RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Located at 78 East Washington Street, the Cultural Center of the City of Chicago is an important contributor to the artistic vitality and cultural vibrancy of our City; and
WHEREAS, Groundbreaking for this neo-classical building took place on July 27, 1892. Featuring Greek columns and Roman arches, it measures 352 feet north to south and 134 feet east to west. In October 1897 the building was completed for what would originally become the Chicago Public Library; and
WHEREAS, The building originally housed a grand library and a serenely beautiful Memorial Hall dedicated to Northern soldiers who fought in the Civil War. The instructions to the architects specified that the new library convey to the beholder the idea that the building would be an enduring monument worthy of a great and public-spirited city; and
WHEREAS, When the building first opened to the public, almost 10,000 Chicagoans a day flocked to see the elegant structure with its two dazzling stained-glass domes; white marble stairways and walls decorated with shimmering mother-of-pearl and colored glass mosaics; green marble war memorial rooms containing the names of important battles; and beautiful coffered ceilings; and
WHEREAS, The mission of the Cultural Center includes fostering the development of Chicago's non-profit arts sector, independent working artists and for-profit arts businesses; providing a framework to guide the City's future cultural and economic growth, via the 2012 Chicago Cultural Plan; marketing the City's cultural assets to a worldwide audience and presenting high-quality, free and affordable cultural programs for residents and visitors; and
WHEREAS, On February 7, 1972, Mayor Richard J. Daley formed a special six-person committee to consider the future of the beautiful edifice at 78 East Washington Street. Four days later, in a rare public comment, Eleanor "Sis" Daley, the Mayor's wife, was quoted in the Chicago press as saying that she was for restoring and keeping all the beautiful buildings in Chicago. Within three weeks, the Mayor's committee announced that the building would be saved; and
WHEREAS, As First Lady of Chicago from 1955 until 1976, Eleanor "Sis" Daley was an inspirational advocate for the cultural scene in Chicago. Her legacy in Chicago is one of raising public awareness regarding cultural events and for that she should be honored; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, assembled this thirteenth day of November, 2013, do hereby call upon the City Council Committee on Special Events, Cultural Affairs and Recreation to convene a hearing to consider the feasibility, advisability and appropriateness of naming the City's cultural center as: "The Eleanor 'Sis' Daley Cultural Center" to suitably commemorate Eleanor Daley's work in preserving the building where the Cultural Center currently resides and for her dedication to the arts and civic life of Chicago.