WHEREAS, Lewis "Lew" Manilow, prominent Chicago developer, attorney at law and a well-known and respected philanthropist and patron of the arts passed away on December 12, 2017 at age ninety; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council has been informed of this passing by Alderman Edward M. Burke; and
WHEREAS, born Irvin Inger in Wayne County, Michigan, Lewis "Lew" Manilow was given up for adoption by his parents and resided in an orphanage for one year; and
WHEREAS, Lewis "Lew" Manilow was removed from the orphanage and adopted by Chicago developer Nathan Manilow and his wife Minette; and
WHEREAS, Lewis "Lew" Manilow grew up on the North Side of Chicago and received his education at Senn High School before enrolling at the University of Illinois; and
WHEREAS, after transferring to the University of Chicago where he earned his Bachelor's Degree, Lewis "Lew" Manilow went on to receive a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1951; and
WHEREAS, Lewis "Lew" Manilow took an early and active interest in Chicago's divergent artistic, theatrical and cultural life; and
WHEREAS, in 1956, Lewis "Lew" Manilow moved to New York City to produce Sean O'Casey's "Purple Dust" at the Off Broadway Cherry Lane Theater; and
WHEREAS, upon re-settling in Chicago, Lewis "Lew" Manilow established a resident theater company in the Studebaker Theater and distinguished himself as one of the city's most influential art collectors and as a generous philanthropist to many worthy initiatives on behalf of museums, galleries, and theaters; and
WHEREAS, Lewis "Lew" Manilow was a life trustee at the Art Institute of Chicago and actively promoted its acquisitions and collections throughout his lifetime; and
WHEREAS, Lewis "Lew" Manilow co-founded the Museum of Contemporary Art, and was instrumental in the re-development of the Oriental and Cadillac Palace in the Randolph Street theater district; and
WHEREAS, Lewis "Lew" Manilow's drive, determination and generous support helped facilitate the Goodman Theater's move into the former Selwyn-Harris Theater on Dearborn Street, completely refurbished in the Year 2000; and
WHEREAS, in a busy lifetime, Lewis "Lew" Manilow served on numerous boards, councils, and committees for prominent national institutions, including the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., the Harvard Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Whitney
Museum of American Art; and
WHEREAS, Lewis "Lew" Manilow is recognized as one of the nation's most benevolent and generous philanthropists of the performing and visual arts; and
BE IT RESOLVED, That we the Mayor and the members of the Chicago City Council on this thirteenth day of December, 2017, do hereby extend our deepest sympathies to his loving wife Susan Manilow, his children John and Karen, stepsons John and Edwin Eisendrath, chief executive officer of the Chicago Sun-Times, and fifteen grandchildren; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be presented to Susan
Manilow.
