Jonathan Bunge Way

Jonathan Bunge was the owner of Will’s Northwoods Inn and was an active member and a huge supporter of the South Lakeview business community. Jonathan also owned several rental properties in the Lakeview neighborhood. He was a retired corporate litigator. Jonathan was also very involved with his church and charities such as the Red Cross and the United Way.

Alumni: Princeton University, Harvard University

Veteran: Army

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Honorary Jonathan Bunge Way

W. Nelson between Racine and Southport

Approved: 2019
Ward: 32
Alderman: Scott Waguespack
Neighborhood: South Lakeview

d. 2018. age 81

Near
Will’s Northwoods Inn
3030 N. Racine Avenue

 

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Source

Ziemia Moniecka Way

Moniecka is a region in Poland.
Ziemia Moniecka Translation: “Land of Moniecka”

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Honorary Ziemia Moniecka Way

2900 N. Milwaukee Avenue

Approved: February 2017

Ward: 30
Alderman: Reboyas
Neighborhood: Polish Village, Avondale

 

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Polish Daily News, May 9, 2017

Karl Lambrecht Strasse

Karl Lambrecht was a pioneering optics manufacturer. He founded the Crystal Optics company, later known as Karl Lambrecht Corp. During WWII he worked at Bell & Howell Co. making large lenses. He was self-taught and developed methods to produce high precision prisms , polarizers, and lenses which are used in research laboratories.

In 1975 he was awarded the Optical Society of America, David Richardson medal.

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Honorary Karl Lambrecht Strasse Drive

Neighborhood: Lincoln Square

b. Celle, Germany
d. 2001. age 97.

Near
Karl Lambrecht Corporation
4204 N. Lincoln Avenue

 

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Chicago Tribune, January 27, 2001 - Karl Lambrecht obituary

Tillie Rybak Way

Tillie Rybak was a long time resident of Chicago. She lived in the Humboldt Park neighborhood for 71 years.

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Honorary Tillie Rybak Way

2600 to 2700 W. Chicago Avenue

 

Approved: 2018

Ward: 26
Alderman: Maldonado
Neighborhood: Humboldt Park

b. August 30, 1922
d. July 31, 2017. Age 94. Chicago

Near
2605 W. Chicago Avenue

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Source

SOURCE
Tillie (Gerage) Rybak

A Tour from Atop - Chicago from the 80th floor at the Mid-America Club, volume 3

Honorary Chicago presents a Chicago author led tour by Linda Zabors

Tour from Atop - April 27th

Volume 3 - Chicago architecture and inventions

A Chicago tour viewed from the private club on the top floor of the Aon Center

Stay warm and dry, this tour is entirely indoors

Saturday, April 27, 2019 10:30 AM

The Mid-America Club

200 East Randolph Street
Aon Building, 80th floor
Chicago, IL, 60601

Saturday, April 27, 10:30 AM

$25 ($15 club members) includes the tour and brunch refreshments
This tour is held indoors with spectacular views of the city below

Reservations required for building access
Contact the Mid-America Club (312) 861-1100

Mid-America Club members can RSVP online or on the app

 

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Ida B Wells Drive official street unveiling

February 11, 2019 was the ceremonial unveiling of the street signs honoring Ida B. Wells; it marks the official renaming of Congress Parkway between Grant Park and the expressway. This was the first official renaming of a Chicago street in several decades. The signs for Ida B. Wells Drive, the online maps, and identifiers on CTA buses were in place for several weeks before this event.

The official unveiling was attended by a few hundred people and was held in the Wintergarden of the Harold Washington Library. The new Ida B. Wells Drive borders the library to the south of the building.

Speakers included the sponsoring Aldermen Sophia King and Brendan Reilly; former Channel 7 newscaster Robin Robinson; Patricia Holmes of Harriet’s Daughter; Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton; Claire Hartfield of the League of Women Voters; Cook County President, Toni Preckwinkle; New York Times Journalist, Nikole Hannah-Jones; Mayor Rahm Emanuel; the Great-Granddaughter of Ida B. Wells, Michelle Duster; and Chaz Ebert.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel reminded the audience that Congress Parkway was not the original name of the street. The street had originally been named for President Tyler, who was the only US President to have served in the Confederate Army. The street was renamed Congress Parkway, and now it is named for Ida B. Wells.

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Ida B. Wells was born into slavery in Mississippi in 1862. She was educated at Rust College (formerly Shaw University) and became a teacher, publisher, and an outspoken suffragist and civil rights activist. She successfully fought discrimination on public transportation in the court system. One of her unrecognized contributions was to the field of investigative journalism. She challenged the explanations behind lynchings and used public data to support her claims of discrimination. She moved to Chicago from Memphis after threats were made agains her life following the publication of her editorials.

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This is the first official street in Chicago to be named for an African-American woman. It is a very prominent street since it is the terminus of the major east-west expressway. This street had been widened to accommodate traffic and to connect the western part of the city and the western suburbs to downtown. It is also the grand entrance to the site of the 1933 Century of Progress World Fair, which was held on what is now the Museum Campus and Northerly Island.

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The Ida B. Wells Preparatory Elementary Academy in Chicago is named for her, as are schools in San Francisco, Seattle, and Memphis.

 

The house where Ida, her husband and children lived in Chicago is a national historic landmark, Ida B. Wells-Barnett House.

The former Ida B. Wells Homes, a group of public housing high-rise, mid-rise, and row houses were located in the Bronzeville neighborhood. These housing projects were built in 1939 and demolished by 2011.

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Ida B. Wells Drive

The former Congress Parkway between Grant Park and the expressway

Ward 42

Neighborhood: Chicago Loop and South Loop

Alderman Brendan Reilly (Ward 42) and Alderman Sophia King (Ward 4)

 

A Tour from Atop - Chicago from the 80th floor at the Mid-America Club, volume 2

Honorary Chicago presents a Chicago author led tour by Linda Zabors

Tour from Atop - February 9

Volume 2 - Structures, streets, and waterways - an early Chicago history

A Chicago tour viewed from the private club on the top floor of the Aon Center

Stay warm and dry, this tour is entirely indoors

Saturday, February 9, 2019 10:30 AM

The Mid-America Club

200 East Randolph Street
Aon Building, 80th floor
Chicago, IL, 60601

Saturday, February 9th, 10:30 AM 

$15 includes the tour and brunch refreshments
This tour is held indoors with spectacular views of the city below

Reservations required for building access
Contact the Mid-America Club (312) 861-1100

Mid-America Club members can RSVP online

 

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Class of 2018 by Honorary Chicago

As we close out 2018, here is our tally of new honorary signs. There were 33 new honorary streets designated in Chicago this year.

2018

ANTHONY J. PAPPALAS AVE

BETTY HAYNES WAY

BIELSKO-BIALA WAY

CARMIE SHOES WAY

CHARLES J. BARANGO WAY

CHRIST TEMPLE CATHEDRAL WAY

CHUCK RENSLOW WAY

CLIFTON P. LEWIS WAY

DORIS IVY WAY

EUGENE LANG WAY

FF STEVE MCNAMEE WAY

GORALE PODHALANSCY WAY

HENRY L. COLEMAN, SR. WAY

IRMA AND WILLIE PICKENS WAY

ISABEL LOPEZ WAY

IDA B. WELLS WAY**

INEZ LOREDO STREET

JADWIGA KACZYNSKA WAY

JAMES "JIMMY" TAVOLINO WAY

JEANNE UZDAWINIS WAY

JERRY KEHOE WAY

JOSEPH MUNTANER WAY

MAJOR GARY HUGHES WAY

MARGARET HARTIGAN WAY

MARTIN AND THERESA CAMPO WAY

MICHAEL ISAAC GREEN WAY

LT. HAROLD A. BEZAZIAN WAY

OFFICER BARRY D. BATSON SR. WAY

PASTOR HENRIETTA W. ROBINSON WAY

REV. MALACHI G. BAKER, JR. WAY

ROBERT L. MYERS WAY

TILLIE RYBAK WAY

TONY'S DELI WAY

This total is down from 41 new designations in 2017. The qualification rules for honorary streets were changed as of February 2017

For information on wards and approvals by month see our 2018 annual page.

Veterans

Major Gary Hughes (Army: Operation Desert Storm. Iraq, Afghanistan)
Lieutenant Harold Bezazian (Army: WWII. Phillipines)*

First responders and military

Barry Batson
Harold Bazazian*
Gary Hughes
Steve McNamee*

Clergy

Reverend Baker
Pastor Robinson
Christ Temple Cathedral

City employees and elected officials

Robert Myers

LGBTQ

Chuck Renslow

Children and Youth

Anthony Pappalas

Local shops

Carmie Shoes
Tony’s Deli

* indicates honoree died in the line of duty

please let us know if we have missed any individuals who belong in these sub-totals

Honorary Ida B. Wells Way and Ida B. Wells Drive

Perhaps the most famous honoree this year is a historical Chicago figure, Ida B. Wells-Barnett. She was an African-American investigative reporter and researcher who used data to expose inequity and violence in Memphis, fought racial discrimination on trains in local and federal courts, and boycotted the 1893 Columbian Exhibition in Chicago.

Note: The official Wells Street in Chicago is not named for Ida Wells; it is named for Captain William Wells, who was an officer who died in battle at Fort Dearborn in early Chicago history.

** Honorary Ida B. Wells Way was designated as a portion of 37th Street. Later in 2018 the east most portion of Congress Parkway was officially renamed Ida B. Wells Drive.

 

Doris Ivy Way

Doris Ivy received a kidney transplant in 1991 and survived 27 years. She was the sister of Illinois Secretary of State, Jesse White. This life saving transplant inspired him to raise awareness and to prioritize organ transplants in his position as Secretary of State.

The sign is located near the residence where she lived, Union Missionary Baptist Church where she was a member of the choir, and not far from where as children Doris and Jesse lived when their family moved to Chicago from Alton, Illinois.

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Honorary Doris Ivy Way

100 W. Oak Street

Approved: October 2018

Ward 2
Neighborhood: Gold Coast

 

1999 IL Secretary of State, Jesse White and his sister Doris Ivy, “Gift of Life” public service announcement (video YouTube: ODILSOS).
https://youtu.be/6BlI4UKNCfg?si=fA7reGRXDIpVllrC

Chicago Sun-Times article July 3, 2018

Officer Barry D. Batson, Sr. Way

Barry Batson, Sr. was a Chicago Police Officer assigned to protect Martin Luther King, Jr. when the Reverend moved to Chicago in the late 1960s. Officer Batson would drive Martin Luther King to and from the airport, and was at his side at large public events, including Dr. King’s speech at Soldier Field. At the time there were many threats to Dr. King’s life. Late in Officer Batson’s career he was a community service officer who coached sports in the parks to kids and inspired them through his stories of Dr. King.

Honorary Street dedication for Officer Barry Batson SR. at Garfield Park - 300 N. Central Park; were he mentored youth with tennis tournaments!!! @Chicago_Police @ChicagoCAPS11 @AldermanErvin pic.twitter.com/pfn8Hmn7ks

— 11th District - Harrison (@ChicagoCAPS11) July 10, 2018

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Honorary Officer Barry D. Batson, Sr. Way

Central Park Drive between Lake Street and Carroll Avenue

Approved: June 2018

Ward: 28
Alderman: Ervin
Neighborhood: Austin

b. December 7, 1934
d. May 29, 2005. Age 70.

Near
Garfield Park Conservatory

 

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Source

Source

A Chicago Tour viewed from the 80th floor - Mid-America Club

The Mid-America Club and Honorary Chicago present the second installment of the skyscraper tour by Chicago author, Linda Zabors

Tour from Atop, II

Chicago history, streets, and architecture

Chicago as viewed from the private club on the top floor of the Aon Center. This is an indoor tour overlooking the city below.

Saturday, October 20, 2018
due to unforeseen circumstances this tour has been rescheduled for early 2019

The Mid-America Club

200 East Randolph Street
Aon Building, 80th floor
Chicago, IL, 60601

Rain or shine, this tour views the city from the top floor of Chicago’s third tallest building

October 20th
10:30 AM  Architecture and History Tour

$25 includes the tour and brunch refreshments

Reservations required
Contact the Mid-America Club (312) 861-1100

 

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Mid-America Club - Tour Chicago from the 80th floor

Honorary Chicago presents

Tour from Atop

 

Chicago's ten tallest buildings viewed from the private club on the top floor of the Aon Center

Saturday, July 21, 2018

The Mid-America Club

200 East Randolph Street
Aon Building, 80th floor
Chicago, IL, 60601

10:30 AM  Chicago Inside and Out Tour

$15 includes the tour and brunch refreshments

Reservations required
Contact the Mid-America Club (312) 861-1100

 

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Gorale Podhalanscy Way

The Gorale are an ethnic group from the Carpathian mountain highlands of Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Ukraine.

The Polish Highlanders Alliance of North America is located near Archer Avenue and Pulaski Avenue in Chicago and was founded in 1929.

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Honorary Gorale Podhalanscy Way

South Archer between Hamlin and Lawndale

 

Approved: 2018

Ward: 14
Alderman: Burke and Reboyras (30)
Neighborhood: Archer Heights

Polish Highlander Alliance of North America
4808 S. Archer Avenue

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Source

Inez Loredo Street

Throughout her life, Inez Loredo broke through barriers and took on increasingly large roles helping children in the Pilsen neighborhood get access to education and build a strong community. In 1921 Inez was born in Harlingen, Texas. She was the first Mexican-American woman in her town to graduate from high school. 

When she moved to Chicago she was very involved in her children's school, Jungman Elementary, where she was first bi-lingual PTA member. She took on the role of School Community Representative (SCR) at Jungman where she helped local families enroll their children in school; she often acted as translator. Inez was instrumental in getting bilingual teachers hired into the Chicago Public Schools. She helped build high schools, libraries, and healthcare centers. She also founded the Fiesta de Sol; it became the largest Latino festival in the midwest. 

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Honorary Inez Loredo Street

 

Morgan Street from West 16th to West 18th

Approved: 2018

Ward: 25
Alderman: Solis
Neighborhood: Pilsen

Birthplace: Harlingen, Texas.
November 7, 1921
October 7, 2017

Honorary Chicago on CRIS Radio

Linda Zabors was interviewed by Ruth Fairfax Frazier and Marshall Mathews on Tuesday, May 8

Linda Zabors, author of the Honorary Chicago series, at the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind

Broadcast: May 8, 2018

This episode includes information on the history of Chicago's honorary streets and the street grid system, recent changes to the honorary signs program, and the stories behind several signs including:

Dolores Mueller Bajda
Ann Landers
Dr Henry Betts
WOOGMS
Gene Chandler
Bill Veeck
Confucius
Bernarda Wong
Mother Teresa
Ida B. Wells
Stone Temple Baptist Church
Edward Brennan
Swami Vivekananda
Bob Fosse
Senn Centennial
Pat Sajak
Jesse White

The Honorary Chicago Guidebook and series are printed in the United States in large print for the enjoyment of the visually impaired and the comfort of all readers.

Marshall Mathews and Ruth Fairfax Frazier, of CRIS Radio with the Honorary Chicago Guidebook

The Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind

The Chicagoland Radio Information Service (CRIS Radio) is located at the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind. It is a public service which provides daily news read on-air for the benefit of the vision impaired.  Ruth Fairfax Frazier is the founder of the FAACT organization and hosts a daily broadcast on CRIS radio.

The interview can be found on the Lighthouse for the Blind website. 
https://chicagolighthouse.org/podcasts/

The FAACT Organization: The Forum to Achieve Altruism, Compassion, and Tolerance
Building Communities ~ Strengthening Nations (BCSN)

Steve Lombardo Way

Steve Lombardo is co-owner of the Gibsons Restaurant Group. 

Gibsons Bar and Steakhouse
Hugo's Frog Bar & Fish House
Quartinos Pizzeria and Wine Bar
Luxe Bar

RL - The Ralph Lauren Restaurant
The Polo Bar (New York City, 2015)

Gibsons opened in May 1989.  Opening night was full of notable people and events including the engagement of Candice Jordan to her husband Chuck, their photo on this occasion is on a wall at Gibsons. Also, former owner and Bears Football #42 MVP and Quarterback, Sid Luckman.

Steve and his wife, Peggy, are long time supporters of Misericoria and received the Sister Rosemary Connelly Service Medallion Award.

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Approved: February 2017
Ward: 42
Alderman: Reilly
100 East Bellevue Place
Neighborhood: Gold Coast

Dedicated: 2017
Steve Lombardo's honorary sign is located outside the Gibson's Restaurant

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Chicago Tribune, April 2, 2015
Gibson's Restaurant Group

Twitter: @GibsonsSteak

Honorary Streets TEDx presentation at Mid-America Club

Chicago's historian of brown honorary street signs gave a brief presentation at the TEDx-IIT and Toastmasters event held at the Mid-America Club atop the Aon building this month.

Honorary Chicago Guidebook author, Linda Zabors, presenting at Mid-America Club TEDx-IIT pitch event

About 20 presenters gave TEDx pitches with topics ranging from blockchain and futurism to personal stories of triumph. 

New East Side News article

Honorary Chicago New Signs Class of 2017

Annual report of the newly designated brown honorary signs in Chicago for the year 2017

There were 41 new honorary signs in 2017, this is down from 85 in 2016

A landmark change to the qualifications significantly reduced the number of honorees from 2017 forward.  This change took effect after the February 2017 Chicago City Council meeting.

List is alphabetical by first name OR title AS IT appearS THE on sign

Class of 2017

ALEKO KONSTANTINOV WAY

AVENIDA CARMEN ESCARZAGA

BLAIR DELANE HOLT

COACH KIRK VIDAS WAY

DEE JAY RODRIGUEZ WAY

DONALD SANSONE

DOUG BOSTIC

DR. EDWARD & MILDRED CRUZAT WAY

DR. LORRAINE R. BROYLS WAY

EDWARD G. IRVIN

ESTHER GOLAR WAY

FF BILL GRANT WAY 

FRED SAUFNAUER WAY

GEORGE 'POPPIE' BLACK, SR. WAY

HONORABLE CLARK BURRUS WAY

JAVIER 'JAVY' BAEZ WAY

JOE MANTEGNA WAY

K9S FOR VETERANS WAY

KEVIN RYAN WAY

LUCY GONZALEZ PARSONS WAY

MARTHA LAVEY

MICHAEL 'DYKO' PRESBITERO

MIGUEL SUAREZ 

MONSIGNOR DOLAN DRIVE

OFFICER MICHAEL FLISK AVENUE

OSCAR LOPEZ RIVERA WAY

PASTOR EARL GRANDBERRY, SR. WAY

PETER J. MARTINEZ WAY

P.F.C. JOSEPH M. SCHALLMOSER

PHIL JONES

PHILIP O. COLEMAN

POWISLE DABROWSKIE WAY

ST. MADELEINE SOPHIE

STEVE LOMBARDO WAY

TEMPLE SHOLOM WAY

THE SELFHELP HOME

THERESA M. PETTY-PHILPOT WAY

VINCE GAVIN WAY

WALTER L. WILLIAMS

ZIEMIA MONIECKA WAY

ZIEMIA PODHALANSKA

 

And in other Honorary Chicago news...

DEDICATION OF HORSE OF HONOR PUBLIC ART MEMORIAL TO FALLEN POLICE OFFICER DANIEL E. HOWARD