Crain article about Gutmann Tannery & FInkl

[GM]

Hope this link goes through otherwise you may have to register with Crains. Gutmann tannery is closing. Another piece of area history is disappearing from the Deering line. Seems like a lot of activity going on all of a sudden. The tannery started in 1878 and it looks like residential developers have their eye on that property along with Finkl except the article mentions that Finkl is in a PMD that doesn\'t allow that development. Only time will tell what the City\'s intentions are. The river real estate is a hot commodity now and there was talk that the Mayor wanted a bike path that went all along the river from downtown all the way north.

I also notice lately that the scrap yard across from Finkl on Cortland looks unusually empty lately of scrap metal almost as if they are cleaning it up prior to selling it off. Anyone have any information on that? Here\'s the link.

http://chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=23247



GM

[GM]

Here is another article concerning the fate of Finkl. Does not look good for business in the area. Amazing number of jobs lost in the area between 1988 and 2004. Just looking at the disappearing rail customers in the area verifies that statistic. Hopefully a new manufacturer will be interested.

http://chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/article.pl?article_id=27000

GM

[TBurke]

GM:

It seems like the area has passed the tipping point and industries are leaving at an accelerating rate.

Gutmann Tannery was served by the Milwaukee Road via the Deering Line for many decades.  Though tracks were cut back to McLean and Dominick in the early 1990s, three blocks south of Gutmann, CP Rail still showed Gutmann as a rail served customer in a 2001 listing.

My 2006 feature article in spring issue of The Milwaukee Railroader magazine on the Deering Line has a couple of pictures of trains on the Deering Line passing in front of Gutmann.

[GM]

Thanks I am going to order that issue.

GM