By Lois Kimmelman, LEED AP:
OG. Original Gangster. An accolade for the coolest and most “with it” guy or gal on the block. The OG behind the Chicago-based organization “Share Your Soles,” Mona Purdy, was seeking a new headquarters for her expanding non-profit that recycles thousands of hardly-used American sneakers and other shoes discarded for the latest fashion. She needed more room to collect, sort, stage, and ship shoes to Honduras and other countries where there are kids whose families can’t afford footwear. After a long search, in 2020 Purdy purchased a handsome but deteriorating two-story 1880 brick building located in Chicago’s famous Pullman neighborhood, all of which was designated a National Historic Park.
Over time, the structure, which was built by Pullman himself, has seen several uses, from a stable with 60 stalls for delivery truck horses and carriage teams, to firehouse (with horsedrawn fire engines), to mortuary, barbershop, and gas station/auto body shop. The Illinois Bell Telephone Co. even occupied the building for several years. Because of the wear and tear and accumulated dirt of past site operations, especially with respect to the car repair shop with its grease, paint, and other “nasties,” the Illinois EPA was called in. They then investigated the site for hazardous waste and contaminants, from lead to benzene, and remediated where necessary.
After clean-up was complete and the environmental agency had given the go-ahead, Purdy and her crew dove into the makeover of the building, which involves not only a huge shoe warehouse but also offices, new bathrooms, and an event space. Assisted by friends and neighbors who donate money, time, and expertise in everything from tuckpointing to HVAC cleaning to hunting down historic credits, she doggedly leads the pack practically 24/7 in transforming the creaky old stable into a modern facility. Wherever possible, they reuse original brick, wood, and other materials. “Junk” that in other similar projects might have been jettisoned in the trash is refurbished and given a new life. For example, hidden under a quilt in a back room, Share Your Soles volunteers discovered a grand old (albeit sorely out of tune) grand piano. In the future the tuneful, dusted-off piano will most likely entertain guests at fundraising parties in a space lit by a repurposed chandelier.
This project is a work in progress whose goal is ambitious. But it is real, not a fairy tale. Stay tuned to see how Share Your Soles not only gives shoes to barefooted children around the world, but turns a ragged Cinderella into a glass-slippered princess.
Read more about historic buildings getting a green makeover on Lois Kimmelman’s website/blog, Historecycle. She promotes restoration and renovation, not demolition.