History in West Ridge

"This neighborhood bank building exemplifies the critical role that banks played in the history and development of chicago neighborhoods in the late 19th and 20th centuries," according to the city's official tourism website.  completed in 1926, this building was designed by vitzthum, karl and co., which also designed the one north lasalle and steuben club buildings.  it was designated as a landmark on february 6, 2008.

This fieldhouse was completed in 1929 and is located insdie indian boundary park, which opened in 1922.  the park was named for the boundary line established in the 1816 treaty of st. louis that divided the odawa, ojibwe, and patowatomi.  a zoo inside the park is one of two zoos inside the chicago city limits, the other being the lincoln park zoo.  the fieldhouse was designated as a landmark on may 11, 2005. 

Urooj Khan returned from a pilgrimage to Mecca resolved never to play the lottery again.  Apparently, he had fallen off the wagon by June 2012, when he walked into the 7-11 convenience store at the northeast corner of Pratt and Western at 2844 West Pratt, and forked over sixty dollars for lottery tickets.  He scratched off his card, realized he’d won a million dollars, and began leaping up and down, yelling, “I hit a million!”  Delirious with ecstasy, he ran back into the store, kissed the clerk on the head, and gave him a $100 tip.  So much for religious piety.  In lieu of a twenty-year payout, Khan opted for a lump-sum payment, which reduced his winnings and netted him after-tax proceeds of $425,000.  On June 26, 2012, he returned to the same 7-11 at 6801 N. Western Avenue with his wife and daughter and accepted a ceremonial oversized check from representatives of the Illinois Lottery.  An actual negotiable check didn’t issue until July 19, 2012.  The very next day, July 20, 2012, Khan returned home from work, ate dinner, went to bed, and then woke up screaming with excruciating pain.  His family took him to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, but he was soon pronounced dead.  Cook County Medical Examiner Stephen Cina oversaw basic toxicology testing and ruled that Khan died of arterial sclerotic cardiovascular disease at the age of 46, but someone in Khan’s family quietly urged a second look, given the circumstances.  Upon further review, the initial call was reversed, and an amended death certificate was issued specifying the cause of death as “cyanide toxicity” and the manner of death as “homicide.”

Khan emigrated to the United States from India in the 1980’s, worked hard, saved up a bundle of money, and opened three dry cleaning businesses in West Ridge.  At his time of death, he resided in the modest single-family home at this address.  His widow, 32 year-old Shabana Ansari, described him as a tireless and dedicated worker who was the “best husband on the entire planet.”  The Chicago Police Department is investigating the homicide and there may be an exhumation of Khan’s body from Rosehill Cemetery.