The Chicago Theatre in the Snow. Photo Credit: Joshua Mellin  https://www.instagram.com/joshuamellin/

Prints available by contacting photographer Joshua Mellin, joshuamellin.com/contact

Originally known as the Balaban and Katz Chicago Theatre, is a Designated Chicago Landmark. Desgined by architects Rapp and Rapp in 1921, the Chicago Theatre is located at 175 N. State Street in Chicago's Loop.

Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley House. 6427 S. St. Lawrence Ave.

Perkins-Nordine House

6106 N. Kenmore Ave.

Schlitz Brewery-Tied House

9401 S. Ewing Ave.

Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church

4600 S. King Drive

Near North Side District

15 houses near Superior St.

Blackwell-Israel Church

3956 S. Langley Ave.

Tell us through social media, call 312-443-1000 or email info@preservationchicago.org.

City of Chicago: Thank you for taking emergency steps to halt the demolition of the historic La Luce restaurant building / Lake Street Schlitz Tied House, after a clerical error resulted in the demolition permit being released prematurely.

While the immediate demolition threat might be averted, postponing the demolition for a mere 90 days is not enough for this beloved and iconic 130-year old building.

The Lake Street Schlitz Tied House is one of the most extraordinary Schlitz Tied Houses in all of Chicago. It would have been included as part of the Schlitz Tied-House Chicago Landmark District designated in 2011, if the former owners had not objected.

City of Chicago: Protect and Landmark the Lake Street Schlitz Tied House!

The Queen Anne limestone and brick four-story building at 1393-1399 W. Lake Street includes a beautifully detailed corner entry, copper-clad three-story turret, and an ornate copper-clad projecting bay window. This building is orange-rated by the Chicago Historic Resources Survey indicating its high degree of significance.

It was built by Edward J. Uihlein in 1892 as a Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company branded saloon and Tied-House. But, unlike most Schlitz Tied-Houses, it included several floors of apartments above, perhaps in anticipation of the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893. A painted Schlitz ghost sign is still faintly visible high on the east facing brick wall.

"The Garfield Central Railroad is one of the largest model railroads in the country. Its steward--the Garfield-Clarendon Model Railroad Club--was established in Garfield Park in 1947 and moved to Clarendon Park in 1963. The club meets regularly in the Clarendon Park Field House to build and operate the railroad with the goal of educating the public and their members about the history and operations of railroads. The fifth and current model layout began in 1974 after a remodeling of the field house. It includes approximately 1,500 feet of hand-laid track with reliable operations controlled by a state-of-the-art signaling system. The railroad loops for 25 minutes through a landscape complete with mountains, scenery, towns, and people from 1950's Appalachia." (Open House Chicago) Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers

"WBEZ's Reset checks in with Ward Miller, the executive director of Preservation Chicago and James Glover, new owner of Foster House and Stable to discuss the sale of Foster House and Stable, one of the few surviving buildings in the city designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The 120-year-old West Pullman home reportedly sold earlier this month for $135,000."

You Can Now Buy a Home Inside Chicago’s Landmark Tribune Tower: The penthouses inside the renovated Tribune tower are headline-makers, Janice O'Leary, Robb Report, 8/24/20)

2 former Logan Square religious buildings becoming apartments; Adaptive reuse of such structures has become a popular strategy for Chicago residential developers, Dennis Rodkin, Crain's Chicago Business, 5/18/20

"On November 17, 2020, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks honored nine unique projects with 2020 “Preservation Excellence Awards,” including the restoration of a former rapid transit building in Washington Park, the adaptive re-use of a former YMCA/YWCA headquarters on the Near West Side, and the mixed-use repurposing of historic structures in Pullman.

"The awards, established in 1999, are presented annually to individuals, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and public agencies that have worked to preserve Chicago's architectural and cultural heritage. Honored during a first-ever virtual award ceremony, the winners were chosen from dozens of projects reviewed by the Landmarks Commission’s Permit Review Committee over the last year.

"'This year’s projects represent a tremendous cross-section of preservation work occurring throughout the city,' said Maurice Cox, commissioner of the Department of Planning and Development (DPD), which provides staff services to the Commission. 'Each project illustrates excellence in effort and commitment to Chicago’s historic buildings.'

This year’s awardees, as well as the annual Preservation Advocacy honoree, include:

Recipients: Nydia Cahue, Wyatt Ollestad, and Dagoberto Cahue

The restoration of the shared mansard roof on three contiguous row houses included the installation of slate shingles, copper flashing, and the replacement of non-original structural and design elements. A new, copper-lined, wood box gutter system was also installed by the three participating homeowners to complete the job.

1421-27 N. Milwaukee Ave. (Milwaukee Avenue District) Recipient: Realterm

The three buildings at 1421-1427 N. Milwaukee served as the former homes of Mayer and, later, Continental furniture stores. Their rehabilitation for commercial and residential uses included the installation of historically compatible windows, masonry repairs and updates, and the retention of interior tin ceilings.

1579 N. Milwaukee Ave. (Milwaukee Avenue District) Recipient: Berger Realty Group

The Flat Iron Arts Building restoration involved the repair and replacement of its checkerboard-patterned terra cotta, ornament and windows. Glass fiber-reinforced concrete was used as a substitute material for damaged terra cotta where possible.

1639 N. North Park Ave. (Old Town Triangle District) Recipients: Martin and Brianna Barboza

Once threatened by demolition under a former owner, the home at 1639 N. North Park was rehabilitated to its historic appearance. Work included repairs to existing wood siding, installation of historically compatible windows, reconstruction of front stairs and railings, and a seamless rear addition.

2218 S. Michigan Ave. (Motor Row District) Recipient: Windy City Real Estate

The rehabilitation of the century-old, former bank building included extensive repairs to its facade, which had been encased in a masonry wall. Multiple exterior architectural features were restoreds, replaced or re-installed, including a cornice, a simplified parapet and decorative, second-story window grills.

905 W. Fulton Market (Fulton-Randolph Market District) Recipient: Thor Equities

The 905 W. Fulton project included the commercial rehabilitation of a pair of three-story meatpacking buildings with a two -story vertical expansion and the new construction of a five-story adjacent structure. The work restored the original facades, removed non-historic elements, and incorporated sympathetic design details throughout the new building.

Former YMCA/YWCA Regional Headquarters, 1515 W. Monroe St. Recipient: Cedar Street Cos.

The YMCA/YWCA project rehabilitated six Georgian Revival buildings as 260 residential units and ground-floor retail. The work involved substantial exterior repairs across the two-block-long complex, installation of more than 270 historically appropriate windows, and the restoration of original entrance doors.

Garfield “L” Station, 319 E. Garfield Blvd. Recipient: Chicago Transit Authority

The original Arts and Crafts-style building was restored to its turn-of-the-century appearance with restored or replaced terra cotta, wood-paneled doors, central windows, and ornamental elements, as well as the installation of a new copper roof, facia, ands gutters.

Pullman Artspace Lofts, 11127-29 S. Langley Ave. & 704-06 W. 112th St. (Pullman Historic District) Recipients: Artspace Projects Inc., Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives, and PullmanArts

Pullman Artists Lofts integrated two historic apartment buildings that were originally constructed by industrialist George Pullman in 1881. Designed by S.S. Beman, the structures were used as tenement housing for Pullman Co. workers. The project includes a third structure that unites the original buildings, providing 39 affordable, live/work spaces for artists and their families.

Claremont Cottages: The Preservation Advocacy Award Recipients: Neighbors of the Claremont Cottages and Landmarks Illinois

In response to a demolition proposal on the 1000 block of South Claremont Avenue on the Near West Side neighbors banded together with Landmarks Illinois to procure the Landmarks Commission recommendation and City Council designation of the Claremont Cottage District. The district's 19 Queen Anne-style buildings, built in the late 1800s, are characterized by high-gabled roofs, overhanging eaves, carved wood brackets, patterned bricks, carved stone, and colored glass.

"Those of you who live in the Mid-North Landmark District know about the demolition of 2107 N. Cleveland that occurred two weeks ago. In that case, we believe an unscrupulous owner conducted un-permitted excavation on the site to undermine the building's foundation. Again, we are working with the Law Department to file suit against these owners. In addition, I am filing a new ordinance in City Council next week to strengthen the law against those who seek to get around landmark rules by destroying their property." (From the Newsletter of 43rd Ward Alderman Michele Smith)

Larkin Company Building / Jewel Food Stores Building at 3617 S. Ashland Avenue, Built in 1912 by Architect by F. E. Lockwood. Photo Credit: Google Maps

Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company Factory, 3535 S. Ashland Avenue. Photo Credit: Debbie Mercer

The iconic and beloved R.V. Kunka Pharmacy art deco storefront was overpainted with black paint in October 2020. Perhaps this is part of the owner's effort to make the building look more generic to attract a new tenant. The hope is that one day the paint can be removed and the signage restored. Archer Avenue was a Chicago 7 Most Endangered in 2007 and would be a strong candidate for a Chicago Landmark District designation.

Carriage Horse with Blue Feather on Randolph Street. Photo credit: Gabriel X. Michael

Chicago has lost a leading light in the Chicago Historic Preservation community. Terry Tatum passed away peacefully on January 31, 2020.

3033 West Fifth Avenue, built 1889, East Garfield Park. Lost to fire April 2020. Photo Credit: Gabriel X. Michael

“It’s an old, common cry in a city where demolition and development are often spoken in the same breath, and where trying to save historic homes from the wrecking ball can feel as futile as trying to stop the snow. My Twitter feed teems with beautiful houses doomed to vanish in the time it takes to say ‘bulldozed.’ Bungalows, two-flats, three-flats, greystones, workers’ cottages. The photos, posted by people who lament the death of Chicago’s tangible past, flit through my social media feed like a parade of the condemned en route to the guillotine,” mused Mary Schmich in her Chicago Tribune column on July 12, 2018.

This was an early house belonging to Pieter Boone at 10057 S. Michigan Avenue c. 1870 and part of a later wave of Dutch immigrants. It was constructed from locally made De Jong Brick and was among the earliest structures of Roseland.

Our Lady of Goner? Historic Ravenswood church may face closure. Peter Von Buol, InsideBooster, 12/16/20