Pooped Out
Well, it’s not so much the horses as what they leave behind. “The manure’s awful,” says Denis Vulich, vice president of Chicago Lift Truck Company at 322 N. Leavitt. “In the summer there’s this constant stench blowing through the open windows and horseflies as big as bumblebees. I mean, these are big, tough flies–no matter how many you kill they keep popping up. It’s disgusting.”
“The neighborhood’s become so interesting,” says Vulich. “You have manufacturers that are 100 years old and you have cutting-edge Internet software designers that are just starting up. There’s also a lot of movie-production and theatrical-set designers. The diversity’s amazing.
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Cutter’s lease runs until next March, and landlord William Kritt sees no reason to evict the stable. “I’ve never really noticed the smell that much. Of course, I don’t go over there every day,” says Kritt. “I did do some soul-searching before I brought them in as tenants, because this is not a common usage of space and I care very much about this area–I’m on the council and I own a lot of property around here. I even had a clause in the lease that if there were any complaints during the first year the lease could be terminated. Obviously, there weren’t any complaints. I ended up thinking it was a quaint use of space with the carriages and the horses and the young people grooming them.”
The application apparently is in limbo. “I have had no response and no communication from them,” says Hermelee, “and they haven’t cashed my check.”
We all thought we were experts on Chicago politics, but Fremon knew more than any of us. Part of his edge came from age and experience (he was a few years older and had knocked about the world before coming to Chicago). Part of it came from his talent and skill. He had a phenomenal memory (for baseball as well as politics), a droll sense of humor, and an appreciation of absurdity. Everyone said he knew so much he ought to write a book. So he did.
