April 2019 Month-in-Review Newsletter
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WIN: Clarendon Park Field House Saved! (Chicago 7 2015)
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Clarendon Park Field House. Historic Postcard Credit: Chuckman Collection
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Clarendon Park Field House. Historic Image Credit: Chicago History Museum
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After many years of preservation advocacy efforts for the Clarendon Park Fieldhouse and Community Center, the final decision for the renovation and restoration of this historic building was made by the Chicago Park District with support from 46th Ward Alderman James Cappleman. Since the beginning of this process, the more likely outcome had been the demolition of the historic building and the construction of a much smaller field house.
The Clarendon Park Fieldhouse and Community Center plays a central role in providing many programs and services for the Uptown community and its youth, including after school programs, summer camps, basketball programs, and is home to Kuumba Lynx and the Garfield Clarendon Model Railroad Club. It serves as an invaluable safe haven for teenagers and young adults. It is essential that the building remains open for the community during a multi-phased renovation and reconstruction. The demolition of this building would have endangered or ended many of community services and programs that have been based in the Clarendon Park Fieldhouse and Community Center.
The Clarendon Park Community Center, originally called the Clarendon Municipal Bathing Beach, was built in 1916 as a state-of-the-art facility. Clarendon Municipal Bathing Beach was once one of “the largest and best equipped of all of the beaches in the city” and was considered one of the most popular civic achievements of its time. It could accommodate over 9,000 swimmers and included a promenade for thousands of spectators. The building remained popular until the 1930s when landfill moved the shoreline further east and created Clarendon Park. It was further separated from the Lake Michigan shoreline by extensions of Lake Shore Drive in the early 1950s.
The building was designed by city architect C.W. Kallal in a Mediterranean Revival Style. This “Italian Resort Style” became the model for such other highly regarded lakefront landmark buildings including Marshall and Fox’s South Shore Country Club of 1916 (now South Shore Cultural Center), the 63rd Street Bathing Pavilion in 1919, the Edgewater Beach Hotel in 1916 and 1924 and demolished in 1967, and the Edgewater Beach Apartments in 1928. This style was defined by tall towers capped with hipped-roofs clad in clay tiles, large entry colonnades, porticos, loggias and open-air promenades.
Overtime but especially during a 1972 “modernization” effort, the distinctive tall towers fronting Clarendon Avenue and the smaller towers fronting the beach, along with the entry colonnade, verandas, open-air loggias and tile roof were demolished and replaced with a massive flat roof. The unsightly metal fascia greatly impacted both the aesthetics and functionality of the original historic structure. The significant modifications to the building resulted in extensive water infiltration and roof issues, which have proved an ongoing challenge.
Preservation Chicago hopes to see this important building’s exterior restored to an appearance more similar to its original design in a multi-year, multi-phased project. The distinctive tall towers fronting Clarendon Avenue and the smaller towers fronting the beach, along with the entry colonnade and the verandas and open-air rooftop loggias were beautiful and distinctive architecture elements that should never have been removed. Reconstruction of some of these features could elevate the Clarendon Park Community Center to its rightful place alongside the 63rd Street Bathing Pavilion and other important landmark lakefront buildings from this period.
Preservation Chicago applauds Ald. James Cappleman for his commitment to seeing the Clarendon Park Community Center protected from demolition and for helping to solidify the necessary renovation funds. Preservation Chicago applauds the Chicago Park District for its flexibility, support and commitment to this important project. The Clarendon Park neighbors and community stakeholders played an essential role in this effort and deserve special recognition for their unwavering support for this wonderful outcome with a special thanks to Katharine Boyda, Melanie Eckner, Martin Tangora, Cindi Anderson, Stuart Berman, the Uptown Historical Society, the Clarendon Park Advisory Council, Uptown United and Uptown Chicago Commission.
Additional Reading:
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WIN: Developer Withdraws
Demolition Permit Application for Superior Street Rowhouses,
and
38 Additional Buildings Proposed for the Historic
Landmark District
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42, 44 & 46 East Superior Street Rowhouses. Photo Credit: Taylor Moore / Block Club Chicago
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Near North Side Multiple Property District Report. Photo Credit: City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development
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The developer has withdrawn the demolition permit application for the Superior Street Rowhouses. This removes the Superior Street Rowhouses from immediate demolition risk. A pending demolition application request forces a highly compressed process. However, with the pending demolition permit application withdrawn, the Preliminary Landmark District can slow down to the standard designation schedule which generally takes approximately one year to work its way through the formal process.
The Near North Multiple Property District may be significantly expanded to protect more historic buildings. During a Commission on Chicago Landmarks hearing, the Commission requested that Preservation Chicago conduct a wider survey of the buildings within the district boundaries to ensure that no buildings of merit were overlooked. Preservation Chicago quickly mobilized and conducted a thorough survey of the district. We presented to the Commission on Chicago Landmarks a list of 38 additional properties for consideration of inclusion in the Near North Multi Property District in addition to the original list of 15. The survey, list and supporting research was compiled by Ward Miller, Mary Lu Seidel, Amy Lardner and Matt Wicklund. A secondary list of larger-scale commercial buildings was also compiled for use at a future time.
The timing of the preliminary designation of the Near North Side Multiple Property District was fortunate and is the culmination of years of advocacy by Preservation Chicago. The future now seems bright for the Superior Street Rowhouses. However, this preservation-sensitive outcome was far from certain. The approval of the preliminary designation of the Near North Multiple Property District occurred on the final day before the expiration of the second 90-Day Demolition Delay hold for the Superior Street Rowhouses. Without the protection of this preliminary Landmark District designation, the City of Chicago would have been obliged to release the demolition permit the following day. And even without an approved development plan for the site, it is likely that the developer would have wasted no time in demolishing the historic buildings.
Nearly any low-rise historic building with a downtown high-rise zoning designation is at risk for redevelopment. However, these more abstract concerns were confirmed during the Commission of Chicago Landmarks testimony on March 7, 2019, when owners or owners’ representatives of three separate buildings protested the inclusion of their historic buildings in the preliminary Landmark District as this status would prevent them from moving forward with demolition plans for their respective historic buildings. The year- long process is now underway to finalize this Landmark District. No demolitions can take place during this process.
Near North Side Multiple Property District (Initial List)
- 642 North Dearborn Street
- 14 West Erie Street
- 17 East Erie Street
- 110 West Grand Avenue
- 1 East Huron Street
- 9 East Huron Street
- 10 East Huron Street
- 16 West Ontario Street
- 18 West Ontario Street
- 212 East Ontario Street
- 222 East Ontario Street
- 716 North Rush Street
- 671 North State Street
- 42 East Superior Street
- 44 East Superior Street
- 46 East Superior Street
Preservation Chicago was deeply engaged in the advocacy effort to save the Superior Street Rowhouses and proactively worked on the ground with neighborhood organizations and other stakeholders to generate support for the Landmark District. When during the Commission on Chicago Landmarks hearing the Chairman asked the position of the public, we were able to present our Change.org petition with over 5,000 signatures and over 20 pages of comments in support. Additionally, Preservation Chicago researchers worked long hours to discover and assemble as much historic material as possible about these and the handful of other similar surviving buildings in the neighborhood.
Preservation Chicago wishes to recognize and applaud the leadership of 42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly and the professionalism and efficiency of his office and staff. Additionally, Preservation Chicago wishes to recognize and thank The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Chicago Department of Planning and Development historic preservation staff, Landmark Illinois and all of the community members who contributed to the protection of these architecturally significant Chicago buildings.
“Walking past these structures, one experiences both the history and story of the neighborhood over time, and a sense of place. They have a beautiful human scale to them, a sense of charm, and have always made the community more livable with their fine craftsmanship and green spaces,” said Preservation Chicago Executive Director Ward Miller. (von Buol, Loop North News, 10/24/18)
“These are all really wonderful buildings and they could make part of a landmark district,” said Miller. “This is ‘McCormickville.’ This is where the McCormick family lived before and after the Great Chicago Fire. And with the continued demolition of other shorter, older buildings in the area, there are only a handful of the original McCormickville buildings left. We need to value every inch of space where there are historic buildings that tell the story of the neighborhood.” (Jay Koziarz, Curbed Chicago, 12/8/16)
“These buildings also provide unique opportunities for small businesses and provide ‘an envelope’ for all sorts of creative things to happen from within these historic structures. They really do encourage unique small businesses and add a livability quality to the community. At one time, there were many such small elegant restaurants and shops housed in these types of buildings from the Chicago River to Oak Street. As a matter of fact, it was often these beautifully crafted buildings that initially gave Oak Street its unusual character and success. Some of those buildings still exist, but they are becoming more and more rare. Once they’re gone, they’re gone forever!" Miller said. (von Buol, Skyline)
Additional Reading
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WIN: Terra Cotta Eagles return to Ettleson Building at Broadway and Sheridan
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“Eagles Building” at Broadway and Sheridan, Reinstallation During Construction, Isaac G. Ettleson Building, by architect Harry Hale Waterman, built 1911, 3845-3835 N. Broadway. Photo Credit: Ward Miller, Preservation Chicago
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“Eagles Building” at Broadway and Sheridan Before Construction, Isaac G. Ettleson Building, by architect Harry Hale Waterman, built 1911, 3845-3835 N. Broadway. Photo Credit: Google Maps
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“Eagles Building” at Broadway and Sheridan During Construction, Isaac G. Ettleson Building, by architect Harry Hale Waterman, built 1911, 3845-3835 N. Broadway. Photo Credit: Google Maps
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The distinctive terra cotta eagles that so clearly distinguished the orange-rated “Eagles Building” at Broadway and Sheridan have returned! The original building was demolished, but as part of the redevelopment agreement for the site the decorative terra cotta was carefully removed and has been re-installed as part of the new mixed-use development.
With its series of repeating terra cotta eagles, Preservation Chicago had initially opposed the demolition of the two-story Isaac G. Ettleson building at 3835-3845 N. Broadway from 1911 by architect Harry Hale Waterman. However, when it became clear that the demolition would proceed, efforts shifted towards reuse of the historic terra cotta onto the new building façade. A new structural system and structure would be built and the original historic terra cotta cladding reused.
Preservation Chicago applauds the developer David Gassman for embracing the responsibility of carefully handling the unique terra cotta ornament and following through on his commitment to salvage, reuse and reinstall it. The developer hired architecture salvage expert firm Central Building & Restoration to do the work, with supervision from restoration architect Paul Clausen. Most of the eagle terra cotta ornament and other decorative terra cotta ornament were successfully salvaged and reapplied to the new structure.
After the Medic Building debacle (Chicago 7 2013) where Novak Construction did not follow through on the verbal agreement with Preservation Chicago and the Alderman’s office to reuse façade components of the original Art Deco building in their new Whole Foods development at Ashland and Belmont, Preservation Chicago worked closely with 46th Ward Alderman James Cappleman’s office, the City of Chicago Landmarks staff and developer David Gassman to formalize the reuse plan in a written agreement. Preservation Chicago remained in close contact with the development team throughout the deconstruction and reconstruction process to offer support, guidance and to ensure a good outcome.
Additional Reading
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THREATENED: Cook County Land Bank Chooses Proposal to Demolish Washington Park National Bank Building But Alderman Objects (Chicago 7 2016)
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Washington Park National Bank Building, 6300 South Cottage Grove, Photo Credit: Indiana University Archives
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Washington Park National Bank. Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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Washington Park National Bank Building, 6300 South Cottage Grove, Photo Credit: Indiana University Archives
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After a lengthy public process that generated three proposals for the Washington Park National Bank Building, the Cook County Land Bank Authority chose to select the
only
proposal that did not include reuse and renovation of the historic building. Despite learning the night prior about the Cook County Land Bank Authority meeting where the vote would be conducted, Preservation Chicago widely publicized the meeting and attended to present an impassioned defense of the historic building during the public testimony before the Cook County Land Bank Board of Directors.
Preservation Chicago calls on Cook County Land Bank Authority Executive Director Rob Rose and the Cook County Land Bank Authority Board of Directors to reconsider and reopen the decision regarding the redevelopment of this historic building. The Washington Park National Bank Building is an important neighborhood anchor on a commercial corridor that has seen the tragic loss of many important buildings. It is essential for the long-term reinvestment and prosperity of this commercial district that this historic building be preserved and redeveloped.
Prior to winning the run-off election in April 2019, 20
th
Ward Alderman Jeanette Taylor declared her opposition to tearing the building down and told the Chicago Crusader that she would not approve the demolition if she wins the 20
th
Ward Aldermanic election runoff. “They need to be transparent. I’m going to bring the city and the community back to the table,” Taylor said. (Johnson, The Chicago Crusader, 3/29/19)
In an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, Taylor said, “It’s unfair that communities on the South Side do not get to preserve historic buildings like they do on the North Side.” (Ballesteros, Chicago Sun-Times, 3/31/19)
A demolition permit could be issued any day. Due to the endangered status of the building, Landmarks Illinois included the Washington Park National Bank on its 2019 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois list. In its building description, Landmarks Illinois
included many compelling reasons to support adaptive reuse of the building including the significant value of federal historic tax credit funding.
“The budget shown for rehabilitation of the Washington Park National Bank was competitive with that for new construction: if the building successfully receives a National Register listing (it was determined eligible by the State Historic Preservation Office in March 2018), federal historic tax credits could be utilized. Other prominent buildings in the area, such as the former Cinderella Ballroom (now Grand Ballroom) and former Strand Hotel (now Strand Apartments) have recently been successfully rehabilitated and reused, the Strand most notably with historic tax credits.” (Landmarks Illinois , 2019)
The Cook County Land Bank Authority’s decision also has created significant local disappointment. Following is a transcript of the letter written to the Cook County Land Bank Authority from Michal Safar, President of the Hyde Park Historical Society on March 29, 2019.
Robert Rose, Executive Director
Cook County Land Bank Authority
69 W. Washington St. Suite 2938
Chicago, IL 60602
Dear Mr. Rose:
We are writing you to express our deep concern and disappointment over the Cook County Land Bank's recent decision to demolish the Washington Park Bank Building. We feel this is a clear dismissal of Woodlawn's history and an ominous signal that current residents will be excluded from Woodlawn's future.
On Friday, March 15, the Cook County Land Bank reviewed three fully-vetted proposals for redeveloping the Washington Park Bank building at the SW corner of 63rd St and Cottage Grove Ave. Two of these proposals called for reuse of the historic bank building; the third proposal was from DL3 Real Estate and it specified demolition.
Leon Walker of DL3 has persistently predicted that the future of the Woodlawn neighborhood will either be 'displacement' or 'revitalization'. He has said he stands for revitalization. But DL3's proposal to demolish the bank building, and your decision to accept that proposal, invite displacement, both of historic buildings and of current residents.
There are only a few buildings left in Woodlawn that embody the racial power and vitality the neighborhood's history stands for. Tearing down another one is an unnecessary injury to Woodlawn's history and to its current residents. It is universally understood that people construct their personal and social identities in dialogue with the buildings that surround their daily lives. The people who now live in Woodlawn will understand this message from the Land Bank – 'You and your community's history are disposable.' And the community will ask – 'Why are you going to displace us and our history, and who are you going to 'revitalize' the neighborhood for?'
The Hyde Park Historical Society is deeply disappointed in this decision and we are calling on the Land Bank to reverse its decision and select one of the proposals that would re-use the bank building. The community clearly chose re-use at the conclusion of the community planning process conducted last year by the Metropolitan Planning Council. Both Jeanette Taylor and Nicole Johnson, candidates in the 20th ward run-off election, have said they do not approve demolition and would not sign the demolition permit.
The Land Bank chose the demolition/displacement of this important piece of Woodlawn's history over its restoration/revitalization. We ask you to reconsider your decision. We ask you to lead the community in a true revitalization of Woodlawn.
Thank you for your consideration,
Michal Safar, President
Hyde Park Historical Society
Cc: Dijana Cuvalo, Eleanor Gorski, David Reifman, City of Chicago, Department of Planning and Development (DPD), Bureau of Planning, Historic Preservation and Sustainability
Chicago Sun Times
Chicago Tribune
Hyde Park Herald
Located at 6300 S. Cottage Grove, the Washington Park National Bank was constructed in 1924 by architect Albert Schwartz. The building’s elegant Bedford Indiana limestone façade includes Corinthian pilasters, a projecting cornice and decorative parapet. The historic Washington Park National Bank name is chiseled into the limestone entablature. Unfortunately, the Washington Park National Bank Building has no Chicago Landmark protection against demolition, and it was overlooked by the Chicago Historic Resources Survey (CHRS), with no orange rating to offer any demolition delay protection. The demolition permit could be issued at any time.
Demolition should not be an option considered for this historic building. The Woodlawn community is strong and resilient, but it has suffered through decades of disinvestment, bad policies, demolition and the vacant lots that follow. The community is burdened by too many empty lots already, and any new construction ideas should be directed toward activating a vacant lot and not destroying a neglected yet important community landmark and anchor.
The four-story Neoclassical bank building was an anchor building in the once-bustling 63rd Street commercial district. This district was a center of the South Side with many great entertainment venues, hotels and ballrooms. The area was a prominent hub for Jazz-era clubs, and all forms of entertainment and shopping flourished into the 1960s. After the community suffered a period of extended decline and disinvestment, the Washington Park National Bank Building was mothballed, fell into disrepair and has been vacant for more than a decade.
Now is the time to adaptively reuse the Washington Park National Bank Building. Woodlawn and this once- prominent commercial corridor are again experiencing reinvestment. The nearby Grand Ballroom at 6351 S. Cottage Grove Avenue by architects Lowenburg + Lowenburg from 1923 recently underwent a beautiful restoration.
Additionally, the long-vacant former Strand Hotel across the street was adaptively reused as a residential apartment building with street-level retail and art gallery. The Strand Hotel received a Landmark Illinois preservation award which praised it as “an inspiring example of how historical preservation can spark positive redevelopment and reuse.”
Additional Reading
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THREATENED: Fulton Market and Green Street Demolition and Redevelopment Plan Heading to City Council for Approval
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810 W. Fulton Market Building. Photo Credit: Ward Miller Preservation Chicago
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810 W. Fulton Market Building. Photo Credit: Google Maps
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300 Green Street. Photo Credit: Mauricio Pena Block Club Chicago
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The historic character of the Fulton Market District gateway is threatened by a 19-story office building proposed for the entire block bounded by Fulton, Halsted, Wayman and Green streets. This property is at the gateway to the neighborhood and is adjacent to the neighborhood’s distinctive gateway signage near the corner of Halsted and Fulton. The current development plan proposes to demolish all of the existing historic brick buildings at the site which are so characteristic of the West Loop and of the Fulton-Randolph Market Landmark District.
The development proposal by New York developer Thor Equities envisions an approximately 420,000-square-foot, 19-story office building to be designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). At a recent Zoning Committee meeting, the significant upzoning from C2-5 to DX-7 required to accommodate the large new building was approved. The proposed 326-foot height is over twice the 150- foot height maximum recommended by the Neighbors of the West Loop neighborhood plan adopted in 2018.
Preservation Chicago strongly encourages Thor Equities and SOM to save the historic loft building facades of 810 W. Fulton Market and 300 N. Green Street and incorporate them into the base of any proposed new construction projects. The proposed new building design steps back to help to reduce the building mass. The first step back is above the third floor. The existing historic loft warehouse buildings are of a similar height to this first level and could be adaptive reused.
These four-story, red brick, loft buildings are characteristic of the Fulton Market District and would provide the appropriate scale and material for the streetscape. It is even more important that these building facades be reused because they serve as the gateway buildings to the entire Fulton Market District. Ironically, these gateway buildings were not included within the boundaries of the Fulton-Randolph Market Landmark District.
Furthermore, Thor Equites has specific experience with façade adaptive reuse at their project under construction a couple of blocks away at 905 West Fulton Market. In this case, the facades were in much worse condition than those at 810 W. Fulton Market, yet they are being successfully incorporated into the new development and provide a sense of character and authenticity to the new construction. Preservation Chicago urges Thor Equities and SOM to pursue this direction.
Erin Bowler, a longtime resident of 720 W. Fulton Building stated that “maintaining the historic character [of the Fulton Market District] benefits not just us and the neighborhood but the whole city and the district itself.”
Additional Reading
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THREATENED:
Thompson Center Sale Approved by Governor Pritzker (Chicago 7 2016, 2018 & 2019)
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Thompson Center. Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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Thompson Center. Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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On April 5, 2019, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a bill which lays out a two-year process to sell the Thompson Center. The State of Illinois will issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to invite developers to draft and submit redevelopment proposals. While the details and priorities of the RFP are unknown at this time, it is assumed that the State of Illinois’ top priority will be to maximize the sale price.
Another example of short-sighted sales of public assets for one-time cash windfalls is the 2008 City of Chicago parking meter deal. After the sale, the State of Illinois will need to rent other offices for the roughly 2,200 state employees that will likely be displaced from the Thompson Center.
The pricing is largely based on the height and density allowed by zoning under the legal jurisdiction of the City of Chicago. To maximize sale value and to ensure a smooth development process without interference, the City of Chicago will likely be asked to waive its legal oversight and to take steps to negate the role of the alderman and the public.
Preservation Chicago calls on the State of Illinois to prioritize preservation into its specifications for the eventual sale of the property. The history of Chicago’s built environment should not be destroyed. There are preservation-sensitive options to still provide the high density that will a healthy sale price.
As residents of the state, we understand the financial pressures that our legislature is working under due to decades of mismanagement. Revenues from the sale the James R. Thompson Center would make a tiny dent in Illinois’ $133 billion unfunded pension deficit (less than 0.2%).
If the State of Illinois so desperately needs the $250 million from the anticipated sale price of the Thompson Center, perhaps the $224 million allocated in the 2019 budget to road reconfiguration around Jackson Park to accommodate the Obama Presidential Center could be saved simply by moving the Obama Presidential Center to one of many other sites that already has the necessary infrastructure already in place.
Preservation Chicago encourages the City of Chicago to work with the Governor and the State of Illinois to Landmark the James R. Thompson Center along with its atrium, plaza and public space to protect its historically significant elements. Since it was built in 1985, the building’s design and engineering challenges of the space have been a contentious topic for the city. However, it is an iconic representation of Post-Modern design by world-renowned architect Helmut Jahn.
This is the third time the James R. Thompson Center has made Preservation Chicago’s 7 Most Endangered list. Additionally, Landmarks Illinois chose to include the Thompson Center on its 2019 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois list.
The Thompson Center/State of Illinois Building’s design was meant to suggest a more open and transparent government while referencing the grand public buildings of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Architect Helmut Jahn specifically noted in a public lecture in the 1980s on the building’s design that it recalled the massive dome and vast interior atrium space of the old Chicago Federal Building and Post Office designed by architect Henry Ives Cobb in 1905 and demolished in 1965.
The structure’s grand, 17-story atrium is topped by a vast skylight and stepped glass curtain-wall which spans the entry and extends across most of the building’s footprint. This effect essentially creates a large public plaza both inside and outside the building’s Clark and Randolph entry. It was intended to welcome the public into a government building with accessible public spaces on multiple levels and extensive glass curtain walls to represent an open and transparent government.
The Thompson Center and its atrium were originally conceived to mix governmental offices with various services and retail uses with the intention of reinvigorating Chicago’s business district along Randolph and Clark Streets. At one time, public music concerts were held in its grand atrium space. This area of the Loop had once been the center of its theater and entertainment district, informally referred to as Chicago’s “Rialto District.”
Preservation Chicago believes that the scale of the Thompson Center and its vast, open plaza and public interior atrium spaces add to Chicagoans’ quality of life by allowing light and air into a dense section of the Loop. If sold to the highest bidder without preservation directives in place, these benefits are almost certain to be lost.
Additionally, the soaring central interior atrium was built by and for the people of the State of Illinois, and, therefore, should remain accessible to the public as a public building. Conceptual drawings that increase density but retain the historic building have been advanced by Helmut Jahn and Landmarks Illinois.
“The Monument with Standing Beast” sculpture located in the Thompson Center’s public plaza was created by one of the world’s most noted Modernist artists Jean Dubuffet. It was a gift to the citizens of Chicago and Illinois and must be protected. We have seen important works of 20th century Chicago public art removed (Henry Bertoia’s Sonambient), whitewashed (All of Mankind mural by William Walker), destroyed (top surface mosaic of Marc Chagall’s Four Seasons), placed in storage (Alexander Calder’s The Universe) or sold at auction (Henry Moore’s Large Internal-External Upright Form). 20th century Chicago public art was a 2017 Chicago 7 Most Endangered, so it is imperative that this great Dubuffet sculpture be protected.
Preservation Chicago urges the City of Chicago to move quickly to designate the Thompson Center as a Chicago Landmark. A Landmark designation could protect this building, plaza and public sculpture ensuring that these will be retained in any redevelopment of the site. Jahn’s career began in Chicago and is now celebrated around the world. This is a building of the people, built as a monument and open to all, with many public spaces that should be forever open to all, and efforts to both protect its architecture and vision and activate the building should be implemented.
The State of Illinois and the City of Chicago need to work together to protect this significant building. A comprehensive redevelopment plan could correct the deferred maintenance. A tower-addition study by Helmut Jahn’s design firm has suggested that the existing building could accommodate new construction that would add square footage while remaining sensitive to the historic building, atrium and public space. As of now, we want to see the building preserved in its entirety along with its public spaces, plazas and artwork.
Additional Reading
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WIN: Trumbull School Exterior and Interior Elements Landmarked (Chicago 7 2013)
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Chicago Waldorf School / former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building, by Dwight H. Perkins in 1909 at 5200 N Ashland Avenue. Photo Credit: James Iska
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Chicago Waldorf School / former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building, by Dwight H. Perkins in 1909 at 5200 N Ashland Avenue. Photo Credit: James Iska
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Trumbull School Expanded Landmark Designation Report. Photo Credit: City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development
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The former Lyman Trumbull Elementary School, now known as the Chicago Waldorf School, has become a Designated Chicago Landmark. Designed by renowned Prairie School Chicago architect Dwight H. Perkins in 1909, Preservation Chicago has long advocated for Chicago Landmark designation for this iconic school building and contributed to the extensive process toward designation.
Preservation Chicago played a decisive role at a recent Commission on Chicago Landmarks hearing where Ward Miller compellingly made the case for the Chicago Landmark designation to include not only the exterior but also key interior elements such as the auditorium, auditorium vestibule and staircases. Thanks in part to this testimony, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks and Landmarks Division staff amended and expanded the scope of the report and the protections afforded by the Chicago Landmark designation.
Preservation Chicago, along with many students, community members and stakeholders were disappointed with the decision to close Trumbull Elementary School in 2013 which ended a 104-year legacy in the Andersonville community. Trumbull was closed along with 48 other schools across Chicago, and it was included as a 2013 Chicago 7 Most Endangered. However, the current reuse of the building as a Waldorf School is an outstanding preservation outcome and is the result of the hard work of many stakeholders.
Over a period of many years, Preservation Chicago was deeply engaged in the effort to keep the Trumbull School Building from harm and to find a compatible reuse option. We worked in close collaboration with community members, multiple schools including the Chicago Waldorf School, members of the Edgewater Historical Society and partner preservation organizations. We outreached to elected officials including former 40th Ward Alderman Pat O’Conner, former DPD Commissioner Andrew Mooney and Mayor Emmanuel to ensure the building’s protection and the desired outcome of a Chicago Landmark designation.
Preservation Chicago wishes to recognize the important contributions to this outcome from the Commission on Chicago Landmarks, the Department of Planning & Development-Historic Preservation Division, Commissioner Reifman, Eleanor Gorski, Dijana Covello, Matt Crawford and Alderman O’Conner.
We also wish to thank the Chicago Waldorf School for becoming the stewards of an amazing Chicago treasure, for embracing the Trumbull School/Dwight Perkins legacy, and for their commitment to ensure the preservation and care of this remarkable school building for decades to come.
Located at 5200 N. Ashland Avenue, the Lyman Trumbull School on Chicago’s North Side, and its twin George Tilton Elementary School on Chicago’s West Side, were both designed by Dwight Perkins. Perkins is considered to be one of Chicago’s great architects and is best known for his school building design during his tenure as Chief Architect for the Chicago Public School system between 1905 and 1910.
Trumbull School represents a truly modern structure, bold in its forms, with scores of two-toned buff-brick-banding wrapping the entire exterior emphasizing the horizontal nature of the building. Large square towers, essentially vertical volumes extend from the ground to above the roofline and also indicate the principal entries to the school building. These towers were once topped with pyramidal-shaped hipped roofs which are now lost, but they should be restored during a future renovation.
Perkins’ school designs were radical for their day and later became a building standard and common practice employed in schools across the nation. Every inch of the building was completely and thoroughly thought-out in its design and function. Perkins wanted his school buildings to be community centers with centrally located auditoriums located on the first floor of the building. This was a radical departure from other public schools of the period which were typically located on the topmost floors and in attic spaces.
He was committed to the importance of natural light in classrooms and designed classrooms with high ceilings and large windows. He also made improvements to common spaces, including hallways and staircases, which were flooded with natural light from skylights.
He recognized the importance of recess, fresh air and playtime for children and encouraged the integration of playgrounds and outdoor space into his school designs, another departure from the typical school design buildings of his time period. He designed restrooms for students on every floor as opposed to the convention of the time which placed restrooms in the basement. While these design principles seem common sense and obvious today, they were quite innovative for his time.
Additional Reading
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LOSS: Beloved Heartland Café Demolished
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Heartland Cafe Demolition, 7000 N. Glenwood Avenue. Photo Credit: American Vintage Reclamation
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Heartland Cafe's Decorative Terra Cotta, 7000 N. Glenwood Avenue. Photo Credit: American Vintage Reclamation
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Heartland Cafe's Decorative Terra Cotta, 7000 N. Glenwood Avenue. Photo Credit: American Vintage Reclamation
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After 43 years in business, a beloved Chicago legacy business has been closed and the iconic historic building that housed it has been demolished. Plans to sell and close the Heartland first emerged in fall 2018 and the demolition permit was issued on April 15, 2019. “What was once a community anchor and forum for progressive politics on Chicago’s North Side is now a corner lot full of debris and bricks.” (Shepard, WBEZ, 5/3/19)
When it became clear that saving the building from demolition was not a possibility, Preservation Chicago shifted efforts towards salvage and reuse. Our efforts included outreach to decision-makers including the outgoing 49th Ward Alderman Joe Moore’s office and encouraging developer Sam Goldman to save as much of the historic Sullivanesque terra cotta ornament as possible. Goldman was open to the concept of terra cotta reuse and engaged the highly regarded historic salvage expert Jimmy Nuter from American Vintage Reclamation who worked with hand tools to carefully free the terra cotta ornament ahead of the demolition excavator.
All four main terra cotta cartouches were successfully salvaged and can be incorporated into the new building’s façade design. Additionally, nearly all of the decorative terra cotta window and parapet elements were successfully salvaged and can be reused. Approximately 1,500 painted bricks were also saved. Now that much of the historic Sullivanesque terra cotta ornament has been saved, Preservation Chicago encourages developer Sam Goldman to make the decision to incorporate all of the salvaged material into to the new building design.
In addition to the Heartland Café restaurant with it focus on local grown, organic and vegetarian food, it also housed a theatre studio, a music venue, a newsstand and general store. Heartland Café emerged as an unofficial community center for Rogers Park and was often referred to as a neighborhood institution. Its history included visits by many Chicago politicians including President Barak Obama and Mayor Harold Washington. “Co-founders Katy Hogan and Michael James opened the restaurant in 1976 with the idea of creating community through sharing all those things: food, entertainment and exchange of ideas.” (Shepard, WBEZ, 5/3/19)
Tom Rosenfeld, current owner of the Heartland Café who made the decision to sell the building, told the Chicago Tribune, “We can’t function like a normal restaurant. We’re just spread out all over this building in all these small spaces. The amount of footsteps needed means we’re always needing more staff, and it’s a competitive industry. It’s like swimming with an anchor around your neck.” (Chu, Chicago Tribune, 9/6/18)
While the building’s unique layout does make for less efficiency, perhaps part of the charm, character and success of the restaurant over the past 40 plus years has been due to the building’s unique layout, multiple uses and appearance.
It is interesting to note that The Heartland Cafe was listed for sale both as a development site and as an active restaurant. However, due to the high-density TOD zoning, it’s hard to conceive of any market-driven outcome other than demolition. Located adjacent to the Morse Avenue ‘L’ station, the underlying Transit Oriented Development (TOD) zoning was a significant factor in the decision by the owner to sell the building and for the buyer to demolish it. The historic building was a single-story, 9,600 square foot building. The Read Deal reported that the new owner plans to build a 54,000-square-foot building and is seeking “to rezone the property to make way for a six-story, mixed-use building with 60 residences, 3,800-square-feet of commercial space and 31 parking spaces.” (Ward, Real Deal, 4/16/19)
49th Ward Alderman-elect Maria Hadden will be scheduling community meetings regarding the new development.
Additional Reading
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WIN: Al Capone’s House Sells for Renovation
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Al Capone House, 7244 S. Prairie Avenue, c.February 1930, Photo Credit: Chicago American Historical Photo
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Al Capone House, 7244 S. Prairie Avenue, August 2018. Photo Credit: Google Maps
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After a few months and dozens of offers later, the Al Capone’s house located at 7244 S.
Prairie Avenue
sold for $226,000, more than twice its asking price. While the buyer’s plans are not known, the expectation is that the home will be renovated.
“We had like 80 offers on it,” listing agent Ryan Smith of Re/Max Properties told the Chicago Tribune. “We had a lot of press on it, so I think that helped it out.” (Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune 4/10/19)
“Legend says that a tunnel ran from the house to the garage,” Smith told Crain’s Chicago Business. He also said he's “pretty sure it’s true from a door that remains in the basement, although the tunnel, if there was one, has been filled in.” (Rodkin, Crain’s, 2/8/19)
While it’s an attractive classic Chicago-style, brick two-flat, clearly the house’s connection to Al Capone was a major factor in the high level of interest around its sale. In fact, the listing was reported by the USA Today, the LA Times, London’s Daily Mail, Fox News and many other news outlets.
Capone lived in this house through the Roaring Twenties during the time when he ran the Chicago Outfit until he was arrested in 1929. His wife and mother continued to live in the house until his mother’s death in 1952. “Al Capone's wife, Mae, and mother, Teresa, signed the deed to purchase the brick two-flat on August 8, 1923, when the building was 18 years old. They paid $5,500.” (Rodkin, Crain’s, 2/8/19)
At the age of 20, Al Capone arrived in Chicago in 1920 and went on to become one of the most infamous gangsters in American history. He co-founded and ran the Chicago Outfit which dominated the organized crime scene in Prohibition-era Chicago between 1925 and his arrest in 1929. Known as
Scarface
, Big Al and
Public Enemy Number
One, Capone was responsible for much gangland violence, including the famous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in 1929. Capone was finally brought to justice for income-tax evasion in 1931 and served nearly eight years in prison, mostly at Alcatraz in San Francisco but also in Philadelphia and Atlanta. He died in 1947. During his lifetime, Capone captured the public imagination, and his gangster persona has appeared in countless movies and books.
The house is mentioned in several news reports on Capone during the 1920s. On May 18, 1929, after Capone was put in a Philadelphia jail on a gun charge, the Chicago Tribune published a story headlined “Sister tells how good Al is to his folks,” which included an interview with Teresa and Mafalda in their Prairie Avenue living room “with its soft lights and velvet rugs.” The bedroom of Al's youngest sister, Mafalda, the article said, “is luxuriously furnished, but in good taste. There are Dresden candelabra mirror lights (and) excellent tapestries, between which a golden crucifix is suspended.” (Rodkin, Crain’s, 2/8/19)
“Built about 1909, the two-flat, which sits on an extra-wide lot, has had several owners since the Capones, and in 1989, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks and the Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council both rejected bids to make the house an official landmark.” (Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune 4/10/19)
Preservation Chicago encourages the City of Chicago Commission on Chicago Landmarks to reconsider their decision and make the Al Capone home a designated Chicago Landmark. In addition to recognizing and protecting this important connection to part of Chicago’s history, there is a strong economic value tied to tourism.
The Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site is a large historic prison in Philadelphia, and one of its most popular attractions is Al Capone’s cell complete with its oriental rugs and oil paintings, where he served time for less than a year. Over 250,000 tourists visit the site annually, and the foundation operating the historic site has raised over $16 million in preservation funding.
Al Capone served 4-1/2 years at Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay and his Cell 133 is an important part of the Alcatraz tour. Capone is so popular that the prison hospital room where his health deteriorated and even the old prison shower room is highlighted where he is reported to have gone to play banjo, and some claim that you can still occasionally hear the strumming of his banjo. Alcatraz is one of America's most popular national park sites and has more than 1.4 million visitors annually.
Yet in Chicago where Al Capone lived during the period when he led one of the most notorious organized crime syndicates, his home isn’t a Designated Chicago Landmark and has no protection against demolition. Tourism is a powerful economic driver and the landmark designation of the places, spaces and home of both famous and infamous Chicagoans would help to drive increased tourism.
The St. Valentine’s Massacre occurred at the
SMC Cartage Company
garage located at 2122 North Clark Street in Lincoln Park. The site became a morbid tourist curiosity in the 1930s and the building was demolished in 1967 partially in an effort to finally erase its violent history. There is nothing at the location today that would suggest its infamous past, yet the bricks from the old garage building have been reassembled and is one of the most significant artifacts in the permanent collection at the Mob Museum in Las Vegas. The museum’s opening day was timed to coincide with the anniversary of the St. Valentine’s Massacre. The Mob Museum draws approximately 350,000 visitors per year, has over 120 employees and results in over $20 million being spend annually in downtown Las Vegas.
Chicago currently has a number of crime tours which explore Chicago’s seedy underbelly including the Private Al Capone Gangster Tour, Chicago Prohibition Tour, Chicago Crime and Mob Tour, Gangsters and Ghosts Tour in Chicago, Sin and Suds Beer Tour, Chicago Night Crimes Tour, Private Chicago Mafia and Blues Evening Tour, Chicago Crime and Pizza Walk and others.
Additional Reading
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THREATENED: Buildings on the 90-Day Demolition Delay List
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The Demolition-Delay Ordinance, adopted by City Council in 2003, establishes a hold of up to 90 days in the issuance of any demolition permit for certain historic buildings in order that the Department of Planning and Development can explore options, as appropriate, to preserve the building, including but not limited to landmark designation.
The ordinance applies to buildings rated “red” and “orange” in the Chicago Historic Resources Survey (CHRS). These buildings are designated on the city's zoning map. The delay period starts at the time the permit application is presented to the department's Historic Preservation Division offices and can be extended beyond the original 90 days by mutual agreement with the applicant. The purpose of the ordinance is to ensure that no important historic resource can be demolished without consideration as to whether it should and can be preserved.
Additional Reading
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#100776482
Date Received: 08/07/2018
Address: 1320 W. Lexington St.
Ward: 28
Applicant: Donegal Excavating
Owner: Estate of Madeline Mazzone
Permit Description: Demolition of existing building.Status: Released 11/5/2018
Photo Credit: Ward Miller Preservation Chicago
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#100808887
Date Received: 03/13/2019
Address: 1517 W. Barry Ave.
Ward: 32
Applicant: Platinum Homes Development
Owner: Harvey Grossman
Permit Description: Demolition and removal of a 2-story frame house.
Status: Under review
Photo Credit: Zillow
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#100809124
Date Received: 03/25/2019
Address: 2602 S. California Ave.
Ward: 24
Applicant: Milhouse Inc.
Owner: Sheila Atkins (Cook County)
Permit Description: Demolition of a multi-story masonry jail building.
Status: Under review
Photo Credit: Google Maps
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#100816913
Date Received: 04/29/2019
Address: 12134 S. Eggleston Ave.
Ward: 34
Applicant: Sciortino Group, Inc.
Owner: City of Chicago
Permit Description: Emergency demolition and removal of a single-family frame residence.
Status: Received and released 4/29/2019 [Per Administrative Order issued by the Department of Buildings to address dangerous and hazardous conditions]
Photo Credit: Google Maps
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#100812685
Date Received: 04/22/2019
Address: 4242 N. Kedvale Ave.
Ward: 39
Applicant: Side Pro
Owner: Holgur Bealum
Permit Description: Demolition of existing two-story brick building and brick garage.
Status: Under review
Photo Credit: Google Maps
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#100815184
Date Received: 04/18/2019
Address: 3305 N. Hamilton Ave.
Ward: 32
Applicant: Taylor Excavating & Construction, Inc.
Owner: Judith Williams Nitka
Permit Description: Demolition and removal of a 2-story 2-unit masonry residence.
Status: Under review
Photo Credit: Trulia
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#100811105
Date Received: 03/26/2019
Address: 1216 N. Damen Ave.
Ward: 1
Applicant: Pro Excavating, Inc.
Owner: 1216 Damen LLC
Permit Description: Demolition of a 2-story masonry building.
Status: Under review
Photo Credit: Google Maps
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LOSS: “Spotlight on Demolition”
Crawford Power Station, Little Village (Chi 7)
4405 N. Clark Street, Before/After, Sheridan Park
1217 N. Paulina Street, East Village
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“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
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Crawford Power Station During Demolition, May 2019, Designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst and White in 1926, (Chicago 7 Photo 2014 & 2019). Credit:
Serrato Flores
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4405 N. Clark Street, BEFORE Construction. Photo Credit: Google Maps
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4405 N. Clark Street, AFTER Construction. Photo Credit: Mike Davidson
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1217 N. Paulina Street, Demolished April 2019. Photo Credit: Google Maps
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LOST CHICAGO...BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
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Masonic Temple
by Burnham & Root
Built 1892, Demolished 1939
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Masonic Temple, by Burnham & Root. Built in 1892. Demolished in 1949.
Historic Photo Credit: Ryerson & Burnham Archives, Archival Image Collection, Photographer J.W. Taylor (Architecture Photograph Collection, c.1901-1915, #16430
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Masonic Temple Entrance, by Burnham & Root. Built in 1892. Demolished in 1949.
Historic Photo Credit: Ryerson & Burnham Archives, Archival Image Collection, Inland Architect Vol. 19, no.5 (IA1905_0978)
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Masonic Temple light court and atrium lobby, by Burnham & Root. Built in 1892. Demolished in 1949.
Historic Photo Credit: The (Chicago Daily News Archive - Library of Congress)
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Masonic Temple
Architect: Burnham and Root
Location: Northeast corner of Randolph and State Street
Built: 1892
Demolished: 1939
“The Masonic Temple was a true landmark skyscraper, one of the most noted business buildings of the age. Despite its beauty and size, despite its height and innovations, this grand old lady was demolished in 1939 without much battle or notice. At that time, in Chicago, damage was done to America. What shame was visited upon that city and upon us all.
“Arthur Rubloff, founder and owner of the “largest property brokerage and management firm in Chicago and one of the largest in the world,” was the antagonist. A sad commentary on historic preservation in Chicago surfaced and was revealed by the following:
“No hero to preservationists, Rubloff had also been responsible for the 1939 demolition of Burnham and Root’s Masonic Temple Building, at the northeast corner of State and Randolph, to make way for an architecturally undistinguished low-rise building. When challenged on the point, Rubloff would respond that, in his opinion, the only old building in Illinois worth preserving was Abraham Lincoln's home in Springfield.”
“Such were the opinions of too many real estate men - and women - then, and unfortunately, still.
“If, according to the accomplished architect Louis Sullivan, the term “skyscraper” was born with the Masonic Temple, then the Temple should have been more highly regarded by Chicagoans - indeed Americans. Here was Chicago's tallest skyscraper, a record holder, an icon of the Gilded Age, and it was not saved. On the eve of the Second World War, the glory that was the Masonic Temple crashed to the ground. A monument of this caliber deserved a better fate. If it were standing today, it would be regarded as a beloved Chicago landmark. The Masonic Temple would be of the greatest interest to the architectural community, to historians, to many others. Yet, there are few who remember it, and those that do are a dwindling number. Mindless destruction has no place in our cities, and the wrecking of the Masonic Temple appears to have been totally mindless.
“The Masonic Temple’s cornerstone laying ceremony occurred on November 6th, 1890. After almost two years of construction, the Masonic Temple was completed on schedule in 1892. This skyscraper was the home office of the Knights Templars and Masons Life Indemnity Company. Some of Chicago’s Masonic lodges were also tenants occupying the structure’s top four floors; these were private spaces and because of their loftiness were traditionally the most prestigious.
“Upon completion, the Masonic Temple was immediately hailed as Chicago’s tallest building. lt rose shear from the sidewalk, 273 feet to the base of its steeply pitched roof. From that edge it measured another 27 feet to the roof's ridge, its apex. Standing 22 floors high and exactly 300 feet, the Masonic Temple became the world’s third tallest skyscraper. Only New York’s World Building at 309 feet, and its Madison Square Garden Tower at 304 feet, were loftier. True, the Temple had the most stories, but it is not the number of floors that ranks a skyscraper — its height in feet does; those nine feet belonging to the World Building became mighty important in the race to the sky. What is also significant in the annals of skyscraper history is that the Masonic Temple stood by means of a complete steel frame with a curtain wall exterior.
“Noted world traveler and lecturer John L. Stoddard commented accordingly: “The wonders of Chicago cannot be enumerated or illustrated in any limited space. A volume might be devoted to them. Some of its buildings are noble specimens of architecture, the beauty and majesty of which would be more easily recognized and universally acknowledged but for the veil of smoke which mars to some degree their true effectiveness. Among the famous structures of Chicago, and one of the loftiest buildings in the world, is the Masonic Temple, at the corner of State and Randolph Streets. It is no less than
twenty stories high! It requires an effort to look up to its roof, which is 265 feet above the pavement!”
“The “effort” was made and often. The Masonic Temple was both overwhelming and charming. Many of Chicago’s visitors, and indeed its own citizens, were farm folk. Farmers (visiting Chicago to purchase equipment and / or the “niceties” of life to sell grain to merchants, to meet with a lawyer or others passing through by train) witnessed, perhaps for their first time, a skyscraper. And that which impressed them most was likely to have been the Masonic Temple. One can only imagine the awe. Here was a city-unto-itself, a big place. The Temple’s footprint measured 170 by 114 feet, a much larger base than most skyscrapers then. It housed 10 retail stores on the first two floors, a 2,000-seat restaurant in its lower level, and a staggering 543 offices on floors three through eighteen. Above, under the giant gables, were private quarters, double-height spaces for the Masons. Its very top was occupied by a public observatory, a public roof garden and another public restaurant. The building was served by 14 passenger elevators, two of which were labeled “express;” these two were believed to have been the first so designated — anywhere.
“Climbing through the Temple’s core was an immense atrium, an open space that was cordoned off from the surrounding corridors by highly decorative metal railings. The atrium was covered on top with a metal and glass canopy, an elongated-dome-structure that could only be seen from a distance. From the highest location inside one could peer downward to the lobby’s white marble floor. Each elevator lobby, formed by the arcing arrangement of the glass-walled elevator shaft ways, opened toward the atrium and a lovely internal staircase. Each car was also glass-walled, some cars facing directly east - out of the building - to Lake Michigan.
“The Masonic Temple’s exterior, a derivation of the French Renaissance, was as impressive as its interior. Its exterior walls were of gray granite and yellow pressed brick. It had a distinct tripartite arrangement, that being a clearly defined base, middle section, and celebratory top; which the Temple architect Root took this concept to its ultimate conclusion, perhaps the best example anywhere. In between top and bottom were the clean and unbroken piers that allowed the building to leap into the sky; their upward force was exhilarating. Each of two massive gables, stretching east-to-west, were punctured with a rank of seven smaller gables. Topside decoration was profuse.
“With this skyscraper, architect Root employed undulating facades, walls with three-sided-bays projecting only slightly from the "background wall" surface. These rippling bays were so shallow they could have been overlooked, especially if the viewer was at a distance. Their effect though could rescue a building from mediocrity by enlivening what would otherwise be considered a staid, perhaps even boring, container. With the Masonic Temple, these are no less than the gentle waves of a masterpiece.
“The original cost of this skyscraper was $3.5 million, much of it devoted to the tenants’ comfort. In the bowels of the skyscraper were the mechanicals. There were two engines of 500 horsepower each, eight steel boilers to heat the building, six dynamos supplying electricity, and eight large pumps for all the plumbing needs. The electrical apparatus weighed 60 tons and included 53 miles of wire. This was state-of-the-art for 1892.
“On January 15
th, 1891, long before completion of the Masonic Temple, its architect John Wellborn Root died. Root missed the plaudits, the earned praise from the press — especially the architecture press - and the sheer joy and wonderment this skyscraper brought to the public at large. The observatory was the goal of many. ln 1909, all it took was two-bits, 25 cents and you were “above the clouds.” A travel brochure of that time proclaimed, “From this platform on a clear day an extended view of the city may be had.” Some were carried away with the skyscraper and its altitude as evidenced by Edgar Lee Masters who penned that “from the top of which...one could see Council Bluffs, Iowa 230 miles distant. I had to try that out, and Uncle Henry took me to the Masonic Temple.”
“Architect, professor, and architectural historian Francisco Mujica wrote with conviction of the Masonic Temple, “With its 20 stories this was the first really important skyscraper in history. Designs and photographs of this building were reproduced in all countries of the world announcing that the birth of the skyscraper had taken place.”
“With such accolades, and with what seemed to be universal praise for the Masonic Temple - as a building and as a piece of art - it is difficult to understand the opinions of Arthur Rubloff, the tacit approval of the City of Chicago, and the subsequent demolition of this skyscraper. Was there really no alternative but demolition?”
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Video: Ask Geoffrey on Chicago Tonight
What Happened to Immel State Bank?
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Ask Geoffrey: What Happened to Immel State Bank? Photo Credit: WTTW Chicago Tonight
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“Immel State Bank was one of the thousands of banks across the United States that closed in the
banking panics of 1930 and 1931
during the Great Depression. After some large public banks failed, such as the New York Bank of the United States in 1930, fears of other banks failing spread across the country. Ironically, this often actually caused the bank to close. A Hollywood depiction of a bank run was in the holiday classic
It’s a Wonderful Life
in which George Bailey explains to panicked customers, ‘You’re thinking of this place all wrong, as if I had the money back in a safe! The money’s not here. Your money’s in Joe’s house, it’s in Fred’s house, and a hundred others.’
“The banking panics inspired President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to say, ‘The only thing we have to fear is fear itself’ in his 1933 inaugural address.
“Many banks that closed in 1931 looked like Greek and Roman temples. The grand neo-classical style that made them look steadfast and trustworthy. Many have long since been torn down, but the Immel building is among a few that still stand. After the Immel State Bank closed, the building became the Kelling Nut Company offices, and in 1998, a banquet hall named Michelle’s Ballroom.
“Probably the most interesting reuse of a closed bank is the former
Noel State Bank
building built in 1919 at Milwaukee and North Avenues in Wicker Park. Since 2012 it’s been the world’s fanciest Walgreens, with a coffered ceiling and stained glass skylight. They even re-used the bank’s vault – today, it’s where you can stock up on vitamins.”
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Successful Community Engagement Event:
Over 400 Properties Surveyed in Bronzeville
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Group of the volunteers from the Bronzeville historic property survey event, including Chicago Historian Timuel Black. Photo Credit: Maya Jones
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With intentions to be more proactive in advocating for historic places in Bronzeville, approximately 35 volunteers helped survey 400 properties along and around the 43
rd
Street corridor on May 4, 2019.
Preservation Chicago collaborated with Bronzeville residents who formed a group called Preservation Bronzeville after the historic Boston Store Stables building was demolished in November 2018.
Associated Bank sponsored the event, which included a moving keynote address by Chicago Historian Timuel Black. Black recalled a time “when there was no need to go outside of the community because 43
rd
Street offered all that you need.” There were jobs, great music venues and movie theaters. He stressed the importance of keeping what is left of the community’s history intact to honor what the area was and the vibrant commercial corridor it can become again. “The closed door is going to open. Be prepared to walk in,” Black said about opportunities in the area.
Volunteers surveyed buildings to determine if they have historic character, what condition the building is in and whether it may be vulnerable to demolition threats.
Data from this survey will be used to target additional research needs, share with the City of Chicago, and advocate for current and future tools that will help keep this history intact. It is a long-term goal to encourage the City to begin a new Chicago Historic Resources Survey. Data collected here can be imported by the City.
Preservation Chicago is organizing outreach in other communities. Roseland community leaders are initiating a similar process to recognize, celebrate and protect its cultural and historic assets. The survey date in Roseland is currently set for Saturday, June 22.
“It was powerful to connect the volunteers with Timuel Black’s historic perspective to take action toward saving Bronzeville’s built environment,” said Mary Lu Seidel, Director of Community Engagement at Preservation Chicago.
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Special thanks to event sponsor Associated Bank and its Bronzeville branch located at 743 E. 47th Street.
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The Chicago Bungalow Association presents...
Don't Trash That Sash: Window Repair
May 30 at Woodson Library in Washington Heights
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Chicago Bungalow Streetscape, Photo Credit: Deborah Mercer
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Join Julie Liska of Liska Architects to learn about why you should love those old windows! Learn about materials, history, and restoration techniques for those double-sashed beauties. Julie will also shed light on some misconceptions about new windows and explain how repairing and restoring your windows can save both energy and money!
Washington Heights
Thursday, May 30, 2019
6:30-8:00pm
Or for more information, please contact
Gillian Wiescher
Chicago Bungalow Association
312-675-0300 x17
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Chicago Historic Resources Survey & You
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Scan of original CHRS survey map on Archive.org. Photo Credit: Archive.org
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You’re invited to join historian & conservationist Elizabeth Blasius and LivingRoom Realty Broker Susannah Ribstein for a discussion on the Chicago Historic Resources Survey (CHRS), the City of Chicago’s primary municipal guide to its historic buildings. We’ll talk about the basics of the Survey, how it’s used, how it affects all Chicagoans, and take a look at some example survey resources in the West Town neighborhood. We’ll conclude with an open discussion on how you think the Survey could be improved.
This event is not just for preservationists! Everyone is invited to attend, especially those interested in:
- Local architecture and history
- Maintenance of diverse and affordable housing stock in Chicago
- Economic potential of neighborhood landmarks
- Trends and concepts in property development & demolition
Wednesday, May 15, 2019
6:30 PM 8:00 PM
LivingRoom Realty
1530 West Superior Street
About the Chicago Historic Resources Survey:
The Chicago Historic Resources Survey was planned and conducted between 1983 and 1994 with the goal of identifying new architectural Landmarks. It resulted in a color-coded system ranking all buildings which were at the time of the Survey more than 50 years old, according to their level of historic integrity and significance. Now, the survey data is also used to protect non-Landmarked buildings: if a demolition permit is approved for any building with one of the top two significance ratings (Orange or Red), it is subject to a 90-day delay to allow an opportunity to find an alternative to demolition.
The Survey is now over 25 years old, and was only partially digitized. As a result, many residents are unaware of its existence or how to access its data. In addition, thousands of buildings constructed between the 1930s and 1960s now fall into the 50-year threshold for historical relevance and need to be added. As contemporary interest in Mid-Century Modern architecture builds, now is a great time to evaluate how the Survey can help us catalog these resources. This event seeks to educate audience members on the CHRS’s enduring impact on their property and neighborhoods, and invites them to participate in a conversation about its future.
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Petition: Halt the Demolition of One of Bronzeville's Historic Substations
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ComEd Substation, Herman von Volst, 626 E. 40th Street, 1931. Photo Credit: Google Street View
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Built in 1931, the ComEd substation at 626 E. 40th Street once provided power for the now-defunct Kenwood L line. Designated as possessing potential significance in the context of the surrounding community during the Chicago Historic Resources Survey, the substation’s demolition permit reached
the end of its 90-day hold on January 31, 2019. ComEd has not yet confirmed its intentions for this site.
Without intervention, Bronzeville could lose another beautiful monument to its rich history. Preservation Chicago is actively engaging in conversations with ComEd, the community and decision makers to save this historic building and return it to a vibrant use.
We urge ComEd to halt the demolition of its Herman von Volst-designed substation at 626 E. 40th Street in Chicago and work with the community and neighborhood leaders to find a preservation-sensitive use for the historic building.
Additional Reading
Crain’s Chicago Business published an op-ed in where an elevated linear trail similar to the 606 is proposed for the South Side on abandoned railway embankments. It suggest that this ComEd substation as an access point and park space.
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If You Value Preservation In Chicago...
Please Support
Preservation Chicago
!
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Demolition of Chicago Machinery Building, 1217 West Washington Boulevard, designed by D.H. Burnham & Company in 1910. Photo Credit: Ward Miller
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- Be Heard! Attend community meetings and make your voice heard!
THANK YOU from your friends at Preservation Chicago!
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