City In A Garden? Council OKs Sale Of Flowers On The Street

CITY HALL — Chicago flowers: They're not just for florists anymore.

The City Council undid a 70-year-old ban on selling flowers in the streets Wednesday, in effect removing the prohibition from city statues.

It passed without fanfare, a day after Ald. Edward Burke (14th) said he intended to "right this wrong."

Saying it had "outlived its usefulness," Burke said the law stemmed from 1943, when Ald. John Duffy (19th), owner of Duffy Florals, then at 5431 S. Halsted St., got it passed by the City Council.

"He probably was interested in reducing the competition," Burke said.

By simply removing the ban on street sales of flowers, Burke said it would allow sales "from carts or trucks or whatever, just like sandwiches and other commodities."

Duffy was a powerful Democratic Party player who went on to serve as Cook County Board president before his death in 1961.

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