Coming Soon: North Loop Neighborhood Guide
The ever-growing, always-changing North Loop can be hard to keep up with, so the North Loop Neighborhood Association is introducing a Neighborhood Guide to help both residents and visitors get acquainted with all our community has to offer.
The Neighborhood Guide is an update to the neighborhood map that was introduced in 2022. At that time, the map had 139 listings in six categories. Just three years later, the neighborhood has expanded to 215 listings in 18 categories, reflecting the growth of the North Loop business community.
A sneak peek at the back cover of the new North Loop Neighborhood Guide.
“We introduced the map three years ago as an experiment. It proved to be a hit, especially as a resource for hotels and businesses to give to visitors and residents alike,” said Diane Merrifield, NLNA president. “It’s exciting to provide this update that showcases our ever-growing list of places to shop, eat, drink, play, and so much more!”
In addition to the expanded listings and categories, the Neighborhood Guide includes a QR code that directs users to a mobile-friendly interactive map at www.northloop.org. The online map will keep up with the changes in the neighborhood as new businesses open, so users always have the most accurate information at their fingertips.
The Neighborhood Guide will also be available to HOAs and Building Managers, making it easy for newcomers to learn their way around and find services. “The map was how I found my dentist and my veterinarian,” said Ali Odenthal, NLNA secretary.
NLNA Board Member Grant Johnson helped create the new website map. “The online map is searchable and convenient. If a visitor just wants a cup of coffee, you can search for coffee shops and all our great neighborhood options will pop up for you.”
New Look Courtesy of North Loop Firm
May Advertising & Design is a North Loop agency that generously donated its services to the project. For inspiration, the design team created the tagline, “where historic charm meets modern energy,” which users will see on the Neighborhood Guide.
The new look is bold and modern. “It’s a surprising design,” said Rich May, Jr., president of May Advertising & Design. “I wanted to push the boundaries of what the creative team thought was possible–and expand the sandbox they were used to playing in.”
The Guide features several nods to what makes the North Loop special. The dog on the cover represents our cutest, very good residents. And the illustrations of Colonial Warehouse in the foreground of the North Loop Green tower represents historic and modern landmarks.
Jonas Never, the Los Angeles-based artist who painted the Prince mural, said he was “honored to be included” on the Guide. The mural, completed in 2021, has since become a popular photo spot.
Monte Carlo’s iconic marquee was added to honor it as the neighborhood restaurant that has been open longer than any other, dating back to 1906.
Rich May, Jr. of May Advertising & Design
As work was beginning on the Guide last month, May Advertising & Design celebrated 25 years in the North Loop. May jumped at the chance to be a part of the project. “We’ve been part of the fabric of this neighborhood for a long time, and I wanted to honor its legacy–and our place in it,” said May. “It felt like the right moment to reflect on how much the North Loop has grown and changed. It’s an amazing story–like a city within a city.”
Design Firm is 4th Generation North Loop
If a Neighborhood Guide had existed for the last 100+ years, the May family would have been in it. May’s great-grandfather, Carl F. Struck, was the architect of the Chicago House Hotel at 124 N. 1st Street, two doors down from May Advertising & Design’s current offices at The Archive. “I had no idea of the family connection to the Chicago House building until walking past it one day to grab lunch,” May said. “I noticed the plaque on the building out of the corner of my eye and it stopped me in my tracks!”
Sandy (Struck) May points at the sign recognizing the historic designation of the building her grandfather, architect Carl F. Struck, designed.
May’s grandfather, Walter May, founded a grocery distribution company with his brother in the 1930’s, called May Brothers. Their warehouse was once in what is now the Salvation Army building in the North Loop.
May’s mom, Sandy May, was a portrait and fashion photographer working in several of her own studio locations throughout the North Loop. May’s dad, Rich May Sr., started his namesake firm in 1981, and was among the first agencies to locate in the neighborhood.
Rich May Jr. bought the agency from his dad in 2000, and has moved around since then, but always in the North Loop.
Today, May Advertising & Design partners with leading brands across a range of industries–including food, financial services, construction, logistics and more. “My dad likes to say he started the agency with a typewriter and a pencil,” said May. “I came in as a computer science major and brought a passion for technology and innovation into the creative space. Now we’re proud to support some of the world’s largest companies–helping them bring big ideas to life and move projects forward with speed and impact. “
As for what the community will think of the Neighborhood Guide, May says, “I hope they see a neighborhood that is continuing to evolve, continuing to hold on to the past and look to the future.”
In addition to May Advertising & Design, Element Hotel and North Loop Green are project sponsors, helping to cover the costs of printing 20,000 guides.
The Neighborhood Guides will begin to be distributed in mid-June, in time for the thousands of people who will descend on the North Loop for the Stone Arch Bridge Festival June 14-15.
By Mary Binkley, NLNA Board Member