The Salvation of Helmut Jahn
George Bernard Shaw’s “Major Barbara” (1905) is a classic examination of hypocrisy, philanthropy with the Salvation Army, then as now, portrayed as assisting the poor, sick, hungry and homeless with a blend of charitable works and evangelical Christianity. In a real life update to Shaw’s classic, a huge donation ($1.5 billion) has come in to the Salvation Army via The Ray & Joan Kroc Foundation. Ray Kroc started the McDonalds empire, with fast food replacing munitions as the source of new funds for the Salvation Army. It’s a kind of microscopic moral dilemma, not really resolved by Shaw’s romanticized ending but easily resolved by the realities of “charity” in modern day Chicago.
Last Tuesday Chicago metropolitan division of the Salvation Army announced it is building a massive 222,000 sq ft, $160 million community center in the West Pullman neighborhood. Coming in at $727/sq ft, this facility will be one of ... Read More...
