land acknowledgement

We respectfully acknowledge that this land is the traditional homelands of the Anishinaabe, or the Council of the Three Fires: the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations. Many other Nations consider this area their traditional homeland, including the Myaamia, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac and Fox, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Wea, Kickapoo, and Mascouten. These tribes were forcefully removed from their traditional territories; however, these lands continue to carry their stories, resilience, and tenacity.

A Site Shaped by Industry

Before industrialization, the area around 26th Street and Kostner Avenue in present-day Little Village was open tallgrass prairie stewarded by Indigenous nations. Gently rolling glacial terrain, seasonal wetlands, and oak savanna shaped the landscape, which was maintained through controlled burning and ecological management. Nearby trails that later became Archer Avenue and Ogden Avenue followed higher, drier ground, linking the Chicago River portage to regional trade networks prior to the 1833 Treaty of Chicago and the forced removal of Native peoples.

For nearly a century, the southwest corner of 26th Street and Kostner Avenue in Little Village was part of Chicago’s heavy-industrial landscape. Factories, trains, and trucks were the prominent features of the area. Among this industrial corridor was the Western Electric Hawthorne Works and Lever Brothers Plant.

Community Benefits Agreement

In 2015, Chicago City Council passed Zoning Ordinance SO2015-63, allowing continued industrial use under modern environmental standards for the 26th and Kostner site. The zoning change set aside a portion of the lot that would be donated under the legally binding Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) between Unilever, the City of Chicago, and the community. The CBA emerged through years of community advocacy led by Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO), Enlace Chicago, Little Village Chamber of Commerce, 22nd Ward Office, and the 26th & Kostner Community Oversight Council. The agreement required Unilever to:

  • Donate a parcel of land along Kostner between 26th and 27th Streets, north of Zapata Elementary School.

  • Share environmental and traffic studies with the community.

  • Construct a landscaped buffer along 26th Street to reduce industrial impact.

  • Meet quarterly with the Oversight Council to review ongoing concerns.

Environmental Remediation

Under the Illinois EPA's Site Remediation Program, Unilever remediated the property and received a "No Further Remediation" (NFR) letter in 2024. The NFR letter was recorded and filed with the Cook County Recorder's Office.