Location: 5th row north of Belden, on the sidewalk
Installed: Aug. 2017
On Oct. 9th 1959, the Sheffield Neighborhood Association was incorporated in the state of Illinois. The SNA began as a group effort from months before, when a number of private citizens and institutions such as McCormick Theological Seminary, Lurie Children’s Hospital and DePaul University joined together to improve the neighborhood. SNA began as an affiliate of the Lincoln Park Conservation Association. One of SNA’s main concerns was the condition of residential buildings, especially rental units. These rental units were used by many DePaul students at the time, and there were a number of city code violations and overcrowding of these units. Through the work of the SNA, conditions of these residential units improved greatly.
In 1969 SNA began their famous, annual Garden Walk, a yearly event to celebrate local gardens and the outdoor decorations of the neighborhood. The event is now called ‘The Sheffield Music Festival and Garden Walk’, which continues annually in the 3rd weekend of July.
The design of the pillar celebrates the founders and first board members of SNA, as well as documenting the various activities of ‘The Garden Walk.’ The design includes a grid format and features ‘The Garden Walk’s’ main guitar logo as lawn decoration. Also included is the SNA graphic logo, ‘The SNA Circle’.