Please click the 'Unsubscribe' button in the footer (key shortcut "End" takes you there)

"This weekend, Chicagoans will get their first opportunity to explore the new visitor center at Pullman National Monument on the city's far south side. The attraction opens within the restored Pullman Clock Tower and Administration building at 11001 S. Cottage Grove Avenue and serves as the focal point for the 12-acre monument campus.

"Designed in the late-Victorian style by Solon S. Beman, the clocktower was the architectural centerpiece of the community created in the 1880s by industrialist George Pullman to build his eponymous rail sleeper cars. Although envisioned as a master-planned utopia where employees would both live and work, the town was at the center of numerous labor and civil rights struggles including a bloody 1894 strike that brought the nation's railway system to its knees.

"The monument's master developer is the Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives. The restoration of the Clock Tower and Administration building was overseen by architecture firm Bauer Latoza Studio and included "new plumbing/fire protection, HVAC, telecom, and electrical systems, and exterior building repairs," according to general contractor GMA Construction Group. The visitor center is located on the building's ground floor. Work on the upper floors is ongoing.

"Taking place on September 4 and 5, the Labor Day weekend grand opening celebration features guided tours of the visitor center, the nearby historic Hotel Florence, and three historic Pullman-built rail cars at the 111th Street Metra Station.

"Supporters of the monument hope the facility will be an economic driver for the Pullman community, which has seen encouraging signs of growth in recent years." (Koziarz, Urbanize Chicago, 9/2/21)

Preservation Chicago has been working with community and civic partners and organizations for many years on this effort and we are delighted that the long envision grand opening has finally happened! We're also hoping for a complementary Chicago Landmark District in the neighboring Roseland community to include "the Pullman Lands" and to drive economic development on South Michigan Avenue in Roseland.

"On August 16, the Obama Foundation started work on the Obama Presidential Center, but without the fanfare that one might expect. Over the past five years, the Center's South Side Chicago location has prompted multiple lawsuits and a recent Supreme Court petition.

"It's not that Chicagoans don't want the Center—many seem excited for the economic opportunities it will bring. Rather, opponents, like the non-profit organization Protect our Parks, do not want the Center built in Jackson Park, where they say it will cause '"irreparable' environmental harm.

"Positioned between the University of Chicago and Lake Michigan, Jackson Park is a 550-acre green space in the southeastern edge of the city, used for everything from family get-togethers to sporting events.

"The park's lush tree canopy is a refuge from the sweltering summer heat, which has been growing increasingly worse due to climate change. Trees can reduce local temperatures by as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit. 'We go [to Jackson Park] to be cooler, to be comfortable as we hang out,' Jeannette Hoyt, director of CCAM Research Partners and former resident of the area, told EHN, adding that many of the nearby residents can't afford air conditioning. Hoyt is not affiliated with Protect our Parks.

"However, if the Center's construction continues as planned, some of those trees will come down. According to a 2020 Environmental Assessment of the area conducted by the National Park Service, the project will remove 326 trees at the site of the Center, along with an additional 463 trees due to project-related construction, including transportation improvements and relocation of the park's track and field.

"Aside from their cooling effect, the environmental benefit of trees in this area also include the removal of roughly 22 tons of carbon dioxide and 342 pounds of air pollution each year, according to a 2018 survey of the area. The latter is especially important in a city that is ranked as the 16th most polluted city in the US for ozone pollution and whose asthma rates surpass national averages.

"Protect Our Park and other community members are pushing for the Center to be relocated to nearby Washington Park. 'It's relatively treeless,' said Hoyt, who points out that there are also many vacant lots in the area that the Foundation could build on.

"'It would bring the same amount of jobs [and] it would bring more tourism" since it's near a major train line, she added. 'And we get to save...our safe space' and the environmental benefits it provides. (Vasquez, Environmental Health News, 8/31/21)

Obama Presidential Center Construction Officially Begins In Jackson Park; After years of delays, the Obama Foundation and the city have finally started to build the presidential center in Jackson Park and overhaul the area's road layout, Maxwell Evans, Block Club Chicago, 8/16/21

"The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a request by a Chicago parks preservation group for a temporary halt to construction of the Obama Presidential Center, which officially kicked off in Jackson Park Monday.

"Justice Amy Coney Barrett issued the decision Friday without comment, declining to provide the emergency injunction sought by Protect Our Parks.

"Supreme Court intervention was considered unlikely, but the group’s lawsuit will continue.

"'Today’s Supreme Court decision is disappointing, but not surprising. We still believe that preserving the status quo is fundamental to preventing irreparable harm in Jackson Park,' Michael Rachlis, a lawyer for Protect Our Parks and other plaintiffs on the suit, said in a statement.

"'Nonetheless, our core arguments seek to protect the long-term environmental and historical resources in Jackson Park, and we look forward to presenting our evidence and these arguments in the appellate and district court in the coming weeks.'

"The group, whose bid for an emergency halt to construction was rejected by a lower court, has advocated for an alternate location in Washington Park and has argued in court that current plans will clear-cut 1,000 mature trees, disrupt migratory bird patterns and contribute to more harmful air emissions by snarling traffic.

"In addition to breaking ground on the South Side Jackson Park site in recent days, the Obama Foundation also released documents that detail the latest and most comprehensive price tag yet for the center: $830 million.

"On the expense side, the tax form details that the foundation spent $41 million last year, down from 2019′s $55 million total. The highest-paid officials were CEO David Simas, who made $608,066 in 2020; Executive Director Robbin Cohen, whose salary was $551,913; and then-foundation President Adewale Adeyemo, at $546,477

"The Obama center campus has been years in the making, with Obama announcing in 2016 that he picked the historic Jackson Park on the South Side to be the future site. The campus will include a museum, Obama Foundation offices, a public library branch, an athletic center and an outdoor recreation space. Its opening initially had been set for this year, but almost five years of obstacles have stood in the way.

"Those hurdles included two lawsuits from park preservationists and a long-running federal review process, which officially wrapped up in February."

James R. Thompson Center, 1985, Helmut Jahn, 100 W. Randolph Street. Photo Credit: Serhii Chrucky

"The state has extended the cutoff date for any would-be buyers to bid on Chicago’s James R. Thompson Center, but officials say they’re sticking to their April 2022 deadline to put the sold sign up on the downtown state government building.

"The due date to bid — or respond to the state’s request for proposals — had been Aug. 30. But that date was pushed to Oct. 8, according to documents reviewed by the Tribune and information from the state’s Central Management Services office.

"The delay comes just weeks after Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the city extended the deadline for bidders to submit proposals for a Chicago casino, a move that comes as the city struggles to generate interest in the project. The state didn’t respond to a question about whether interest in the Thompson Center was lacking, instead saying interested parties asked for an extension.

"'Several vendors interested in responding to the RFP (request for proposal) have requested additional time to develop their proposals to reflect a number of positive developments that will impact pricing including the zoning change passed by City Council, memorandum of understanding with the Chicago Transit Authority, and a memorandum of agreement with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources,” CMS said in a statement.

"In June, the state Historic Preservation Office, which is part of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, signed a memorandum of agreement that the Thompson Center should not be considered a 'historic resource.'

"The document appears to have been created in anticipation of the building’s sale, and it states a sale and potential demolition 'would not constitute an adverse effect on a historic resource protected under the Illinois State Agency Historic Resources Preservation Act.'

"Preservationists see the agreement as a way to remove any barriers to developers swooping up the property and tearing down the Thompson Center. (Donovan, Chicago Tribune, 8/19/21)

"How about turning the James R. Thompson Center into a waterpark resort, complete with thrilling waterfalls? Or adding a conical spire to showcase 3D LED images? Maybe its glass skin could be tinted, with occupants controlling it for their comfort.

"Those were among the proposals chosen as finalists in a competition for ideas to reuse the longtime hub for state government at 100 W. Randolph St. The distinctive product of the late architect Helmut Jahn and regarded by many as landmark-worthy is an asset the state wants to sell, raising the specter of its demolition.

"Seven proposals for saving the 17-story building were named finalists Tuesday in a competition sponsored by the Chicago Architecture Center and the Chicago Architectural Club. A jury of leading experts in design and preservation chose the finalists from 59 entries. A winner will be announced Sept. 14.

"Thomas Heatherwick, founder of Heatherwick Studio and a member of the competition’s jury, said a main concern was 'how to ‘crack open’ the ground floor of the Thompson Center and make it breathe life into the streets. The strongest proposals show how emphasizing the ground experience and creating a dynamism inside the building can become an attractor that brings a new chemistry to the city. There is such a great opportunity here to re-imagine a new type of public space and again showcase Chicago as a global hub for top design.'

"Whether any plan has a chance at implementation rests with Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the private market. The state has not pledged to consider any preservation ideas and is motivated to get top dollar from someone who would replace it with a high-rise. But private interests, their calculations upset by the pandemic, may be reluctant to assume the risk.

"The state has extended until Oct. 8 its deadline for proposals to acquire the site. It has said it wants to execute a sale by February 2022." (Roeder, Chicago Sun-Times, 8/24/21)

"A historic Edgewater church that houses a vital men’s homeless shelter is up for sale, creating uncertainty about the future of both.

"Epworth United Methodist Church, 5253 N. Kenmore Ave., has been a neighborhood landmark for more than 130 years, its distinctive boulder walls dating to when the newly developing Edgewater community was annexed into Chicago.

"But a once-thriving congregation that could fill a sanctuary built for 600 people now numbers only 30 to 35 members. And the surviving worshipers can’t afford the upkeep on the aging 22,500-square-foot structure.

"That’s an old but increasingly common story in Chicago. It’s a problem that crosses neighborhoods and denominations, as city dwellers turn away from organized religion, leaving church buildings underutilized and without resources for repairs.

"Over the past four decades, one of the church’s most important roles has been to provide space for a homeless shelter with beds for up to 67 men who sleep in the building’s second-floor gymnasium. The shelter, operated since 2009 by Cornerstone Community Outreach, is one of the last homeless shelters for men on the North Side and the only one in Edgewater.

"Since last year, the shelter has been operating at about two-thirds capacity because of social distancing requirements forced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The planned sale of the church was brought to my attention by Anne Sullivan, a self-described community 'troublemaker' who lives next door to Epworth in a senior apartment building. Fearful that a sale could see the church torn down to make way for a high-rise residential development, Sullivan started a petition drive to win city landmark protection for the building. It’s already on the National Register of Historic Places, but that designation affords it little practical protection.

"Sullivan says she has been met with an outpouring of support from neighbors fond of the familiar, old structure.

"Ald. Harry Osterman (48th) agrees Epworth is a 'very important part of the fabric of the community. My goal is to save the building, make it be more functional. I don’t want some developer to knock it down and build condos. There will not be a high-rise there, period.'

"Osterman says he considers the church a 'historic building' and says he is exploring legal options for protecting it but suggests that he’d prefer to work cooperatively with a nonprofit owner interested in some 'good community adaptive re-use.'

"The building has some significant problems, but it’s in better shape than many old churches in Chicago that I’ve visited. The foundation is settling, which has caused a large crack that’s visible along the top of the basement wall. But Sansone says the crack is no worse than when he joined the church 24 years ago. 'It’s not crumbling down,' he says of the structure.

"Still, there’s no question the building needs serious work, more than $500,000 to fix it says Sassone, and the congregation doesn’t have the money.

"Let’s hope they find a way to keep this piece of history by making it a part of a better future for the residents of Edgewater." (Brown, Chicago Sun-Times, 8/20/21)

"Supporters who want to prevent Epworth Church from any future potential of demolition, request that 48th Ward Alderman Harry Osterman and Commissioner Maurice Cox, Department of Planning and Development immediately begin steps to provide landmark status to Epworth Methodist Church at 5253 N Kenmore built in 1890.

Lake View State Bank / Belmont National Bank Building, 1921, Ivar Viehe-Naess, 3179 N. Clark Street. Demolished August 2021. Photo credit: @ChicagoBars on Twitter

"Preservationists are trying to stop a developer from tearing down an old bank building in Lakeview to make way for a massive commercial project.

"Crews began demolishing the Fifth-Third Bank building, 3179 N. Clark St., on Friday. The city’s Department of Buildings approved a demolition permit for the two-story building Aug. 4, records show.

"This is one of several Fifth Third buildings being torn down and replaced with a mystery tenant. At least one of the projects has already been shut down because a developer wouldn’t tell the alderman which tenant planned to move in. Hubbard Street Group, the developer behind the Lakeview project and another in Lincoln Square, also are refusing to disclose to aldermen and neighbors what the anchor retailers would be.

"The Lakeview building is not a Chicago landmark, but representatives from Preservation Chicago said a request to tear down the building should have triggered an additional review to see if the bank had historical features worth salvaging. They want the demolition permit revoked and the city to impose a 90-day hold, which is common for historical properties.

"'This demolition could have some consequences,' said Ward Miller, executive director of Preservation Chicago.

"Hubbard Street Group wants to redevelop the property into a two-story commercial building with underground parking, according to plans listed on Ald. Tom Tunney’s (44th) website. Bank officials say the branch will move back into the building once construction is complete, but the development’s other tenants remain shrouded in mystery. [Amazon Fresh is commonly assumed to be the mystery tenant]

"Miller said 'there’s no reason [Hubbard Street Group] couldn’t have engaged this building into those development plans, and there’s still no reason they still can’t. I think there’s still time to correct that by revoking the permit and figuring out a way to incorporate the facade in the new development. There’s a lot of opportunity here for a really wonderful project that integrates the building facade. We just have to all work together toward a good outcome.'

"Other neighbors have opposed tearing down the bank. A Change.org petition has more than 2,000 signatures in favor of stopping the demolition. 'I’ve lived in Lakeview for the last seven years and noticed we’ve lost a lot of buildings along Clark Street to newer developments,' said neighbor Michael Jon, who launched the petition. 'This bank building has been here for about 100 years now, and I’d hate to lose it to the rapidly changing character of the neighborhood.'

"A spokesman for the Department of Planning and Development said the city was not obligated to place any demolition holds on the property since it is not marked as historically significant. They would not answer further questions." (Wittich, Block Club Chicago, 8/17/21)

"The Drake, which was put up for sale Thursday, sits at a 90-degree angle to the lake, meaning that an arrival from the north allows for the full-frontal pleasure of Benjamin Marshall and Charles Fox’s 1920 building, built in the style of the Italian Renaissance. The eye takes in the skyscrapers on the vertical, sure, but the visually unencumbered Drake Hotel dominates the horizontal, rising up from blue water, beach and shady trees like it was in Acapulco or St. Tropez.

"The Drake cost a fortune to build. But the founding partners, which included Palmers, McCormicks and most of the prominent Chicago names of the day, knew that its position was unrivaled in the city. A century later, it faces north but also directly out at the water, thanks to Lake Shore Drive’s judiciously placed curve. It’s the closest Chicago has to an Arc de Triomphe. And you can’t get a drink there. No wonder weddings take place out front.

"Right from the 1920s, the 535-room Drake functioned as a transitional conduit from the grand old residential real estate to its east (perhaps the most sought-after clutch of residences in the Midwest) to the retail and commerce found to the west and south. And because of its block-long frontage on Michigan Avenue, the hotel building also holds numerous jewel-box retail spaces, all of which are gateways in themselves to the boutiques of Oak Street. They’ve long housed fashionable tenants like Chanel. To a large extent, the Drake made Oak Street happen.

"The Drake, operated of late as a Hilton-affiliated property, has not been at the top of its game for several years. Some investment has been forthcoming, but not enough to reflect its potential. Although many staffers have been widely admired, the Drake has remained too stuffy, too closed off to its city, when similar hotels in other cities have opened up and spilled outdoors. And during the pandemic, the Drake suffered mightily like all hotels, closing for a time. During the last summer of protest, its retail emporiums were boarded up, signaling the scale of the problems faced on Michigan Avenue. Across the street from the Drake, tenants have been fleeing.

"The issue here is one of economic and visual centrality and the ability of this particular building to fuse a crucial residential area that puts people on the streets day and night with the commerce that needs their support. That’s the key to future development of the hotel. And all the surrounding blocks.

"The Drake is controlled by the Brashears family and Acore Capital. Edwin L. Brashears Sr. was in a partnership that acquired the Drake Hotel from the Drake family in 1930, a decade after it was built. His son, Charles “Chick” Brashears, died in 2008 after a lifetime spent mostly working there. According to Bloomberg, the brokerage JLL thinks the hotel could fetch $250 million or more.

"We hope attention is paid by the Brashears to more than the bottom line. We hope humans continue to live or stay at the Drake and that the hotel is requalified as captain of North Michigan Avenue. We hope the old ballrooms will still join hands in marriage, that neighbors of a certain age will still be welcome to go there for a discreet cocktail, that the Palm Court gossip will continue and new life will be found and more diverse guests welcomed.

"Especially as the great road outside the Drake’s doors gets rethought and rebuilt.

"And may the Drake’s retail frontage thrive with blingy window displays that give pedestrians reasons to keep walking, under Lake Shore Drive and out to the water. Where you can breathe.

"The Drake is crucial to Chicago. It needs a caring new steward. (Chicago Tribune Editorial Board, 8/12/21)

"The Little Village Arch, a gateway into the predominantly Latino Southwest Side neighborhood, has received a preliminary landmark designation — the first time an architect of Mexican descent has had a structure get landmark status in Chicago.

"The Commission on Chicago Landmarks on Thursday unanimously approved preliminary landmark status for architect Adrian Lozano’s arch, 3100 W. 26th St., which welcomes residents and visitors to the neighborhood that is often referred to as the 'Mexican capital of the Midwest.'

"The arch also becomes the first iconic symbol of the Latino community in Chicago to be landmarked, Department of Planning and Development officials said.

"Ald. George Cardenas (12th) and the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), which is responsible for maintaining the arch, both supported the landmarking status. Cardenas said it was a significant moment for the Little Village community.

"'This shines a light on our community in so many ways. The vibrancy of our community and what it means to us … the Mexican community,' Cardenas said.

"Commissioner Tiara Hughes said she was shocked this was the first time a Mexican architect’s work was coming before the landmarks board.

"'This is 2021,' Hughes said. 'We obviously have a long way to go in our city in becoming more equitable at landmarking and preservation — and it starts today.'

"'I’m overly in support of this and hope there are more projects of this nature to come,' Hughes added. 'I’m excited that we are moving beyond buildings. We are stepping into the realm of landmarking cultural components of people’s communities that really represent and reflect them.'

"The Little Village Arch also ushers neighbors and visitors through the commercial corridor known as the second-highest revenue generator in the city after the Magnificent Mile.

"One of the few houses of worship designed by famed Chicago architect Louis Sullivan is wrapping up a months-long exterior restoration this week.

"Since May, Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral, 1121 N. Leavitt St., has replaced cracked stucco walls, refurbished its extensive metal ornamentation and installed new windows in the church’s rectory, among other projects.

"'It was just one of those things that was greatly needed,” said the Rev. Alexander Koranda, dean and administrator of the parish. 'The structure was fine, but the actual aesthetics and outside was in pretty difficult shape, in rough shape.'

"Built in 1903, the cathedral and rectory have been an official Chicago Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places since the 1970s.

At first glance, the cathedral’s soaring cupolas and octagonal dome don’t seem to mesh with Sullivan’s better known work, like the Auditorium Building and Carson Pirie Scott department store in The Loop. But Koranda says the architect’s style is apparent in many of building’s details, like the archway over the front doors and the metal ornamentation and beading along the cathedral’s windows.

"'That canopy over the top when you walk in, that’s like signature Sullivan with the kind of wavy lines and things like that,' he said.

The total cost of the restoration is expected to run about $600,000. It’s been partially funded by a $250,000 Adopt-A-Landmark grant from the city. The rest is being raised privately. So far, the effort has been pretty successful, Koranda said. He’s even had neighbors stop him in the street to pass along a few bucks.

"'People love this temple. It’s a holy site for Orthodox Christians, but even just being a landmark, you know, it’s a very popular site in Chicago,” he said. Inside, the sanctuary’s ornate interior includes paintings of saints and Bible stories, as well as a chandelier designed and donated by Sullivan himself.

"The cathedral is a regular site in the Chicago Architecture Center’s annual Open House Chicago, and has hosted tours during the restoration. The next one scheduled is for Sept. 11. They’re also available by appointment." (Myers, Block Club Chicago, 8/24/21)

"The Chicago Park District should be our city’s proudest institution — a $480 million agency in charge of maintaining and programming an enviable collection of parks and green space, plus holding sway over the best public lakefront in the nation.

"But lately, the park district seems intent on lousing up everything it has going for it, from its abysmal handling of a female lifeguard’s complaints of sexual harassment by Oak Street Beach lifeguards, to the agency’s nutty decision to allow Amazon to install huge retail lockers in city parks.

"Add to these unforced errors a general slippage in parks maintenance and upkeep — in landmark Jackson Park, for instance — and patron-unfriendly moves such as surge pricing for parking on holidays.

"Add, as well, a general unease that the district’s administration has seemed out of touch at times with the best interests of the average user of the district’s facilities. That’s been nagging at us for about the last five years, ever since the district’s top executives embraced a plan to create a championship golf course from two existing — and highly affordable — South Side courses without doing their homework to answer the most basic questions, such as whether the average duffer could ever afford to play there.

"We believe the Chicago Park District needs a reset in its mission, and possibly in its leadership.

"Kelly and his team also are behind a wrongheaded deal to put more than 100 ungainly Amazon Hub lockers — some of which are 15 feet wide — in parks across the city.

"The park district, which made the decision without any public or board input, likely will net a piddling $137,000 a year from the arrangement, Block Club Chicago reported Monday,

"'Amazon should not be occupying public space regardless of what they offer,” Ald. Rossana Rodriguez (33rd), said Monday on Twitter. “But we have to note that 137K is a slap in the face.'

"This is true.

"'[Corporations] like Amazon that don’t pay taxes impact our ability to fund public services, like parks,' she wrote.

"This also is true. And the park district was wrong to even entertain such a deal.

"But it’s time that the park district board and Lightfoot, who has defended Kelly, make it clear to the superintendent that they want him to run a tighter, cleaner ship from now on — or be prepared to walk the plank if he doesn’t." (Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board, 8/24/21)

"Rectangular banks of Amazon lockers are sprouting like geometric invasive species in parks across Chicago.

"You may have spotted a few in your travels, but if not, allow me to paint a picture: They look like ugly lockers someone left behind in a park because they were too embarrassed to keep carrying them. That’s pretty much it.

"They’re dark-blue-ish, they’ve got the Amazon logo on them, and they feature exactly the kind of messaging you don’t want to read while taking a walk to clear your head: 'Order at Amazon, pick up here.'

"It’s as if capitalism’s dog pooped in the park and nobody cleaned it up.

"Amazon has been branching out by launching bricks-and-mortar shops and taking over Whole Foods and setting up pickup and drop-off kiosks in 7-Elevens and all manner of other stores. I assume a moon-based Amazon distribution center is in the offing.

"But parks? Does the company think people often go on evening strolls carrying the juicer they need to return to Amazon? Like they’ll be walking along, savoring the scenery and night air, spot an Amazon locker and say, 'Well, I’ll be darned. Good thing I brought this juicer. It’s great that these convenient lockers are blocking my view of stupid nature!'

"Block Club Chicago reported Monday that Amazon plans to install more than 100 locker hubs in city parks, and about 50 are already in place. Through a public records request, Block Club obtained a copy of the contract between Amazon and the Chicago Park District that details the rental arrangement.

"For a 6-foot-wide bank of lockers, Amazon would pay $50 a month in rent. For the largest size — 15 feet — the company would pay $125 a month.

"If the Park District approved more than 100 locker locations, according to the contract, Amazon will provide a one-time payment of $200 alocker....Amazon would pay the Park District $170,000 for the first full year. That’s roughly what Amazon founder Jeff Bezos makes in the time it took me to type this sentence. These rates mean the cheapest apartment in the city is now a park-based Amazon locker.

"I realize the Park District is looking for alternative funding streams. But in the grand scheme of things, that’s not much money, and it comes at the expense of the long-standing American belief that locker bays shouldn’t just be plunked down in parks, because they look really ugly and stupid. (I’m fairly sure that was first detailed in Henry David Thoreau’s sequel to 'Walden,' titled 'Who The Hell Put Lockers By My Pond?')

"Juanita Irizarry, executive director of Friends of the Parks, previously told Block Club: 'Chicago’s parks should not be for sale.'

"I agree. But if they were for sale, I would recommend charging a good bit more than $170,000 a year. Bezos has created a world in which we can get underwear delivered overnight (don’t ask why I picked underwear, that’s none of your business), but I don’t think that earns him cheap rental costs in our green spaces.

"Let’s keep our parks pristine, and our columnists cloaked in drab, bulky steel containers. As the universe intended." (Huppe, Chicago Tribune, 8/24/21)

"The Phyllis Wheatley Home served Chicago's black community for 75 years and over 50 years in this location -- the preservation of this building will keep alive the memories of the black women who devoted their work to protecting and advancing black women’s rights.

"At present, this building with significant historical memory and meaning faces an uncertain future with the threat of its demolition. Preservation Chicago has named the Phyllis Wheatley Home as one of the seven most endangered buildings of 2021 in Chicago. The Chicago Architectural Club (CAC) is calling for new visions in the form of posters as the first step to initiate crowd-sourcing ideas to save this site and honor its memory by imagining a new life and purpose for the Phyllis Wheatley Home.

"Dr. Joann Tate - owner of the Phyllis Wheatley Home - envisions the continued future of the home as “a transformative oasis for Black Women who need any type of positive and/or productive transitioning”. What is the future of the last standing Phyllis Wheatley Home in Chicago?

"The Chicago Architectural Club is calling for digital 11x17 posters - be it in the form of a sketch, a design proposal, or written statement. This does not need to be a formal design proposal. This call for ideas is open to architects, designers, artists, historians, students, policy makers, and anyone interested in Chicago's history and the design of a more equitable future.

"Selected posters will be displayed in the fall of 2021 as a Partner Program of the Chicago Architectural Biennial 'The Available City'. The following materials should be submitted:

"One or multiple (maximum of two) 11 inch x 17 inch poster (tabloid) oriented in portrait format @ 300 dpi resolution; RGB. Participants can submit more than one entry. Each entry can be a maximum of 2 portrait sheets.

"Submissions are electronic and submitted via email only to: competitionentries@chicagoarchitecturalclub.org. The email subject line should read '2021 CAB Partner Program_Phyllis Wheatley Home'. There is no submission fee.

"This is not an architectural design competition. Selected entries will be published on the CAC’s website and social media and will be exhibited during the 2021 Chicago Architecture Biennial “The Available City”.

"Call for ideas: Thursday, August 26, 2021

"Poster Submission Deadline: Sunday, September 26, 2021, at 5PM CST

"Questions should be emailed to: competitionentries@chicagoarchitecturalclub.org

Krause Music Store building, 1922, William C. Presto with facade design by Louis Sullivan, 4611 N. Lincoln Avenue. Designated a Chicago Landmark on September 28, 1977. Photo Credit: Studio V / Peter and Pooja Vukosavich 

"The owners of a nearly 100-year-old Lincoln Square building are holding out hope they will find a buyer after more than two years on the market.

"The Krause Music Store building, 4611 N. Lincoln Ave., has been a retail storefront, a funeral parlor, a boutique and a marketing business since it was built in 1922. It’s possibly the last building in Chicago designed by famous architect Louis Sullivan.

"Owners Peter and Pooja Vukosavich bought the building in 2005 and renovated for two years before opening Studio V Design there. They closed the business in July 2019 and have tried to sell the building since. They recently started selling knickknacks, housewares and office supplies out of the storefront, leading some neighbors to think they’ve opened a pop-up store.

"The building’s origins start with William P. Krause, a businessman who sold pianos and phonographs. Krause commissioned architect William C. Presto to design a small building in Lincoln Square that would serve as his store and home, according to 'The Complete Architecture of Adler & Sullivan.'

"Presto served as a draftsman under Sullivan during the “jewel box” design and construction of the Farmers and Merchants Union Bank in Columbus, Wisconsin. After the bank was completed, Sullivan’s firm didn’t have much work for Presto, so he struck out on his own. One of his earliest commissions was the three-story building for Krause.

"When Presto was designing the facade of the Lincoln Avenue building, he contacted his old boss to see if he wanted to take on the project. Presto worried Sullivan would not want to work on something so small, but Sullivan accepted the job.

"By 1922, Sullivan completed the design for an ornate terracotta facade with an ornamental 'K' for Krause that still stands out along the Lincoln Avenue commercial corridor. He oversaw the creation of the blocks at American Terra Cotta and Ceramic Company in suburban Crystal Lake and then their installation on the front of building.

"'Sullivan’s contribution is limited to just the facade of the Krause music store. But it was Louis Sullivan’s last big commission, and it uses the beautiful ‘jewel box’ design similar to the jewel box banks he designed that are scattered across the Midwest,' said Ward Miller, Preservation Chicago’s executive director.

"For the next 60 years, the building operated as a funeral parlor. Later, it was a boutique named the Museum of Decorative Arts, according to WTTW. When Pooja and Peter Vukosavich bought it, they found the old terracotta blocks Sullivan’s workers left in the yard more than 80 years earlier.

"'We dug them up and now we have them in our office as a little piece of history,' Peter Vukosavich said. 'They’re going to stay with the building because I really think they are still part of the building and should belong to the next owner.'

"The property has been a city landmark since 1977 due to its facade being 'representative of Sullivan’s masterly use of ornament” and the 'meticulous attention' he paid to the decorative elements.

"The building is for sale for $2.25 million. For more information about the building and items being sold, click here." (Hernandez, Block Club Chicago, 8/17/21)

 "A cornerstone of Chicago’s once-bustling meatpacking industry has a shot at a new life after sitting empty for almost half a century.

"The Stock Yards Bank building has towered over the corner of Halsted Street and Exchange Avenue since 1925, withstanding a fire that wiped out much of the surrounding yards in 1934 and a drastically shifting workforce since the stockyards closed in 1971.

"Modeled after Independence Hall in Philadelphia, the building housed financial institutions for decades and, later, a handful of businesses for its last years of operation. It was closed in 1973, which led to more deterioration and 8 feet of standing water in the basement for nearly a decade.

"Now, it is poised for revival. Developers and city officials spent part of the past year stabilizing the building and repairing the most severe damage. With the building structurally sound again, local leaders said they hope someone will step up to redevelop it into a modern amenity that can anchor the South Side community as the bank once did.

"'I think this would be a tremendous catalyst,' said Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson (11th), whose ward includes the building. 'I think having a vibrant Stockyard Bank Building will just help solidify that part of the community.'

"The bank, 4120 S. Halsted St., sits east of the Union Stock Yards gate, one of the entrances to the meatpacking industry. At 45,000 square feet, it was built to meet the need of the burgeoning 1920s economy.

"Abraham Epstein designed the building; he later became renowned for his role in designing the stock yards after the 1934 fire, which destroyed structures around the bank. The building has steel framing with concrete floor slabs, and it’s decked out with terracotta and ornate details. The lobby has 19-foot-high ceilings, marble floors and pendant chandeliers.

"The building has its quirks, too. Tucked into a column in the first-floor lobby is a pill box where guards watched over the halls of the financial hub. The spot was used to deter robberies by the rifle-wielding security team.

"Frances Rovituso-Strange, a coordinating architect with the city’s Assets, Information and Services department, said such grandiose details are unheard of in modern construction, which is dominated by buildings of 'glass and steel.' 'This type of architecture is just not feasible anymore,' she said.

"The two banks that originally called the building home merged, and the institution moved out in 1965. The Union Stock Yards closed midnight July 30, 1971, and the bank building has been closed since 1973.

"The city bought the building in 2000, saving it from demolition. Officials did minor renovations in 2007 and granted it landmark status in 2008.

"'If we were to tear down buildings like this, that have so much history, our future generations would not have a clue as to what encompassed Chicago and how it developed and how it progressed and what influenced what is going on today,' Rovituso-Strange said. 'It has so much history and beauty to it that to demolish something like that would just be a crime, in my opinion.'

"Wight & Company completed the $1.5 million in upgrades over the last few months of 2020. Ornate pieces like the exterior terracotta were removed and stored inside the building. The 8 feet of water in the basement was pumped out, revealing intensive damage — and multiple bank vaults. The crew cleaned and tuckpointed the south facade to show what the building will look like when it’s redone.

"'We were really impressed when we got on the inside because it’s a really beautiful building. The proportions are wonderful,' Steffes said. 'The materials were high quality, and some of those still exists. It’s got wonderful light, and it has a lot of opportunity to it. You don’t have to rebuild it back. You don’t have to mimic it or adjust something in its like. It is physically there, and it’s in good shape. And so with some minimal effort, this thing can be brought back to its glory days and be a true representation of what the community was.'

"Any rehab of the building would need to meet modern code requirements, comply with historical guidelines and get approval from the Chicago Landmarks Commission. Reviving the building could cost $20-25 million, officials said.

"And Thompson still holds out hope his plan could come to fruition. The first floor could be converted into a restaurant, using the square footage for dining and a banquet hall. The alderman suggested a steakhouse, a hat tip to the area’s past. The second story could be a museum honoring to the city’s history as 'hog butcher for the world,' as immortalized in Carl Sandburg’s poem.

"'It’s not just to have the building there, but it’s more to have the building there with a connection to what it meant, and a connection to what the stockyards meant to the city,' Thompson said." (Boyle, Block Club Chicago, 8/17/21)

"Four bridges at Montrose Harbor will soon be rebuilt, though crews will retain and reuse the existing structure’s historical features.

"The city’s Plan Commission voted Thursday to approve the rebuilding of the bridges at Montrose that separate car traffic from pedestrian paths. The bridges to be rebuilt are on Montrose and Wilson avenues plus two along the harbor’s main road, Simonds Drive.

"The bridges were originally built in 1936 and their concrete support structures have deteriorated in recent years, according to a Chicago Department of Transportation document. Each bridge span will be demolished and rebuilt using the existing bridge dimensions, according to the transportation agency, which is leading the project.

"The bridges’ limestone facades and other ornamental flourishes will be reused on the new structures, the department said. New lighting will also be installed, and the pedestrian underpasses below the bridge will receive new pavement, curbs and landscaping. Work is expected to be completed by 2023." (Ward, Block Club Chicago, 8/26/21)

"A developer is moving forward with plans to redevelop the former home of Wing Hoe Restaurant in Edgewater, reviving an effort unveiled in 2018.

"Tempus Realty plans to redevelop the mansion-turned-restaurant at 5356 N. Sheridan Road into a 50-unit apartment building with 25 parking spaces, according to Ald. Harry Osterman’s (48th) office. If approved, the building would replace the longtime home of Wing Hoe, the neighborhood-favorite Chinese restaurant that closed in December after 49 years.

"Arkansas-based Tempus was involved in an earlier effort to redevelopment the Wing Hoe property, but that project stalled in 2019. That year, Tempus and MCZ Development sought the city’s approval to turn the building into a 50-unit complex. The project was approved by the city’s Zoning Committee, but the Zoning Board of Appeals denied the developers’ request for a variance on the required rear property line setback, said Dan Luna, chief of staff to Osterman. Tempus has since bought MCZ out of the development and is seeking approval of new plans for the site at Sheridan Road and Balmoral Avenue, Luna said.

"Because the Zoning Board of Appeals denied the development’s earlier setback request, the project still requires city approval, Luna said. The development team held an initial meeting with neighbors last weekend. A second meeting will be held for neighbors to weigh in on the project before Osterman decides whether to support it, Luna said.

"The building that would be replaced by the development was built in 1913 as a lakefront adjacent mansion. Wing Hoe opened in 1971 in the building. The restaurant’s lease on the property was up at the end of 2020. The owners decided to retire, they told Block Club." (Ward, Block Club Chicago, 12/1/20)

"A prominent, five-bedroom, 19th-century mansion in Wicker Park that once was listed for $6.5 million sold on April 30 for $4.8 million in an off-market transaction.

"The sale is a record for the Wicker Park neighborhood, where the previous high-water mark for a single-family home was a 22,000-square-foot former orphanage that sold in 2014 for $3.1 million. That building subsequently was renovated and now has had two duplex units carved out of it, and is on the market for $8.45 million.

"The buyer of the 8,200-square-foot Wicker Park mansion, an opaque land trust, has engaged Woodhouse Tinucci Architects and is proposing a major overhaul of the entire property that would include installing an underground pool on the property with a glass roof. The proposed plans for the property are before the Wicker Park Committee and the City of Chicago.

"The red brick imitation castle is a neighborhood landmark. Built between 1878 and 1891, the Second Empire-style mansion sits on an unusually large, 0.25-acre corner lot on North Hoyne Avenue and has a domed turreted top and a multicolored porch. For decades, it had been divided into multiple apartments, but after a couple, Timothy and Robin Sheehan, bought it in 2007 for $2.466 million, they deconverted it to single-family use and renovated it.

"The Sheehans’ deconversion required a significant rehabilitation of what had been a 22-room mansion. Their work included preserving certain historical features and touches, such as leaded glass transom windows in the living room, Lincrusta wallpaper in the entry, built-in walnut cabinetry in the vestibule, original moldings and 'carpenter’s lace' detailing in the turret area with five large windows." (Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 8/26/21)

Prominent Wicker Park mansion sells for record $4.8M, slated for renovation, Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 8/26/21

"A 19th-century row house designed by the Chicago architect who did the first modern skyscrapers is for sale, with many of its original tile, wood and stained-glass features intact.

"The four-bedroom home priced at $899,500 on Kenmore Avenue in the Buena Park neighborhood of Uptown is one in an attached set of two that pioneering high-rise architect and engineer William Le Baron Jenney designed in 1891. (See more photos at link below.)

"By the time he designed this pair, Jenney had already revolutionized the construction of big buildings with his Home Insurance Building downtown. An inner skeleton of iron and steel reduced the weight of the 10-story building, making it possible to build tall. The building was later demolished, but the oldest remaining steel-skeleton building, Jenney’s Ludington Building in the South Loop, was built the same year as the Kenmore Avenue homes.

"'It’s like you’re walking back in time when you come inside,' said Jay Koman, the owner of the home, which is represented by Michael Hall of Baird & Warner. Among Koman's favorite original details: four transom windows on the second floor that are etched with symbols of the four seasons.

"There is a familial connection between the Kenmore pair and the Home Insurance Building. Edward Waller, who financed Jenney’s Home Insurance Building, was the brother of James Waller, an early developer of the Buena Park section of Uptown. Two of James Waller’s children tapped Jenney to design the Kenmore pair. (Rodkin, Crain's Chicago Business, 7/30/21)

Preservation Chicago strongly encourages the new owners to consider a Chicago Landmark Designation for 4050 N Kenmore Avenue by William Le Baron Jenny. This would both protect the building long-term and provide significant tax benefits to the future owners.

"An Avondale property owner is looking to bring more condos to the neighborhood, but some neighbors are trying to stop the project.

"Daniel Chelariu wants to tear down the brick three-flat he owns at 3339 N. Ridgeway Ave. and build a six-unit condo building in its place. The four-story building would have six parking spaces in back, according to the community meeting notice. Of the six apartments, four would be three-bedroom duplexes and two would be two-bedroom units. Chelariu needs a zoning change from Ald. Ariel Reboyras (30th) to go forward.

"Chelariu’s project is the latest small development in gentrifying Avondale to face pushback from neighbors. After a recent community meeting, neighbors said they’re worried the Ridgeway Avenue condo building will create a 'domino effect' and accelerate gentrification. Some are gathering signatures for a petition and delivering letters to Reboyras, urging the alderman to reject the zoning change.

"'We’re not seeing any new commerce come to our neighborhood,' neighbor Warren Williams said. 'There’s still that whole strip of Milwaukee [Avenue] that’s empty storefronts. But what we are seeing is million-dollar developments, and that changes who can afford to live here. This is a working-class neighborhood. Kids live here, and that seems to be changing very quickly, and it doesn’t have to.'

"Marc Fischer and his wife have lived next to the property for nine years. Fischer said he’s opposed to the project for many reasons, a major one being the proposed building’s modern architecture and lack of green space are incompatible with the block, which is lined with vintage flats. He said many neighbors’ basements have flooded, and he’s worried heavy construction could exacerbate the problem.

"Like Williams, Fischer said he’s concerned the condos will lead to the displacement of longtime residents, including the two people who live in the apartment building. The two have lived there for 20 years, Fischer said.

"'We know there’s a huge demand for affordable housing in our area and nearby in Logan Square. Unless [the developer] is forced to do so, none of the units in this new building will be affordable. We don’t want to see our neighbors pushed out,' Fischer said.

"Toops echoed the concerns of Fischer and Williams. She said the project represents a trend of “developers buying double-sized lots and building larger-scale condo buildings that are not contextual to the block they reside in.”

"The Ridgeway Avenue condo project is among a string of small development proposals that have caused a stir in Avondale over the past couple of years. Neighbors opposed a condo project at 3840 W. Cornelia Ave. and an eight-unit apartment building at 3059-61 N. Washtenaw Ave.

"Reboyras last February rejected a developer’s plan to tear down a 105-year-old home at 3917-21 W. Eddy St. and replace it with condos after neighbors put up a fight. (Bloom, Block Club Chicago, 8/19/21)

"Seneca Oaddams, 44, bought his two-flat in Roseland for $132,000 a little over two years ago — months before the pandemic began. He wanted to put down roots in the neighborhood where he grew up.

"The property, which he purchased as an investment and rental property, now has an estimated worth of $250,000, according to the real estate website Redfin. But having endured 17 months of the pandemic, Oaddams says it’s hard to hold on to the building. His tenant, whose rent covers approximately half of Oaddams’ monthly mortgage, lost her job at the start of the pandemic and hasn’t been able to keep up her payments. She applied for rental assistance and is waiting to hear back.

"Homeowners such as Oaddams are exactly who the new Chicago Flats Initiative, which is being spearheaded by Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago and other groups, aims to help. The goals of the initiative are to preserve and rehab two- and four-flats, maintain rental affordability, and help homeowners build wealth. The initiative is working to accomplish that by connecting homeowners and renters to available mortgage and rental assistance programs.

"With two- and four-flats making up 26% of Chicago’s housing stock, the structures are as synonymous to Chicago’s landscape as the bungalow, and yet the 'workhorse' of the city’s housing stock is disappearing, according to the Institute for Housing Studies at DePaul University. In some areas, the buildings are being razed and not replaced because of deferred maintenance and difficulty in upkeep, while in other areas, two- and four-flats are being converted into single-family homes.

"'Particularly in underserved neighborhoods, this is such a critical housing stock,' said Donna Clarke, chief operating officer of Neighborhood Housing Services. “This housing stock provides so much affordable housing in these communities. In the Hispanic/Latinx community, almost 50% of the population live in two- to four-units, and in Black communities, it’s more like 30%. What we’re worried about is coming out of this crisis, how many of them are going to go into foreclosure?”

"We’ve been busy on all fronts trying to get money out the door and trying to give people financial strategies to get them through this period,' Clarke said. 'One thing that I learned being part of this initiative is that it’s that intimate relationship between the landlord and the tenant that keeps these units affordable. We want to preserve that intimate relationship as part of this initiative because they’re dependent on each other — the tenant pays their rent, that’s how the landlord pays the mortgage and keeps the property up. It’s this whole circle of life that we’re trying to bring back into balance.' (Rockett, Chicago Tribune, 8/25/21)

"As of September 2, 2021 it seems that the beautiful terra cotta face that has looked down over Devon Avenue for more than 100 years is no more. No one is quite sure what happened, but there was scaffolding on the building and someone was chipping away at it in the morning, and it was gone by the afternoon. And the Assyrian American Association name is no longer on the building either.

"The New Devon Theater, with its distinctively austere glazed block façade featuring a large arch and a large bust of a woman’s face, was built in 1912, and was quickly eclipsed by the nearby Ellantee Theater. It disappears from news listings after October, 1917.

"By 1923 it had been converted to a Ford dealership. By 1936 it had become an American Legion hall. In the 1950s it operated as a radio and TV store. Since 1963, it has served Chicago’s Assyrian community as the home of the Assyrian American Association of Chicago." (Cinema Treasures)

It is with great sadness that we share the news of the unexpected passing of Richard H. Driehaus of natural causes on March 9, 2021 at the age of 78. His brilliance for business was surpassed only by his passion for philanthropy.

He founded Driehaus Capital Management which became one of Chicago's largest and most successful investment firms. In 1983, he created the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation and used his fortune to powerfully support historic preservation, the arts and community organizations throughout Chicago and the nation.

"Reflecting on nearly two decades in philanthropy, Richard wrote, 'I have devoted my professional life to the field of financial management and have been blessed with remarkable success. I recognize, however, that the measure of one's personal holdings is of less importance than the impact of our collective aspirations made real. I have further come to understand that maximizing the impact of donated dollars can be considerably more challenging than earning those dollars in the first place.

"Philanthropy enriched Richard's life immeasurably, and he would often paraphrase Winston Churchill's quote: 'We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.'

"'Richard was a dear friend, my professional mentor, and a lifelong philanthropist,' said Anne Lazar, executive director of the Driehaus Foundation in their news release. 'He spent decades making an impact in Chicago and his legacy will live on through his foundation. He was a true gentleman of grace and humility, and it is the foundation's honor and privilege to continue Richard's legacy of support.'" (Driehaus Foundation statement)

"'Richard led a life of zest and intellectual curiosity. His path and personal story were larger than life, and the impact he made as an investor is perhaps only rivaled by the extensive legacy he left as a philanthropist,' said Steve Weber, president and CEO of Driehaus Capital Management, in their news release. 'Our thoughts are with his daughters Tereza, Caroline and Kate, his sisters Dorothy and Elizabeth, and his extended family. Richard will be dearly missed by all who were fortunate enough to know him.'" (Driehaus Capital Management statement)

"'Richard’s an amazing person,' said David Bahlman, the former president of the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois. 'The causes he supports and the projects he has funded over the years have had a great impact on the appreciation of art and architecture in Chicago.' (Sharoff, Chicago Magazine, 9/27/2007)

"In 2015, he received the AIA Chicago Lifetime Achievement Award to recognize his tireless support of historic preservation and sponsorship of architecture award programs and design competitions. Zurich Esposito, former AIA Chicago executive vice president, said, 'Richard's engagement with preservation, his recognition of working architects, and his philanthropic reach have had an immeasurable impact on the practice. His commitment to classical architectural and planning ideas, forms and principles—coupled with his willingness to support and embolden those actively working in the profession—has left a lasting legacy on the contemporary landscape.' (Massie, Architect Magazine, 8/6/2015)

His deep commitment to Chicago's architectural heritage lead him to purchase and beautifully restore the 1883 Samuel Mayo Nickerson Mansion which serves the Richard H. Driehaus Museum of Decorative Arts and the 1886 Richardsonian Romanesque Ransom Cable Mansion which serves as headquarters for Driehaus Capital Management.

"'It’s my gift to the city. The museum is about protecting the past. The idea is to display the period, the materials and objects, and to organize that as a whole experience. It’s not about any one object. It’s about the environment, the space,' said Richard Driehaus in a 2007 Chicago Magazine profile regarding the Driehaus Museum of Decorative Arts and the restoration of the Nickerson mansion. (Sharoff, Chicago Magazine, 9/27/2007)

Richard Driehaus and the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation was a longtime friend and supporter of Preservation Chicago. We are deeply grateful for his long support for our organization, our mission, and for the preservation movement in Chicago. He will be dearly missed, but his legacy will live on through all of his incredible achievements during his lifetime and through so many preservation wins yet to come.

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), but it should be modified to include all buildings included in the survey. 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.

Preservation Chicago is advocating to extend the existing Demolition Delay Ordinance to at least 180 days or longer, in order to create the time community members, stakeholders, decision makers, and elected officials need to conduct robust discussions regarding the fate of these historic buildings and irreplaceable Chicago assets. The support of the Mayor and City Council is necessary to advance this effort.

Address: Salerno Cookie Factory, 4450 and 4500 W. Division St., Humboldt Park

#100930920

Date Received: 07/15/2021

Ward: 37th Ward Ald. Emma Mitts

Applicant: American Demolition Corporation

Owner: Amazon.com Services LLC

Permit Description: Demolition of buildings.

"An Art Deco-era factory that has long anchored a stretch of Division Street in Humboldt Park is currently being demolished. According to preservationists, the building that spans from 4422 to 4500 West Division Street was listed on the city's 90 day demolition delay list, but was released before that period had been reached.

"The sprawling factory was once home to the Salerno Butter Cookie company, and similar to the old Wrigley Gum Factory and the Brach Candy Factory which have also been demolished in the last couple of years, helped make Chicago the 'Candy Capital of the World.' In a joint statement, Preservation Chicago's Ward Miller and Andrew Schneider reveal that preservationists were not made aware of the situation until it was too late.

"'The former Salerno Cookie Factory, home of that familiar and delicious butter cookie, at 4500 W. Division, an orange-rated building, has apparently been cleared for demolition, despite the fact that it is a rare example of famed architect Harold Zook in an industrial context,' Miller and Schneider state.

"'The building appeared on the city's mandatory demolition delay hold list, that typically requires buildings of significant architectural merit to be held for 90 days. That doesn't appear to have happened in this case. The application to demolish the building was received by the city on June 29 and was released little more than one week later, on July 8, 2015.'

"In addition, Miller says that there has been no word on why the city did not allow the full demolition delay hold to complete its cycle.

"The building is certainly a unique example of Chicago's history of a confection capital but also of striking Art Deco design of Harold Zook. After the Salerno company left the factory behind, the building was home to a graphic imaging company and then later a small parts supplier. While demolition has started on the factory, Miller hopes that the main entrance will be preserved and readapted." (LaTrace, Curbed Chicago, 7/24/15)

Address: 1851 and 1853 N. Leavitt Street, Bucktown

#100913335 and #100929919

Date Received: 07/13/2021

Ward: 32nd Ward Ald. Scott Waguespack

Applicant: Evergreen Solution USA Inc.

Owner: 1853-51 N. Leavitt LLC

Permit Description: Wreck and remove a 2-story masonry multi-unit residence.

Address: 940 W. Cuyler Avenue, Buena Park

#100926339

Date Received: 06/10/2021

Ward: 46th Ward Ald. James Cappleman

Applicant: Taylor Excavating & Construction, Inc.

Owner: 940 West Cuyler, LLC C/O Josephine Cronnolly

Permit Description: Demolition of a 2-story, 4-unit masonry residence and detached garage.

Address: Riis Park Fieldhouse, 6100 W. Fullerton Avenue, Belmont Cragin

#100913335 and #100925159

Date Received: 06/17/2021

Ward: 30th Ward Ald. Ariel Reboyras

Applicant: Public Building Commission of Chicago C/O Paulo Hernandez

Owner: Chicago Park District

Permit Description: Demolition of the one-story masonry gymnasium (rear) in the Jacob Riis Fieldhouse for the construction of the CPS Belmont Cragin Elementary School.

Address: Cook County Jail, 2602 S. California Avenue, South Lawndale

#100913991

Date Received: 5/19/2021

Ward: 24th Ward Alderman Michael Scott Jr.

Applicant: Cook County Jail

Owner: Sheila Atkins (Cook County)

Permit Description: Wreck and remove 16 masonry buildings in 5 phases. Demo Delay previously released under permit #100809124.

Status: Released 05/28/2021

“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.

Lake View State Bank / Belmont National Bank Building, 1921, Ivar Viehe-Naess, 3179 N. Clark Street. Demolished August 2021. Photo credit: @ChicagoBars on Twitter

3930 W. Gladys Ave., Garfield Park. Demo August 2021. Photo Credit: Google Maps

"Some people say that walking through Chicago’s Pullman neighborhood is like traveling back in time.

"On Labor Day weekend, a new visitor center in the old clock tower administration building will open and debut an exhibit exploring the pivotal role the community played in American history.

"'This is America’s first planned industrial community and so there’s a lot to be learned here,' said Teri Gage, superintendent of Pullman National Monument.

"Six years ago, President Barack Obama declared the Pullman neighborhood a national monument for its historic significance.

"George Pullman, a 19th century industrialist, revolutionized rail travel with his Pullman Palace Car, making what used to be a dreadful transportation experience a luxurious one. As Pullman’s business grew, he opened a factory south of Chicago. Next to the factory, Pullman built a company town, which he named for himself. Pullman envisioned it to be a workers’ utopia.

"'Here you have indoor plumbing, trash pickup, everything a community should have, but built for the worker,' said Lee Bey, an architecture critic who lives in Pullman.

"The town had all the amenities most working people could only dream of — beautiful architecture, manicured landscaping and parks, a library, church and theater — all owned and controlled by the Pullman Company. Workers and managers paid rent to Pullman for their homes.

"The clock tower administration building was the epicenter of the factory and company town, which is where the Pullman National Monument Visitor Center and Pullman State Historic Site Factory Grounds will open on Labor Day weekend.

"The exhibit inside, which includes a nearly full-sized model of the Pullman sleeper car, explores Pullman the man, the company and the town, and also Pullman’s important — and unintended — role in American civil rights and labor movements." (Nelson, WTTW Chicago, 8/25/21)

"After years of dreaming and planning, the Pullman National Monument gets its official grand opening next week, but much more work awaits backers positioning the historic site as a big tourist draw and economic development engine for its Southeast Side neighborhood.

"Pullman's annual visits are projected to climb initially to 200,000 to 300,000 compared with the current pace of 50,000 to 60,000 as a result of the unveiling of a permanent visitor center, augmented by the draw of a National Park Service affiliation and a tourism trend rooted in nostalgia for America's bygone industrial age.

"The homage to the factory town that made Pullman rail cars is lacking something, though: the sleeping cars themselves. None will be on display except three versions in private hands parked at Metra's 111th Street station for touring on opening weekend, Sept. 4 and 5. When they move on down the line, Pullman will be left with the reality that its further development as a tourist attraction is years and tens of millions of dollars away.

"About $35 million has been committed so far to convert Pullman's administration building and clock tower into the visitor center. A logical next step is restoring the Hotel Florence, which opened in 1881 to host railroad executives and other Pullman customers, as an on-site lodging option.

"Pullman can be portrayed as the birthplace of the modern labor movement and Labor Day itself, growing out of turmoil of the Pullman strike of 1894. Its civil rights origin story starts with the employment of African American porters and their role in spreading the circulation of the Chicago Defender to the segregated South, a catalyst for the Great Migration and its transformation of northern cities like Chicago. Lincoln's son, Robert Todd Lincoln, ran the Pullman Palace Car after George Pullman's death. Michelle Obama's grandfather was a Pullman porter.

"These so-called heritage visitors are valued more than typical vacationers. 'They stay longer and spend more money per day and visit more places than tourists in general,' says Donovan Rypkema, principal at PlaceEconomics, a Washington, D.C., consultant. About 60 percent of what they spend is related to lodging, he says.

"That's why says David Doig, president of the nonprofit Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives, and other backers are keen to revive the Hotel Florence, recruit other hotel operators and expand bed-and-breakfast options in the area. He estimates that it will be at least three or four years before the hotel can reopen, probably with 30 to 40 rooms, under a contemplated agreement similar to the state's at the Starved Rock Lodge and Conference Center in the downstate park.

"The Florence was saved from the wrecking ball in 1975 by the Historic Pullman Foundation. Since 1991 its title has been held by the state, most recently by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, which has focused over the last four years on remediation and rehabilitation of the factory grounds, a state historic site.

"According to the agency, both the North Wing structure adjacent to the visitor's center and the Rear Erector Shop, an arson victim in 1998, require 'extensive rehabilitation' (including a new roof, Doig says). 'Future projects at the site are subject to availability of future appropriations,' the department notes.

"The National Park Service has provided $12 million, plus another $10 million from its privately supported foundation, and the state has added $13 million to $14 million, Doig says. Alderman Anthony Beale would like the city to step up, too. 'It doesn't have to be a city project to get city support. That's the only way to make this work. Everybody has to jump in,' he says." (Strahler, Crain's Chicago Business, 8/27/21)

"The grassy lawns, sports fields, and lagoon of McKinley Park are frequented by families and students of Horizon Science Academy, a K-10 charter school adjacent to the park. Also adjacent to the park, trucks and other equipment rumble, busy with the production of noxious asphalt.

"How did we get here? Here’s the story of how an industrial polluter arose unannounced.

"A surprise construction permit and little opportunity for public input: In 2018, residents and community organization leaders of McKinley Park were surprised to learn that an asphalt plant would be moving into their neighborhood. Residents had also not been informed that this development, MAT Asphalt, had received a permit which allowed operation to commence and asphalt production to take place for up to one year after construction without applying for long-term pollution permits from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA).

"A polluter next to a park. Poorly defined environmental rules and outdated zoning codes allowed an industrial landowner to move into a residential and recreational area with no meaningful public input.

"The IEPA claims to have notified elected officials by mail of MAT Asphalt’s permit application, but State Rep. Theresa Mah and State Senator Antonio Munoz say they never received notification. Alderman George Cardenas’ office acknowledged receiving the letter but failed to announce the plant’s intentions to constituents.

"IEPA policy for pollution permits also includes a 90-day window for public comment, where residents and community organizations can provide feedback that could influence stipulations in the permit. According to communication acquired from a Freedom of Information Request, that public comment window was shortened due to ‘staff oversight’.

"Outdated zoning fails to adapt to changing land uses: Despite the disregard for a robust community-input process, the fact remains that the MAT Asphalt plant is on a parcel zoned for industrial use adjacent to a planned manufacturing district. This zoning dates back to the area’s history as a meatpacking district and home of the Union Stockyards.

"The Manufacturing District borders McKinley Park and provides access to rail yards and the South Branch of the Chicago River, but many of the former warehouses sit vacant. While McKinley Park was dominated by meatpacking during the first half of the 20th Century, it has since seen more diverse land uses, including areas that are largely residential. Despite these changes in land use over time, the zoning code has remained unchanged, allowing for industrial users and polluters to be located as-of-right, putting community members at risk. Antiquated zoning regulations allow for a community park, a charter school, residences, and an asphalt plant to occupy the same block.

"Ongoing conflict and new pushback: Complaint data from the Chicago Department of Public Health shows that residents have filed over 130 pollution complaints since the plant opened in 2018. MAT argues that many of those complaints are unfounded and have occurred when production was not occurring. Residents have also complained of headaches, nausea, noxious smells, and dust from uncovered trucks coating their yards.

"Residents have filed over 130 pollution complaints since the plant opened in 2018

"In May of 2021 the Chicago City Council voted to approve a 120-unit affordable housing development close to MAT Asphalt, against the recommendation of the Chicago Department of Housing. Additional housing next to a known polluter? Yes. Outdated zoning codes recently facilitated pollution a stone's throw from people's homes, and now those same outdated policies—left unchecked—will endanger the health of more people and livability of more residences." (Bailly and Gurin-Sands, Metropolitan Planning Council, 8/25/21)

"Earlier this summer, eighth grader Aiden Singleton was biking near Wilson Avenue Beach with his mom when he spotted a giant structure, almost like a house made of stone, out in Lake Michigan. Aiden asked his mom, Danielle, what the structure was, but she wasn’t sure, either. So they turned to Curious City to find the answer.

"The short answer is they’re water cribs — and unfortunately there’s no way to explore them. Water cribs are structures that help channel lake water into tunnels where it can then be carried into the city. Below the structures that you can see from the shore, 'you have intake gates and screens that keep out things you don’t want, like logs and floating objects,' said Dick Lanyon former executive director of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.

"'The cribs help protect the quality of the water and regulate the rate of intake. After the water is carried to the city, it’s then cleaned at a filtration plant and used for 'drinking water, firefighting and all the water that comes out of the tap,' Lanyon explained.

"Chicago started building these tap water sources in the 1860s under the guidance of an engineer named Ellis F. Chesbrough. It was a great engineering feat that allowed the city to use water further out from shore, which was a lot less polluted than the water along the shoreline. In the early days it was pumped straight from the lake into people’s homes but in 1945 the city built filtration plants to help treat the water.

"Lanyon said originally there were nine water cribs but now there are only six left in the Chicago area, some of which have been inactive for years. Today only two are still in use because the city has two filtration plants and so only needs two cribs.

"The Wilson Avenue water crib that Aiden spotted is no longer active, but you still can’t get anywhere near it. According to Lanyon, that’s partly because of terrorism concerns. After all, if you contaminate a city’s water supply, it can have devastating effects. So no one is allowed near Chicago’s water cribs, particularly the active ones.

"When it comes to inactive water cribs, Lanyon said the security risk 'is pretty minor, since they’re not in use.' But even an inactive water crib is 'a piece of public infrastructure that the city owns. So they’re just protecting their property.'

"As far as the inactive water cribs go, several ideas have been floated for how to repurpose them. Preservation Chicago has argued for them to be reused as restaurants or museums." (Eng and Lo, WBEZ Chicago, 8/14/21)

"After years spent driving many conventional retailers into bankruptcy, Amazon just announced plans to open its own physical 'department stores' that would sell both its own private-label good as well as brand-name apparel, housewares and other items.

"The move may seem counterintuitive, even self-defeating. But in pursuing this strategy, Amazon is merely following a playbook developed by its forerunners, particularly Montgomery Ward and Sears-Roebuck. From the beginning, Amazon’s strategy has been nothing more than a digital reboot of the innovations first developed by those iconic companies. This latest move only underscores that point.

"Consider the retail landscape after the Civil War. If you wanted to buy something, you visited a store: a general store, a department store, a grocery store. Aaron Montgomery Ward changed all that. A marketing whiz who spent his early years working as a traveling salesman, Ward recognized that rural customers often paid significantly higher prices for consumer goods because of the markup of countless middle men.

"He set out to change this. In 1872, Ward sent out his first mail-order catalog, which offered a selection of coveted consumer goods at rock-bottom prices. As the historian William Cronon has observed, this strategy relied on several interrelated innovations. But the most important one circumvented the need for conventional storefronts by embracing the post office. With no retail footprint and no sales forces, Ward didn’t need to pay rents or salaries. Instead, he sunk the savings into building massive distribution centers in major cities.

"His innovations did not stop there. When consumers purchased goods, they didn’t pay for them until they had arrived in the mail. If the customer decided they didn’t like, say, the canned ham they had ordered — or the baby carriage, paint brush, milking machine or girl’s dress — they could simply send the goods back, no questions asked.

"These novel approaches to retailing proved wildly popular. Soon, the company known as Montgomery Ward was circulating a massive catalog containing a cornucopia of consumer goods — and so were two other entrepreneurs named Richard Sears and Alvah Roebuck. By the end of the 19th century, these Chicago companies distributed catalogs that ran well over a thousand pages.

"It’s hard to understate the ambition of these two companies, which quickly became the largest retailers in the world. They went into manufacturing, offering goods under their own label. And they offered a breadth of items that exceeded Amazon’s seemingly endless inventories. Sears-Roebuck, for example, began selling house kits, using railroad boxcars to ship all the components of a modern home. These would then be assembled on site by the buyer.

"At a certain point, though, the catalog sales of both these companies began to plateau: There was a limit to what you could sell by mail. Having driven many conventional retailers out of business, these companies now launched an ambitious plan to colonize conventional retail as well. They already had the goods, the pricing power, and the distribution network.

"Ever the cutting-edge innovator, Sears pioneered other novel approaches in these stores. In 1934, it again broke with conventional wisdom when it opened its first windowless store. The design sought to create a hermetic shopping experience that drew shoppers into the store – and kept them there. These and other innovations anticipated many of the key retail revolutions of the postwar era, including the much-maligned mall.

"In the process, the two companies revolutionized retail not once, but twice: first as mail-order companies, and later, as brick-and-mortar chain stores. Amazon clearly intends to pull the same trick. Given how well Amazon’s strategy of repurposing 19th-century strategies for the digital age has worked out, there’s no reason to think they won’t succeed yet again." (Mihm, Crain's Chicago Business, 8/22/21)

Listen to the fascinating long-format radio interview by Studs Terkel of Lois Wille regarding her historical examination of the brave Chicagoans who worked for over a century to protect the Chicago Lakefront from waves of powerful political and financial forces that sought to control it. Lois Wille was a Chicago reporter, editorial writer and author who won two Pulitzer Prizes for her investigative reporting.

“Forever Open, Clear, and Free: The Struggle for Chicago’s Lakefront” was published in 1972 and it remains an must read for anyone interested in protecting the Chicago Lakefront.

"Of the thirty miles of Lake Michigan shoreline within the city limits of Chicago, twenty-four miles is public park land. The crown jewels of its park system, the lakefront parks bewitch natives and visitors alike with their brisk winds, shady trees, sandy beaches, and rolling waves. Like most good things, the protection of the lakefront parks didn’t come easy, and this book chronicles the hard-fought and never-ending battles Chicago citizens have waged to keep them 'forever open, clear, and free.'

"Illustrated with historic and contemporary photographs, Wille’s book tells how Chicago’s lakefront has survived a century of development. The story serves as a warning to anyone who thinks the struggle for the lakefront is over, or who takes for granted the beauty of its public beaches and parks. (University of Chicago Press Book Review)

"'A thoroughly fascinating and well-documented narrative which draws the reader into the sights, smells and sounds of Chicago’s story. . . . Everyone who cares about the development of land and its conservation will benefit from reading Miss Wille’s book.'—Daniel J. Shannon, Architectural Forum

"'Not only good reading, it is also a splendid example of how to equip concerned citizens for their necessary participation in the politics of planning and a more livable environment.'—Library Journal

Join Preservation Chicago for a free Walking Tour of Chicago's Central Manufacturing District-Original East District (In Person and Virtual Tour)

Explore the Central Manufacturing District-East and learn about this irreplaceable artifact of industrial history and design in Chicago's McKinley Park and Bridgeport neighborhoods.

Named as one of Preservation Chicago's "Chicago 7 Most Endangered" of 2021 the CMD East has a rich history and esthetic that is threatened by a combination of demolition and neglect.

Tour Conducted By:

Saturday September 25th

10:30am - 1:00pm

Free Event

A link to the virtual tour will be emailed to you several days before the event is live streamed

"The Know Your Chicago committee takes great pleasure in welcoming you to our seventy-second season of civic engagement with the Chicago community. This tour season will be unlike any we have offered before, and brings our unique brand of behind-the-scenes access to your personal computer. Over two Tours, registrants are invited to learn more about two important topics: the fate and future of architectural gems on Chicago’s South Side, and the vital role that equal access to internet plays in our communities and City’s future.

"Hiding in Plain Sight: Architectural Gems of the South Side Tour with Lee Bey, September 15, 2021

"Going my way? Join noted architecture critic and photographer Lee Bey as he takes us on a personal virtual tour of Chicago’s special places based on his recent book, Southern Exposure: The Overlooked Architecture of Chicago’s South Side. He’ll take us to rarely visited sites and show us how to see neighborhoods in new ways. Presented on September 15th, this unique tour includes the virtual video program, interviews with experts, an interactive discussion with Q&A and downloadable reading materials including building information, maps, and biographies.

"Live event: Wednesday, September 15th

12:00 - 1:10 pm CDT

$30 or $50 for Season Pass

*Recording available to all registrants*

"The Pritzker Military Museum & Library is excited to welcome a panel of special guests to discuss the life and legacy of renowned cartoonist, Bill Mauldin.

"This FREE panel discussion, moderated by Todd DePastino, will cover Mauldin's extensive career, the controversy of his cartoons, and the legacy he's left behind.

"The Museum & Library is home to the largest collection of Bill Mauldin’s work, so do not miss the opportunity to see it for yourself by visiting our exciting new exhibit, Drawn to Combat: Bill Mauldin & The Art of War!

"Todd DePastino is founder and executive director of the Veterans Breakfast Club, which holds veterans’ storytelling programs open to the public. He has a Ph.D. in American History from Yale University is author of the award-winning BILL MAULDIN: A LIFE UP FRONT (W.W. Norton) and several other books."

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

12:00pm - 1:00pm

Free Zoom Webinar

"Grand Opening of The Available City at Central Park Theater by Chicago Architecture Biennial

Saturday, September 18, 2021

12:00 noon to 5:30pm

Central Park Theater, 3535 W Roosevelt Road

"Don't miss the live entertainment, food, and the opportunity to learn more about the historical significance and restoration project of the Central Park Theater. Built in 1914, this was the first theater to have an air-conditioning, and will be reactivated for your enjoyment. We will collect oral histories "while highlighting local businesses and artists. Our site will highlight the strength and resiliency of the North Lawndale community.

"Exhibit Runs September 17 to December 18, 2021

Monday- Friday, 11am-2pm

3535 W Roosevelt Road, North Lawdale

Project by Manuel Herz Architects and the Central Park Theater Restoration Committee

Mural byThomas Melvin Painting Studio

"The Central Park Theater was one of the most important social and cultural hubs of Chicago: The place where Benny Goodman played his first concerts in the 1920s, and where gospel and blues musicians invented new styles in the 1950s and 60s. One of the most historically significant movie palaces in the United States, the theater is one of the first of its kind and became a model for buildings of its type which followed. In 1971, it became home to the House of Prayer Church of God in Christ under the leadership of Pastor Lincoln Scott and his successor, Pastor Robert Marshal.

"Since 2019, a committee—The Central Park Restoration Committee—of interdisciplinary partners has joined in collaboration with the Church to plan for a sustainable restoration and redevelopment of the theater to serve the North Lawndale community. Currently, a planning process is underway to seek funds to address deferred maintenance and restoration priorities, while continuing ongoing community engagement.

"Members from various local organizations—House of Prayer Church of God in Christ, Jewish Community Relations Council of Chicago, North Lawndale Historical & Cultural Society, Preservation Chicago, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and Future Firm—are part of this committee, and were involved in both the design of the Biennial project and programming into the future.

For more information visit Chicago Architecture Biennial

"Chicago Architecture Center is excited to announce the in-person element of Open House Chicago (OHC) 2021 is Saturday and Sunday, October 16 and 17, and are thrilled to welcome back the over 1,000 volunteers needed to greet and assist visitors at 100+ sites throughout the city.

"OHC Volunteer Greeters work ONE shift either Saturday or Sunday, for 3.5 to 5.5 hours.

"As a thank you, each volunteer receives great benefits, including a Priority Access Pass which lets you skip long lines.

"In 2020 we learned a whole new way of doing what we love - showcasing Chicago’s built environment - from a mobile device app. 2021 will be the best of both worlds; the OHC app, open October 1-31, makes for a more intimate, personalized experience for our attendees, getting to know the ins and outs of neighborhoods with themed trails, virtual programming, and self-guided tours.

"To register as a volunteer for Open House Chicago 2021, complete the form on the Open House Chicago website.

"You will receive an email with additional information about choosing a shift 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 shifts.

"Chicago Architecture Center is continuing to take the ongoing pandemic seriously and will conform to all current health and safety standards necessary, as well as update our volunteers on COVID-19 policies as we get closer to October 16 & 17.

"The team at the Chicago Architecture Center thank you for being dedicated to our city and our festival.

"Please email ohcvolunteers@architecture.org if you have questions about this process."

"Helmut Jahn and Chicago were made for one another. Helmut’s larger-than-life persona and his inventive and surprisingly original buildings remade Chicago in the 1980s. His brash designs and relentless pursuit of excellence invigorated Chicago, helping the architectural community move confidently beyond mid-century modernism. Helmut was, in turn, embraced by 'the city of big shoulders.'" -- Lynn Osmond, President and CEO of the Chicago Architecture Center)

"'Helmut Jahn: Life + Architecture' is a new exhibit honoring the late Chicago architect and style icon. Get to know this extraordinary man who will continue to inspire generations to come.

"Chicago lost a radiant star with the recent death of Helmut Jahn (1940-2021). Known for the creation of progressive, often provocative buildings around the globe, Jahn’s talent, style and charisma also caught the attention of the world beyond design aficionados. Having received nearly every architectural accolade over the course of his career, Jahn still managed to compete in dozens of world championship sailing competitions and grace the cover of popular magazines like GQ.

"Born in Germany, Jahn came to Chicago in 1966 to study at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). With an education rooted in formal modernism, he began forging a career in his adopted hometown with bold works that both extrapolated from and challenged modernist orthodoxy. Helmut Jahn: Life + Architecture presents important designs by the powerhouse architect, ranging from signature early projects like the crystalline Michigan City Public Library (1977) and Chicago’s dazzlingly provocative James R. Thompson Center (1985) to the transformational urban marketplace Sony Center in Berlin (2000) and the forward-looking Pritzker Military Archives Center, currently under construction in Somers, Wisconsin.

"Photography, models and sketches illuminate each project and explore the collaborative design and engineering process, while personal imagery, video and recollections by those who knew and worked with Jahn underscore his flair for the dramatic and zest for life." (Chicago Architecture Center Website)

"A significant but often overlooked contribution to American art and culture is Chicago’s role in the development of the early comic strip. Through its countless newspapers and its publishing industry, Chicago led the transformation of comics from daily fantasy and joke features into ongoing stories grounded in the textures and details of real life, its first real step towards legitimacy as an expressive language and semi-literary art form.

"The exhibition focuses on the origins of the comics in popular publishing, the immeasurable importance of African-American cartoonists and publishing, the first woman cartoonists and editors, the first daily comic strip, and finally the art and comics of undeservedly forgotten Frank King, who with “Gasoline Alley” captured not only the rhythms and tone of everyday existence in his characters that aged not only at the same daily rate as its newspaper readers, but were also fictionalized versions of real people.

"Curated by artist and author Chris Ware, and Chicago Cultural Historian Emeritus, Tim Samuelson, this exhibition is designed and planned as an intentional historical companion to the concurrently appearing survey of contemporary Chicago comics at the Museum of Contemporary Art, in which Ware’s work also appears." (Chicago.gov)

"Learning from Lake Shore Drive by Julia Bachrach, a Newberry Adult Education Seminars Program

"North Lake Shore Drive has a fascinating history. Conceived as a pleasure drive at the Lake Michigan edge of Lincoln Park, the Drive was built in stages between the 1870s and late 1950s. As the lakefront boulevard was extended to the north and south, it attracted the development of nearby residences in the adjacent Near North, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Uptown, and Edgewater communities.

"Today, ambitious improvements for the historic roadway are being planned through an initiative called Redefine the Drive. As part of the environmental review processes for this project, Julia Bachrach headed a team of historians that produced a Historic Properties Identification Report. Their work involved conducting intensive research on Lincoln Park, Lake Shore Drive, and hundreds of buildings along the NLSD corridor. In this seminar, Bachrach will share her findings about the architecture, structures, landscapes, and social history of Lincoln Park and the adjacent neighborhoods.

"A consulting historic preservation planner, Julia Bachrach previously served as the Chicago Park District’s historian. Her books include The City in a Garden: A History of Chicago’s Parks. She served as lead author of the Historic Properties Identification Report for North Lake Shore Drive.

"Learning from Lake Shore Drive

Led by Julia Bachrach

The Newberry’s Adult Education Seminars Program

Three Virtual Sessions. Wednesdays, December 1, December 8, and December 15

6pm-7:30pm

Registration – $125

"Welcome to the Pritzker Military Museum & Library’s newest exhibition, Drawn to Combat: Bill Mauldin & The Art of War, a retrospective of the provocative work by two-time Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Bill Mauldin about our nation’s time of war, civil rights, and social justice.

"Explore Mauldin’s largest collection featuring 150 framed drawings and published cartoons, as well as personal material from his exceptional career including his Pulitzer Prize awards, fan letters, and Purple Heart medal. #WhoIsBillMauldin

"Learn more and purchase your exhibit tickets ahead of time here:"

Louis Sullivan’s Idea by Tim Samuelson. Rachel Freundt @chi_geek on twitter

"The story of Louis H. Sullivan is considered one of the great American tragedies. While Sullivan reshaped architectural thought and practice and contributed significantly to the foundations of modern architecture, he suffered a sad and lonely death. Many have since missed his aim: that of bringing buildings to life. What mattered most to Sullivan were not the buildings but the philosophy behind their creation. Once, he unconcernedly stated that if he lived long enough, he would get to see all of his works destroyed. He added: “Only the idea is the important thing.”

"In Louis Sullivan’s Idea, Chicago architectural historian Tim Samuelson and artist/writer Chris Ware present Sullivan’s commitment to his discipline of thought as the guiding force behind his work, and this collection of photographs, original documentation, and drawings all date from the period of Sullivan's life, 1856–1924, that many rarely or have never seen before. The book includes a full-size foldout facsimile reproduction of Louis Sullivan’s last architectural commission and the only surviving working drawing done in his own hand."

384 pages, 300 color plates

$45.00 cloth/jacket

"Nothing epitomized the glamour and excitement of Chicago’s jazz age and war years like the fabled Edgewater Beach Hotel. Much more than a hotel, the Edgewater Beach was a world unto itself—the only urban resort of its kind in the nation. Located on the shores of Lake Michigan on Chicago’s North Side, it offered swimming, golf, tennis, dancing, theater, fine dining, exclusive shopping, fabulous floor shows, unique watering holes, and, of course, some of the best jazz and swing music of its era. It even had its own pioneering radio station, which broadcasted across the nation and burnished its fame. Many of the legends of the big band era played its stages, and many of Hollywood’s leading stars crossed its footlights. It was a stomping ground for both the rich and famous as well as ordinary people who wanted a small taste of the high life. The Edgewater Beach Hotel was world renowned. But the social upheaval of the 1960s, the ascendance of automobile culture, and rapid urban change led to its demise." (ArcadiaPublishing.com)

"Fifty years ago, the last remnants of Edgewater’s most famous building came down, ending an era for one of the most storied hotels in Chicago history. Now, the Edgewater Beach Hotel is being remembered in the first book on the subject, written by two neighborhood historians.

"'Remembering Edgewater Beach Hotel' was published this year under Arcadia Publishing’s popular 'Images of America' series. It was written by Kathryn Gemperle and John Holden, members of the Edgewater Historical Society.

"The Edgewater Beach Hotel opened in 1916 in the 5300 block of North Sheridan Road. It quickly became the crown jewel of Edgewater, which was known for its wealthy residents and leafy mansions. With its own beach, the hotel quickly became a destination for well-heeled Chicagoans and dignitaries of the day, including Babe Ruth, Bing Crosby and Marilyn Monroe.

"'The hotel was that rarest of birds, perhaps without equal anywhere in the world: a full-service beachfront resort hotel located in the heart of one of the world’s great cities,' Holden and Gemperle write in the book. 'To find its rivals in the mid-20th century, one would have had to travel outside the Midwest to Atlantic City, Palm Beach, or the islands of California.'

"Aside from its lavish amenities, the hotel was the first home of WGN, which placed its broadcast antennas atop the hotel. The hotel also helped popularize jazz and big band music in the 1920s, with radio broadcasts beaming live performances from the hotel.

"The Edgewater Beach Hotel played a pivotal role in the founding of the Zenith Radio Company. It is also considered to have built the world’s first indoor parking garage.

"In 1947, the city approved a plan to extend DuSable Lake Shore Drive from Foster Avenue to Hollywood Avenue, cutting off the hotel from its private lakefront.

"The Edgewater Beach Hotel closed in 1967 and was demolished in 1971. All that remains is the Edgewater Beach Apartments, the historic building at 5550 N. Sheridan Road built in 1928 as a companion to the hotel.

"Despite its demise, the Edgewater Beach Hotel retains a special place in the memory of longtime Edgewater residents, Gemperle said. The authors hope the new book will help preserve the hotel’s legacy for future generations of Chicagoans.

"'The community of Edgewater has a nostalgia for the hotel, especially after it was torn down,' Gemperle said. 'It really was a big deal.' (Ward, Block Club Chicago, 8/5/21)

"Pullman Is...

"Pullman National Monument, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and Historic Pullman Foundation invite you to the grand opening of the new Pullman National Monument Visitor Center and Pullman State Historic Site, Labor Day Weekend, 2021"

"Video starts with a walk around 360-view of the finished move. Next a recap of the considerable preparation done before the move, including a large excavation for the new foundation and building a massive reinforced concrete sub-foundation. 360 Degree View.

 0:00  Walk around 360 View of New Location

 1:42  Original Location

 1:48  Building in 1929

 2:01  Project starts in May with basement excavation

 2:18  Large Hole excavated for New Foundation

 2:41  Moveable Down Spouts installed

 3:00  Surveying the New Foundation

 3:25  New Foundation Floor Pad

 4:10  Framing the massive new Foundation Footing

 6:06  Pouring the Reinforced Concrete Foundation Footing

 7:08  Wolfe Building Movers on site. That’s the owner & one of his sons.

 7:31  First holes in old foundation for Moving Beams

 7:58  The first Moving Beam is in place

 8:28  Placing the first Large Moving Beam

10:05  All the Large Beams have been placed

10:59  Placing a Medium Beam

12:45  Medium Sized Cross Beams on Large Beams

13:19  Placing the Front Facade Exterior Bracing

14:11  The old foundation is gone & the Building is sitting on the Moving Platform

14:48  Unified Jacking Machine and Hydraulic Lines

15:03  Heavy Duty Rollers “skates”

15:16  Moving Day

"Architect Helmut Jahn’s kaleidoscopic, controversial State of Illinois Center in Chicago, which shocked the world when it opened in 1985, may not be long for this world. Today the building is a run down rusty shadow of its former self, occupying a lucrative downtown block and deemed expendable by the cash-strapped state legislature.

"Despite initial construction flaws and hefty refurbishment costs, this singular architectural vision of an open, accessible, and inspiring civic building—defined by its iconic, soaring atrium--remains intact. Four years after the stinging loss of brutalist icon Prentice Women’s Hospital, Chicago preservationists, along with the building’s original champion, Governor James R. Thompson, are gearing up for a major battle to save the city’s most provocative architectural statement."

Includes interviews with:

Watch Starship Chicago: A Film by Nathan Eddy (15:50 Minutes)