Thursday, June 19 | Time: 6–7:30 PM | Location: Warner Park & Gardens (1444 W Warner)
Join the Graceland West Community Association for an evening of updates, conversation, environmental inspiration, and a delicious summer solstice potluck. Let’s come together to celebrate what we’ve accomplished and look ahead to what’s next.
Meeting Agenda Highlights
Annual Environmental Program & ECO Updates We’ll hear from:
Olivia Reda of Alliance for the Great Lakes on microplastics, health, and the actions we can take.
Kevin Serena of EXO Building Solutions will discuss green roof and water proofing solutions.
Our GWCA ECO Committee on our growing network of 14 native plant pollinator and stormwater absorption sites, including two new ones at Lake View High School planted by JROTC.
Updates on our Earth Week ’55 projects including our first ever Celebration of Cycling, the Pollinator sites at LVHS and the Warner Park Kid’s Pollinator site.
Garden Walk Planning Calling all gardeners! Our 43rd Annual Garden Walk is coming up on Sunday, July 27. Want to help organize it, show your garden or just be part of the fun? Come learn more and sign up!
Council Election Three of your neighbors—Bruce, Colin, and Janice—are running to serve on the GWCA Council. Interested in joining too? Let us know! (Eligible voting members must reside in the neighborhood and be current on dues.)
Community Thanks & Neighborhood Projects
Big thanks to volunteers helping with bioswales and traffic circles—your work helps reduce flooding and beautify the neighborhood.
We’re also fundraising to support continued planting at Lake View High School—every dollar helps create more green spaces.
Summer Solstice Potluck
Bring a dish to share, your own beverage + container, and reusable utensils. The pot luck will begin as soon as the meeting concludes. We’d love help setting up tables at 5:25 PM and putting them away at 7:30 PM. Volunteers are also needed to help run the potluck!
Join Us TONIGHT, March 13th for the GWCA Quarterly Meeting
We’re excited to invite all Graceland West neighbors to our GWCA Quarterly Meeting. Below is the full agenda for the evening:
Date: Thursday, March 13, 2025 Time: 7:00 PM – 8:15 PM Location: Quantum LEEP Academy, 1447 W Montrose Ave
Agenda:
Welcome and Introductions
Neighborhood Updates and review of full GWCA 2025 calendar
GWCA Budget Review and Council Election
Virtual Guest: 46th Ward Alderwoman Angela Clay
Guest: Seth Boustead, Executive Director of Access Contemporary Music
Guest Speaker: Jensen Allen from Graceland Cemetery
Open Forum and Other Community Announcements
We encourage all residents, whether in the 46th or 47th Ward, to attend this meeting. Your participation is vital in shaping the future of Graceland West. Come, engage, and be a part of the conversation that makes our community thrive.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Graceland Cemetery, Chicago, IL – Daniel Burnham’s Grave. Photo credit: Linda Oyama Bryan
Many neighbors may not realize that Graceland West spans both the 46th and 47th Wards—which means we have two alderpeople representing different parts of our community. This unique positioning gives us the opportunity to work with both offices on neighborhood improvements, infrastructure projects, and local initiatives.
To help highlight this, we’re excited to (virtually) welcome 46th Ward Alderwoman Angela Clay to our GWCA Quarterly Meeting this Thursday, March 13! This is a great opportunity, hear about issues affecting our ward, and ask questions about city services, development, and more.
We’ll also be sharing important updates on neighborhood projects and upcoming events, so whether you’re in the 46th or 47th Ward, we look forward to seeing you there.
As previously announced, you also won’t want to miss our main speaker, Jensen Allen from the Graceland Cemetery and Arboretum. Seth Boustead, Executive Director of Access Contemporary Music will also be joining us for an update on their plans for the long vacant former 7-Eleven space on Clark. Finally, GWCA Members will discuss and vote on the 2025 Budget and Council Election.
Date: Thursday, March 13 Location: Quantum LEEP Academy, 1447 W Montrose Ave. Time: 7:00 to 8:15 PM
Check out the map below to see how our neighborhood is divided between the two wards.
Graceland West is bounded by Irving Park to the south, Ashland to the West, Montrose to the north and Clark to the east. In 2022 ward boundaries were redrawn and the portion of Graceland West east of Southport became part of the 46th ward.
We’re excited to welcome special guest Jensen Allen from Graceland Cemetery & Arboretum for our next GWCA Quarterly Meeting on March 13th! Jensen who will share insights and stories about Graceland’s past, present and future in our community and answer any questions you have about our neighbor to the east.
Graceland Cemetery, Chicago, IL. Photo Credit: Linda Oyama Bryan
The event will be graciously hosted by Lorell Marin and Quantum LEEP Academy at 1447 West Montrose Ave. We’ll get started at 7:00 PM and finish up by 8:15.
In addition to Jensen Allen, we’ll also be joined by Seth Boustead, Executive Director, Access Contemporary Music who will update us on the renovation of the former 7-Eleven.
Alderwoman Clay from the 46th Ward will join also us virtually. The portion of Graceland West between Southport, Clark and Irving Park is in the 46th Ward.
Finally, we’ll be sharing key updates on neighborhood initiatives, upcoming events, and opportunities to get involved. Whether you’re a longtime resident or new to the area, this is your chance to stay informed and help shape the future of Graceland West.
Beyond the updates and guest speaker, our quarterly meetings are a great way to meet active members of the community—neighbors who care about making Graceland West an even better place to live. Whether you’re looking to get involved or just want to stay in the loop, we’d love to see you there!
We’re thrilled to welcome Marty Sandberg and Cristina Gallo, the principals of Via Chicago. They’ll be sharing insights on how preserving and reimagining our city’s historic buildings breathes new life into our neighborhoods. Learn how adaptive reuse connects our rich architectural legacy with a sustainable and vibrant future.
In addition to our guests, the meeting will include elections for council members. Council members typically serve 18 month terms. If you’re interested in serving on our council, please reach out to info@gracelandwest.org.
Access Contemporary Music
4116 N Clark St. Chicago,
Illinois
60613United States+ Google Map
Join us for our next GWCA Quarterly Meeting on March 13th!
We’re excited to welcome special guest Jensen Allen from Graceland Cemetery & Arboretum, who will share insights and stories about Graceland’s past, present and future in our community.
Graceland Cemetery, Chicago, IL. Photo Credit: Linda Oyama Bryan
We’ll be welcomed by our gracious host Lorell Marin from Quantum LEEP Academy.
Executive Director of Graceland Cemetery and Arboretum, Jensen Allen will be our main guest.
We’ll also be joined by Seth Boustead, Executive Director, Access Contemporary Music who will update us on the renovation of the former 7-Eleven.
Alderwoman Clay from the 46th Ward will join us virtually. The portion of Graceland West between Southport, Clark and Irving Park is in the 46th Ward.
Finally, we’ll approve the budget for this year and have council elections.
We wanted to inform you that, unfortunately, our scheduled speaker from Graceland Cemetery and Arboretum, Jensen Allen, has fallen ill and will be unable to join us this evening. We wish Jensen a speedy recovery and hope to welcome them at a future event.
However, tonight’s meeting at Warner Park & Gardens will still take place at 6:00 PM as planned! We look forward to hearing from Friends of Lake View High School President Julia Van Vliet as they share the latest updates from LVHS during their 150th anniversary celebration.
Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to seeing you tonight!
