August 2019 Month-in-Review Newsletter
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ADVOCACY
- THREATENED: Jackson Park's Section 106 Comments
- WIN: Union Station's Fred Harvey Restaurant Reuse Plan
- WIN: Promontory Apartments Preliminary Landmark Designation
- THREATENED: Salvation Army River West Site for Sale
- THREATENED: Moody Bible Institute Buildings For Sale
- WIN: Patio Theater Restoration Plan Advances
- WIN: Village Theater Historic Façade Reused
- LOSS: Terra Cotta Facade at 1315 W. Loyola Avenue Demolished
- WIN: Alderman’s Comments Regarding South Shore Nature Sanctuary Cause Outrage
- WIN: Hollander Storage Building Adaptive Reuse
- WIN: Three Humboldt Park Warehouses to Be Converted into “Creative Office Campus”
- THREATENED: Historic Field-Pullman-Heyworth House in South Shore Threatened
- WIN: Landmarked Ukrainian Village Church Converted to Residential Building
- THREATENED: 90-Day Demolition Delay Highlights
- LOSS: Spotlight on Demolition
NEWS
- VIDEO: Terra-Cotta Treasures Tell Chicago’s Neighborhood Stories on Chicago Tonight
- VIDEO: Landmark Status in Pilsen on Chicago Tonight
- VIDEO: Tiger Woods’ Jackson Park Project on Chicago Tonight
- VIDEO: Have You Discovered the South Shore Nature Sanctuary? from Openlands
- VIDEO: Crossroads of the Nation: Chicago Union Station, 1955
EVENTS
- Successful Chicago 7 Most Endangered Tour
- Successful Motor Row, Woodlawn and Roseland Tours
- Volunteer for Open House Chicago
- Ward Miller to Speaker at Arts and Crafts Conference
- Ward Miller to Speaker at Chicago Build 2019
- Upcoming Biennial Events:
- Chicago 7 bus tour, Saturday, October 5
- Benefits for All: Historic Preservation and Affordable Housing, Tuesday, October 29
- Community, History, Place and Equity, Tuesday, November 12
- 46th Annual Historic Pullman House Tour
PETITIONS
- Petition: Make Chicago Vocational School a Historic Landmark!
- Petition: Halt the Demolition of One of Bronzeville's Historic Substations
LOST CHICAGO...BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
SUPPORT
- Please Support Preservation Chicago!
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UPDATE: Preservation Chicago Submits Section 106 Comments Regarding OPC's “Adverse Effect”
(Chicago 7 2017, 2018, & 2019)
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Planned Obama Presidential Center. Rendering Credit: Obama Foundation
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Jackson Park. Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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A Chicago 7 Most Endangered in 2017, 2018 and again in 2019, Preservation Chicago has consistently advocated for the protection of Jackson Park, a world-class historic landscape designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux with contributions by Alfred Caldwell, May McAdams and others.
Preservation Chicago does NOT oppose the Obama Presidential Center (OPC) being built in Chicago, but for many important and valid reasons strongly prefers the private facility be constructed in a location other than historic Jackson Park. Many outstanding alternate locations have been identified, including the approximately 10 acres of mostly vacant land controlled by the University of Chicago and the City of Chicago in the Washington Park neighborhood located across the street from Washington Park on Garfield Boulevard and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
Section 106
On Monday, July 29, 2019, the federal government released its Section 106 report which stated that the planned Obama Presidential Center would have an “adverse impact” on Jackson Park. The Section 106 review was required because Jackson Park is included on the National Register of Historic Places due to its design from landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and its role in the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. The report stated confirmed that the Obama Presidential Center would diminish “the historic property’s overall integrity by altering historic, internal spatial divisions that were designed as a single entity”
"'The combined changes diminish the sense of a particular period of time within the historic property and impact the integrity of feeling,' according to the review. The changes impact how Jackson Park and the Midway Plaisance reflect conscious decisions made by the Olmsted firm in determining the organization, forms, patterns of circulation, relationships between major features, arrangement of vegetation, and views.'
"Those changes to Jackson Park would alter the 'characteristics of the historic property that qualify it for inclusion in the National Register,' and require “deviating from the simple formality of open space that reflects the historic design principle of informal symmetry and balance in design,' according to the review." (Cherone, 7/30/19)
At the Section 106 Consulting Parties meeting, Ward Miller said his organization could not see how the OPC and affiliated plans “will not have an extreme and profound adverse effect on Jackson Park — its location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling or association; also its viewsheds, its quality as a single work of art by Frederick Law Olmsted … How all these historic features in this park could be remediated by all of these actions,” from the OPC’s Museum tower and other buildings to the widening of Stony Island Avenue and Lake Shore Drive to the closure of Cornell Drive, “an original Olmsted feature that was widened in 1960.”
“I think that’s tragic, and I think it’s going to be a huge embarrassment to the City of Chicago. This complex belongs elsewhere nearby,” Miller said. “We’re talking about a lot of trees being cut here, and I don’t even know how we remediate this other than a relocation of the Center or a rethinking of it elsewhere.” (Gettinger, 8/5/19)
The report for the Section 106 Federal review hearings confirm that the current plan would have a substantial “adverse effect” on many aspects of historic Jackson Park. It is clear that “avoidance” is the only way to prevent an extremely profound and negative adverse effect. Preservation Chicago hopes that the National Park Service will choose to respect the findings of the published report and make their decisions accordingly.
Section 106 Meetings
Preservation Chicago staffers Ward Miller and Mary Lu Seidel, along with Board member Jack Spicer, participated in the federal undertaking (or Section 106) meeting at the Logan Center on the University of Chicago campus. The meeting was inclusive and well-attended, including a broad spectrum of experts and neighborhood voices to consider the report.
The full two hour meeting can be viewed at this link.
However, there were many flaws in the process and report itself. The report does not consider perspectives on the visual impact of the 235-foot tower proposed for the OPC. City staff indicated they did not have the technology to provide those perspectives, but that is difficult to accept. Section 106 convenings around the country consider the visual impact of projects. The City’s own Landmark review process considers visual perspectives of what proposed improvements can be seen from the street.
Additionally, the City is only focusing on mitigating those adverse effects. In the Section 106 process, when an adverse effect is identified there are three courses to take. First and foremost, avoidance is the highest priority. The best way to avoid the adverse effect of the OPC on Jackson Park is to move it outside of Jackson Park.
If avoidance is not possible, the second approach to take is minimization of adverse effect. For the OPC, that would mean significantly altering its design, scale and height to minimize the adverse effect it has on historic Jackson Park.
The very last option to consider if both avoidance and minimization are not possible is mitigation -- replace or somehow make up for the adverse effect. The City’s examples of the mitigation it was focusing on was to update the National Register nomination for Jackson Park to reflect its adversely effected landscape after the OPC is built. The City also suggested developing multimedia educational and interpretive materials related to Jackson Park/Midway Plaisance, presumably to tell the story of what once was there but has now been lost.
The OPC report indicates a clear adverse effect on historic Jackson Park. Without the assessment of the visual impact of the proposed OPC tower, it is not possible to accurately assess its impact on other historic properties immediately adjacent to Jackson Park.
Section 106 Comments
The federal review process included a public comment period regarding the report and findings. Comments were due on August 30, 2019. Preservation Chicago submitted the following detailed letter.
August 29, 2019
Ms. Abby Monroe
Public Participation Officer
Department of Planning & Development
City of Chicago
121 N. LaSalle Street, 10th Floor
Chicago, IL 60602
RE: Comments to Assessment of Effect to Historic Properties: Proposed Undertaking in and Adjacent to Jackson Park
Dear Ms. Monroe:
We have reviewed the Assessment of Effect (AOE) to Historic Properties: Proposed Undertaking in and Adjacent to Jackson Park related to the impact of the proposed Obama Presidential Center (OPC) which was publicly released on July 29, 2019. In addition to the comments Ward Miller and Mary Lu Seidel of Preservation Chicago shared at the August 5, 2019 OPC Section 106 Consulting Parties meeting, we submit for your consideration our comments to the AOE report.
The historic public parklands of Jackson Park, the Midway Plaisance and Washington Park were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, with additions by Alfred Caldwell, May McAdams and others of national and world recognition. The significance of Jackson Park, Midway Plaisance and the South Shore Cultural Center are monumental and well known to most audiences, including national and international scholars of architectural landscape design, historic landscapes and cultural heritage. The sites are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and certain features, structures and buildings of both park sites are designated Chicago Landmarks. These designated Chicago Landmarks within the boundaries of the two parks include the Museum of Science and Industry building, constructed as the Palace of Fine Arts in 1893, along with the Columbia/Darrow Bridge and the landscape features of the park surrounding the MSI building and bridge. The South Shore Cultural Center building, the Club Building, the Gatehouse, Stable, Pergola, and several outdoor terraces are also part of the Chicago Landmark designation.
The 500-acre Jackson Park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, perhaps the most famous landscape designer of the 19th century and widely considered to be “the father of American landscape architecture.” Jackson Park was also the site of one of the most important events in Chicago’s history and arguably one of the most important cultural events of the 19th century, the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893. Jackson Park is connected via the Midway to Washington Park and then to Chicago’s Emerald Necklace of great parks and boulevards, forming one of the most magnificent networks of urban parkland in the country.
Avoid & minimize
With the Section 106 process, the first goal should be to avoid any adverse effects. If avoidance is not possible, the second default is to minimize adverse effects. Finally, if minimization is not possible, the path of last resort is to mitigate the adverse effects of a development. This AOE report is focused exclusively on mitigation, openly bypassing avoidance and minimization. In the public Section 106 process, City and CDOT representatives continued to reiterate that the intention of this report is to consider only mitigation. Without any further discussion of the other issues with this report, it should be re-written to instead focus on real and viable avoidance and minimization strategies.
Within the study area, there are seven historic districts and 29 historic individual properties that are listed or are eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. A viable, suitable and acceptable avoidance option would be to move the OPC to private land near Washington Park. This location would still be a great boon for Woodlawn and the South Side, and it would not require the level of acrobatics to maneuver around as the historic Jackson Park area. Placing a 235-foot-tall building and campus in the center of the incredible history that is in and surrounds Jackson Park, closing off Olmsted designed roadways and clear-cutting old growth trees is insensitive to and disregards all the people and all the years that went into retaining what is still remains intact around Jackson Park.
The AOE report cites how well-preserved the park has been through the 125 years it has been in Chicago. Why does the City of Chicago, the Chicago Park District and the Obama Foundation now want to negatively impact 125 years of diligent stewardship? Section 3.3.1 (Page 21) of the report states: “As community needs have changed, alterations to the park have been necessary to sustain its purpose, but the park continues to retain historic integrity because the overall effect of previous alterations retained consistency with the original design principles.” The changing community needs in the coming century can also be met while also retaining the historic integrity of Jackson Park. Also Section 3.3.1 (Page 22) of the report states: “In aggregate, the majority of alterations to the historic property over time have been consistent with the original design principles applied by the firm of Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr.
As established by the Section 106 Historic Properties Identification Report (HPI) dated March 15, 2018, the combination of changes made to date do not impair the integrity of the existing character-defining features reflecting the original design principles.” Again, after 125 years of continued maintenance and care of the historic integrity of Jackson, avoidance seems like the most logical action to take in addressing the adverse effects on this historic area. Section 3.3.2.1 (Page 22) of the report details the extensive adverse effect the OPC will have on Jackson Park. “The undertaking will have an adverse effect to Jackson Park Historic Landscape District and Midway Plaisance because it will alter, directly or indirectly, characteristics of the historic property that qualify it for inclusion in the National Register.
• “The changes alter the legibility of the design of the cultural landscape in ways that diminish the overall integrity of spatial organization in the property as a whole. . .
• “The changes alter the legibility of the design of the cultural landscape in ways that diminish the overall integrity of spatial organization in the property as a whole. . .
• “[T]hey diminish the historic property’s overall integrity by altering historic, internal spatial divisions that were designed as a single entity.
• “The undertaking impacts the overall historic road network.
• “The undertaking alters the shape, form, and function of the historic primary entrance to the property.
• “Spatial organization and the landscape setting of some contributing resources (Cheney-Goode Memorial and Statue of the Republic) are transformed in ways that are inconsistent with the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.
• “The undertaking removes, replaces, or otherwise alters historic resources and landscape features within portions of the historic property. New materials with modern functions differ from historic materials at a scale and intent that does not conform to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards.
• “The size and scale of new buildings within the historic district diminish the intended prominence of the Museum of Science and Industry building and alter the overall composition and design intent of balancing park scenery with specific built areas.
• “The combined changes diminish the sense of a particular period of time within the historic property and impact the integrity of feeling.”
This is not one small adverse effect on a large park, but a substantial and large adverse effect on Jackson Park. This development on the parkland that will have a devastating effect on the entire landscape.
Historic properties can be modified to meet the needs of the 21st Century, but this heavy-handed destruction is not how it should be accomplished. Avoidance and minimization strategies can guide a plan that will bring jobs and economic growth to the South Side without destroying a historic asset in the process. If we were in a completely land-locked area, that would be one issue. However, no one has made the claim recently that there is a shortage of vacant land in and around Woodlawn on which an extraordinary Obama Presidential Center can be built without destroying Jackson Park.
Section 3.5.1 (Page 46) on methodology reiterates the incredible stewardship that have withheld the test of time for 125 years: “[T]he HPI includes extensive analysis of how Jackson Park and Midway Plaisance have undergone substantial change over time while maintaining historic value and function.” We should continue this legacy of great stewardship by focusing instead on avoidance, preservation and restoration of existing features.
Section 5.0 (Pages 51-52) of the report’s attempt at “efforts made to minimize or avoid impacts” reads more like minimization and mitigation at best. Making the building taller is indicated as a way to reduce its footprint, which appears to ignore the Olmsted plan to have the Museum of Science and Industry be the most prominent building in the park. Although taking “approximately 3%” of the parkland, the OPC plan as proposed will have a devastating impact on the historic integrity of Jackson Park – integrity that has stayed intact for 125 years.
The AOE report’s conclusion in Section 6.0 (Page 53-54) focuses yet again on mitigation – with no mention of minimization or avoidance. “The City continues to investigate other potential mitigation strategies that will be further developed as part of the next stage of the Section 106 process, addressing adverse effect. . . .Measures necessary to mitigate adverse impacts from the Federal actions will be incorporated in to the action and are eligible for FHWA funding when (1) the impacts for which the mitigation is proposed result from the Federal action; and (2) the proposed mitigation represents a reasonable public expenditure after consider the impacts of the action and the benefits of the proposed mitigation measures.”
Cumulative Effect
It is important that as we review the adverse effects of the proposed Obama Presidential Center, we also consider the looming Tiger Woods PGA golf course proposed by merging the South Shore and Jackson Park golf courses. When Tiger Woods was in town in August 2019, he said he decided to take action on this site because President Obama asked him to. The connection of these two developments and their potential effect on Jackson Park would be undeniably devastating to the historic integrity of Jackson Park and Frederick Law Olmsted’s vision for this internationally renowned landscape, and they should be considered cumulatively. One may even consider that between these two proposed projects, Olmsted’s vision for Jackson Park may be completely changed and perhaps obliterated.
Traffic
There are many significant flaws in the traffic assumptions utilized in the AOE. An analysis of the CDOT traffic analysis study was conducted by Patrick E. Hawley in May 2018 and noted several significant flaws in the data assumptions. Traffic along major roadways and past nearby historic properties and districts is an important area of study, and these assumptions need to be as precise and accurate as possible. Relying on poor data in the City’s analysis of traffic impacts in Woodlawn does not do justice to the people who live, work and play in the area, and it does not do justice to the historic landscapes and properties that have been a physical anchor in the Woodlawn community for more than 100 years.
Cost
While the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois are facing considerable budget crises, this does not seem like the best time to be investing public money to meet the requests of a private development which is already proposed to be given the park land at no cost. The estimated costs to make all of these changes – including the widening of Lake Shore Drive, the widening of Stony Island Avenue and the closure of large sections of Cornell Drive -- are substantial and a burden that the city and state should not bear at this time.
UPARR concerns
The Urban Park and Recreation Recovery (UPARR) program requires that every acre of lost parkland in Jackson Park be replaced. While the primary replacement park location on the Midway Plaisance is problematic on its own, the calculation of total lost acreage is also flawed.
Section 1.1.1.3 (Page 3) of report indicates that the public library roof will include picnicking space to make up for picnicking areas being lost with the proposed OPC construction. When will this area be open and free to the public for use? Will it replace hour-for-hour the recreational uses that are proposed to be lost?
There are informal recreational areas currently existing at Jackson Park mentioned on page 3 of the AOE which will be lost if the OPC is constructed as proposed. Will the opportunities for informal recreational use around the proposed Obama Presidential Center be available for free to the public for the same number of hours and days as the current space, or will they be forever open and free except when private events and limited hours of operation prohibit it?
Section 1.1.1.3 (Page 4) of the report addresses the planned Program, Athletic and Activity Center: When will this space be open and free for the general public to use? How often will it be leased out for private use or used for PC activities? Will this be a one-for-one replacement of lost recreational space in Jackson Park?
Section 1.1.1.3 (Page 4) details plans to replace lost parkland in Jackson Park with redevelopment of the Eastern Midway area. Following the UPARR standards for replacement parks, how is developing a park on land that is already dedicated open space an acceptable replacement? Page 24 of the report further addresses the negative effect using this dedicated open space for replacement park will have on the Midway Plaisance: “The requirement that equivalent recreation opportunities are provided within the replacement area would modify the historic character of the Midway Plaisance east of the railroad embankment and viaduct with the addition of physical features for a play area.”
The Midway Plaisance is a distinctive feature of this unified park system designed by Olmsted connecting Jackson Park with the larger Midway Plaisance to the west and to Washington Park beyond. This is one cohesive design that should not be disturbed or altered. Counting vacated roads in the park as replacement parks is an additional assault to an objective effort to comply with the UPARR requirements. Those roads as roads contribute to the park itself. Pulling up pavement, adding some surfaces and grass and calling it replacement park is an affront to the integrity of the UPARR requirements.
Road closures and alterations
While Section 1.2 (Page 5) of the report routinely talks of “improvements” to the roadway system to benefit the proposed OPC, we think it is more appropriate to call it “significantly altering a historic landscape and roadway system.” These road alterations will negatively and permanently effect the historic integrity of Jackson Park, and the City of Chicago should instead focus on avoidance as a strategy to address those negative impacts.
The Hayes Drive reconfiguration is reviewed in Section 3.3.2.2 (Page 25) of the AOE report. Realignment of the intersection of Hayes Drive with Richards Drive is not consistent with the Secretary of Interior (SOI) standards. . . .The new design of the roadway bypasses the Statue of the Republic that is the focus point of the historic intersection.” We hold President Barack Obama in high regard, but it is incomprehensible to us why a center honoring his legacy has to do such harm to a historic asset that has been maintained for more than 125 years.
The closure of the portion of Cornell Drive north of Hayes Drive is reviewed on Page 27 of the AOE report. “For the removed portion of Cornell Drive north of Hayes Drive, the new walk approximates the existing road alignment near the West Lagoon and connects to the walk proposed as part of the OPC development.” While the report finds this solution acceptable, it does not acknowledge the value of the vehicular access that Olmsted intended nor does it acknowledge the limiting factor for people with accessibility limitations who can best access the views of the park from a vehicle. A narrower Cornell Drive (pre-1960s conditions) with improved pedestrian and bicycle access would be the ideal compromise here.
The following bullet points are pulled from Section 3.3.2.3 (Page 29) of the AOE and illustrate the extent of the impact of road modifications recommended for the OPC:
• “Removal of historic roadways alters spatial organization of the overall park, reduces differentiation of landscape character areas within the historic property, and is not consistent with SOI standards that recommend the retention and preservation of historic land patterns and circulation systems.”
• “Closure of the Midway Plaisance between Stony Island Avenue and Cornell Avenue. . .removes an aspect of spatial organization that is fundamental to the historic design of Jackson Park and its connection to the Midway Plaisance.”
• “Closure of Marquette Drive. . .eliminates the historic, contributing triangular intersection with Richards Drive. . . .The intersection and Marquette Drive approximately between S. Cregier Avenue and Lake Shore Drive demonstrate particularly strong expressions of historic landscape character related to the design of the property. The road closures alter contributing spatial organization and circulation routes.”
• “Closure of Cornell Drive north of Hayes Drive between 59 th and 62 nd Streets and the northbound portion of Cornell Drive south of Hayes Drive between 65 th Street and 66 th Place removes a road segment that contributes to the historic circulation network of the property.” Shutting down roads may “prioritize pedestrians over vehicles as well as internal circulation with the historic property over commuter traffic through the property,” but it will substantially impair the historic character of the park and makes the park less accessible to people with disabilities who can best tour the park from a motorized vehicle. It is possible to narrow roadways and add design elements to slow traffic that do not mean cutting whole arteries out of a historic park design.
View sheds
It is essential that a proper above-ground-level analysis of the Obama Presidential Center’s impact is conducted to gain a complete perspective on the adverse effects of this proposed development. At the August 5, 2019 Section 106 Consulting Party meeting, City of Chicago representatives indicated they did not have the technology to prepare visual impacts from different perspectives beyond the street-level shots in the AOE appendices. It is unbelievable that a city the size of Chicago does not have access to software that by even the highest estimates will cost between $3,000 and $5,000. With the amount of money the City of Chicago has already funneled into considering the OPC in a historic park surrounded by significant historic assets, $3,000 does not seem like much to ask for if the City genuinely wants to assess this proposed project’s full impact.
This AOE is not acceptable if it doesn’t include well-done visual impact assessments of all the historic properties and districts near the proposed OPC. We are of the opinion that a 235-foot-tall tower will negatively impact view sheds from almost every angle of Jackson Park and destroy the naturalistic features of the park. The view sheds would be severely impaired from not only within Jackson Park but also looking east from the Midway Plaisance. Careful consideration should be given to an enhanced viewshed analysis that meaningfully depicts what this project’s visual impact will be on the entire area.
Historic landscape and trees
Jackson Park was one of Chicago's first, grand-vision Lakefront parks. Its pedigree design was always considered superior to any other park in the City of Chicago. Both scholars and Chicago residents considered Lincoln Park as secondary in design to the great and magnificent South Side and South Park System of Olmsted's vision and design. This was not only a professional opinion amongst scholars of landscape design, but also a popularist view among citizens of Chicago for decades and perhaps a century. It is only recently that this fact has been mostly forgotten.
The AOE report notes that the Women’s Garden built in 1936-1937 and designed by May McAdams “will be replaced.” Replacement of historic character after it is destroyed should be the last-resort strategy if nothing else works. This destruction and replacement is unacceptable. Avoidance and minimization should be thoroughly vetted first. While we fully support universally accessible design, there has to be a better way to improve accessibility in this garden feature without completely destroying it. The garden is not being destroyed to improve accessibility. It’s being destroyed to accommodate the OPC which is then placating some critics by touting a universally accessible redesign. This women’s garden was built on the location of the Woman’s Building from the 1893 World’s Fair designed by Architect Sofia Hayden, the only woman architect involved in the 1893 World’s Fair buildings.
Section 3.3.2.3 (Page 31) of the report further details the devastation to Jackson Park’s historic landscape and flaura. “With the exception of the English Comfort Station building, the remainder of the contributing historic features south of the Perennial Garden/Women’s Garden to 62 nd Street will be removed or altered to accommodate the elements associated with the OPC. . . .The change to this portion of the historic property is not consistent with SOI standards that stipulate the need to preserve contributing historic features and discourage ‘placing a new feature where it may cause damage to, or be intrusive in spatial organization and land patterns.’”
Section 3.3.2.3 (Page 32) notes Olmsted’s intention that the Museum of Science and Industry be the “dominating object of interest” within Jackson Park. “Within the historic property, the comparatively low-lying Museum of Science and Industry building was intended as the only building to be a ‘dominating object of interest’ inside of Jackson Park and the Midway Plaisance. The proposed OPC Museum Building affects views within the historic property by drawing specific focus to an exceptionally prominent building.”
Section 3.3.2.3 (Page 32) reviews the negative effect on historic vegetation in Jackson Park: “Construction of the OPC also changes existing historic vegetation in a way that is inconsistent with SOI standards which emphasize the retention, preservation, protection, and maintenance of historic material features. . . .the [OPC] design results in partial removal of Olmsted designed historic vegetation patterns including groves of canopy trees around the historic playing fields and regular rows of trees along the streetscape.”
It is estimated that 408 trees will or already have been removed to make the OPC possible, with another 350-400 trees coming down for the proposed road reconfigurations. Looking at the cumulative effect of the OPC and a Tiger Woods golf course, it is estimated that an additional 2,000 trees will be felled for the golf course. In total, nearly 3,000 trees will be lost in a nationally significant historic park. That kind of deforestation is unacceptable.
Summary
Like the rest of Chicago, Preservation Chicago is ready to welcome the Obama Presidential Center to the South Side of Chicago. Avoidance and not mitigation should be the required first course of action under consideration. This AOE report needs to be done with that as its primary objective. The traffic impacts and view shed impacts of the proposed Obama Presidential Center also need more thorough research and assessment. If this project and others planned in the immediate future go forward as proposed, virtually nothing will be left of Frederick Law Olmsted’s vision for Jackson Park. From the perspective of Chicago history, architecture and parks, that is unacceptable. The current proposal for the Obama Presidential Center in no way respects or contributes to the historic integrity that is Jackson Park, the Midway Plaisance and Washington Park.
We look forward to continuing this Section 106 process and seeing a better assessment produced going forward. If you have any questions or concerns about our comments, please feel free to contact Ward Miller directly at 773.398.6432 or via email wmiller@preservationchicago.org.
Sincerely,
Ward Miller, Mary Lu Seidel
Executive Director, Director of Community Engagement
cc: Matt Fuller, Federal Highway Administration
Arlene K. Kocher, Federal Highway Administration
Lee Tezis, National Park Service
Jamie Loichinger, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
Eleanor Gorski, Chicago Department of Planning
Nate Roseberry, Chicago Department of Transportation
Brad Kodehoff, Illinois Department of Transportation
Anthony Rubano, State Historic Preservation Office
Heather Gleason, Chicago Park District
Additional Reading
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WIN: Union Station Fred Harvey Restaurant Reuse Plan
(Chicago 7 2018)
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Proposed food hall entrance at Union Station from Clinton Street. Rendering Credit: Amtrak/Goettsch Partners
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Proposed food hall entrance from the Great Hall at Union Station. Rendering Credit: Amtrak/Goettsch Partners
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Proposed Union Station food hall interior. Rendering Credit: Amtrak/Goettsch Partners
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Fred Harvey Restaurant at Chicago Union Station. Photo Credit: Amtrak
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“Amtrak’s ongoing redevelopment of Chicago’s Union Station is turning its attention toward building a new food hall and western entrance along Clinton Street. The proposed dining and retail complex would occupy a cavernous fire-damaged space which has sat vacant for nearly four decades.
As part of a city search to seek out potential restaurant operators, Amtrak released a batch of updated renderings showing the multi-level space. It will occupy the former Fred Harvey restaurant—a nationwide chain that catered specifically to rail travelers. The plan calls for a new exterior canopy as well as the reinstallation of windows removed following a 1980 fire.” (Koziarz, 8/7/19)
Preservation Chicago has long advocated for restoring the former Fred Harvey restaurant space, a first-class dining room and restaurant, located adjacent to the Great Hall/Waiting Room. Other former Fred Harvey restaurant spaces have recently been fully restored in Kansas City and Los Angeles train stations. The restoration of this part of the station with a high quality restaurant will further reinvigorate and reactivate Union Station.
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WIN: Mies van der Rohe's
Promontory Apartments Designated as a Preliminary Landmark
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Promontory Apartments, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, 1946, 5530 S. Shore Drive. Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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“Designed by legendary architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Hyde Park’s Promontory Apartments is on its way to becoming a protected site following Thursday’s vote by the Chicago Commission on Landmarks to grant the building at 5530 S. Shore Drive preliminary landmark status.
“Completed in 1946, around the same time Mies was master planning IIT’s modernist campus in Bronzeville, the 22-story co-op building was Mies’s first high-rise project. The South Side development was also the first International Style tower built in Chicago and the city’s first high-rise apartment built after World War II.
“Although the International Style eventually became so common and repetitive that it spawned entire architectural movements rejecting its austerity, Promontory Apartments was nothing short of revolutionary when it debuted.” (Koziarz, 8/2/19)
Read the full story at Curbed Chicago
Preservation Chicago has supported the Landmark Designation of the Promontory Apartments for many years and specifically in recent months with public comments in support of the designation. The following is the transcript of Preservation Chicago's t
estimony in support on August 1, 2019 of the Preliminary Landmark Recommendation for The Promontory Apartments- 5530-5532 S. Shore Drive, Chicago
Dear Mr. Chairman and Members of the Commission on Chicago Landmarks,
We at Preservation Chicago fully support the proposed Chicago Landmark Designation of The Promontory Apartments by architect, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
We all recognize the important buildings, projects and commissions of Mies van der Rohe, associated with his work at the Bauhaus in Germany and across Europe, with the Barcelona Pavilion, and the Riehl and Tugendhat (Villa Tugendhat) Houses, among others.
Also such noteworthy commissions as the Farnsworth House in Plano, Illinois and numerous Chicago projects, including 860-880 N. Lake Shore Drive, IIT-The Illinois Institute of Technology and Crown Hall, and much later, one of his last buildings, the IBM Building, which are all Designated Chicago Landmarks. But just almost a decade after the beginnings of several of the buildings and projects on the IIT campus, came his first tall high rise building, The Promontory Apartments, overlooking the South Lakefront, Promontory Point and Lake Shore Drive at 56th Street in Chicago’s Hyde Park community.
The Promontory building was the first commission of a newly formed partnership with Mies and developer, Herbert Greenwald, and led to a myriad of large high-rise commissions along with Pace Associates and Holsman, Holsman, Klekamp & Taylor, as associate architects. It was Mies’s first opportunity to realize his designs for high-rise buildings, which extended back to his proposed projects and drawings for the “Friedrichstrasse Glass Skyscraper Projects” of 1921-1922 and his “concrete office-building project” of 1923 in Berlin. Greenwald, together with Mies, and financiers Samuel Katzin and Irving “Gus” Cherry formed a partnership and “Their (collective) goal was to devise an architecture that would be commercially successful yet philosophical. It would use technology and rationalization to redeem the soullessness of American capitalism, mass society and mediated culture and would enable freer ways of living within it.”
This all lead in later years to the creation of the 860-880 N. Lake Shore Drive Buildings/”The Delaware Project” (1949-1951), 900-910 N. Lake Shore Drive/”The Esplanade” (1953-1956), The Commonwealth/”Commonwealth Promenade Apartments” (1953-1956), the 2400 N. Lake View/”Fullerton Apartments” (1962-1963) and others--approximately ten building projects in all—some of which were not realized.
The Promontory Apartments also cemented Mies’s reputation in the design of tall buildings and this commission and its varying solutions-- including a scheme in steel, led to an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, further placing his work on the world stage. This exhibition of Mies’s buildings, attracted the attention of the Bronfman family—Samuel Bronfman and his daughter Phyllis Lambert, and eventually led to a long friendship and the commission for the Seagram Building on Park Avenue in New York City.
The 22-story Promontory building is remarkable and employs a reinforced concrete frame, with infill panels of brick and glass. The vertical concrete piers project outward from the exterior wall, separating the eight structural bays of the principal façade. Each pier decreases in size as they reach the upper levels of the building, which further emphasizes the structure and the vertically of the building.
The principal entry is inset from the building’s structure at the first floor, forming a symmetrical recessed portico, with expansive glass walls and transoms extending across the lobby. Buff-colored brick topped by glass transom windows flank the end walls, with both the extreme north and south end bays open to allow for a porte-cochere and access to parking located behind the building. It’s a very elegant solution for a high rise building of its time and the first such tall building commission for the Hyde Park Community, following World War II.
We at Preservation Chicago very much support the Chicago Landmark Designation of The Promontory Apartments, recognizing its great significance. The Promontory Apartments influenced the design of a generation of tall concrete high-rise buildings and some may say its design was often imitated, but it was the very first and the best of its kind.
Looking to the future, we also want to further encourage the Commission on Chicago Landmarks to consider seeking a Chicago Landmark Designation for The Commonwealth Apartments, the 2400 N. Lake View Apartments all by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and the Lakeside Center of McCormick Place—a project heavily studied and influenced by Mies van der Rohe and executed by his students, Gene Summers and Helmut Jahn of the firm of C.F. Murphy and associates.
It would be a huge loss to Chicago to lose these important treasures in the future—as they are true Chicago modernist treasures of the architecture world.
Sincerely,
Ward Miller, Executive Director
Additional Reading
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THREATENED: Salvation Army River West Site for Sale
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Salvation Army Building, 509 N. Union Avenue. Photo Credit: Preservation Chicago
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Salvation Army Building, 509 N. Union Avenue. Photo Credit: Preservation Chicago
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Salvation Army Site Listing. Image Credit: SVN
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The Salvation Army is looking to sell its main downtown campus in the River West neighborhood, hoping to cash in on real estate investors' appetite for land near the gentrifying North Branch of the Chicago River.
The 70,000-square-foot site, which the Salvation Army has owned since 1931 and today serves as its Chicago Adult Rehabilitation Center, does not have a specific asking price. But a source familiar with the offering estimated it could fetch between $30 million and $40 million based on the potential to develop almost 570,000 square feet on the property.
The Salvation Army recently planned to renovate its four buildings on the site, which include housing, a Family Store and warehousing for donated goods, spokeswoman Natalya Khasina said in a statement. But "during the due diligence process, it quickly became apparent that the cost of the upgrade on the aging facilities was exceeding all available resources," the statement said. "A decision was made that it would be in the best interest of the Salvation Army and its supporters to leverage the equity in the owned property and use it to build new facilities for the program." (Ecker, Crain's)
The Salvation Army building at 509 N. Union Avenue is an outstanding building that should be protected and preserved as part of any redevelopment of the site. Preservation Chicago encourages the Salvation Army, 27th Ward Alderman Walter Burnett, and City of Chicago to make this a requirement upfront so that potential buyers will accommodate this in their plans from the outset.
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THREATENED: Moody Bible Institute Buildings For Sale
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Moody Bible Institute Owned Neely Building For Sale at 871 Franklin St. Photo Credit: Google Maps
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Moody Bible Institute Owned Building For Sale at Walton and Franklin. Photo Credit: Google Maps
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Moody Bible Institute Owned Western News Company Garage Building For Sale at 312 W. Walton Street. Photo Credit: Google Maps
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"In a rare offering of urban land that could be redeveloped with more than 5 million square feet of buildings, Moody Bible Institute is looking to unload a large portion of its downtown campus.
"The evangelical Christian school, whose property spans a series of blocks between LaSalle Street and the CTA tracks north of Chicago Avenue, has hired investment sales firm HFF to sell a handful of "non-core" large properties it owns next to its main campus to help fund the school's new strategic growth plan.
"HFF is playing up all sorts of potential uses for the available land, which today includes surface parking lots, several low-slung buildings and a large vacant lot next to Walter Payton College Prep." (Ecker, Crain's)
The few remaining attractive functional historic loft warehouse buildings located near Walton and Franklin within the extensive 10-acre site should be protected and preserved as part of any redevelopment of the site. Preservation Chicago encourages the Moody Bible Institute, 27th Ward Alderman Walter Burnett, and City of Chicago to make this a requirement upfront so that potential buyers will accommodate this in their plans from the outset.
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WIN: Patio Theater Restoration Plan Advances
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Patio Theater, 6008 W. Irving Park Road, Rudolph G. Wolff, 1927. Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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"For more than a decade, Portage Park residents walked by the Patio Theater hoping to see it thrive again. It closed and reopened several times under different owners, and turning trucks damaged the historic theater’s marquee.
"But a new owner is in the process of buying and fixing up the theater at 6008 W. Irving Park Rd., and hopes to make it the shining star of the neighborhood once again.
“It’s a travesty tearing theaters like these down,” said entrepreneur and concert promoter Chris Bauman. “I do shows all over the country and I’ve been to hundreds of theaters. And I’ll tell you these types of theaters will never be built again.” (Hernandez, Blco Club Chicago)
Preservation Chicago has advocated for the protection and restoration of the Patio Theater. We strongly support the redevelopment and encourage the developer to seek a Chicago Landmark Designation so that Adopt-a-Landmark funds could be used to help cover some of the costs for exterior restoration.
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WIN: Village Theater Historic Façade Reused
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Village Theater/Germania Theater Facade, Adolph Woerner, 1916, 1550 N. Clark Street. Photo Credit: David Zornig
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Village Theater/Germania Theater Facade, Adolph Woerner, 1916, 1550 N. Clark Street. Photo Credit: David Zornig
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The ornate two-story exterior facade of the Village Theater/Germania Theater has been saved and reconstructed. A Designated Chicago Landmark since 2009, the façade of the Village Theater has been carefully incorporated into the new adjacent residential development with the permission of the City and the Commission on Chicago Landmarks. It is located on the Gold Coast at 1550 N. Clark Street adjacent to the Designated Chicago Landmark Germania Club Building.
As an important priority of Preservation Chicago’s public testimony before the Commission on Chicago Landmarks, the historic facade will now serve as the prominent principal entry to the new development behind and will be a celebrated primary focus of residents, visitors, neighbors and the general public in the years to come. Earlier iterations of the redevelopment plans reduced this lovely historic facade a utilitarian secondary entry flanked by small retail tenants.
Originally called the Germania Theater, and later called the Globe, the Village Theatre was one of the best-surviving first generation movie theaters in Chicago. Designed by German-born architect Adolph Woerner for motion picture use, the building was completed in 1916 and was part of a theater chain operated by Herman L. Grunbiner. This brick and terra cotta-clad building is a mix of Classical Revival and Renaissance Revival styles, incorporating Germanic symbolism, such as the two-barred Cross of Lorraine. (Landmarks Division, City of Chicago)
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LOSS: Terra Cotta Facade at 1315 W. Loyola Avenue Demolished
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1315 W. Loyola Avenue.
Photo Credit: Loopnet
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1315 W. Loyola Avenue.
Photo Credit: SVN
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1315 W. Loyola Avenue Ornament After Facade Demolition. Photo Credit: Ald. Hadden's Ward Office
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Original 1315 W. Loyola Avenue Rendering which preserved the terra cotta facade. Rendering Credit: Gold Development
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The lovely terracotta building facade located at 1315 W. Loyola Avenue has been demolished.
Initial renderings showed the one-story façade being saved, restored and incorporated in the new construction multi-family residential plan. The proposed six-story building was beyond what current zoning allowed, so the developer, Gold Development, requested an upzoning to allow additional units and fewer parking spaces. However, the neighbors did not support his request. So the developer went ahead with the project within the existing zoning and chose to demolish the historic façade.
Preservation Chicago learned of change in plans only when the demolition was underway. Curiously, 49th Alderman Maria Madden’s reported that "Gold Construction is working closely with Preservation Chicago." In fact, we've had zero contact with either the developer or the Alderman’s office on this building.
We strongly believe that highly decorative, intact terra cotta facades such as at 1315 W. Loyola Avenue should be saved and incorporated into new construction. Regardless of the new construction above, the first floor facade is essential to maintain the human-scale and historic streetscape.
Its unfortunate that this façade, a 100 year old asset to the City of Chicago, should be a bargaining chip for developers to increase their zoning and increase their profits. Preservation of a low-rise façade should be required as part of the building permit.
Additionally, architectural fragment salvage is absolutely not an alternative to saving, protecting and restoring historic buildings in place and is only acceptable in circumstances where every preservation option has been explored and exhausted.
Additional Reading
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“Actually all dead...it’s been dead for some years.”Alderman’s Comments Regarding South Shore Nature Sanctuary Cause Outrage
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South Shore Cultural Center Nature Preserve. Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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South Shore Cultural Center Nature Preserve. Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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South Shore Cultural Center Nature Preserve. Photo Credit: Susannah Ribstein
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South Shore Cultural Center Nature Preserve. Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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South Shore Cultural Center Nature Preserve. Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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South Shore Cultural Center Nature Preserve. Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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South Shore Cultural Center Nature Preserve. Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th) proclaims in the Sun-Times that the cherished South Shore Nature Sanctuary is “actually all dead...it’s been dead for some years.” (Sun-Times, 8/9/19)
“Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th) has drawn outrage from locals after falsely claiming the South Shore Nature Sanctuary is “dead” and has not been maintained.
"Hairston told the Sun-Times Tuesday that she’d like to take Mayor Lori Lightfoot on a tour of the sanctuary “because it’s actually all dead, and it’s been dead for some years.” She was trying to convince the mayor that plans to merge the Jackson Park and South Shore golf courses wouldn’t be disrupting parkland in the area.
"All one has to do to prove otherwise is take a visit to the sanctuary, said Brenda Nelms, co-president of Jackson Park Watch. “It is a lovely respite, used by local residents as a place of community, solace and recreation,” Nelms said in a statement. “We hope that Mayor Lightfoot will tour Jackson Park and South Shore, with Alderman Hairston or on her own, with an eye to seeing what would be lost.” (Evans, 8/15/19)"
When 5th Ward Ald. Leslie Hairston recently described the South Shore Nature Sanctuary as “all dead” because there’s “nobody to maintain it,” she immediately got pushback from neighborhood park advocates, some of whom posted photos of prairie habitat lush with wildflowers and long grasses.
Hairston also inspired a local network of Environmentalists of Color, which has focused on promoting diversity in environmental organizations, to move into public advocacy.
“That language was so offensive that we felt it was our duty to speak up,” said Mia K. Marshall, a PhD candidate at the University of Illinois at Chicago and former owner of an organic gardening company who’s active with the group. (Black, 8/22/19)
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WIN: Hollander Storage Building Adaptive Reuse
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Hollander Storage Building Adaptive Reuse, 2418 N. Milwaukee Ave. Rendering Credit: GW Properties
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Hollander Storage Building, 2418 N. Milwaukee Ave. Photo Credit: Logan Square Preservation
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An old Hollander moving truck is parked in front of the building, 2418 N. Milwaukee Ave., circa 1935.Photo Credit: Hollander Storage and Moving
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“The 106-year-old Hollander Storage & Moving building site on Milwaukee Avenue will soon see new life as a mixed-use development.
“About a year after hitting the market, the five-story masonry building at 2418 N. Milwaukee Ave., plus the neighboring single-story annex and adjoining parking lot, now belong to GW Properties. The Chicago-based developer officially bought the properties this week, according to broker Jim Cummings of Newmark Knight Frank.
“The plan is to restore the Hollander building to its former glory and then convert it into boutique offices with a restaurant on the ground floor, according to Mitch Goltz, principal of GW Properties.
“People want to be able to work in the area they live. If you go up and down Milwaukee Avenue, there’s not a lot of offices,” said Goltz, who is exploring the idea of moving his company’s office into the building.” (Bloom, 8/8/19)
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WIN: Three Humboldt Park Warehouses to Be Converted into “Creative Office Campus”
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"Humboldt Lit" Creative Campus project at 1334 N. Kostner Avenue. Rendering Credit: Ratio Architects
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“A cluster of old warehouses in West Humboldt Park will soon be transformed into a “creative office campus” for tech companies and makers. A team of development partners are converting three warehouses at 1334 N. Kostner Ave., the longtime home of lighting and electrical equipment manufacturer Pyle-National Co., into a modern office campus called “Humboldt Lit.”
“When you look at Fulton Market, the rents have gotten prohibitive for younger tech companies. We wanted to find and create an environment for them that would be more authentic,” developer Gary Pachucki said. Pachucki, president of IBT Group LLC, enlisted the real estate company Cawley Chicago to lease out the office space. Their goal is to lure tech companies or other companies with a creative focus like furniture makers to the area.
"The site, which spans more than 6.5 acres and offers 250,000 square feet of space, can accommodate “somewhere between one and a lot” of companies, Pachucki said." (Bloom, 8/13/19)
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THREATENED: Historic Field-Pullman-Heyworth House in South Shore Threatened
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Field–Pullman–Heyworth Residence, Built in 1858, Moved to 7651 South Shore Drive in 1918. This early, undated image of the house was featured in the Chicago Daily News on September 9, 1939. Photo Credit: Hyde Park Herald
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Field–Pullman–Heyworth Residence, Built in 1858, Moved to 7651 South Shore Drive in 1918. Photo Credit: Google Maps
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“Eyeing the success of recent luxury-priced developments in Hyde Park and Woodlawn, a real estate agent in the next neighborhood south, South Shore, is pitching a parcel that borders a lakefront park as the site for a similar development.
“Under its current zoning, the lot, about 30,000 square feet, could accommodate a six-story building containing 40 units, Booker said. A developer who obtained a zoning variance could build more. Booker said that either apartments for rent or condos for sale might work at the site. She declined to say what they might rent or sell for. " (Rodkin, 8/19/19)
Known as the Field–Pullman–Heyworth Residence, this Gothic style house was built at 5336 South Park Street (Hyde Park Boulevard at 54th) about 1858. It was then moved twice – first by barge to 7716 South Lake Street in 1912 and again to 7651 South Shore Drive, where is has stood since 1918. Characterized by pointed gables, this highly expressive house represented refinement in a suburban atmosphere. Recreational pursuits were an advantage to Hyde Park’s way of life, demonstrated by women proudly displaying their archery equipment. This early, undated image of the house was featured in the Chicago Daily News on September 9, 1939. (Davis, 7/9/15)
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WIN: Landmarked Ukrainian Village Church Converted to Residential Building
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St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church adaptively reused as The Revival, 921 N. Hoyne Avenue, 1905, Henry Worthmann and John Steinbach. Rendering Credit: Regency Development Group
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St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church adaptively reused as The Revival, 921 N. Hoyne Avenue, 1905, Henry Worthmann and John Steinbach. Rendering Credit: Regency Development Group
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“In Chicago’s Ukrainian Village, the landmarked St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church at 921 N. Hoyne Avenue has been transformed into nine high-end condo units known as The Revival. Though located in a famously Ukrainian neighborhood, the old church was completed in 1905 by a congregation of German immigrants. Notable architects Henry Worthmann and John Steinbach designed the Gothic Revival style building which later went on to house a Seventh Day Adventist Church before hitting the market.
“Regency Development Group purchased the property for $1.1 million in 2013, DNAinfo reported at the time. The company originally planned to convert both the church and adjacent St. John School building into a 19-unit condo development known as The Belfry. Regency divided the property into two pieces and focused on the church portion.
“The conversion has taken some time to complete, partly due to the site becoming a Chicago landmark. The designation required a careful renovation of the 114-year-old structure’s masonry and stone exterior and historical stained glass. Inside, older architectural details such as arched windows and exposed brick wall meet contemporary residential finishes.” (Koziarz, 8/6/19)
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THREATENED: 90-Day Demolition Delay List Highlights
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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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Address:
3714 N. Southport Ave.
#100836477
Date Received: 05/23/2019
Ward: 44th Ward Alderman Tom Tunney
Applicant: Viewpoint Services, DBA Brophy Evacuation
Owner: Southport 2018 LLC
Permit Description: Wreck and removal of a 2-story, multi-unit, residential and commercial masonry building
Status: Under Review
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Address:
16 W. Maple St.
#100817848
Date Received: 05/23/2019
Ward: 2nd Ward Alderman Brian Hopkins
Applicant: Taylor Excavating & Construction, Inc.
Owner: Twelve West Maple, LLC
Permit Description: Demolition and removal of an existing four-story, multi-unit, mixed-use masonry building.
Status:
Released 8/20/19
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LOSS: “Spotlight on Demolition”
3628 and 3620 N. Claremont Avenue
2240 W. Medill Avenue, Bucktown
2000 N. Clark Cornice
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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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3628 and 3620 N. Claremont Avenue, North Center. Demolished August 2019. Photo Credit: Google Maps
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2240 W. Medill Avenue, Bucktown. Demolished August 2019. Photo Credit: Google Maps
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2000 N. Clark Street Cornice Removed, Lincoln Park. Photo Credit: Google Maps
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2000 N. Clark Street Cornice Removed, Lincoln Park. Photo Credit: Ward MIller / Preservation Chicago
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VIDEO: Terra-Cotta Treasures Tell Chicago’s Neighborhood Stories, August 6, 2019. Photo Credit: WTTW Chicago
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"Chicago author and photographer Lee Bey loves terra-cotta ornament, the endlessly intricate fired clay decoration found on much of Chicago’s early architecture. And he says to truly appreciate the charm of a terra-cotta lavished building, put on your gym shoes and go for a walk in an old neighborhood like Chatham on the South Side.
“We experience these buildings far too much by car. You drive by 40 miles an hour, 35 miles an hour and the details don’t register,” he said. “But these buildings are made to be walked by and to be seen at the pace of a walk, and when you can do that, you get a chance see the rich details of the building, and actually see how these buildings give you a sense of the neighborhood and its history.”
"After the Great Fire, Chicago’s architects embraced terra cotta as a fireproof way to add flourish and character to buildings in the rapidly rebuilding city. One producer, the Northwestern Terra Cotta Company, brought in artisans from Europe to create decorative elements for some of the city’s best-known buildings. Northwestern’s executives even used their own homes in the Lakeview neighborhood to showcase the company’s work. Today, those landmarked homes are known collectively as Terracotta Row."
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VIDEO: Landmark Status in Pilsen: Good or Bad for the Neighborhood? August 8 2019. Photo Credit: WTTW Chicago Tonight
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"The Pilsen neighborhood has been at the center of battles over gentrification. Now the longtime Mexican American community is facing a new twist involving old buildings.
"Architectural preservationists worry that many of the neighborhood’s historic buildings will be threatened by ongoing development in the area. In May, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks recommended that the city designate parts of Pilsen as a landmark district to protect more than 700 structures, many more than 100 years old. It would also safeguard murals in the district.
“It would be the largest landmark district in Chicago,” said Ward Miller, executive director of Preservation Chicago, which worked with the city on the proposal. Miller says that while the designation would require property owners to maintain the historic look of building facades and rooflines, it would not limit changes to the building interiors or parts of the exterior not visible from the street.”
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VIDEO: Landmark Status in Pilsen: Good or Bad for the Neighborhood? August 8 2019. Photo Credit: WTTW Chicago Tonight
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"It’s been nearly three years since pro golfer Tiger Woods announced his plan to restore and merge two historic golf courses on the South Side. The $30 million project would upgrade the Jackson Park and South Shore golf courses, transforming them into a single 18-hole championship course designed by Woods, and a shorter course for children and families.
"The project has generated both criticism and praise from community members and golfers who use the existing courses, both of which are more than 100 years old.Those in favor of the project are excited about possible upgrades, and believe it could lead to the creation of jobs and opportunities for prospective junior golfers. Opponents, meanwhile, are concerned about the plan’s impact on Jackson Park and the local golf community. They worry a revamp could lead to privatization of the courses and restrictions on public access.
“We’re not opposed to improvement to the parks,” said Brenda Nelms of the nonprofit Jackson Park Watch, which has been critical of parts of the plan. “Our focus is making [sure] the park [is] accessible to as many people as possible and not developing facilities that are more focused on higher-end visitors rather than local South Siders.”
"At a press conference last week at the South Shore Cultural Center, members of the group Environmentalists of Color pressed that issue. They were responding to comments made by Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th Ward) to the Chicago Sun-Times, in which she said the nature sanctuary is not well cared for:"
“I’d like to take (Mayor Lori Lightfoot) on a tour of the nature sanctuary because it’s actually all dead. And it’s been dead for some years. They don’t plan on getting rid of the nature sanctuary. They’re gonna maintain it. And the reason that the current sanctuary is in the condition that it is is because there was nobody to maintain it,” Hairston said."
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VIDEO: Have You Discovered the South Shore Nature Sanctuary?, Openlands, June 28, 2018
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Have You Discovered the South Shore Nature Sanctuary?, Openlands, June 28, 2018
"No matter your feelings on city life, we can all appreciate a quiet moment with nature in the heart of the city. You can find one of the most sublime retreats into nature at Chicago’s South Shore Nature Sanctuary. Maintained by the Chicago Park District, the South Shore Nature Sanctuary is six acres of dunes, wetlands, woodlands, and prairies within South Shore Beach Park.
"This small nature preserve sits peacefully on the shores of Lake Michigan, home to a short boardwalk and some magnificent views of the lake and the skyline. It is a great location for a short walk in the city or to make part of a larger day in the community. There are two rest areas within the nature sanctuary if you want to bring a picnic."
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Cross-Roads of the Nation: Chicago Union Station
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Cross-Roads of the Nation: Chicago Union Station
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Cross-Roads of the Nation: Chicago Union Station
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"Chicago Union Station
From this huge passenger terminal, trains of four great railroads span the nation
Standing majestically on the Chicago River at the edge of the famoun "Loop" district is the $90 million structure of stone, steel and concrete that is Chicago's finest and most modern railroad passenger terminal - The Chicago Union Station."
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Highly Successful Chicago 7 Most Endangered 2019 Coach Tour August 17
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A special thanks to Ward Miller and Jacob Kaplan for giving an outstanding Chicago 7 Most Endangered Coach Tour and Cathie Bond for making it such a smooth and lovely event. Photo Credit: Preservation Chicago
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Preservation Chicago held a highly successful sold out “Chicago 7 Most Endangered of 2019” tour on August 17, 2019 conducted by Ward Miller (Executive Director of Preservation Chicago) and Jacob Kaplan (of Preservation Chicago and Forgotten Chicago). The coach tour visited the endangered buildings complete with a running narrative to explore the history and importance of these buildings, parks and features in Chicago and to better understand Preservation Chicago feels they are endangered and should be protected.
- Jackson Park, Midway Plaisance and South Shore Cultural Center in Woodlawn, Hyde Park and South Shore
- Laramie State Bank in Austin
- Loretto Academy/Institute of the Blessed Virgin in Woodlawn
- Justice Hammer/Lu & Jorja Palmer Mansion in Bronzeville
- Second Church of Christ, Scientist in Lincoln Park
- James R. Thompson Center/State of Illinois Building in the Loop
- Roman Catholic Churches throughout Chicago
For more information regarding the 2019 Chicago 7, please visit our website. Full Chicago 7 write-ups are available on our website.
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Other Successful PC Tours included
Chicago 7 Roseland on August 2
Jackson Park Woodlawn on August 10
Bronzeville Motor Row on August 11
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A special thanks to Eddie Torrez for leading a fascinating Motor Row Walking Tour. Photo Credit: Preservation Chicago
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A special thanks to Mike Medina and Ward Miller for bringing so much history and context to the Jackson Park Woodlawn Walking Tour. Photo Credit: Preservation Chicago
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A special thanks to Andrea Reed and Cathie Bond for helping to organize the Chicago 7 Most Endangered and Roseland Bus Tour and to Ward MIller for another excellent tour. Photo Credit: Preservation Chicago
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Volunteer for Open House Chicago. Photo Credit: Michael Courier/ Open House Chicago
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WHAT DO OHC VOLUNTEERS DO?
Volunteer Greeters are assigned to all OHC sites to welcome and count guests, answer questions and assist with crowd control and line management. Greeters typically work one four-hour shift, which leaves plenty of time to explore the city the remainder of the weekend.
Leadership Volunteers help us keep OHC running smoothly by working a full-day shift, overseeing either a cluster of nearby sites, or one particularly busy downtown site.
WHY SHOULD I VOLUNTEER FOR OHC?
In addition to meeting visitors from all over the world who share your enthusiasm for the city and its architecture, OHC volunteers receive:
A Priority Access pass and admission to Members Only sites for two
Discounted CAC membership
Discount coupon to use at the CAC Store
OHC t-shirt souvenir
Two free CAC walking tour passes
Additional benefits for Leadership Volunteers
HOW DO I SIGN UP?
If you are interested in volunteering for OHC 2019, please fill out this form. In mid-August, when volunteer registration for OHC 2019 officially opens, you will receive an email with additional information about the shift selection process and t-shirt pickup options.
The list of participating sites will be released after Labor Day, and shortly after that, registered volunteers will be able to select your volunteer shifts.
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Initiatives in Art and Culture presents
The Arts & Crafts Movement: Chicago & Environs
21st Annual Arts and Crafts Conference
September 19 - 22, 2019
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Ward Miller presents at 21st Annual Arts and Crafts Conference Chicago and Environs. Image Credit: Initiatives in Art and Culture
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21st Annual Conference on the Arts & Crafts Movement
Initiatives in Art and Culture explores Chicago as a hub for the Arts & Crafts Movement and subsequent expressions of the ongoing living spirit of the movement.
September 19 to 22, 2019
Formal sessions will take place at Glessner House, 1800 South Prairie Avenue, Chicago.
For more information, call:646-485-1952 or email: info@artinitiatives.com
Chicago’s expressions of the Arts and Crafts Movement are extraordinary. Its architecture,interiors, art, and decorative objects of the period embody something that was completely new while at the same time thoroughly rooted in tradition. H.H. Richardson’s Glessner House (1887), Burnham & Root’s Rookery (1888), and Louis Sullivan’s Auditorium (1889), just for example, exemplify this duality. So too do Frank Lloyd Wright’s Chicago masterworks.
Through talks, site visits, and collections tours, we will consider how the City’s architects, artists, and artisans developed a design vocabulary specific to the region. Perhaps they felt less constrained by convention than their peers to the east, imbued with a unique sense of possibility by a boundless horizon, whether that of Lake Michigan on one side or of the frontier (however diminished) on the other.
In our exploration, we will consider a spectrum of styles, keeping in mind that the Movement is defined by its ethos, principles, and ideals. We will examine the evolution of taste, sources of influence, the roles of relationships in defining artistic product, materials and methods of fabrication, and the use of art as a lever for social change (as at Hull House). Patronage is also key to our consideration.
Conference Highlights include:
- The Glessner House Museum (H. H. Richardson 1887)
- R.W. Glasner Studio (Edgar Miller 1928-1932, remodelled 1946)
- Home and Studio (Frank Lloyd Wright 1895)
- Unity Temple (Frank Lloyd Wright 1909)
- The Robie House (Frank Lloyd Wright 1910)
- Second Presbyterian Church (James Renwick 1874; Howard van Doren Shaw, interior after 1900 fire)
- Crab Tree Farm, a superlative collection of English and American decorative arts displayed in settings created to reflect the aesthetics of the Arts and Crafts movement
- A walking tour of downtown Chicago featuring sites such as:
- Marquette Building (Holabird & Roche 1895, featuring Tiffany mosaic murals)
- The Rookery (Burnham & Root 1888, with subsequent work by Frank Lloyd Wright)
- Monadnock Building (Burnham & Root 1891).
Among those participating are:
- Ward Miller, Executive Director, Preservation Chicago;
- Zac Bleicher, Executive Director, Edgar Miller Legacy;
- Heather Becker, CEO, The Conservation Center;
- Kathleen Cummings, independent architectural historian whose focus is the work of George W. Maher;
- Gunny Harboe, FAIA, President, Harboe Architects;
- Nate Lielasus, Northworks Architects + Planning Board of Directors, Friends of Historic Second Church History of the Art and Architecture of Second Presbyterian Church;
- William Tyre, Executive Director, Glessner House;
- Richard Guy Wilson, Commonwealth Professor of Architectural History, University of Virginia.
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Ward Miller to Speaker at Chicago Build 2019
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Ward Miller Presentation at Chicago Build 2019 Real Estate Development Summit. Photo Credit: Chicago Build 2019
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Ward Miller presents "Preservation and Adaptive Reuse in Chicago" at Chicago Build 2019 Real Estate Development Summit September 19 from 2:20 to 2:40 at McCormick Place
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Preservation Chicago Hosts
Chicago Architecture Biennial 2019 Events:
- Chicago 7 bus tour, Saturday October 5
- Benefits for All: Historic Preservation and Affordable Housing, Tuesday October 29
- Community, History, Place and Equity, Tuesday November 12
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…and other such stories, the 2019 Chicago Architecture Biennial. Logo Credit: Chicago Architecture Biennial
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Preservation Chicago's Chicago 7 Most Endangered Coach Tour - October 5
Tour hosted by Ward Miller of Preservation Chicago, and Jacob Kaplan of Forgotten Chicago
• Air conditioned coach
• Limited seats available
• Saturday, October 5
• 10 am to 3 pm
1. Jackson Park, Midway Plaisance and South Shore Cultural Center
2. Laramie State Bank in Austin
3. Loretto Academy/Institute of the Blessed Virgin in Woodlawn
4. Justice Hammer/Lu & Jorja Palmer Mansion in Bronzeville
5. Second Church of Christ, Scientist in Lincoln Park
6. James R. Thompson Center/State of Illinois Building in the Loop
7. Roman Catholic Churches throughout Chicago
Learn why these Chicago buildings and sites are endangered and why they would be a significant loss to the city and community if they are not protected or landmarked. Some of the stops this year will include:
Benefits for All: Historic Preservation and Affordable Housing - October 29
Does historic preservation contribute to the reduction of affordable housing in communities? Does it promote affordable housing? Anecdotally, there are stories that support a “yes” answer to both questions. A more important question is: What can the historic preservation movement do to support the growth of affordable housing and ensure that existing affordable housing in an area is better retained? What tools do we have now to accomplish those goals, and what new tools do we need?
Preservation Chicago will moderate a panel discussion including:
- 25th Ward Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez
- Department of Housing representative (not yet confirmed)
- Peter Holsten, Holsten Development
- Win Curran, Associate Professor at DePaul University who studies affordable housing and gentrification
- Alyssa Frystak, author of report “Small But Mighty: Combating the Affordable Housing Crisis Through Small-Scale Historic Rehabilitation”
Location: National Public Housing Museum, 625 N. Kingsbury St., Chicago
Date Options: Tuesday, October 29
Time: 1 hour 30 minutes (5:30 to 7 p.m.)
Preservation Chicago protects and revitalizes Chicago’s irreplaceable architecture, neighborhoods and urban green spaces through direct advocacy, education and technical assistance.
Community, History, Place and Equity - November 12
In some of Chicago’s historically disinvested communities, the preservation of historic places and the history of community that surrounds them have not been equitable. Preservation Chicago initiated a Neighborhood Outreach Program in 2019 to contribute to the turning of the tide. Driven by community members and facilitated by Preservation Chicago, we work collaboratively to identify historic assets in targeted community areas and develop strategies to preserve the more vulnerable of those buildings.
As the preservation community advocates for the City of Chicago to commit resources for an updated Chicago Historic Resource Survey, Preservation Chicago has embarked with community residents on parcel surveys in targeted areas defined by the community. Current CHRS data will be imported into the web-based system, and new information can be exported and shared with the City of Chicago.
The program strategies are to:
- Raise awareness of preservation as a strategy to strengthen healthy communities
- Develop strategies to protect the most vulnerable historic assets
- Develop network of community-based preservation and community development advocates
- Advance policies to expand tools for preservation
- Increase capacity of neighborhood preservation partners
- Connect people to resources
Stories will be collected and shared to remind people of the glory of these places and their importance to connect people to their history. Work in the Bronzeville and Roseland neighborhoods is well underway. We have begun the same outreach South Chicago. While the program will expand to neighborhoods across Chicago, the program’s first two years will focus predominantly on neighborhoods with historic resources that are sometimes overlooked and at great risk of being lost. Greater focus needs to be invested in implementing and developing tools and resources to protect and honor all of Chicago’s historic assets. Historic preservation is an effective tool to contribute to healthier communities with stable housing, pride of place and buildings that tell the story of the community.
The format of this event will be a panel presentation and discussion, including:
- Mary Lu Seidel, Director of Community Engagement for Preservation Chicago
- Bernard Loyd, Preservation Bronzeville representative
- Andrea Reed, Preservation Roseland representative
- A third community representative
- An alderman or city representative (potentially Alderman Susan Garza)
Ms. Seidel will give a brief program overview. Each of the community representatives will share the story of their work done to date. Then we will open up questions from the moderator (Ms. Seidel) and the audience.
Location: National Public Housing Museum
Date: November 12, 2019
Time: 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Preservation Chicago protects and revitalizes Chicago’s irreplaceable architecture, neighborhoods and urban green spaces through direct advocacy, education and technical assistance.
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46th Annual Historic Pullman House Tour
October 12 & 13, 2019
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Pullman Rowhouses. Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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46th Annual Historic Pullman House Tour
October 12 & 13, 2019
11:00am - 5:00pm
Co-sponsored by the: Pullman Civic Organization and the Historic Pullman Foundation
One weekend each year, Pullman residents open their homes to the public for the annual Historic Pullman House Tour. These 120-year-old landmark homes range from executive mansions to 14-foot wide worker's cottages to multi-unit apartments, all with a charm and uniqueness that is part of the Pullman experience.
Tour homes are chosen to present a cross-section of the different types of housing in Pullman and the many ways that homeowners blend the past and present in their historic homes.
Come visit Pullman and see behind the beautiful facades into the interiors of these landmark homes.
House Tour Weekend also will include tours of the Pullman National Monument, music at our bandstand, food, an antique car show, garage sales and so much more!
Proceeds from the Historic Pullman House Tour will help fund restoration and preservation projects in the Historic Pullman District.
Tour Information: 773.785.8901
Historic Pullman Visitor Center
11141 S. Cottage Grove Avenue
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Chicago Vocational School, 2100 E. 87th Street, Architect John Christensen, 1941. Photo Credit: Lee Bey
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Chicago Vocational School, 2100 E. 87th Street, Architect John Christensen, 1941. Photo Credit: Lee Bey
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A Chicago Landmark designation for the Chicago Vocational School will significantly help the Avalon Park neighborhood:
- Create tourism revenue and increase their property value to allocate for development and community upgrades.
- Validate the rich history that our district and school had while educating the nation of their unique role in World War II and contribution to American Architecture.
- Support the potential eligibility for grants, tax credits, and other opportunities to maintain its historic character and contribute to beautifying the neighborhood.
Construction began on the Art Moderne Chicago Vocational School in 1939, and it was opened in 1941. Costs for construction were funded by the Works Progress Administration. During World War II the vocational school served the war effort and it trained many United States Navy mechanics.
"Chicago Vocational's original concept was revolutionary. The school system figured out the world of the 1940s and beyond would need more machinists, auto mechanics, electricians, architectural draftsmen, food service experts, sheet metal workers, complex printing machine operators–and more–so they built a school to fill the need. The school was built for 6,000 students, all male, originally, who would graduate with certificates proving they were work-ready." (WBEZ, Bey)
"The interior ornament incorporated Art Deco influences, while the exterior was fashioned in the Art Moderne style. The mostly unadorned stone façade incorporated a series of bas relief sculpted panels depicting individual trades taught at the school. Chicago Vocational School would lead an era of modernism in the Chicago Public Schools." (Context Statement, Bauer Latoza Studio)
Additional Reading
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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 decisionmakers 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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LOST CHICAGO...BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
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Woman's Temple
by Burnham and Root
Built in 1892. Demolished in 1926
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Women's Temple, Burnham and Root. Built in 1892. Demolished in 1926. Image Credit: Rand, McNally & Co.'s Pictorial Chicago: Containing Views of Principal Buildings, Residences, Streets, Parks, Monuments, etc. (Chicago: Rand, McNally, 1901), unpaginated. From the Newberry Library Collection.
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Women's Temple, Burnham and Root. Built in 1892. Demolished in 1926. Image Credit: Image Credit: Chuckman Postcard Collection
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Women's Temple, Burnham and Root. Built in 1892. Demolished in 1926. Image Credit: J.W. Taylor, Ryerson & Burnham Archives Archival Image Collection
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Women's Temple, Burnham and Root. Built in 1892. Demolished in 1926. Entrance Detail Image Credit: "Inland Architect" vol. 19, no.5, Ryerson & Burnham Archives Archival Image Collection
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Woman's Temple
Architect: Burnham and Root
Location: Southeast corner of S. LaSalle and W. Monroe Streets
Built: 1892
Demolished: 1926
"Among John Wellborn Root's last designs was the splendid headquarters for Frances Willard's Woman's Christian Temperance Union. For this building, constructed in 1892, on the southeast corner of LaSalle and Monroe Streets, Root turned away from the more virile Romanesque style and found his inspiration in the chateaux of France's Loire Valley. Ironically, the Woman's Temple was demolished in 1926 when the organization that it housed was at the height of its power." (Lost Chicago, David Lowe, page 142)
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If You Value Preservation In Chicago...
Please Support
Preservation Chicago
!
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Demolition of Crawford Power Station, by Graham, Anderson, Probst and White, built 1926. Demolished May 2019. Photo Credit: Mary Lu Seidel / Preservation Chicago
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- Be Heard! Attend community meetings and make your voice heard!
THANK YOU from your friends at Preservation Chicago!
For larger donors wishing to support Preservation Chicago, please contact Ward Miller regarding the Preservation Circle details and a schedule of events. wmiller@preservationchicago.org or 773-334-8800.
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