, recreational space, workforce
development programs, and new commercial
corridors.
Ambitious? Yes, but critical milestones have
already been reached. This spring, the Salud
Center, with its performance venue, gym
and other recreational activity spaces, along
with the renovation of 100 units of existing
affordable apartments will open within the
structure of a long-closed YMCA. Also, on
tap for spring is a New Homes for South
Chicago program, through which larger single
family homes will be transformed into two
flats, reflecting the changing needs of the
neighborhood.
Salud – which means “to your health” – is
the apt name for a building anchoring the
exciting community-led plan occurring in this
far southside Chicago community.
THE
`
CHICAGO
COMMUNITY TRUST
Outstanding Community Plan Award

Esperanza Health Centers
Brighton Park
4700 South California Avenue, Brighton Park
If ever there was a year that highlighted the
importance of affordable, accessible, and
supportive healthcare, 2020 was that year. In
the midst of a year of anxiety and difficulties
for all, on Chicago’s Southwest side there was
a bright spot – the opening up of Esperanza
Health Centers Brighton Park.
Esperanza Health Centers was founded in
the Little Village community in 2004 and
today, with three other centers, still serves a
predominantly Spanish-speaking population.
Esperanza leaders recognized that members
of its target population were moving further
south and west, and that a center south of
the I-55 Stevenson Expressway was needed.
Working with award-winning architect Juan
Moreno and his firm JGMA, Esperanza has
transformed both a long-vacant corner at 47th
Street and California Avenue and the lives of
community residents.
The brightly-clad structure conveys both
hope and respect. On the first floor, a brightly
colored entryway leads to the stairway to
well-lit medical offices and private exam
rooms, and to the social services for women
and families provided by Mujeres Latinas en
Accion, and a window-walled hallway leads to
a community kitchen and a generously-sized
meeting room. Outside, emphasizing a
holistic approach to health, a playground and
benches beckon children and adults alike.
Was Esperanza correct in its assessment
of need? The answer is a resounding yes.
Expecting to serve 10,000, the Center received
40,000 visits in this, its inaugural year.
THE RICHARD
`
H.
DRIEHAUS FOUNDATION
Outstanding Non-Profit Neighborhood Real Estate Project

The Michaels Organization
and Brinshore Development
for 4400 Grove
4400 S. Cottage Grove Avenue, Bronzeville
Over the past two decades, and in response
to the challenge of the Chicago Housing
Authority’s Plan for Transformation of
public housing, the partnership of Brinshore
Development and the Michaels Organization
has unexpectedly but assuredly created
mixed- income/mixed-use developments that
are handsome, well-built and welcomed by
the neighborhood. And no better example of
this record of accomplishment is 4400 Grove.
This 84-unit complex was planned with community
input led by the Quad Communities
Development Corporation—or QCDC—which
has led community planning and redevelopment
efforts in the area since the mid-2000s.
The result is a property that surprises, in the
grace of its structure, the artfulness of its
apartments, its innovative landscaping, and to
the delight of neighbors, commercial spaces
on the ground floor of each of the buildings
that are bringing locally-owned community
curated high-quality goods, services and
dining venues.
A $37 million development, it is the kind
of catalytic investment that all communities
need—to signal momentum and increase
business and resident confidence and
optimism.
`The Outstanding For-Profit Real Estate Development Award

Firebird Community Arts
for Project FIRE
(Fearless Initiative for Recovery and Empowerment)
It is rare to see the simultaneous transformation
of people and raw materials, but at
Project FIRE, which is devoted to healing the
wounds of traumatized young people, it is
possible.
Since the 1990s, Firebird Community Arts
had been bringing ceramics to South and
West side neighborhoods. By the time the
organization moved to its current location in
East Garfield Park, it was evident that severe
trauma had become a frequent factor in
the lives of many of the young people they
served.
In response, the artists at Firebird Community
Arts collaborated with the professionals at
Helping Hurt People Chicago and Cook
County Hospital to create Project FIRE.
What happens there must be seen to be fully
appreciated. Some of the young people,
often diagnosed with one malady or another,
scarred by gunshot wounds, grieving loss of
friends and family, work with clay, others with
glass. Through glass blowing, which perhaps
more than any other art reflects emotion
and creativity, they hone teamwork and
concentration. Amid blazing 10,000-degree
furnaces and kilns, they discover the beauty
they are capable of forging and the beauty in
themselves.
A walk through the studio reveals the stunning
objects the young people have created;
listening to them reveals what real change
is about.
THE BLUE CROSS
`
AND
BLUE SHIELD OF ILLINOIS
Healthy Community Award

Mercy Housing Lakefront for
the Miriam Apartments
4707 N. Malden Street, Uptown
Uptown has always
been a place of
change in the
city—home to an
emerging film industry
in the 20s to a port of
entry for wave after
wave of migrants and
immigrants seeking
affordable dwellings.
For the last half of the
20th century, Uptown
was the city’s most
diverse community.
At the turn of this
century, a threat to this
diversity with a place
for everyone emerged
with new interest in
the well-constructed buildings and the area’s
convenient transportation.
With support from then-alderman and ardent
advocate for diversity, Helen Shiller, Lakefront
SRO, now a part of the preeminent national
supportive housing group, Mercy Housing,
purchased numerous properties in Uptown,
including The Miriam Apartments, to provide
housing for very low-income residents of
Uptown, virtually all of whom have experienced
homelessness.
Although the building was rehabilitated at the
time, after nearly 30 years, renovation and
renewal were needed. With input from the 66
residents, today the Miriam offers 66 fully-redesigned
studio apartments, each with its own
kitchen, bathroom, and heating and air-conditioning,
as well as a spacious and welcoming
lobby. While the entire renovation cost $20
million, residents will pay no more than $167
in rent as a result of federal housing subsidies
that allow these individuals and others like
them to live in areas of their choice.
THE POLK BROS.
`
FOUNDATION
Affordable Rental Housing Preservation Award

#CopsOutCPS
Across the nation Summer 2020 brought
anxiety, tragedy, awakening and change. In
Chicago, for a group of determined young
people, it brought a long-sought-after
victory—the removal of police officers from
Chicago Public Schools.
Coming from a variety of organizations dedicated
to youth and community empowerment,
they shared a goal of ending the police presence
in their schools and dedicating $33 million
in savings to programs that support youth.
Undaunted by Covid-19, they met on Zoom to
strategize and used social media to organize
demonstrations, fueled by the power of the
issue itself and the national examination of
the role of police in society in the wake of the
murders of George Floyd and Brianna Taylor.
In June, they forced the Board of Education
to consider the issue and lost by a single
vote. When it was announced that individual
schools, not the Board would make the
decisions, #Cops OutCPS changed its tactics
and organized Local School Councils
school-by-school.
The results? By summer’s end, 17 schools had
decided to remove police from their premises;
the Board of Education cut the police
budget in half; and the #CopsOutCPS youth
gave new meaning to the phrase “the power
of community.”
PARTNERS
American Friends Service
Committee
Asian Americans Advancing
Justice- Kinetic Youth Group
Assata’s Daughters
Beyond Legal Aid
Black Lives Matter- Chicago
Brighton Park Neighborhood
Council
Chicago Desi Youth Rising
Chicago Freedom School
Chicago Teachers Union- Latinx
Caucus
Hana Center- FYSH Youth Group
Pilsen Alliance
Raise Your Hand Illinois
Southside Together Organizing
for Power
WOODS FUND
`
CHICAGO
Power of Community Award

Greater Chatham Initiative
for 75th Street Boardwalk on
Restaurant Row
Long renowned for its extraordinary
eateries and bakeries and a destination
for Chicagoans and visitors alike, the 75th
Street Restaurant Row did not escape the
pandemic’s dip in customers and revenue.
However, with the vigor of the community
leaders led by the Greater Chatham Initiative,
the support of the City and, help from architects
Ernie Wong of Site Design Group and
RaMona Westbrook of Brook Architecture,
the businesses experienced a resurgence of
interest from late summer through the fall with
the creation of the 75th Street Boardwalk on
Restaurant Row.
Working together, the architects and members
of the community created a plan for a
“boardwalk” spanning two blocks along 75th
Street, between Calumet and Indiana Avenues.
With a $250,000 Together Now grant
from the City of Chicago and donations from
many others, parking spaces were replaced
by bright green recycled plywood-enclosed
spaces for outdoor eating, playing and
performances.
As a result, already famous destinations such
as Lem’s Bar-B-Q, Original Soul Vegetarian,
Brown Sugar Bakery, Frances Lounge,
Mabe’s Deli, and Margarita’s Pizza as well
as new boutiques were showcased to the
world and the 800 new visitors attracted to a
series of special event days organized by the
Greater Chatham Initiative.
A bold experiment that worked; a model for others
to emulate; and open for business in Summer
2021, the 75th Street Boardwalk is a resounding
success. The proof, however, is both in the social
cohesion and the morale of residents. As one
resident stated, “You have to give me a reason
to stay.” The 75th Street Boardwalk is a shining
example of a reason to stay.
THE JOHN D. AND CATHERINE T.
MACARTHUR FOUNDATION
`
Creative Placemaking Award

THE RICHARD H. DRIEHAUS
FOUNDATION AWARD FOR
ARCHITECTURAL EXCELLENCE
IN COMMUNITY DESIGN
The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award for Architectural Excellence in Community Design
was created, in conjunction with the Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards, to encourage
development that respects and strengthens the city’s unmatched architectural heritage—especially
in neighborhoods confronting economic and social challenges.
Each year, the award recognizes three developments that are making a significant contribution to
the social, visual and cultural life of their neighborhoods through quality of design.
Mural: Woodlawn Works, Rahmaan Statik and Chicago Public Art Group, 2015
SELECTION PROCESS
Based upon the jurists’ site review of finalists selected from all of the applicants received, three
projects were chosen for recognition this year. The jury evaluated each submission according
to established criteria. For consideration, a project must: demonstrate superior quality design;
enhance or serve as an integral part of the comprehensive development of the community; and
exhibit a creative design solution that could become a model for projects in other neighborhoods.
JURY
Tom Beeby
HBRA Architects (retired), Jury Chair
Nootan Bharani
Place Lab at the
University of Chicago
Michelle Boone
The Poetry Foundation
Cynthia Chan Roubik
City of Chicago Department of
Planning & Development
Kevin Harrington
IIT (retired)
Meghan Harte
LISC Chicago
Angela Hurlock
Claretian Associates
Robert Jank
Northern Trust (retired)
Anne Lazar
The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation
Deon Lucas
Hanns Erving
Sarah Pang
The One Chicago Fund
Andrea Sáenz
The Chicago Community Trust
Richard Sciortino
Brinshore Development
Linda Searl
Searl Lamaster Howe Architects
Ernie Wong
Site Design Group, Ltd

THIRD PLACE
Canopy/Architecture + Design
for Oso Apartments
3435 W. Montrose Avenue, Albany Park
One of the most diverse communities in Chicago,
Albany Park has a multitude of ethnic
restaurants, cultural institutions and places to
shop. The one
thing it does not
have is enough
affordable rental
housing.
To address this
critical shortage,
community leaders
connected
with the Evergreen Real Estate Group, developer
of a number of outstanding properties
in the area. Working together, along with
architect and community leader, Jaime Torres
Carmona of Canopy/Architecture + Design,
they developed a plan for Oso apartments.
Oso offers homes for singles and families.
Its five-story structure, located on Montrose
Avenue with the North Branch of the Chicago
River as its east and north boundaries,
complements surrounding structures while
distinguishing itself through its vibrant use of
color, materials and art.
Constructed with pre-formed concrete and
steel beams, the handsome building conveys
strength, with bright yellow sunscreens and
Juliet balconies that help heat and cool.
Communicating the relationship between the
building, the residents, the community and
nature is a mural, Community Diligence, by
Chicago artist Miguel A. Del Real. This unifying
element connects the interior and exterior
lobby gathering spaces and reinforces the
statement about the power of community.
THE RICHARD H. DRIEHAUS
`
FOUNDATION
Award for Architectural Excellence in Community Design

SECOND PLACE
HED, JGMA, bKl and
Farr Associates for Lathrop
2000 W. Diversey
Sponsor: Chicago Housing Authority (CHA)
Owner: Lathrop Community Partners: a joint
venture of Related Midwest, Heartland Housing,
and Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation
Opened in 1938, the Julia C. Lathrop Homes
was one of the Chicago’s Housing Authority’s
(CHA) first developments. Its redevelopment as
one of the last projects of the Plan for Transformation
is a testament to its complex process
of renewal for the 21st Century. Learning from
20 years of experience remaking historic
CHA developments, and with the passion and
commitment of Lathrop residents, community
neighbors, housing advocates, and the CHA
and elected officials, the redevelopment of the
Lathrop Homes literally has involved more than
a decade of planning, design, and construction
that all agree was well worth the time and effort.
Responding to the voice of the community as
well as the Related Companies and its partners,
the architects have created a complex that
is beautiful, accessible, and welcoming while
honoring the past and incorporating attributes
and amenities that are right for the future.
With new systems that earned the development
a LEED Silver designation, the team preserved
the architectural elements, the windows, stair
rails, coping, limestone surrounds on exterior
doors, and the paved central courtyard, that
gave the buildings and the property grace and
distinction.
At the six corners of Diversey, Damen and Clybourn,
Lathrop, for years invisible to passers-by
and now a stunning presence, invites renters
of all incomes to its two- and three-bedroom
homes and neighbors to two new businesses
that have opened—a welcome contribution to
the neighborhood and city.
THE RICHARD H. DRIEHAUS
`
FOUNDATION
Award for Architectural Excellence in Community Design

FIRST PLACE
STL Architects for the
Williams Park Fieldhouse
South Dearborn Street
Sponsor: Chicago Park District
Located in the heart of historic Bronzeville,
the Chicago Park District’s Williams Park
Fieldhouse is the newest iconic structure to
grace the neighborhood.
Responding to the desire of residents,
particularly those in the Chicago Housing
Authority’s Dearborn Homes who wanted a
structure for their families as distinctive as
those designed for IIT by Mies van der Rohe
and Renzo Piano, STL Architects designed a
spectacular building that, like those on the IIT
campus, is both beautiful and functional.
Outside and adjacent to the structure, there is
a play space that mirrors the community day
and night. Inside the 11,200-square-foot structure,
there is a 3,800 square foot gymnasium,
with spectator seating, two multi-purpose
rooms, and flexible spaces for exhibitions and
events
Using durable materials and building strong
relationships with the community, in the
Williams Park Fieldhouse STL Architects has
created an iconic and sustainable structure.
THE RICHARD H. DRIEHAUS
`
FOUNDATION
Award for Architectural Excellence in Community Design

Jason Estremera
Jason Estremera, learned a lot from him
grandfather and his uncles about being an
entrepreneur (since they all were) but it was
his experience as a banker that taught him
why more people weren’t – and what to do
about it.
After growing up in Cleveland Ohio, Jason
began working as a banker, assuming that
would be a great path to help others achieve
their own businesses success. While he
knew that as immigrant entrepreneurs his
family had relied on their own resources to
start their businesses, he was sure that as
a banker he could help more people, more
quickly.
Experience taught him otherwise. He learned
that traditional lending practices ensured that
when it came to equity capital ‘those who
had got more’ while those who had not got
less – or were just turned down and out. ’
He tried to help where he could – meeting
with individual business people, helping them
develop plans and think through options.
“The stories I heard from these folks opened
my eyes to the inequalities and systemic
oppression holding back so many people
from achieving their full potential
With that in mind, after completing his MBA,
Estremera joined the non-profit world, in
2013 becoming the associate director of the
Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic
Development. After seven years of experience
helping people start and grow their
businesses, in early 2020 Estremera moved
to Chicago to lead the Northwest Side CDC.
Then the pandemic struck, throwing a small
business community already operating on
thin margins into a tailspin, and presenting
the new executive director with the challenge
of a lifetime. Already primed to address the
wealth and opportunity gap that hampers
Black and Brown entrepreneurs and communities,
the pandemic only heightened his
resolve.
Estremera and his team have been working
in the trenches of the pandemic since day
one, helping struggling Latinx-owned small
businesses navigate the economic fallout and
stay afloat during a yearlong – and counting
– quest for survival. Early in the pandemic,
the group helped businesses apply for other
financial assistance, but they and their clients
encountered a slew of obstacles. Among the
challenges: Undocumented businesses were
not eligible, people who lacked technology
skills and access could not apply, and most
application materials were only available in
English. Estremera and the Northwest Side CDC
staff have been able to provide hard-hit small
businesses with rental assistance, financial
counseling and business development training.
A year into the pandemic, as our national
focus shifts from emergency relief to longterm
recovery, the priority now is investing in
resiliency. And as calls for racial equity and
justice continue to dominate the headlines,
the halls of government, and corporate
statements, Estremera is committed leading
for more action for small businesses owners
of color.
“For so many, myself included”,
says Estremera, COVID-19
has reinforced the idea that a
nation will not serve morally or
economically when so few have so
much while so many have so little.”
Emerging Leadership Award
CIBC
`

Cook County Land Bank
Authority
Created by the need to address the large
inventory of vacant residential, industrial and
commercial properties in Cook County, the
Cook County Land Bank Authority (CCLBA)
was created in 2013. Funded almost exclusively
by grants, contributions and revenues
from transaction, the CCLBA is geographically
the nation’s largest land bank, with the
ability to acquire, hold and transfer property
throughout Cook County, including Chicago
and the many suburban entities.
While its formal powers are extensive, as
important are its powers of acquisition,
holding and transfer to promote the redevelopment,
densification and economic growth
and well-being across neighborhoods, but
particularly in those suffering from decades of
disinvestment
In less than a decade the Authority has
acquired more than 2,000 properties, sold
more than 1,000 and has overseen or been
involved in the restoration of nearly 1,000
throughout Chicago and the near suburbs.
Yet while the figures alone are impressive, as
important to the land bank and its founders,
particularly Cook County Board President
Toni Preckwinkle and Cook County Board
Commissioner Bridget Gainer, has been
the fundamental reform of the system itself.
For decades the tax and scavenger sales
in Cook County had been complex and
impenetrable by community activists and
would be homeowners or small developers.
While the speculators swooped in to swap
properties, communities were left bereft of
resources, accountable owners - and overrun
with vacant lots.
All that has changed – with the Land Bank
able to step in and acquire properties, small
developers and would-be homeowners
now have the opportunity to obtain sites for
homes and small scale development, building
density and community wealth.
Perhaps no one says it better than DeJuan
Robinson, who completed CCLBA’s 500th
home rehab. “As a proud Chatham native, the
Cook County Land Bank Authority has given
me the opportunity to reinvest in the neighborhood
that gave so much to me. ...CCLBA
makes it easy for small business owners and
community developers like me to build wealth
and keep wealth in our communities.”
For its unending contributions to the well-being
of neighborhoods in the city and suburbs,
the Cook County Land Bank Authority is
the recipient of this year’s Richard M. Daley
Friend of the Neighborhood award.
RICHARD M.
`
DALEY
Friend of the Neighborhood Award

THE AWARDS ARE MANAGED
BY LISC CHICAGO AND
GENEROUSLY UNDERWRITTEN
BY THE FOLLOWING:
Associated Bank
Bank of America
Brinshore Development
Federal Home Loan Bank
of Chicago
First Midwest Bank
National Equity Fund
Robert R. McCormick
Foundation
Wight & Company
MEDIA SPONSOR
Chicago Community Loan Fund
Community Investment
Corporation
Cubs Charities
Ginsberg Jacobs LLC
Illinois Housing Council
Illinois Housing Development
Authority
Landon Bone Baker
Lightengale Group
Linn-Mathes, Inc.
McShane Construction Company
Miner, Barnhill & Galland, P.C.
Pierce Family Foundation
Providence Bank & Trust
SB Friedman Development
Advisors
Seaway & Second Federal,
Divisions of Self-Help FCU
Site Design Group
Southwest Organizing Project
Sterling Bay
Teska Associates
The Community Builders, Inc.
The Michaels Organization
Waterton
`
AWARD UNDERWRITERS

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur
Foundation is proud to support the Creative
Placemaking Award and congratulates the
2021 awardee 75th Street Boardwalk.
MacArthur invests in people, places, and partnerships to advance
racial equity and build a more inclusive Chicago. For over 40 years,
we have invested $1.4 billion in more than 1,600 organizations and
individuals—more than any other place in the world.
www.macfound.org/Chicago

2021 Award Winners
Congratulations
LISC Chicago
&
on the 27th
anniversary of
the Chicago
Neighborhood
Development
Awards
Proudly Congratulates
Project Fire
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, a Division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual
Legal Reserve Company, an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association 237165.0319

THE CHICAGO COMMUNITY TRUST
CONGRATULATES THE WINNERS OF THE
27 TH CHICAGO NEIGHBORHOOD
DEVELOPMENT AWARDS!
Thank you for contributing to the vitality
and resilience of our neighborhoods.
Chicago Neighborhood Development Award winners, thank you for showing
us that, inside all of us, is the opportunity to grow a stronger community.
State Farm ® proudly supports LISC Chicago and the
27th Annual Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards.
312.616.8000 | WWW.CCT.ORG
State Farm, Bloomington, IL

© 2019 JPMorgan Chase & Co.
BUILDING STRONGER
COMMUNITIES
At JPMorgan Chase, we are committed to our communities and
work with a diverse group of partners to provide creative and innovative
solutions that respond to community development and affordable
housing needs. These partnerships are essential to making a meaningful
impact on communities, their residents and businesses.
We proudly support LISC Chicago.
We are proud to support
Chicago Neighborhood
Development Awards and
those working to build a
stronger tomorrow.
At CIBC, giving back is personal. We believe that one
person can make a difference. And that together, we can
create meaningful change. We are One for Change.
The CIBC logo is a registered trademark of CIBC,
used under license, © 2021 CIBC Bank USA

WE’RE PROUD TO SUPPORT
LISC CHICAGO
Enjoy the 27 th Annual Chicago
Neighborhood Development Awards!
Congratulations to the
student led CopsOutCPS campaign for your
activism to remove School Resource Officers
from Chicago Public Schools
Your courageous leadership in the fight for more
investment in student services, and to bring in
restorative and transformative practices into public
schools demonstrates the strength, creativity, and
radical reimagining of youth activism.
Woods Fund Chicago would also like to recognize
the other Chicago Neighborhood Development Award
recipients and applaud their work in building the
POWER of neighborhoods.
Being Chicago’s Bank® means doing our part to give back to the organizations
that unite and strengthen our area. We’re proud to support Local Initiatives
Support Corporation Chicago (LISC) and its investment in uplifting and
creating opportunities within our communities.
CHICAGO’S BANK ®
wintrust.com/findus
Woods Fund Chicago is a bold grantmaker that draws on the power of communities to
advance racial equity and economic justice in the Chicago metropolitan area.
Banking products provided by Wintrust Financial Corp. banks.

Investing
in our
community.
Since 1998, Applegate & Thorne-Thomsen has been a national leader in
formulating legal solutions for the development, ownership and financing of
affordable housing and community development projects.
312.491.4400 ∙ att-law.com
BMO Harris Bank applauds the
great work of LISC Chicago.
Since 1998, Applegate & Thorne-Thomsen has been a national leader in
formulating legal solutions for the development, ownership and financing of
affordable housing and community development projects.
312.491.4400 ∙ att-law.com

Help us connect more low-income
families with high-speed Internet.
Thank You CNDA
For 10 years, with the help of our partners,
Internet Essentials from Comcast has
connected millions of families to the life-changing
power of the Internet through low-cost, highspeed
Internet service. With new partners who
share our mission to empower communities,
we can connect even more individuals at home
across the country and help transform lives.
Internet Essentials provides low-cost, high-speed
home Internet for $9.95 per month + tax.
Households may qualify if they are eligible for
public assistance programs. New customers who
apply and are approved by June 30, 2021, will
receive two free months of Internet service.
Visit InternetEssentials.com/Partner
to learn more and access our partner
resources.
4400 Grove Avenue, Chicago, IL
CIE_Partner_Eng_5x3.75 ID #20369.indd 1
5/25/21 6:50 PM
PROUD SUPPORTER OF THE
27 TH ANNUAL
CHICAGO
NEIGHBORHOOD
DEVELOPMENT
AWARDS
We are proud to support LISC Chicago
and the Chicago Neighborhood
Development Awards
www.mcshaneconstruction.com
®
FirstMidwest.com

THANK YOU TO
AV Chicago
ESP Presents
Greensfelder Design
Media Process Group
MK Communications
Rise Strategy Group

Mural: Woodlawn Works, Rahmaan Statik and Chicago Public Art Group, 2015
27th ANNUAL CHICAGO NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT AWARDS®
C/O LISC CHICAGO, 10 S. RIVERSIDE PLAZA, SUITE 1700, CHICAGO, IL 60606
www.lisc-cnda.org #CNDA27
@liscchicago @lisc_chicago
facebook.com/liscchicago