Last Business of Maxwell Street to Close: Owner wants to go to the Supreme Court
Steve B.
Contact: Slawko Olenczuk, 847-455-0055
Last Business of Maxwell Street to Close: Owner wants to go to the
Supreme Court.
Sunday, July 28, 2002 will be the last day for the historical Paul and
Bill's Tailor Shop, 719 W. Maxwell Street. The owner, Slawko Olenczuk
is the owner of both the building and the tailor shop business. He has
been fighting the University of Illinois for over a year trying to
retain both his building and business. Mr. Olenczuk, with family
roots in Eastern Europe, says "I have a right to be here. I thought
property rights count for something in America. I can not see how my
business conflicts with a university campus, retail center, or condo
complex. They are just taking my business so some other private
business can get an unfair advantage. They should not be building
this new development on backs of poor and working class people. Why
should I and my customers suffer so some developers can get rich."
Mr. Olenczuk, unable to afford an attorney, has been representing
himself, and hoping to take this case to the Supreme Court. In the
meantime, Judge Joanne Lannigan of the Cook County Court-Law Division,
has issued an order of eviction to take place next week. Says Mr.
Olenczuk, "With these Eminent Domain cases they can take your property
even though court proceedings are still in progress. That seems
wrong."
Steve Balkin, Professor of Economics at Roosevelt University
<312-341-3696> comments, "Paul and Bill's Tailor Shop is a Chicago
tradition that should NOT end. It's convenient, cheap, and
historical. I love going there. It seems it has not been remodeled
for over 50 years. It is a living museum, a step back in time.
Clothing, the shmata trade, was the always the economic base of this
area. People used to and still do bring their clothing, bought in the
area, to be altered while-you-wait. Then one goes to the hot dog
stands and buys a polish sausage, bringing it back to the tailor shop
to eat while your clothing gets tailored. Police, firemen, aldermen,
still all come here, as well an ordinary working class people trying a
save a buck in hard times. Students are using the place to do oral
history interviews. Chicago has suffered enough losses of historical
places."
Balkin says further, "UIC has just removed the Maxwell Street street
signs, renaming the street 13th Place. Being ashamed of your history
is not a good lesson to teach students. We all need to know our
roots. Soon, in Chicago, we won't know who we are."
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Balkin further says, "UIC has just removed the Maxwell Street street
signs, renaming the street 13th Place. Being ashamed of your history
is not a good lesson to teach students. We all need to know our
roots. Soon, in Chicago, we won't know who we are."
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