Chicago Plan Commission
Encyclopedia
The Chicago Plan Commission is a commission implemented to promote the Plan of Chicago, often called the Burnham Plan
. After official presentation of the Plan to the city on July 6, 1909, the City Council of Chicago
authorized Mayor
Fred A. Busse
to appoint the members of the Chicago Plan Commission. On November 1, 1909, the City Council approved the appointment of 328 men selected as members of the Commission—men broadly representative of all the business and social interests of the city. Charles H. Wacker
was appointed permanent chairman by the Mayor, and served until 1926, when he was succeeded by James Simpson. Walter Moody was the managing director of the Chicago Plan Commission for nine years until his death in 1920. He was succeeded for 22 years by Eugene Taylor.
Moody was renowned for his ingenuity as a spokesperson for the Plan. The Encyclopedia of Chicago recounts one of his more successful acts of salesmanship: "Moody, the salesman nonpareil, even raised the enactment of the Plan to a sacred calling. On Sunday, January 19, 1919, some 80 Chicago churches participated in what were called "Nehemiah Day" services. The ministers of these congregations agreed to take the words of the Old Testament prophet Nehemiah, "Therefore we, His servants, will arise and build," as the basis of their sermons, in which they would advocate the implementation of the Plan of Chicago." Moody also prepared a textbook, Wacker's Manual of the Plan of Chicago, which taught the major aspects of the Plan to a generation of Chicago schoolchildren.
The Commission was successful at fostering relationships with politicians of several types and at encouraging voters to support its initiatives. Between 1912 and 1931, Chicagoans approved 86 Plan-related bond issues covering some 17 different projects.
The commission was reorganized in 1939, becoming part of city government. The name Chicago Plan Commission has persisted through a number of administrative reorganizations; today the Chicago Plan Commission is staffed by the city of Chicago's Department of Zoning and Land Use Planning. Its 18 members adopt plans and review certain proposed developments as advisors to the city council.
Burnham Plan
The Burnham Plan is a popular name for the 1909 Plan of Chicago, co-authored by Daniel Burnham and Edward H. Bennett. It recommended an integrated series of projects including new and widened streets, parks, new railroad and harbor facilities, and civic buildings...
. After official presentation of the Plan to the city on July 6, 1909, the City Council of Chicago
Chicago City Council
The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 50 aldermen elected from 50 wards to serve four-year terms...
authorized Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
Fred A. Busse
Fred A. Busse
Fred Busse was the mayor of Chicago, in the U.S. state of Illinois, from 1907 to 1911.Busse became a local Republican leader, first elected to the Illinois Legislature in 1894, and eventually serving as State Treasurer beginning in 1902...
to appoint the members of the Chicago Plan Commission. On November 1, 1909, the City Council approved the appointment of 328 men selected as members of the Commission—men broadly representative of all the business and social interests of the city. Charles H. Wacker
Charles H. Wacker
Charles Henry Wacker , born in Chicago, Illinois, was a second generation German American who was a businessman and philanthropist. His father was Frederick Wacker, a brewer, who was born in Württemberg Germany...
was appointed permanent chairman by the Mayor, and served until 1926, when he was succeeded by James Simpson. Walter Moody was the managing director of the Chicago Plan Commission for nine years until his death in 1920. He was succeeded for 22 years by Eugene Taylor.
Moody was renowned for his ingenuity as a spokesperson for the Plan. The Encyclopedia of Chicago recounts one of his more successful acts of salesmanship: "Moody, the salesman nonpareil, even raised the enactment of the Plan to a sacred calling. On Sunday, January 19, 1919, some 80 Chicago churches participated in what were called "Nehemiah Day" services. The ministers of these congregations agreed to take the words of the Old Testament prophet Nehemiah, "Therefore we, His servants, will arise and build," as the basis of their sermons, in which they would advocate the implementation of the Plan of Chicago." Moody also prepared a textbook, Wacker's Manual of the Plan of Chicago, which taught the major aspects of the Plan to a generation of Chicago schoolchildren.
The Commission was successful at fostering relationships with politicians of several types and at encouraging voters to support its initiatives. Between 1912 and 1931, Chicagoans approved 86 Plan-related bond issues covering some 17 different projects.
The commission was reorganized in 1939, becoming part of city government. The name Chicago Plan Commission has persisted through a number of administrative reorganizations; today the Chicago Plan Commission is staffed by the city of Chicago's Department of Zoning and Land Use Planning. Its 18 members adopt plans and review certain proposed developments as advisors to the city council.