After weeks of controversy, Haymarket Books has found a new home. The left-wing press is closing on a historic mansion in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood, following a brief outcry from some locals who said they did not want the indie press moving into the neighborhood. Haymarket intends to close on the building by mid-August, and move into it in the fall.
The purchase of the building comes after efforts, from a small but vocal contingency in the neighborhood, to block the press from moving in. The group raised typical concerns about noise, traffic, and parking issues, largely because Haymarket intends to use the large space for occasional events. According to local press coverage, some opposing Haymarket's purchase of the building disliked the political views espoused by the publisher's parent organization, the nonprofit Center for Economic Research and Social Change.
A public meeting held in June to answer neighbors' questions about Haymarket became raucous when some attendees conflated the organization’s anti-Zionist stance with anti-Semitism. After the meeting, a flyer was distributed in the neighborhood claiming that “radicals, activists, and self-described revolutionaries” would be attending any events Haymarket held at the building.
Despite the kerfuffle, the zoning board voted on Monday to grant Haymarket a special use permit to hold events at the mansion. The approval was critical for the press, which had said it would not purchase the property without it.
Haymarket is currently housed in a nearly 7,500-square-foot space on the city's north side that its managing editor Julie Fain described as "sprawling," with leaky ceilings and little natural light. After receiving a grant from the Lannan Foundation, the press placed an offer on the mansion, which Fain said features a coach house with a total of 14,000 square feet of space.
The press intends to use the two upper floors of the mansion as office space for its 16 employees. The main floor of the building will be used as an events space for parties and readings. The press also intends to rent out the main floor to other progressive organizations.
Built as a single-family home, the building has, for the last 70 years, housed a nonprofit community center which runs after-school programs. The current occupant holds a special use permit, but the permit does not automatically renew with the change in the building’s ownership.
In a newsletter sent to residents on Monday, Alderman James Cappleman said that, although some residents viewed Haymarket's politics as "controversial," the press's events meet the standard Chicago's public libraries are held to for their events. He added that bringing Haymarket into the community adds diversity to the neighborhood. "The value of diversity that so many residents desire is reinforced when differing political beliefs are tolerated and respected," he wrote.
