Portage Park, Chicago
Encyclopedia
Portage Park is located on the northwest side of the City of Chicago, Illinois and is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas
. Portage Park is bordered by the community areas of Jefferson Park
and Forest Glen
to the north, Dunning
and the suburb of Harwood Heights
to the west, Irving Park
to the east and Belmont-Cragin
to the south.
The area is notable for its Six Corners
outdoor shopping district, centered at the intersection of Irving Park Road, Cicero Avenue and the diagonal Milwaukee Avenue
, the Portage Theater
and for its namesake - Portage Park
. The name of the park was taken from the major portage linking Des Plaines
and the Chicago River
along what is today Irving Park Road. The area was so swampy that in wet weather, Native Americans
and trappers were easily able to paddle through the area without leaving their canoe
s.
Portage Park has the largest Polish
community in the Chicago Metropolitan Area according to the 2000 census. Portage Park is home to the Polish American Association
, the Polish Jesuit Millennium Center, the Polish Army Veterans Association in the beautiful building of the former Irving State bank, in addition to the multitude of Polish shops and businesses throughout the district. One of the area's parks is named Chopin Park
after Frederic Chopin
, Poland
's most famous pianist
and composer
.
(present Milwaukee Avenue), Jefferson Township
was incorporated at the legendary Dickinson Tavern. Jefferson Township was part of a large swath of land annexed to the city in 1889 in advance of the World's Columbian Exposition
. Much of the area was still largely rural
in the early 20th century until the extension of streetcar lines into the area along Milwaukee
, Irving, and Cicero lured in immigrants from the overcrowded tenement
s of the city's ethnic enclaves. Soon Scandinavia
n, German
, Italian, Polish and Irish
families from the industrial areas by the Chicago River
such as Polish Downtown and Goose Island
were buying lots in the vicinity to build their homes. Area developers such as Szajkowski, Schorsch as well as Koester and Zander subdivided what had been farmland into subdivisions of what became part of Chicago's famous "bungalow belt
".
The Portage Park neighborhood is accessible via mass transit through the CTA
's Blue Line
. The Montrose
station is located on Portage Park's northeastern edge next to the Kennedy Expressway
. Metra
's Milwaukee District North Line Mayfair
stop is located just to the west of the CTA
station.
at the intersection of Irving, Cicero and Milwaukee and the second is at Belmont and Central extending south into Belmont-Cragin
.
The area was home to a number of movie palaces, among which were the Portage
, Patio
, and Belpark theaters. While the last two are now closed, the Portage Theater
has been magnificently renovated and is now home to a full-fledged performing arts center
showing a wide variety of arthouse and silent films.
Portage Park is also home to a cluster of architecturally significant churches, and is one of the few neighborhoods on the city's North Side highlighted in Marilyn Chiat's The Spiritual Traveler: Chicago and Illinois. The spire
s and steeples
of these monumental edifices such as St. Pascal's, St. Ladislaus
, St. John of Rila the Wonderworker
, St. Bartholomew, St. Ferdinand and Our Lady of Victory tower over the neighborhood, giving the area much of its charm.
Portage Park
served as the focus that brought together the different communities in the area and created the neighborhood.
The field house at Portage Park was designed by Clarence Hatzfeld. Hatzfeld's architectural firm of Hatzfeld and Knox would later design many of the Prairie and Craftsman-style
bungalows just east in the Villa District
in Irving Park
near historic St. Wenceslaus
.
The park in Portage park originally had a dirt bottom pond that blended into a cement bottom pool. The hill to the east of the pool that exists now, was the dirt that was removed when the pool was first created when the park was first established. The pond portion of the pool extended to the western edge of this 'hill'. The earliest building in the park is the gymnasium, followed by the field house. The staircase to the field house was a circular affair, supported by several cement posts under the platform that was created by a large landing at the second floor.
The WPA was very involved in the creation of the long gone Rock House at the south end of the Park. This Rock House had a small pond area that had goldfish and flower basins. Until the polio epidemic, the water was kept at a substantial depth to support the fish over winter. The flower planters to the north and east of the main entrance off Central at Irving Park Road will give an idea of just what the Rock House looked like. There were seats throughout the half circle structure of flagstone. Except for the overhead wooden canopy, every where you looked there was white flagstone - walls, seats, floor, support pillars. The Chicago Park District
has WPA photos of the structure. The park predates all of the buildings that surround it.
The swimming events of the Pan-American Games were held here in 1959 in the second pool constructed in the park, as were the US swimming trials for the 1972 Summer Olympics
.
, which includes neighborhood and city-wide options for students. There are also a number of private parochial schools run by Roman Catholic and Lutheran congregations in the area.
operates three branches located in the Portage Park community area: Portage-Cragin, Austin-Irving and Jefferson Park.
in Chopin Park
for the 200th anniversary of Frederic Chopin
's birth in addition to a 1:1-scale replica of Wacław Szymanowski's Art Nouveau
found in Warsaw
's Royal Baths along Chicago's lakefront.
Community areas of Chicago
Community areas in Chicago refers to the work of the Social Science Research Committee at University of Chicago which has unofficially divided the City of Chicago into 77 community areas. These areas are well-defined and static...
. Portage Park is bordered by the community areas of Jefferson Park
Jefferson Park, Chicago
Jefferson Park is one of Chicago's 77 well-defined community areas located on the city's Northwest Side. The neighborhood of Jefferson Park occupies a larger swath of territory than the community area by including within it land of adjacent community areas...
and Forest Glen
Forest Glen, Chicago
Forest Glen is one of the 77 community areas of Chicago, Illinois, located in the city's Northwest Side.-Edgebrook:Edgebrook borders the neighborhood of Sauganash. Edgebrook was once part of the Sauganash land tract and was annexed by the city of Chicago in 1889. To the north of Edgebrook lie...
to the north, Dunning
Dunning, Chicago
Dunning is one of 77 officially designated community areas of the city of Chicago, Illinois. Dunning also is a neighborhood located on the Northwest Side of the city.The neighborhood is home to the Eli's Cheesecake factory....
and the suburb of Harwood Heights
Harwood Heights, Illinois
Harwood Heights is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 8,297 at the 2000 census. The current Mayor is Arlene Jezierny...
to the west, Irving Park
Irving Park, Chicago
Irving Park is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community area located on the Northwest Side. It is bounded by the Chicago River on the east, the Milwaukee Road railroad tracks on the west, Addison Street on the south and Montrose Avenue on the north, west of Pulaski Road stretching to...
to the east and Belmont-Cragin
Belmont Cragin, Chicago
Belmont Cragin is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas located on the Northwest Side of the City of Chicago, Illinois. It is designated Community Area 19, and is located NW of the Loop. Belmont Cragin is a community built on commerce and industry...
to the south.
The area is notable for its Six Corners
Six corners
Six Corners is a shopping district in the Portage Park neighborhood of Chicago's Northwest Side.-History:The area's name is from the intersection of three streets—Irving Park Road, Cicero Avenue and Milwaukee Avenue . Its history as an urban center began in the 1840s, eventually becoming the...
outdoor shopping district, centered at the intersection of Irving Park Road, Cicero Avenue and the diagonal Milwaukee Avenue
Milwaukee Avenue (Chicago)
Milwaukee Avenue is a major diagonal street in the city of Chicago and the northern suburbs. True to its name, it once led to the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Starting with a short section at N. Canal and W. Lake Streets, it begins in earnest at the corner of N Desplaines and W. Kinzie Streets...
, the Portage Theater
Portage Theater
Located at Six Corners in the Portage Park neighborhood of Chicago's Northwest Side, the Portage Theater is one of the oldest movie houses in Chicago. Designed by Mark D. Kalischer and Henry L. Newhouse, the Portage Theater opened on December 11, 1920 as the Portage Park Theatre...
and for its namesake - Portage Park
Portage Park (Chicago)
Portage Park is a park in the Portage Park community area of Chicago, Illinois on the National Register of Historic Places. The park stretches from Irving Park Road on the south to Berteau Avenue between Central and Long Avenues...
. The name of the park was taken from the major portage linking Des Plaines
Des Plaines River
The Des Plaines River is a river that flows southward for through southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois in the U.S. Midwest, eventually meeting the Kankakee River west of Channahon to form the Illinois River, a tributary of the Mississippi River....
and the Chicago River
Chicago River
The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of the same name, including its center . Though not especially long, the river is notable for being the reason why Chicago became an important location, as the link between the Great Lakes and...
along what is today Irving Park Road. The area was so swampy that in wet weather, Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
and trappers were easily able to paddle through the area without leaving their canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
s.
Portage Park has the largest Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
community in the Chicago Metropolitan Area according to the 2000 census. Portage Park is home to the Polish American Association
Polish American Association
The Polish American Association is a non-profit human services agency that serves the diverse needs of the Chicago Polish immigrant community....
, the Polish Jesuit Millennium Center, the Polish Army Veterans Association in the beautiful building of the former Irving State bank, in addition to the multitude of Polish shops and businesses throughout the district. One of the area's parks is named Chopin Park
Chopin Park (Chicago)
Chopin Park is an park located at 3420 North Long in the Portage Park community area of Chicago, Illinois. The park stretches from Roscoe Street on the south to Cornelia Avenue to the north between Linder and Long avenues. The historic fieldhouse was designed by Albert A...
after Frederic Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
's most famous pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
History
In 1850, along with construction of the Northwest Plank RoadMilwaukee Avenue (Chicago)
Milwaukee Avenue is a major diagonal street in the city of Chicago and the northern suburbs. True to its name, it once led to the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Starting with a short section at N. Canal and W. Lake Streets, it begins in earnest at the corner of N Desplaines and W. Kinzie Streets...
(present Milwaukee Avenue), Jefferson Township
Jefferson Township, Cook County, Illinois
Jefferson Township is a former civil township in Cook County, Illinois, United States that existed as a separate municipality from 1850 until 1889 when it was annexed into the city of Chicago. Its borders were Devon Avenue on the north, Harlem Avenue on the west, Western Avenue to the east, and...
was incorporated at the legendary Dickinson Tavern. Jefferson Township was part of a large swath of land annexed to the city in 1889 in advance of the World's Columbian Exposition
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
. Much of the area was still largely rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
in the early 20th century until the extension of streetcar lines into the area along Milwaukee
Milwaukee Avenue (Chicago)
Milwaukee Avenue is a major diagonal street in the city of Chicago and the northern suburbs. True to its name, it once led to the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Starting with a short section at N. Canal and W. Lake Streets, it begins in earnest at the corner of N Desplaines and W. Kinzie Streets...
, Irving, and Cicero lured in immigrants from the overcrowded tenement
Tenement
A tenement is, in most English-speaking areas, a substandard multi-family dwelling, usually old, occupied by the poor.-History:Originally the term tenement referred to tenancy and therefore to any rented accommodation...
s of the city's ethnic enclaves. Soon Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n, German
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
, Italian, Polish and Irish
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
families from the industrial areas by the Chicago River
Chicago River
The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of the same name, including its center . Though not especially long, the river is notable for being the reason why Chicago became an important location, as the link between the Great Lakes and...
such as Polish Downtown and Goose Island
Goose Island (Chicago)
Goose Island is the only island on the Chicago River in Illinois. It is an artificial island, formed by the North Branch of the Chicago River on the west and the North Branch Canal on the east...
were buying lots in the vicinity to build their homes. Area developers such as Szajkowski, Schorsch as well as Koester and Zander subdivided what had been farmland into subdivisions of what became part of Chicago's famous "bungalow belt
Bungalow
A bungalow is a type of house, with varying meanings across the world. Common features to many of these definitions include being detached, low-rise , and the use of verandahs...
".
Transportation
Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago Transit Authority, also known as CTA, is the operator of mass transit within the City of Chicago, Illinois and some of its surrounding suburbs....
's Blue Line
Blue Line (Chicago Transit Authority)
The Blue Line consists of a long trunk line in the Chicago Transit Authority's rapid transit system which extends through Chicago's Loop from O'Hare International Airport at the far northwest end of the city, through downtown via the Milwaukee-Dearborn subway, and across the West Side to its...
. The Montrose
Montrose (CTA Blue Line)
Montrose is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system, serving the Blue Line. Blue Line trains run at intervals of 2-7 minutes during rush-hour periods, and take 22 minutes to travel to the Loop...
station is located on Portage Park's northeastern edge next to the Kennedy Expressway
Kennedy Expressway
The John F. Kennedy Expressway is a long highway that travels northwest from the Chicago Loop to O'Hare International Airport. The expressway is named for the 35th U.S. President, John F. Kennedy. The Interstate 90 portion of the Kennedy is a part of the much longer I-90...
. Metra
Metra
Metra is the commuter rail division of the Illinois Regional Transportation Authority. The system serves Chicago and its metropolitan area through 240 stations on 11 different rail lines. Throughout the 21st century, Metra has been the second busiest commuter rail system in the United States by...
's Milwaukee District North Line Mayfair
Mayfair (Metra)
Mayfair is a commuter railroad station on Metra's Milwaukee District/North Line on the border between Albany Park and Portage Park community areas of Chicago. The station is officially located at 4357 North Cicero Avenue , however the actual location is the northeast corner of West Pensacola and...
stop is located just to the west of the CTA
Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago Transit Authority, also known as CTA, is the operator of mass transit within the City of Chicago, Illinois and some of its surrounding suburbs....
station.
Neighborhood
The neighborhood of Portage Park is a primarily residential area. The area's building stock is composed primarily of bungalows and two-flats. There are two large business districts in Portage Park, the first is Six CornersSix corners
Six Corners is a shopping district in the Portage Park neighborhood of Chicago's Northwest Side.-History:The area's name is from the intersection of three streets—Irving Park Road, Cicero Avenue and Milwaukee Avenue . Its history as an urban center began in the 1840s, eventually becoming the...
at the intersection of Irving, Cicero and Milwaukee and the second is at Belmont and Central extending south into Belmont-Cragin
Belmont Cragin, Chicago
Belmont Cragin is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas located on the Northwest Side of the City of Chicago, Illinois. It is designated Community Area 19, and is located NW of the Loop. Belmont Cragin is a community built on commerce and industry...
.
The area was home to a number of movie palaces, among which were the Portage
Portage Theater
Located at Six Corners in the Portage Park neighborhood of Chicago's Northwest Side, the Portage Theater is one of the oldest movie houses in Chicago. Designed by Mark D. Kalischer and Henry L. Newhouse, the Portage Theater opened on December 11, 1920 as the Portage Park Theatre...
, Patio
Patio
A patio is an outdoor space generally used for dining or recreation that adjoins a residence and is typically paved. It may refer to a roofless inner courtyard of the sort found in Spanish-style dwellings or a paved area between a residence and a garden....
, and Belpark theaters. While the last two are now closed, the Portage Theater
Portage Theater
Located at Six Corners in the Portage Park neighborhood of Chicago's Northwest Side, the Portage Theater is one of the oldest movie houses in Chicago. Designed by Mark D. Kalischer and Henry L. Newhouse, the Portage Theater opened on December 11, 1920 as the Portage Park Theatre...
has been magnificently renovated and is now home to a full-fledged performing arts center
Performing arts center
Performing arts center, often abbreviated PAC, is used to refer to* A multi-use performance space that is intended for use by various types of the performing arts, including dance, music and theatre....
showing a wide variety of arthouse and silent films.
Portage Park is also home to a cluster of architecturally significant churches, and is one of the few neighborhoods on the city's North Side highlighted in Marilyn Chiat's The Spiritual Traveler: Chicago and Illinois. The spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
s and steeples
Steeple (architecture)
A steeple, in architecture, is a tall tower on a building, often topped by a spire. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a religious structure...
of these monumental edifices such as St. Pascal's, St. Ladislaus
St. Ladislaus in Chicago
St. Ladislaus - historic church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago located in Chicago, Illinois.One of the many Polish churches on Chicago's Northwest Side, it is considered to be one of the more architecturally significant religious edifices in the Portage Park area, as well as one of...
, St. John of Rila the Wonderworker
St. John of Rila Church in Chicago
St. John of Rila in Chicago, referred to in Bulgarian as 'Tsurkva Sveti Ivan Rilski' is a historic church of the Orthodox Church of America located in Chicago, Illinois...
, St. Bartholomew, St. Ferdinand and Our Lady of Victory tower over the neighborhood, giving the area much of its charm.
Portage Park (Chicago Park District)
Portage Park (Chicago)
Portage Park is a park in the Portage Park community area of Chicago, Illinois on the National Register of Historic Places. The park stretches from Irving Park Road on the south to Berteau Avenue between Central and Long Avenues...
served as the focus that brought together the different communities in the area and created the neighborhood.
The field house at Portage Park was designed by Clarence Hatzfeld. Hatzfeld's architectural firm of Hatzfeld and Knox would later design many of the Prairie and Craftsman-style
American Craftsman
The American Craftsman Style, or the American Arts and Crafts Movement, is an American domestic architectural, interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts style and lifestyle philosophy that began in the last years of the 19th century. As a comprehensive design and art...
bungalows just east in the Villa District
Villa District
The Villa District, also known as Villa Historic District, is a historic district in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It is located on Chicago's Northwest Side within the community area of Irving Park. Its borders are along Pulaski Road to the west, the Union Pacific/Northwest rail line to the north, Hamlin...
in Irving Park
Irving Park, Chicago
Irving Park is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community area located on the Northwest Side. It is bounded by the Chicago River on the east, the Milwaukee Road railroad tracks on the west, Addison Street on the south and Montrose Avenue on the north, west of Pulaski Road stretching to...
near historic St. Wenceslaus
St. Wenceslaus in Chicago
St. Wenceslaus - historic church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago located in, Chicago, Illinois.One of the many Polish churches visible from the Kennedy Expressway, it is, along with St. Hyacinth Basilica, one of two monumental religious edifices that dominates the Avondale skyline...
.
The park in Portage park originally had a dirt bottom pond that blended into a cement bottom pool. The hill to the east of the pool that exists now, was the dirt that was removed when the pool was first created when the park was first established. The pond portion of the pool extended to the western edge of this 'hill'. The earliest building in the park is the gymnasium, followed by the field house. The staircase to the field house was a circular affair, supported by several cement posts under the platform that was created by a large landing at the second floor.
The WPA was very involved in the creation of the long gone Rock House at the south end of the Park. This Rock House had a small pond area that had goldfish and flower basins. Until the polio epidemic, the water was kept at a substantial depth to support the fish over winter. The flower planters to the north and east of the main entrance off Central at Irving Park Road will give an idea of just what the Rock House looked like. There were seats throughout the half circle structure of flagstone. Except for the overhead wooden canopy, every where you looked there was white flagstone - walls, seats, floor, support pillars. The Chicago Park District
Chicago Park District
The Chicago Park District is the oldest and largest park district in the U.S.A, with a $385 million annual budget. It has the distinction of spending the most per capita on its parks, even more than Boston in terms of park expenses per capita...
has WPA photos of the structure. The park predates all of the buildings that surround it.
The swimming events of the Pan-American Games were held here in 1959 in the second pool constructed in the park, as were the US swimming trials for the 1972 Summer Olympics
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
.
Education
Portage Park residents are served by Chicago Public SchoolsChicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools, commonly abbreviated as CPS by local residents and politicians and officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, is a large school district that manages over 600 public elementary and high schools in Chicago, Illinois...
, which includes neighborhood and city-wide options for students. There are also a number of private parochial schools run by Roman Catholic and Lutheran congregations in the area.
Public libraries
Chicago Public LibraryChicago Public Library
The Chicago Public Library is the public library system that serves the City of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 79 branches, including a central library, two regional libraries, and branches distributed throughout the city....
operates three branches located in the Portage Park community area: Portage-Cragin, Austin-Irving and Jefferson Park.
Culture
There are also preliminary plans to erect a statue of pianist Frederic ChopinFrédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
in Chopin Park
Chopin Park (Chicago)
Chopin Park is an park located at 3420 North Long in the Portage Park community area of Chicago, Illinois. The park stretches from Roscoe Street on the south to Cornelia Avenue to the north between Linder and Long avenues. The historic fieldhouse was designed by Albert A...
for the 200th anniversary of Frederic Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
's birth in addition to a 1:1-scale replica of Wacław Szymanowski's Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
found in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
's Royal Baths along Chicago's lakefront.