South Side markers on South Loop Mariano’s

From north to south the previous boundaries of Chicago’s impressively-gerrymandered 3rd Ward extends from 14th Pl to 59th St. North of 31st Street the ward was only several blocks wide, and included the site where Mariano’s is building a new store at 1625 S Clark St in the South Loop.

The signage on the Mariano’s site has territorial markers that you often encounter on the South Side and rarely see in the gentrified neighborhoods along the north lakefront. Construction-related job seekers are referred to a “Diversity Consultant” and Alderman Pat Dowell gets a prominent credit.

Construction on the site, as you can see, was well underway when I stopped by last Saturday.