March 2019 Month-in-Review Newsletter
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WIN: Superior Street Rowhouses Protected by Landmark District One Day Prior to Release of Demolition Permit!
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42, 44 & 46 East Superior Street Rowhouses. Photo Credit: Taylor Moore / Block Club Chicago
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On the final day before the expiration of the second 90-Day Demolition Delay hold, the Superior Street Rowhouses were saved from demolition by the preliminary designation of the McCormickville Chicago Landmark District, now formally referred to as the "Near North Side Multiple Property District." Without the protection of this Landmark District, the City of Chicago would have been obliged to release the demolition permit the following day for 42, 44 and 46 E. Superior Street. And even though there is no approved plan for the site, the developer likely would have wasted no time in clearing it.
The timing of the preliminary designation of the Near North Side Multiple Property District is fortunate and is the culmination of years of advocacy by Preservation Chicago. The current district is comprised of a total of 16 historic residential properties on Superior, Ontario, Rush, Huron, Erie, Dearborn and Grand. These represent some of the remaining survivors from the once extensive post-fire residential district. The endangered status of other buildings now protected by the Preliminary Designation was confirmed during the Commission of Chicago Landmarks testimony on March 7, 2019, when owners of three different buildings protested the inclusion of their historic buildings in the Preliminary Landmark District as this status would prevent them from moving forward with plans to demolish their respective buildings. A lengthy process is now underway to finalize this Landmark District and no demolitions of these structures can take place during this period.
The Near North Side Multiple Property Landmark District includes the following structures:
- 642 North Dearborn Street
- 14 West Erie Street
- 17 East Erie Street
- 110 West Grand Avenue
- 1 East Huron Street
- 9 East Huron Street
- 10 East Huron Street
- 16 West Ontario Street
- 18 West Ontario Street
- 212 East Ontario Street
- 222 East Ontario Street
- 716 North Rush Street
- 671 North State Street
- 42 East Superior Street
- 44 East Superior Street
- 46 East Superior Street
Preservation Chicago was deeply engaged in the advocacy effort to save the Superior Street Rowhouses at 42, 44 and 46 E. Superior Street and proactively worked on the ground with neighborhood organizations and other stakeholders to generate support for the Landmark District. When during the Commission on Chicago Landmarks hearing the Chairman asked the position of the public, we were able to present our Change.org petition with over 5,000 signatures on 231 pages and an additional 20 pages of comments in support. Additionally, Preservation Chicago researchers worked long hours to discover and assemble as much historic material as possible about these structures and other similar surviving buildings in the neighborhood.
Preservation Chicago wishes to recognize and applaud the leadership of 42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly and the professionalism and efficiency of his office and staff. Additionally, Preservation Chicago wishes to recognize and thank The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Chicago Department of Planning and Development Historic Preservation Staff, Landmark Illinois, and all of the community members who contributed to the protection of these architecturally significant Chicago buildings.
“Walking past these structures, one experiences both the history and story of the neighborhood over time, and a sense of place. They have a beautiful human scale to them, a sense of charm, and have always made the community more livable, with their fine craftsmanship and green spaces,” said Preservation Chicago Executive Director Ward Miller. (Von Buhl, Loop North News, 10/24/18)
“These are all really wonderful buildings and they could make part of a landmark district,” said Miller. “This is ‘McCormickville’. This is where the McCormick family lived before and after the Great Chicago Fire. And with the continued demolition of other shorter, older buildings in the area, there are only a handful of the original McCormickville buildings left. We need to value every inch of space where there are historic buildings that tell the story of the neighborhood.” (Jay Koziarz, Curbed Chicago, 12/8/16)
“These buildings also provide unique opportunities for small businesses and provide ‘an envelope’ for all sorts of creative things to happen from within these historic structures. They really do encourage unique small businesses, and add a livability quality to the community. At one time, there were many such small elegant restaurants and shops housed in these types of buildings from the Chicago River to Oak Street. As a matter of fact, it was often these beautifully crafted buildings that initially gave Oak Street its unusual character and success. Some of those buildings still exist, but they are becoming more and more rare. Once they’re gone, they’re gone forever!" Miller said. (Vol Buhl, Skyline)
Preservation Chicago strongly opposed the demolition of the three, architecturally significant, orange-rated 42, 44 and 46 East Superior Street Rowhouses dating from the 1870s and 1880s. The adjacent seven-story Art Deco limestone building and historic four-story red brick Giordano’s building are also endangered. The three 1880s-era rowhouses at 42 E. Superior Street (Dr. Herrick Johnson House), 44 E. Superior Street and 46 E. Superior Street (Hennessey Houses) were added to the 90-Day Demolition Delay List on September 12, 2018. 42 E. Superior Street has been the long-time home to Sunny Side Up Brunch and Coffee Shop.
Additional Reading
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THREATENED: Save Jackson Park Lawsuit Receives Financial Boost with Logan Foundation Grant
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Jackson Park. Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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A Chicago 7 Most Endangered in 2017, 2018 and again in 2019, Preservation Chicago has consistently advocated for the protection of Jackson Park, a world-class historic landscape designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux with contributions by Alfred Caldwell. Preservation Chicago does NOT oppose the Obama Presidential Center (OPC) being built in Chicago, but for many important and valid reasons, strongly prefers the 20-acre private facility to be constructed in a location other than historic Jackson Park. Many outstanding alternate locations have been identified, including the approximately 10 acres of mostly vacant land controlled by the University of Chicago and the City of Chicago in the Washington Park neighborhood near Garfield Boulevard and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
The group behind the federal lawsuit challenging the construction of the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park got a big boost on March 27, 2019, a $100,000 initial grant from The Reva and David Logan Foundation. The Logan Foundation money is to support the effort by Protect Our Parks (P.O.P.) “to stop the inappropriate allocation of public land at Jackson Park to a private foundation,” .the foundation said in a statement. (Sweet, Chicago Sun-Times, 3/27/19)
“We believe that this ‘land grab’ is both legally and morally wrong, and that the City of Chicago, the Obama Foundation and their partners need to reconsider their choice of location for this project” said board chairman Richard Logan in the statement. “There are so many sites in the city that could benefit from the kudos, the opportunities for employment and the neighborhood regeneration without taking public land and destroying historic city parklands,” (Sweet, Chicago Sun-Times, 3/27/19)
Despite federal Judge John Robert Blakey Judge’s frequent demands that the parties to the lawsuit move as quickly as possible to prevent the lawsuit from dragging on, the City of Chicago's legal defense strategy appears to have been to intentionally delay, drag -out, and slow -walk every step the lawsuit. This strategy may have been chosen based on the assumption that the Protect Our Parks group behind the federal lawsuit would exhaust their limited money and energy before the merits of the lawsuit could be heard. The significant grant support from The Logan Foundation significantly diminishes that possibility and will allow this David vs. Goliath case to be heard on its legal merits, not on the size and strength of the parties involved.
“Make no bones about it. The proposed plans…will backhoe and destroy almost 20 acres of this legacy park land,” said Ward Miller, Executive Director of Preservation Chicago, said, warning of the dangerous precedent. “This green, leafy site will now be compromised…with three very large buildings, all on a concrete plaza, and a tall museum building which is over 200 feet tall. … No other presidential library is of this scale and magnitude.”
“New Yorkers wouldn’t allow this to happen to Central Park. We shouldn’t allow it to happen here,” said Miller. (Golden, Block Club Chicago, 1/18/19)
“Given this city’s rich and colorful history of graft, payola and insider dealing, Chicagoans are entitled to be enormously skeptical—and even maybe a tad bit cynical—when asked by our civic leaders to take certain things on faith,” according to the Crain’s Chicago Business Editorial Board on August 2, 2018. “But there’s another reason to wonder about the site selection: The University of Chicago-backed Jackson Park deal may not have been cut in the kind of smoke-filled backroom Chicago is notorious for, but it might as well have been. The public disclosures by the Emanuel administration, the Obama Foundation and the U of C have been about as transparent as cigar smoke.” (Crain’s Editorial Board, 8/2/18)
On May 14, 2018, the nonprofit Protect Our Parks, Inc. filed a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court. In the complaint, they accuse the organizers for the Obama Presidential Center of pulling an “institutional bait and switch” by shifting away from an “official presidential library”overseen and paid for by the U.S. federal government and the National Archives and Record Administration (NARA).
“Although that original purpose of an official Presidential Library no longer exists,” reads the complaint, “the defendants continue to forge ahead to advance a totally different private nongovernmental project on public parkland.” Furthermore, the suit claims that the Chicago Park District and the City of Chicago don’t have the authority to transfer public parkland, that public land is “prohibited by law” from being turned over to a private entity for private use, and that such a deal violates Chicago Park District code.
The City of Chicago and Chicago Park District have been working to have the federal lawsuit dismissed, but the lawsuit continues to move forward. To counter a variety of creative but unsubstantiated and inaccurate claims, a “friend of the courts” amicus brief and a Declaration were submitted by Preservation Chicago with Jackson Park Watch, The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF), and Richard Epstein, a professor at University of Chicago Law School and a leading expert on public trust doctrine. The following amicus briefs summaries are from The Cultural Landscape Foundation's website.
“One claim consistently made in support of confiscating public parkland for the OPC has been that there is a tradition of siting museums in the city’s parks. On November 28, 2018, eleven museums in Chicago filed an
amici curiae
brief arguing in favor of this ersatz museological manifest destiny. Two local advocacy groups, Preservation Chicago and Jackson Park Watch, filed an
amici
brief that systematically dismantled the museums’ assertion. Not one of the eleven museums—as the two groups carefully documented—was built anew on existing parkland. “The proposition that the circumstances of these museums and the OPC are similarly situated is simply untrue,” said Ward Miller, Preservation Chicago Executive Director. “Allowing construction of the OPC in Jackson Park would be a unique event that would set an ominous precedent for the preservation of Chicago’s public parks." (The Cultural Landscape Foundation, 1/17/19)
"TCLF’s amicus curiae brief addressed several issues, including Olmsted’s design intent. TCLF cited Frederick Law Olmsted’s 1894 correspondence stating that the Museum of Science and Industry, which was
already extant
within the park, was to be the only “dominating object of interest” in the park and that “all other buildings and structures to be within the park boundaries are to be placed and planned exclusively with a view to advancing the ruling purpose of the park [and] they are to be auxiliary to and subordinate to the scenery of the park.” TCLF also cited the City of Chicago’s own
1999 South Lakefront Framework Plan
that concluded “the original Olmsted design has served [Jackson] park well over time and should not be compromised by future plans.” Moreover, an official 2012 correspondence from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, the body charged with protecting the State of Illinois’ cultural resources, declared that the park’s design “must be respected.” (The Cultural Landscape Foundation, 1/17/19)
"A brief submitted by Professor Richard Epstein of the University of Chicago Law School and the New York University Law School addressed the degree to which the OPC is subject to judicial review. As noted in a January 15, 2019, press release about all three of the filings, OPC proponents claim that “Under settled public trust law, the agreement between the City of Chicago and the Chicago Park District to transfer 19.3 acres of parkland in historic Jackson Park to the non-profit entity the Obama Foundation to construct and operate a presidential center for a sum of $1 for 99 years is entirely appropriate and essentially not entitled to any judicial review.”
Professor Epstein “argues that, to the contrary, the proposed transfer of property that comprises the OPC not only represents bad public policy, but also is in clear violation of the public trust doctrine.” Moreover, the “public trust doctrine impose[s] a far more exacting standard on the City given the inherent conflict of interests that arises from the close and enduring connections that the 44th President has with key officials in the City. That standard requires that one look behind unsupported statements of benefits claimed to result from the OPC. Instead, one must also look at the massive dislocations and high costs of putting the project in the proposed location in Jackson Park. Applying the proper standard, the OPC as currently proposed fails the public trust test.”
(The Cultural Landscape Foundation, 1/17/19)
Additional Reading
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WIN:
Jefferson Park Fire Station Reuse Evolves into Preservation- Sensitive Restoration
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Jefferson Park Fire Station. Historic Photo Credit: Northwest Chicago Historical Society
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After the initial redevelopment proposal for the Jefferson Park Firehouse was presented in February 2018, there was significant concern. A little over a year later, concern has shifted to enthusiasm as the updated adaptive reuse plans embrace the historic character of one of Chicago’s oldest surviving firehouses. Preservation Chicago applauds developer Tim Pomaville for this new direction.
The extensive advocacy effort included partnership with local neighborhood organizations, community organizing, a focused social media campaign and direct advocacy to the alderman, the developer and other key decision makers.
The developer Tim Pomaville, president of Ambrosia Homes, plans to purchase the building from the City of Chicago and adaptively reuse it as a micro-brewery for Lake Effect Brewing Company with nine apartments above. The project is estimated to cost $2.4 million. A new floor will be added to the structure setback from the front facade of the building. The Jefferson Park Firehouse has been vacant for five years and previously was used for the 45th Ward sanitation office for many years.
Built in 1906, the two-story brick fire station at 4835 N. Lipps Avenue originally had elegant beaux-arts detailing including strong horizontal base elements, a decorative cornice and a projecting triangular pediment. In a very welcome change, the developer is now planning to reconstruct the lost elements.
“Using reference photos of what the firehouse used to look like, Pomaville said the new plans aim to restore as much of the original ornamentation that was removed from the building over the years. Some of this includes restoring the triangular ornamentation from the front of the building and installing stained glass windows which historic photos show the firehouse used to have.” (Hernandez, Block Club Chicago, 3/28/19)
“We really want to compliment the city’s original design of that building. That’s the main theme,” Pomaville said. “So wherever we can, we’re going to try to make it like it was. And I think it’s pretty neat, it’s going to be a very pretty building when it’s done.” (Hernandez, Block Club Chicago, 3/28/19)
The revised redevelopment plans for the historic Jefferson Park Firehouse embrace the building’s history, character and authenticity. Preservation Chicago applauds 45th Ward Alderman John Arena for his support, and
Ambrosia Homes
and Lake Effect Brewing for listening to the community, integrating the comments and changing the trajectory of the development. Preservation Chicago believes that embracing the historic character will not add materially to the project costs, but it will contribute significantly to the success of the micro-brewery once the building is open.
Preservation Chicago, the Northwest Chicago Historical Society and Alderman Arena supported the adaptive reuse of this early Chicago firehouse, and worked to encourage the development team to value and honor the integrity of the historic building and to return lost historic elements to the building, including the following specific recommendations:
- The second floor of the existing historic firehouse should not be demolished and replaced by new construction.
- The cornice, triangular pediment and corner elements should be rebuilt on the original second floor roofline as closely as possible to the original design based upon the historic photographs. These historic elements were originally constructed from brick, stone, and copper sheet metal.
- The rebuilt cornice should be at the second floor roofline, with the new floors set back 10 feet from the cornice line. This would allow for exterior patio space on the roof as well as protecting and respecting the historic structure.
- Window openings on the upper floors should align to follow the historic building below on primary elevations. The “black-eye” punched internal balconies as seen in earlier renderings should not be permitted. In this case, exterior balconies are preferable to internal balconies and it would be preferable to have balconies on side and rear elevations.
Additional Reading:
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THREATENED: Cook County Land Bank Chooses Proposal to Demolish Washington Park National Bank Building (Chicago 7 2016)
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Washington Park National Bank. Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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After a lengthy public process that generated three proposals for the Washington Park National Bank Building, the Cook County Land Bank Authority chose to select the ONLY proposal that did not include reuse and renovation of the historic building. Despite learning about the meeting where the vote would be conducted the night prior, Preservation Chicago widely publicized the meeting and attended to present an impassioned defense of the historic building during the public testimony before the Cook County Land Bank Board of Directors.
Preservation Chicago calls on Cook County Land Bank Authority Executive Director Rob Rose and the Cook County Land Bank Authority Board of Directors to reconsider and reopen the decision regarding the redevelopment of this historic building. The Washington Park National Bank Building is an important neighborhood anchor on a commercial corridor that has seen the tragic loss of many important buildings. It is essential for the long-term reinvestment and prosperity of this commercial district that this historic building be preserved and redeveloped.
Located at 6300 S. Cottage Grove, the Washington Park National Bank was constructed in 1924 by architect Albert Schwartz. The building’s elegant Bedford Indiana limestone façade includes Corinthian pilasters, a projecting cornice and decorative parapet. The historic Washington Park National Bank name is chiseled into the limestone entablature. Unfortunately, the Washington Park National Bank Building has no Chicago Landmark protection against demolition, and it was overlooked by the Chicago Historic Resources Survey (CHRS) and has no orange-rating to offer any demolition delay protection.
Prior to winning the run-off aldermanic election, Jeanette Taylor declared her opposition to tearing the building down and told the Chicago Crusader that she would not approve the demolition if she wins the 20
th
Ward Aldermanic election runoff. “They need to be transparent. I’m going to bring the city and the community back to the table.” (Johnson, The Chicago Crusader, 3/29/19)
Mary Mitchel in her Sun-Times column wrote, “Woodlawn Works, one of the losing bidders, is raising questions about the fairness of the process. That group argues the winning bidder, Revive 6300, a joint venture between DL3 Realty, LP and Greenlining Realty USA (and the only group that proposed demolition), made several major changes to their proposal after the RFP response submission deadline. What I find most disheartening is the spokesperson for Woodlawn Works asked for anonymity, claiming he feared for his safety because of “powerful players” in Woodlawn.” (Mitchell, Chicago Sun-Times, 3/23/19)
Preservation Chicago supported the Cook County Land Bank Authority and Metropolitan Planning Council for coordinating and facilitating the workshops and RFP process to catalyze the redevelopment of this historic building. However, while the RFP recognized the benefit of historic preservation, the language did not prioritize historic preservation. The outcome of the selection process makes the RFP’s highly unusual conditional wording regarding historic preservation worth additional attention. Certainly, the strong public support for preserving and reusing the historic building was ignored. The questions regarding the integrity and impartiality of the process cast a shadow on the first substantial project of the Cook County Land Bank Authority and its Board of Directors.
“Benefits of Historic Preservation – The CCLBA also recognizes the sustainability benefits of adaptive reuse and historic preservation which in many cases provide the most comprehensive method of sustainable development – provided they also serve to achieve the economic development, community building and revenue generating objective of the CCLBA – without compromising or constraining the best redevelopment solutions.” (from
The Cook County Land Bank Authority’s Request for Proposals (RFP) Master Developer for the Purchase and Redevelopment of the Washington Park National Bank Building 6300 S. Cottage Grove, Chicago Illinois, released September 2018
)
A Structural Assessment Report of the Washington Park National Bank was completed as part of the RFP process by Probe Consulting Services in August 2018. While the report acknowledged that the building is littered with construction debris from decades of neglect, it concludes that “that the existing framing system of the building is structurally sound, intact, and still in good condition and that the building is salvageable and can be repaired to restore its full structural integrity.”
Adaptive reuse is often more complicated than new construction. However, if revenue generation is a priority for the CCLBA, there are many economic incentives to make the preservation option economically the most attractive. Economic incentives might include federal historic tax credits, state historic tax credits, Class L tax designation and, eligibility for Adopt-a-Landmark funds none of which are available on a new construction project. Research has established that people seek out authentic spaces to gather and shop. Revitalizing this incredible bank is the right thing to do for the Woodlawn neighborhood and the City of Chicago.
The Cook County Land Bank Authority was created in 2013 by the Cook County Government to spur development by obtaining, refurbishing and selling off vacant, abandoned, or tax-delinquent properties across the city. It has been reported that the Cook County Land Bank Authority acquired the Washington Park National Bank at a tax sale auction. The Woodlawn community and the wider preservation and architecture community expected a much better outcome than the proposed demolition and replacement with a building nearly identical in size but “suburban office park in its appearance,” as stated by a community member.
It was most recently owned by the Metropolitan Apostolic Church, headed by the Rev. Leon Finney Jr. The church bought the property in 2001. By 2017, the building’s facade was crumbling, the basement kept flooding, and there was a tree growing out of the roof. The church also was $3.7 million behind on property taxes. (Ballesteros, Chicago Sun-Times, 4/1/19) Rev. Finney is also the property owner of Loretto Academy in Woodlawn, a Preservation Chicago 2019 Chicago 7 Most Endangered Building.
Demolition should not be an option considered for this historic building. The Woodlawn community is strong and resilient, but it has suffered through decades of disinvestment, bad policies, demolition and the vacant lots that follow. The community is burdened by too many empty lots already, and any new construction ideas should be directed to towards activating a vacant lot and not destroying a neglected yet important community landmark and anchor.
“There are only a few buildings left in Woodlawn that embody the power and vitality the neighborhood’s history stands for. Tearing down another one is an unnecessary injury to Woodlawn’s history and to its current residents,” wrote Michal Safar, president of the Hyde Park Historical Society, in a letter to Rose dated Friday, March 29. (Ballesteros, Chicago Sun-Times, 4/1/19)
The four-story neoclassical bank building was an anchor building in the once bustling 63rd Street commercial district. This district was a center of the South Side with many great entertainment venues, hotels and ballrooms. The area was a prominent hub for Jazz-era clubs and all forms of entertainment and shopping flourished into the 1960s. After the community suffered a period of extended decline and disinvestment, the Washington Park National Bank Building was mothballed, fell into disrepair and has been vacant for more than a decade.
Now is the time to adaptively reuse the Washington Park National Bank Building. Woodlawn and this once prominent commercial corridor are again experiencing reinvestment. The nearby Grand Ballroom at 6351 S. Cottage Grove Avenue by architects Lowenburg + Lowenburg from 1923 recently underwent a beautiful restoration.
Additionally, the long-vacant former Strand Hotel across the street was adaptively reused as a residential apartment building with street-level retail and art gallery. The Strand Hotel received a Landmark Illinois preservation award which praised it as “an inspiring example of how historical preservation can spark positive redevelopment and reuse.”
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THREATENED: Despite Strong Community Objections, City Council Votes to Award Crawford Demolition Plan a ~$20M Tax-Break (Chicago 7 2019)
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Crawford Power Station. Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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LVEJO community organizing effort at Chicago CIty Hall. Photo Credit: LVEJO
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Despite strong community protests, on March 1, 2019 the Chicago City Council voted to approve a 12-year, $19.7 million tax break for Hilco Development’s planned distribution center on the site of the Crawford Station. Activists from Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, and the Sierra Club attended the overflow meeting at City Hall to protest the tax-break and proposed new construction.
Crawford Station, the enormous coal-fired electric-generating power station that was considered an engineering wonder of the modern world after its completion in 1926, received a demolition permit on the first day of its 90-Day Demolition Delay hold. The site will likely be cleared to make way for the construction of a 1 million square foot cross dock truck facility with 188 truck docks.
Little Village Environmental Justice Organization Executive Director Kim Wasserman-Nieto said given the historic respiratory issues in the neighborhood from industrial pollution and diesel trucks inundating the neighborhood, the development should not receive financial incentives. (Pena, Block Club Chicago, 3/13/19)
Meleah Geerstma, attorney and Midwest director of Health Equity and Water for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the proposed replacement of coal plant pollution with a warehouse that will bring [more] diesel trucks to the neighborhood is “the wrong thing to do for the health of this community.” (Cherone, Block Club Chicago, 9/13/18)
After being absent from City Hall since Dec. 31, 2018, when he was arrested and charged with misdemeanor domestic violence after his wife said he struck her while intoxicated, former 22
nd
Ward Alderman Ricardo Muñoz returned to City Hall to strongly push through the tax break for Hilco. (Quig, Block Club Chicago, 3/1/19)
“I’d hope that this 6b [tax break] application be considered as a local matter in the 22nd Ward where we’ve taken this debate at heart and decided that the investment and the repurposing of this vacant site to a site that will be creating these jobs is a much better use than just leaving it vacant,” said Muñoz.
After roughly an hour of questioning from aldermen about the project, Muñoz grew frustrated. “I don’t mean to cut anybody off, but for crying out loud people, this is a local matter!” (Quig, Block Club Chicago, 3/1/19)
35
st
Ward Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, 42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly, 31
st
Ward Alderman Milly Santiago, 45th Ward Alderman Ald. John Arena, and 47th Ward Alderman Ameya Pawar voted against the tax break. The new 22
nd
Ward Alderman Mike Rodriguez has not taken a public statement on the development plan, thought he did call for Muñoz to resign after he was charged.
At the September 13, 2018 Plan Commission meeting, opponents loudly protested the vote before being removed from the chamber by security guards. (Cherone, Block Club Chicago, 9/13/18)
The Crawford Station was designed by architects Graham, Anderson, Probst and White, the successor firm to D. H. Burnham & Company. The firm’s commissions included many large-scale and important buildings like Chicago’s Union Station, Soldier Field, The Field Museum, the Merchandise Mart (once the world’s largest building), Shedd Aquarium and Chicago’s Main Post Office.
The Crawford Station innovative technology conquered the previously difficult task of employing steam engine turbine technology to create the world’s largest electrical generators. The massive electricity production allowed Chicago to grow and prosper at a magnitude not previously seen. The success of the Crawford Station was replicated around the world, but it all began in Chicago.
Engineering magazine in July 1925, noted that “Probably no power station ever built has commanded greater interest during the period of its construction than has Crawford Avenue Station in Chicago.” The magazine made numerous references to the world power conference in London, England and the interest in Chicago’s new power plant.
The Crawford Station is composed of red-brick, stonework masonry, Modern Gothic forms and Renaissance-Revival detailing to create an eclectic mix of historic styles, now termed “Industrial Gothic.” The main Turbine Hall is a stately, massive red-brick building, resembling the front façade of a church or religious structure with its large flanking towers dominating the front facade. A mammoth three-story, arched window opening is divided with slender brick piers.
Preservation Chicago is not opposed to a redevelopment plan for the site, but strongly encourages the 1926 portion of the 72-acre campus to be adaptively reused in any redevelopment plan. The historic structures incorporate some of the existing equipment to tell a story of Chicago’s place on the world stage in the history of electricity and the production process. A reuse for the remainder of the site should not negatively impact traffic and air quality concerns in the Little Village neighborhood.
This industrial reuse plan is tragically ironic, considering the extraordinary 12-year effort to close the Crawford Station to eliminate the toxic pollution it generated. This was led by a consortium of neighborhood activists and organization such as Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, Delta Institute, Sierra Club Task Force, and community activists. The massive truck staging facility will generate high levels of exhaust and noise pollution.
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THREATENED: 16 W. Maple Threatened by New Construction
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16 W. Maple Street, built circa 1886. Photo Credit: Google Street View
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16 W. Maple Street Details, built circa 1886. Photo Credit: Google Street View
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Preservation Chicago is actively working to save from demolition the highly ornamented rowhouse at 16 W. Maple through direct outreach to stakeholders and decision makers. While our preference would be to save the building in its entirety, the preservation of the façade and incorporation into a new building would be preferable to demolition and a total loss.
16 W. Maple Street is a four-story Queen Anne rowhouse with burnt orange ornamental terra cotta window headers and trim, elaborate string courses, decorative iron railings, ornamental columns, a mansard roof, and a sculptural animal face in the triangular pediment. It was built in approximately 1886 as a single-family home. It is orange-rated in the Chicago Historic Resources Survey, which requires a 90-Day Demolition Delay hold when the developer applies for a demolition permit. It has been the home to many restaurants including the Waterfront Prime Seafood and most recently the Italian restaurant Merlo on Maple.
In early January 2019, Curbed Chicago reported on a proposed new 22-story high-end residential tower to replace a four-story commercial building dating from 1991 at 12. W. Maple Street in the Gold Coast. At that time, it was reported that the adjacent ornamented rowhouse at 16 W. Maple was not part of the development and therefore not directly at risk.
Unfortunately, Preservation Chicago since learned that the historic rowhouse is controlled by the same development team with intentions to demolish the historic building and use the vacant site for their new construction. In late January 2019, Curbed Chicago confirmed the development proposal had been updated and included the planned demolition of 16 W. Maple Street.
The proposed 22-story glassy tower with 12 high-end duplex residences is by developers David Pisor and James Lasky with architectural design by Chicago-based architecture firm Booth Hansen. The new construction would include 16 underground parking spaces, a restaurant, event space, a private club on floors one through six with residential units above.
Higher-density zoning is often a death knell to low-rise historic buildings like this rowhouse on Maple. This zoning differential between the height of what is built and what could be build is attractive to brokers and developers. Many specifically target historic low rise buildings in older to profit by literally buying low and selling high as the Downtown Mixed-Use District DX-7 zoning has no maximum building height. Zoning changes or landmark protections need to be implemented to correct this imbalance.
2nd Ward Alderman Brian Hopkins held a community meeting regarding the proposal on a frigid Chicago night on January 22, 2019. Preservation Chicago has been in communication with the alderman’s office to advocate against the proposed demolition of the historic rowhouse. We urge Alderman Hopkins to deny the required Planned Development request unless the development plans incorporate the existing historic building or revert to their original plans to build only on the adjacent parcel.
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LOSS: Historic Apartment Building at 2932 W. North Avenue Demolished
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2932 W. North Avenue during demolition March 2019. Photo Credit: Anney Grish
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2932 W. North Avenue demolished March 2019. Photo Credit: Google Maps Street View
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Carbit Paints Building, 2942 W. North Avenue demolished December 2017. Photo Credit: Google Maps Street View
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Proposed New Construction Building. Rendering Credit: Wilmot Properties
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The historic four-story building at North Avenue and Richmond across from Humboldt Park has been demolished. Located at 2932 W. North Avenue, this attractive brick building with limestone base and doorway, bands of bay windows and projecting cornice was built around 1900. Located just beyond the borders of the Logan Square Boulevards Landmark District, there were few protections to prevent this loss.
The developer, Wilmot Properties, purchased the building with the intention to demolish and replace it with a 5-story building. Wilmot Properties demolished the Carbit Paint Building on an adjacent parcel in December 2017. Preservation Chicago wanted to see this building saved and incorporated into the new development. At the very least, the historic facade should have been saved and blended into the new building.
This is another significant and disappointing loss.
When 1st Ward Alderman Joe Moreno was pressed on this issue, his office released a written statement that “since the building was not designated as a Landmark or orange-rated historic building, the owner is within his rights to demolish a building which he characterizes as structurally unsound.”
It is true that the building failed a building code inspection in 2014 which cited bricks bulging in a section of the basement foundation wall, graffiti tags, and no access to verify smoke detectors or inspect the rear porch. There is no reason for this building to have been demolished other than the developer’s preference to maximize profit and buildable area on this parcel and to replace small, older units with large, new units.
Preservation Chicago and community preservation partners encouraged 1
st
Ward Alderman Joe Moreno to take steps to prevent this demolition, and it appeared that the demolition was delayed in response to this outreach, However, Alderman Moreno lost his bid for reelection on February 26, 2019, and demolition began on 2932 W. North Avenue on the following day.
Both 2932 W. North Avenue and the Carbit Paint buildings were listed as contributing buildings in the National Register Historic Places as part of the Chicago Park Boulevard System Historic District. While inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places makes buildings eligible for tax credits, it does nothing to delay or prevent demolition.
Ward Miller, Executive Director for Preservation Chicago, said, “Not only is the community losing two historic buildings, but it’s also losing the historic street wall next to Humboldt Park. These world-famous parks, of the highest caliber, really do need these street walls to give a visual end and completeness to the park landscape. This developer already tore down the nice Carbit Paint building. Do we need to tear down three quarters of this block? This is historic for a reason, and this is a situation where we should be looking — at a minimum — at preservation of the facade.”
Additional Reading
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WIN: Nuveen House Receives Preliminary Landmark Protection
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Nuveen House, 3916 N. Tripp Avenue, built 1892. Photo Credit: Old Irving Park Historical Society
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The Nuveen House is a graceful, Queen Anne style house in the historic Old Irving Park community. Located at 3916 N. Tripp Avenue, it was built by John Nuveen as his primary residence in 1892. The house has a large porch, projecting bays, a square tower, decorative gables, art glass windows, and a complex roofline. The architect is unconfirmed but believed to be Clarence H. Tabor, who also designed the nearby Chicago Landmark Charles N. Loucks House at 3926 N. Keeler Avenue.
The Nuveen House sits on an oversized 56 x 163 lot so it is highly attractive to developers. Preservation Chicago strongly opposes the trend of side yards in residential communities being targeted by developers for infill development, as this green space is an important asset to protect. The property was recently purchased by a developer with plans to demolish the house and replace it with new construction. Preservation Chicago has been working closely with Cathey Curley, the Irving Park Historical Society, leadership within the Old Irving Park community, 45th Ward Alderman John Arena, and the City of Chicago Landmark Division to save this house from demolition. Ideally, the house would be sold to a preservation-oriented buyer and designated as a Chicago Landmark.
During the Landmarks Commission meeting, Alderman Arena said, “When we have an opportunity like this that really helps define Old Irving Park by its nature, then I think it’s our role to work to preserve that. I fear if we continue this process and don’t protect Old Irving Park, we’re going to have to re-name it ‘New Irving Park.'” (Rice, Block Club Chicago, 3/15/19)
After a significant advocacy effort during the March 7, 2019 meeting, the Nuveen House was granted Preliminary Landmark Designation by the Commission of Chicago Landmarks which protects it from demolition.
The attorney for the developer objected to the preliminary designation claiming that the house was structurally unsound, declaring John Nuveen a “loan shark,” and stating that developer client "wasn’t greedy" and would be willing to sell the house for what he paid for it. According to city records, the house was purchased in July 2018 for $500. The house has been relisted for sale for $575,000.
Nuveen founded The John Nuveen Company, a financial investment firm which became a major underwriter of municipal bonds around the turn of the 20th century. The firm became a primary source of capital for the public works projects undertaken by the country’s cities, counties, and states. Accordingly, John Nuveen figured prominently in the massive effort to build the nation’s infrastructure during the 20th century.
Old Irving Park has a wonderful, largely intact neighborhood of historic homes. While there is a National Register District in place, National Register Districts provide no protection against demolition. It is important to create a Designated Chicago Landmark District to protect the Old Irving Park neighborhood before more developers buy and demolish historic homes on the oversized lots that are characteristic of the neighborhood. Preservation Chicago has been working with the Old Irving Park Historical Society, Alderman Arena and his office, City of Chicago historic preservation staff and other stakeholders to advance this effort.
Additional Reading
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WIN: Claremont Cottage District Receives Preliminary Landmark Protection
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"The Claremont Cottage District consists of 19 highly detailed 1-1/2 half story cottages. The high pitched front-facing gable roofs with overhanging eaves and 2nd floor oriel windows are magnified by the buildings’compact size, producing a charming, picturesque quality." Photo Credit City of Chicago Landmarks Report
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The Preliminary Landmark designation of a collection of 19 Queen Anne style “worker’s cottages” built primarily in 1884 was approved on March 7, 2019 by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks. Located on the Near West Side in Tri-Taylor, most of the homes are on the 1000 block of South Claremont. This district was included in the National Register in 1983. The Chicago Historic Resources Survey, published in 1996, identified the area as a potential Chicago Landmark District. The protections of a Preliminary Landmark designation are important as the cottage at 1042 S. Oakley Boulevard was demolished in 2018.
“In their high level of design, craftsmanship, and physical integrity, this is a rare surviving development of Queen Anne style ‘worker’s cottages.’ The worker’s cottage was a common building type in the context of Chicago working- and middle-class neighborhoods that were developed in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. However, the cottages in this district are distinctive for their design and detailing. No two cottages in the district are identical. Each one is clad with eclectic ornamentation and exterior building materials a little differently than the last, but the striking visual appeal of the block is in its uniformity. The high gabled roofs, overhanging eaves with turned wood brackets beneath, oriel windows and carved stone trim produce a higher level of visual character than what is typically found in worker's cottages.” (Claremont Cottage District, Preliminary Landmark Report, March 2019)
The district also stands out as a largely intact speculative development, built as an ensemble 125 years ago, that has managed to survive the ravages of time, economic downturns, and extensive urban renewal projects nearby. Named the “Claremont Cottages” by prolific real estate developers Turner & Bond, these buildings reflect the appreciation that Victorian-era Chicagoans had for highly decorative, finely crafted houses, even ones of modest scale, as well as the importance of small-scale residential buildings to the history of Chicago.” The architecture is attributed to Cicero Hine. (Claremont Cottage District, Preliminary Landmark Report, March 2019)
“These homes are amazing assets of Chicago’s Near West Side,” said Ward Miller. “In a neighborhood that’s weathered many changes, the Claremont Cottages district has remained a special place that evokes the sense of a small village of somewhere other than Chicago; like you’re in another country. More of the cottages used to populate the nearby streets of Heath and Oakley avenues but have been decimated over time.” (Rice, Block Club Chicago, 3/13/19)
According to Matt Crawford, architectural historian at the City of Chicago, Landmarks Division, “Many of the neighbors who lived on the block assumed their homes were already within a designated Chicago Landmark District and were surprised to discover that wasn’t the case. That discovery caused neighbors on the block to form a grassroots effort to learn more about their properties and campaign for their preservation.” (Rice, Block Club Chicago, 3/13/19)
“We see a lot of folks complaining about these kinds of things but not doing anything,” said committee member Ernest Wong. “I really want to commend these neighbors.” (Rice, Block Club Chicago, 3/13/19)
Preservation Chicago testified in support of the District. This District is the result of many years of preservation advocacy by Tri-Taylor Neighborhood Association with support from a $1,500 Landmarks Illinois Preservation Heritage Fund grant and City of Chicago historic preservation staff.
Additional Reading
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THREATENED: Falling Bricks from St. James Temple/ / St. Nicholas Church in Roseland Create Emergency Demolition Risk
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St. James Temple Church of God. Photo Credit: Google Maps Street View
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St. James Temple Church of God with fallen brick. Photo Credit: CBS 2 Chicago
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St. James Temple Church of God with fallen brick. Photo Credit:Ward Miller / Preservation Chicago
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St. James Temple Church of God, originally known as St. Nicholas Catholic Church and more recently known as Cathedral of Faith M.B. Church is a beautiful church designed by William J. Brinkmann circa 1901 and is located 11336 S. State Street in Roseland. After years of vacancy and deferred maintenance, the church’s exterior brick cladding is being to fail. Reports of falling exterior brick near the main entrance was reported in December 2018, January 2019 and again in March 2019. The City of Chicago Department of Buildings has sent inspectors and has cordoned off the front of the church with caution tape to prevent bystanders from being injured.
“According to the Chicago Department of Buildings, the historic church is being considered for Landmark status. A representative for the department said there is a live order of demolition for the church, but it hasn’t been rushed because of the possible status.” (CBS 2 Chicago, 3/22/19)
Preservation Chicago urges the City of Chicago to quickly designate the historic building as a Chicago Landmark so that Adopt-a-Landmark funds can be allocated to stabilize the exterior fascia brick. Stabilization would cost far less than demolition, and the Roseland community deserves better than another vacant lot. This historic church could be repurposed as a community center, performing arts center, nonprofit incubator or a variety of other uses that would help to bring jobs and vibrancy to Roseland.
Additional Reading:
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THREATENED:
1517 W. Barry Avenue Added to 90-Day Demolition Delay
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1517 W. Barry Avenue, built circa 1888. Photo Credit: Zillow
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1517 W. Barry Avenue side yard, built circa 1888. Photo Credit: Zillow
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1517 W. Barry Avenue rear yard and garage, built circa 1888. Photo Credit: Zillow
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1517 W. Barry Avenue interior, built circa 1888. Photo Credit: Zillow
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1517 W. Barry Avenue was added to 90-Day Demolition Delay on March 3, 2019. The applicant is Platinum Homes Development and has requested a permit for the “demolition and removal of a 2-story frame house.” This is a beautiful orange-rated home in excellent condition and should not be demolished. Preservation Chicago has been in touch with stakeholders and is mobilizing a rapid response advocacy effort to attempt to save this home from demolition. The double lot is a tempting prize for developers. Preservation Chicago strongly opposes the trend of side yards in residential communities being targeted by developers for infill development and believes that for quality of life these green spaces are important assets that must be protected.
The expired Zillow listing describes the home as "A gardener's dream on an idyllic double lot with all the conveniences the city has to offer in the Lakeview neighborhood. Light streams through gorgeous stained glass windows showcasing the incredible well-preserved vintage charm in this rare opportunity. This 4 bedroom/2 bath Victorian home, rich in character and detail, boasts 11' ceilings, wide plank pine floors, bay windows and wood burning fireplace with exquisite tile surround. Thoughtfully designed high end kitchen complete with custom cabinets, granite countertops, breakfast bar and commercial grade appliances. A 2 car garage, enormous landscaped yard and garden rounds out this incredible opportunity. All within walking distance to Burley, Whole Foods and the Southport Corridor."
The house was built c. 1888 by Frederick W. H. Sundmacher who worked at a lumber yard until 1883 and then bought an interest in a brick company in Lake View. His father Conrad Sundmacher, arrived from Germany in 1854 and came to Lake View in 1869 and started a brickyard with Henry Brauckmann. Sundmacher & Brauckmann's clay pit and brick kilns were located on the southeast corner of Wellington and Ashland in the middle of a long row of brick makers. Frederick Sundmacher bought out Brauckmann's interest in the company and moved to Lake View where he bought the property on Barry and built his house at 1517 W. Barry. Brick making was an important industry in Lake View and one that helped to build and define the City of Chicago. The Sundmacher family had connections to other early and well-established brick makers that operated along Ashland Avenue during the late 19th century. (Historical research credit Matt Wicklund)
Preservation Chicago would like to encourage a Landmark Designation of the beautiful orange-rated home in excellent condition
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Additional Reading
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WIN: Logan Square Preservation Raises Funds to Restore Church's Stained Glass
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Eleventh Church of Christ Scientist/Central Hispanic Seventh Day Adventist Church, 2840 W. Logan Boulevard, Leon Stanhope, 1916. Photo Credit: Google Maps Street View
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Eleventh Church of Christ Scientist/Central Hispanic Seventh Day Adventist Church, 2840 W. Logan Boulevard, Leon Stanhope, 1916. Existing condition of stained glass windows. Photo Credit: Logan Square Preservation
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In less than six weeks, Logan Square Preservation declared the fundraising campaign a success after raising more than the $12,000 goal to repair, replace and backlight about 100 of the deteriorating fish-scale stained glass windows, fish-scale stained glass windows, original to the 1916-era 11th Church of Christ Scientist church/Central Hispanic Seventh Day Adventist Church.
The fish-scale stained glass windows, which are an integral part of the design, are in need of restoration. Some are being held together today by duct tape.
The historic church located is on Logan Boulevard in the heart of the Logan Square Boulevards Historic Landmark District. Designed by landmark architect Leon Stanhope and built in 1916 as the home of the 11th Church of Christ Scientist, the building at 2840 W. Logan Blvd houses the Central Hispanic Seventh Day Adventist Church congregation.
"It’s a project that wouldn’t be possible without the fundraising campaign," according to Pastor Luis Eguiluz, who has been with the church for seven years “We are so grateful and happy that [Logan Square Preservation] is taking the initiative.” (Bloom, Block Club, 1/30/19)
In 2016, Logan Square Preservation raised $5,000 from its members to restore one of the stained glass windows at the Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church. The Minnekirkin has been the only church to opt-in to the Logan Boulevard Historic District, which protects landmark buildings on the boulevard from demolition. All of the windows were in need of significant restoration. The windows facing the square were obscured behind discolored plastic installed to protect from damage.
The restored windows were unveiled in May 2016 and continue to be seen by thousands of people on Logan Square. Since then, the campaign to restore the remaining windows facing Logan Square has raised over $19,000 towards its goal.
(Logan Square Preservation.org)
Logan Square Preservation also successfully fundraised to restore the bell at St. John Berchmans Church on Logan Boulevard.
Additional Reading
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LOSS: “Spotlight on Demolition”
Clark and Barlow Hardware, 353 W. Grand Avenue, River North
741,743, 745 N Dearborn Street, Near North Side
3656 N. Artesian, North Center
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“It’s an old, common cry in a city where demolition and development are often spoken in the same breath, and where trying to save historic homes from the wrecking ball can feel as futile as trying to stop the snow. My Twitter feed teems with beautiful houses doomed to vanish in the time it takes to say ‘bulldozed.’ Bungalows, two-flats, three-flats, greystones, workers’ cottages. The photos, posted by people who lament the death of Chicago’s tangible past, flit through my social media feed like a parade of the condemned en route to the guillotine,”
mused Mary Schmich in her Chicago Tribune column on July 12, 2018
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Established in 1894, the Clark and Barlow Hardware store at 353 W. Grand was demolished in March 2017. Photo Credit: Preservation Chicago
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741,743, 745 N Dearborn Street, Demolished March 2019.
Photo Credit: Google Street View
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3413 N. Clark with Bankes Coffee ghost sign, Demolished March 2019 for Belmont Flyover.
Photo Credit: Andy Marfia
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1320 W. Lexington, Threatened with Demolition, March 2019.
Photo Credit: Ward Miller / Preservation Chicago
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3656 N. Artesian, Threatened with Demolition, March 2019.
Photo Credit: Google Street View
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LOST CHICAGO...BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
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Ashland Block
by D.H. Burnham and Company
Built 1891, Demolished 1940
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Ashland Block, c. 1905, by Burnham and Root in 1892. Demolished in 1949.
Historic Photo Credit: Ryerson & Burnham Archives, Archival Image Collection, Photographer Lawrence Company (Nickel, Richard, Archive, 1850-2011 (bulk 1945-1972) 2010.6)
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Ashland Block entrance, by Burnham and Root in 1892. Demolished in 1949.
Historic Photo Credit: Ryerson & Burnham Archives, Archival Image Collection, Inland Architect Vol. 19, no.6 (720.5 I56)
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Ashland Block
Architect: Burnham and Root
Location: 155 North Clark Street at NE corner of W. Randolph Street
Built: 1892
Demolished: 1949
“The Ashland Block was an absolutely delightful early skyscraper, a superior design that emerged from the prolific office of Burnham & Root. It was a robust structure, a building that revealed in its own height and plasticity. A rich red in color, it was easily recognizable along Clark Street, the thoroughfare it fronted, and it was visible throughout the Loop. This structure was faced with red brick and red terra-cotta, and its exterior walls undulated. Rounded bays rippled on the street facades and electrified the building’s midsection; it was tripartite in organization. A grand processional arch marked its main entrance, and a perfectly scaled – yet pronounced – cornice capped the building. The Ashland Block earned for itself celebrity status due to its overall pleasing appearance, lively facades, its relative height of 200 feet, and as one of the progenitors of Chicago’s modern architecture.
“This skyscraper was constructed on the northeast corner of North Clark and West Randolph Streets, just across from the Court House, a grand structure filled with city, county, and state offices, and of course courtrooms and jails. Business days found the Ashland Block housing over 1,000 occupants including attorneys, bankers, bondsmen, real estate investors, insurance men, and stock brokers. The proximity to the Chicago Court House was most important to many of the Block’s clients, and in turn to their clients. Clarence Darrow had offices in this building for many years.
“The Ashland Block was destroyed in 1949 and replaced, astonishingly, by an architecturally mediocre bus station. Mercifully, that was raised for the Chicago Title & Trust Center (Kohn Pedersen Fox, New York City) which currently occupies the site. Completed in 1992, one century after Burnham & Roots Ashland Block, the Chicago Title & Trust’s headquarters offers stark contrast to the previous wavy-walled landmark. Chicago Title’s tower stands fifty stories, 756 feet above the corner of Clark and Randolph – almost four times the height of its red brick predecessor."
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Petition: Save the Superior Street Rowhouses from Demolition!
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42, 44 & 46 East Superior Street Rowhouses. Photo Credit: Taylor Moore / Block Club Chicago
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Despite their inclusion in the proposed Near North Multiple Property District through the Commission on Chicago Landmarks, developers are still seeking to tear down these three extraordinary buildings.
reservation Chicago STRONGLY OPPOSES THE DEMOLITION of these architecturally significant, orange-rated rowhouses at 42, 44 and 46 East Superior dating from the 1870s and 1880s.
The clock is ticking as development pressure intensifies and developers have begun to actively target the last remaining clusters of intact, low-rise, historic buildings as development sites.
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Petition: Halt the Demolition of one of Bronzeville's Historic Substations
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ComEd Substation, Herman von Volst, 626 E. 40th Street, 1931. Photo Credit: Google Street View
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Built in 1931, the ComEd substation at 626 E. 40th Street once provided power for the now-defunct Kenwood L line. Designated as possessing potential significance in the context of the surrounding community during the Chicago Historic Resources Survey, the substation's demolition permit will reach the end of its 90-day hold on January 31st, 2019. Without intervention, Bronzeville could lose another beautiful monument to its rich history.
We urge ComEd to halt the demolition of its Herman von Volst-designed substation at 626 E. 40th Street in Chicago and work with the community and neighborhood leaders to find a preservation-sensitive use for the historic building.
Additional Reading
Crain’s Chicago Business published an op-ed in where an elevated linear trail similar to the 606 is proposed for the South Side on abandoned railway embankments. It suggest that this ComEd substation as an access point and park space.
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Petition: Save the Clarendon Park Field House
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Clarendon Park Field House. Historic Postcard Credit: Chuckman Collection
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The Clarendon Park Community Center will either begin an extensive renovation or will be demolished and replaced. The building hangs in the balance and a strong voice from the Clarendon Park community is essential to help decision makers to make a preservation-oriented decision.
As recently as 2015, demolition was widely considered to be the most likely outcome for the historic Clarendon Park Community Center building and it was included as a 2015 Preservation Chicago 7 Most Endangered Building. It was widely celebrated in 2017 when $6.1 million in TIF funds were earmarked for the long-neglected Clarendon Park Community Center building with the expectation that the building would finally be renovated. Now there is concern that the Chicago Park District will choose to use these funds for a smaller, new construction building instead of restoring the historic building.
The Clarendon Park building was designed by city architect C.W. Kallal in a Mediterranean Revival Style. This “Italian Resort Style” became the model for such other well-regarded lakefront Landmark buildings as Marshall and Fox’s South Shore Country Club in 1916 (now South Shore Cultural Center) and the 63rd Street Bathing Pavilion in 1919. This style was defined by tall towers capped with hipped roofs clad in clay tiles, large entry colonnades, porticos, loggias and open-air promenades.
Preservation Chicago urges the Chicago Park District to recognize the value of this important historic building and to commit to seeing it restored. Preservation Chicago applauds 46th Ward Alderman James Cappleman for his commitment to seeing the Clarendon Park Community Center protected from demolition and for helping to solidify the necessary renovation funds. The Clarendon Park neighbors and community stakeholders continue to play an important role and deserve special recognition for their unwavering support for this building with special thanks to Katharine Boyda, Melanie Eckner, the Clarendon Park Advisory Council, Uptown United and Uptown Chicago Commission.
Preservation Chicago hopes to see this important building’s exterior restored to an appearance more similar to its original design. The distinctive tall towers fronting Clarendon Avenue and the smaller towers fronting the beach, along with the entry colonnade and the verandas and open-air loggias were beautiful and distinctive architecture elements that should never have been removed. Their reconstruction would elevate the Clarendon Park Community Center to its rightful place alongside the 63rd Street Bathing Pavilion and other important Landmark lakefront buildings from this period.
Additional Reading
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Petition: Stop Destroying Chicago Bungalows: Support Sensible Second-Story Additions
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Chicago Bungalow Association Stop The Pop Initiative. Photo Credit: Chicago Bungalow Association
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An onslaught of developers are threatening Chicago's iconic bungalows by tearing off the entire upstairs levels and replacing them with full second stories in lieu of sensible additions. These destructive additions, aka "pop tops," destroy the architectural/aesthetic value of homes and streetscapes as well as neighbors' property values. The inferior materials and methods used are short-lived and structurally overwhelming; a complete contrast to bungalows themselves, which were built to last for many decades.
There are ways to expand bungalows with second-story additions that are compatible to the original building in style and proportion. Sensible additions can provide an equally full, high-ceiling expansion of space, and are pleasing to the surrounding neighborhood and environment.
The Chicago Bungalow Association (CBA) is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to helping homeowners maintain, preserve and adapt their unique Chicago bungalow, an indelible part of the City's landscape. On behalf of CBA's staff, its 16,000 members and the 80,000 Chicago bungalows, they have created the #StopThePop campaign in an effort to protect Chicago bungalows from this destructive trend. With your support, they hope to achieve the following:
- Educate developers and the public on "good" vs. "bad" additions through campaign-driven seminars, panels, fact-sheets and a comprehensive set of Design Guidelines for additions.
- Provide homeowners with direct access to qualified and affordable architects, engineers and contractors experienced in creating sensible second story additions.
- Bring awareness to Aldermen and the City of Chicago Department of Buildings through our campaign petition, homeowner testimonials, and statements of support from neighborhood organizations.
CBA is just getting started and need you to join their efforts by signing this petition and sharing it with your family, friends, and neighbors.
Stay up-to-date on #StopThePop by visiting
www.chicagobungalow.org. Do not hesitate to email your thoughts and ideas in strengthening this campaign.
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If You Value Preservation In Chicago...
Please Support
Preservation Chicago
!
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Demolition of Chicago Machinery Building, 1217 West Washington Boulevard, designed by D.H. Burnham & Company in 1910. Photo Credit: Ward Miller
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- Be Heard! Attend community meetings and make your voice heard!
THANK YOU from your friends at Preservation Chicago!
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