Hearing about the death of “Mr. Downtown”—Dennis McClendon—stirred up a small memory of city history that even his closest friends likely don’t know. I’d even forgotten it myself.
Dennis designed one of the earliest Newcity logos, our second in fact. The first one was a particularly amateur, if somewhat ambitious, creation I’d made on one of the first Macintosh computers, at a time when I think there were like five typefaces available. I knew Dennis a bit at the time as he was (and remained until he died) an active participant in South Loop neighborhood associations.
I don’t recall how I came about commissioning him to design a new logo for us, but I am guessing it was in a casual conversation, where he gently pointed out our need for one, and suggested he could do it.
The resulting logo, which lasted a few years, was in all-caps Palatino, understated and elegant, which would surprise no one who knew Dennis.
Over the years, our paths crossed from time to time, but as Newcity’s ambitions outgrew the South Loop neighborhood we both shared and loved, I saw him less than in those early years.
Of course, design is not what he ultimately was known and revered for, but rather his encyclopedic knowledge of Chicago, and especially downtown, as well as his expertise with maps. He might not have been widely known, but his impact was big, and his demise is a singular loss for the city.
Brain Hieggelke, editor Newcity