https://www.instagram.com/joshuamellin/

Prints available at joshuamellin.com/contact

Please click the 'Unsubscribe' button in the footer

"McKinley Morganfield was born in rural Issaquena County, Mississippi, in 1913, the son of a sharecropper who played guitar on weekends. His mother died not long after he was born, and he was raised by his grandmother.

"She’s the one who gave him the nickname 'Muddy,' stemming from his 'muddying' for fish in a nearby creek. And when he picked up his first musical instrument, the harmonica — moving on to guitar in his teens — no one could have predicted Morganfield was destined to become the international blues legend 'Muddy Waters.' That would come after he headed north in the Great Migration, settling in Chicago.

"And on Thursday, the home in the South Side North Kenwood neighborhood where the blues icon lived and raised his family moved a step closer to becoming a city of Chicago landmark, granted preliminary landmark status by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks.

"'Muddy Waters was one of the most important figures in the development of the distinctive electrified sound that came to be known as the ‘Chicago blues.’ Muddy Waters skillfully married the raw acoustic Delta blues he learned in Mississippi, with amplification, to create a powerful new urban sound,' Kendalyn Hahn, project coordinator at the Chicago Department of Planning & Development told the commission.

"'This 1891 structure served as the home of the blues musician and his family from 1954 to 1973. And musicians who came to record or perform in Chicago made the home an unofficial center for the Chicago blues community, a community largely composed of African Americans whose gifts to the world not only shaped American popular music and subsequent generations of musicians, but one which gave the world a uniquely American art form, which speaks to the incredible resilience of the human spirit,' Hahn said.

"The property at 4339 S. Lake Park Ave. is owned by Waters’ great-granddaughter, Chandra Cooper, who is converting the brick two-flat — where Waters lived on the first floor, rented out the top floor and had his recording studio in the basement — into The MOJO Muddy Waters House Museum. The preliminary designation passed unanimously.

"The project is among burgeoning efforts to honor Black history in a post-George Floyd era, and part of a wave of house museums — including those honoring Emmett Till and Mamie Till Mobley, Phyllis Wheatley, and Lu and Jorja Palmer — that nearly got blocked by a failed ordinance earlier this year by Ald. Sophia King (4th) to limit them.

"The Waters house is in the 4th Ward, and while Cooper and King have sparred over roadblocks in recent months, King on Thursday spoke ardently in support of the designation.

"'So I lived these stories. To have somebody like Muddy Waters who really put the blues and rock ’n’ roll on the stage, not just here in Chicago but across the country and the world, I’m personally proud. All of the challenges I know he was faced with to break down such barriers and do such significant things — this is a no-brainer for me.'

"On behalf of the family of McKinley Morganfield, we believe it essential for the legacy of African American history that this home be designated a landmark,” Chandra Cooper told the commission, accompanied by her mother, Waters’ granddaughter, Amelia Cooper." (Ihejirika, Chicago Sun-Times, 6/3/21)

Read the full story at Chicago Sun-Times

THANK YOU to the nearly 33 thousand individuals who signed the petition to reject the proposed House Museum Ban ordinance. This petition by Preservation Chicago, our media outreach campaign, and advocacy effort in partnership with community organizations throughout Chicago played an important role in helping to defeat an ordinance that would have been devastating for dozens of house museums and cultural centers across Chicago.

In less than one week, the speed and magnitude of signatures helped thrust the proposed House Museum Ban ordinance out of the shadows and into the spotlight. This story seized the attention of Chicago and beyond. Many unknown details were revealed through the outstanding reporting of many Chicago reporters in over two dozen articles.

Preservation Chicago presented the petition along with a formal comment in opposition to the proposed house ban ordinance at the Zoning Committee of the Chicago City Council on March 23, 2021. Final petition totals were 1,488 pages of signatures and 35 pages of comments. Due to the advocacy effort and widespread opposition, the ordinance was withdrawn from a vote shortly before the hearing begin.

While the immediate danger has passed, the inspiring, diverse coalition of organizations and individuals that organized to resist the proposed ordinance will remain vigilant in the event that it resurfaces. We applaud every individual and organization that played a role in helping to oppose this legislation.

We strongly oppose any legislative maneuvers that seek to make more difficult the establishment of Chicago neighborhood house museums. In fact, we strongly encourage additional support to help nurture them.

Now is the time to recognize, honor and protect the many important contributions of African-Americans and traditionally underrepresented communities to Chicago. House museums are powerful vehicles for protecting the history and telling the stories of those who have come before us. House museums amplify the voices of those who have not been heard. It is essential that these voices be heard.

Read more at:

Alderman withdraws ordinance that would have restricted ‘house museums’; The decision by Ald. Sophia King (4th) was announced at the start of Tuesday’s meeting of the Chicago City Council’s Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards, Maudlyne Ihejirika, Chicago Sun-Times, Mar 23, 2021 

(From 2018 Interview in Starship Chicago film at 10:05)

The iconic postmodern Thompson Center in the heart of Chicago’s Loop will be sold either for demolition or adaptive reuse.

It was built for the people of Illinois, by the people of Illinois, to inspire the people of Illinois. Designed by world-renowned architect Helmut Jahn to be Illinois’ “second state capitol building” in the state’s largest city, it sought to redefine the relationship between the citizens and their government with transparency, engagement, and energy.

Jahn's wildly exuberant James R. Thompson Center / State of Illinois building exceeded all expectations with a curvilinear façade, open plaza, and dazzling 17-story atrium designed to exhilarate and inspire.

Will this magnificent public building be demolished for a new non-descript high-rise? Or will a new owner finally realize the Governor Thompson's vision of a dynamic creative center overflowing with vibrancy and energy?

Live music, dance, arts and city festivals could be hosted daily on the plaza and year-round in the atrium, similar to the wildly successful Sony Center in Berlin also designed by Helmut Jahn.

Designated offices floors could become incubator for non-profits, arts organizations, start-up businesses, exhibit and gallery space. Other floors could be populated with a hotel, apartments and small businesses. A gourmet food court and café dining in the atrium could create a dynamic piazza experience protected from the elements. All located at a major transit hub that would allow equal access to Chicagoans all across the city.

Now is the moment in time to finally embrace the vision of the James R. Thompson Center as vibrant, authentic, fountain of creative energy in the heart of Chicago’s Loop.

Along with a diverse team of preservation partners, we urge the City of Chicago to recognize the potential of this important building and designate the James R. Thompson Center as a Chicago Landmark to protect it from harm and encourage its creative reuse.

Petition to Save The Chicago Union Station Power House! with 31,408 signatures. Chicago Union Station Power House, Graham, Anderson, Probst and White, in 1931. Photo Credit: Darris Lee Harris http://darrisharris.com/industrial

The iconic Art Deco Chicago Union Station Power House is threatened with demolition.

This streamlined architectural masterpiece was designed in 1931 by Graham, Anderson, Probst and White, one of Chicago’s greatest architecture firms. Graham, Anderson, Probst and White designed many of Chicago’s most iconic and beloved landmark buildings including Chicago Union Station, Wrigley Building, Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Lyric Opera House, Merchandise Mart, and the Old Chicago Main Post Office. The Chicago Union Station Power House should take its honored place among these world-class buildings.

We urge Amtrak to respect this important historic building and encourage the City of Chicago to designate the Chicago Union Station Power House as a Chicago Landmark to protect it from harm.

"Whether its future holds a second life as a data center, an addition to the city’s expanding Riverwalk or something even more distinctive, the building should be saved for future generations to enjoy, Ward Miller said, noting that London’s Tate Modern Museum was once the Bankside Power Station.” (Chicago Sun-Times, Iconic South Loop power station should be saved, 10/9/19)

At the February 3rd Section 106 hearing, Preservation Chicago strongly defended the importance of the historic Union Station Power House and countered many of the claims stated by Amtrak's development team. Preservation Chicago has been an active and vocal contributor to ongoing Section 106 hearings. Initially, Amtrak leaned strongly towards demolition. Recently, however, Amtrak has signaled a new openness to seriously consider adaptive reuse of the historic structure.

Preservation Chicago applauds 25th Ward Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez for his strong leadership in this effort and for writing letters to the City of Chicago and Amtrak confirming his support for a Chicago Landmark Designation for the Chicago Union Station Power House and a preservation-sensitive outcome for the building.

"3179 N Clark St on the corner of Belmont and Clark in Lake View is currently threatened to be demolished. This historic bank building was originally the Lake View State Bank and later the Belmont National Bank. This bank building has been in our community since its completion in 1921. Let's celebrate it's 100 year old birthday by saving it, rather than loosing it to the wrecking ball.

"The bank is a wonderful two story limestone clad building by the Architect Ivar Viehe-Naess. According to Alderman Tom Tunney's website, Hubbard Group is going to demolish this structure and replace it with retail. This structure could easily be incorporated into the new design of the new development, as the rest of the development is a parking lot.

"Over the last 15 years Lakeview has lost a significant amount of pre-war architecture along Clark St and Belmont Ave. As we continue to demolish these structures we loose the historical legacy and identity that makes this neighborhood unique."

Please share and sign this community driven petition to urge Alderman Tom Tunney and Hubbard Group to incorporate this piece of Lake View history into the new development!

Perhaps this could begin the start of a larger conversation on how to protect what is left of the communities pre-war architecture. A landmark district would forever protect these structures.

"On Wednesday the Chicago City Council voted to up-zone the Loop's for-sale Thompson Center to DC-16 Downtown Core District—the city's tallest and most dense designation. While the move paves the way for developers to demolish the 1985 building for a massive skyscraper, the zoning change could also help entice the property's eventual buyers to preserve and reuse the controversial postmodern structure.

"For years, the state has threatened to sell the Thompson Center, which is burdened by mounting deferred maintenance and skyrocketing repair bills. The state officially put the property up for sale earlier this month. Calls from preservationists to save the blue and salmon-colored building and its striking 17-story glass atrium were amplified in recent weeks following the shocking death of its famous architect Helmut Jahn.

"Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) said he introduced the zoning change for the block-sized site at 100 W. Randolph Street at the request of Gov. Pritzker. The measure returns the property to its previous zoning designation, which was stripped away when former downtown Ald. Burt Natarus down-zoned the property in 1981 while the Thompson Center was still under construction.

"Boosting the site's zoning to allow a Sears Tower-sized skyscraper may seem like a clear indication that the Thompson Center is doomed, but up-zoning the property and increasing its floor-area ratio (FAR) will actually increase the chance of preservation, Reilly told the committee members.

"'Adding FAR to this site by restoring it to the DC-16 designation is one of the only hopes preservationists would have to save the existing building, as adaptive reuse would require more density on the site for it to be economically viable,' said the alderman. 'If we don't restore the original zoning rights, demolition of the property is likely a foregone conclusion. This amendment provides potential buyers more options, including adaptive reuse.'

"Reilly said that he had spent time with Helmut Jahn discussing reuse solutions and he would 'encourage developers to strongly consider' those options.

"Meanwhile, preservation groups such as Landmarks Illinois and Preservation Chicago would like to see the Thompson Center added to the National Register of Historic Places, which would provide tax incentives for buyers opting to reuse the Jahn-designed structure. The only guarantee against demolition, however, would occur if the city designated the Thompson Center as an official Chicago landmark.

"'We challenge the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois to come together to protect—through landmark designation—the important features of the Thompson Center including the front elevation, the plaza, and the 17-story atrium,' Ward Miller of Preservation Chicago told Urbanize.

"'If we're really a forward-thinking city and state that recognizes the value of our historic built environment, we would figure a way to protect this building while still encouraging its reuse and redevelopment,' said Miller. 'There are a lot of possibilities here.'" (Koziarz, Urbanize Chicago, 5/27/21)

"Arguing that the controversial Loop structure is Helmut Jahn’s definitive achievement, preservation advocates said Monday that the untimely death of the German architect 'really does cement the argument that the Thompson Center should be preserved.'

"Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who put the building up for sale last week, on Monday said the state lost 'a great artistic genius,' but the James R. Thompson Center doesn’t fall under the category of great, artistic work. 'It’s not the greatest example of his work,' the governor said.

"Jahn, 81, who designed the state government building at 100 W. Randolph and other notable structures in Chicago and around the world, died Saturday afternoon when he was struck by two vehicles while riding his bicycle in Campton Hills, near his home in far west suburban St. Charles.

"Advocates for preserving and reusing the Thompson Center plan to renew their push for landmarking it in light of the pending sale and the architect’s death.

"'This is a building built for the people, by the people, and it should be protected by the ... city and the state as a Chicago landmark,' said Ward Miller, the executive director of Preservation Chicago.

"'I think it really does define his career,' Miller said of the Thompson Center. 'There may still be projects by Jahn in process, but we are never, ever going to see another design by Helmut Jahn be constructed other than what’s already planned, and I think that it really does cement the argument that the Thompson Center should be preserved.'

"Miller and others who hope to preserve the building, which has served as the Chicago headquarters for state government since 1985, say now is the time to recognize 'if we’re going to be a world class city ... these kinds of buildings need to be preserved.'

Preservation Chicago, as part of a coalition of eight local, state and national groups, previously submitted the building for consideration of landmark status, and Miller said they plan to do so 'probably within the next week.'

"Last year, Jahn issued his own plea to spare the Thompson center.

"A.J. LaTrace, a reporter who covers real estate and a founding member of the James R. Thompson Center Historical Society, said Pritzker’s comment was 'unfair.'

"LaTrace said preserving the building may be a matter of political will. We all know that our mayor and governor are very PR-conscious people, like a lot of politicians, and so I think if enough people say they want to see this building saved, they they may change their opinions or attitudes about it.'" (Hinton, Chicago Sun-Times, 5/10/21)

"Within days, a judge could decide the fate of the Pittsfield Building in the Loop. Will she order it put up for sale? Or will she allow its current owner, a Chinese-Canadian business mogul charged with securities fraud a few years ago, to hang onto the landmark tower?

"'It's impossible to tell,' says Monte Mann, an attorney engaged in an acrimonious court battle over the high-rise. 'There are twists and turns at every hearing. I really have no idea.'

"In Chicago, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Patrice Munzel Ball-Reed will rule soon on a proposal to sell most of the space in the Pittsfield, which is in receivership after years of neglect. It needs a massive makeover.

"Completed in 1927, the 38-story high-rise at 55 E. Washington St. is 'one of Chicago's finest 1920s-era skyscrapers, built during the decade when the city's distinctive tower-pierced downtown skyline first began to take shape,' according to a 2001 report recommending a landmark designation for the property.

"Both properties caught the eye of Xiao Hua "Edward" Gong, a Chinese businessman based in Toronto. He bought the Motorola campus in 2016 and the Pittsfield in 2017. Gong also bought the Holiday Inn Express in Rosemont in 2017, renaming it the Edward Hotel Chicago. Now closed, the hotel is on the market.

"Canadian prosecutors entered the story in late 2017, filing money laundering and securities fraud charges against Gong. Working through the U.S. Department of Justice, they then imposed a restraining order on the properties, effectively freezing them—a major obstacle to any potential plan to redevelop them.

"But earlier this year, prosecutors lifted the restraining order on Gong's space in the Pittsfield. He owns all but nine floors in the building; Chicago-based landlord Marc Realty owns apartments on floors 13 through 21.

"By the time of Gong’s acquisition, the Pittsfield already was in bad shape, with the city filing a lawsuit over its condition in mid-2017. Courtney Jones, who was appointed the building’s receiver in January 2020, has overseen a major renovation of its exterior and interior, recently receiving Ball-Reed’s approval to be reimbursed for about $4.5 million in rehab costs.

"Jones recently filed a motion to sell Gong’s space, with the support of Marc and the city. Originally built as an office tower, the Pittsfield has attracted interest over the past decade from residential and hotel developers. But rather than approving the sale motion, the judge decided to give Gong a chance to retain his ownership stake in the Pittsfield—if he can come up with a credible turnaround plan for the building. Gong’s proposal is due May 24.

"'We were surprised that that judge gave him another chance, given that he lost control of the property more than a year ago and does not seem to have the financial ability to bring his portion of the building into compliance,' says Mann, who represents Marc Realty in the city’s lawsuit. 'He’s had enough of an opportunity to do this, and he’s never come through.' (Gallun, Crain's Chicago Business, 5/21/21)

"After a years-long effort to revitalize Congress Theater stalled and fizzled last year, another developer has stepped forward to take over the beloved Logan Square venue, which has sat empty for nearly a decade.

"Baum Revision, a Chicago-based developer with a reputation for restoring historical buildings including the Green Exchange and Margies Candies buildings, is 'seriously exploring' reviving the Congress, Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st) told Block Club this week.

"La Spata said Baum is looking to pick up where Moyer left off and execute most of the redevelopment plan approved by the city in 2018. Those plans called for a complete restoration of the theater; construction of a 30-room hotel, 14 affordable apartments and 16,000 square feet of retail space in the surrounding 160,000-square-foot theater building.

"'There are aspects of this that still need to come together, but it’s an exciting plan,' La Spata said.

"Right now, the Baum team is focused on securing financing to rehab the theater, La Spata said. Restoring the deteriorating nearly century-old theater will be costly; the project under Moyer was expected to cost at least $69 million.

"While Baum officials haven’t shown him a financial plan, La Spata said he’s “optimistic” the development firm can pull off a project of this scale given their history successfully restoring several historical buildings in the city and across the Midwest. In addition to the Margies Candies and Green Exchange buildings, Baum has redeveloped structures such as the 1920s Marmon building in the South Loop and a turn-of-the-century sugar beet processing warehouse in Madison, Wisconsin, among others.

"Built in 1926 as an ornate movie palace, the Congress Theater hosted everyone from Chuck Berry to Jerry Lee Lewis in its heyday. It’s been empty since the city shut it down in 2013 following a string of code violations and crimes that occurred in and around the theater during shows.

"'It’s still a possibility to invest TIF dollars into this project, but we do want to hear the community on that,' La Spata said. 'We want to hear from folks about what are the kinds of benefits they want to see for the community that makes that public investment worthwhile.' (Bloom, Block Club Chicago, 5/24/21)

Preservation Chicago and Logan Square Preservation have long advocated on behalf of the Congress Theater. We played a important role in advocating its Landmark Designation and encouraging its reuse. We hope that this renovation effort is successful.

"The restoration of The Forum is one step closer to reality after the City Council approved a zoning change allowing the 19th-century building to return to its roots as a performance venue.

"The Forum, 318 E. 43rd St., previously was zoned for residential use. The change to commercial zoning boosts an ongoing redevelopment aiming to provide a banquet hall, retail and restaurant space. Efforts to rehab the building have been underway for years, with entrepreneur Bernard Loyd pouring his own money into remediation and repairs.

"Loyd, who owns Urban Juncture, launched a crowdsourcing campaign late last year to defray some of the cost, raising less than half of the $50,000 goal. It will take at least $20 million to bring The Forum back into operation, Loyd told Block Club in February.

"The City Council vote will allow Loyd to use a $250,000 state grant to continue rehab work on one crucial part of the structure near the 43rd Street Green Line station. Rehabilitation of the West Annex is expected to be completed by 2022.

"Built in 1897, The Forum once was the epicenter of Black life in Chicago, hosting everything from movement meetings to live performances from world-renowned artists like Nat King Cole and Muddy Waters.

"Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) said he supported the venture during a zoning committee meeting Tuesday, adding that the cultural landmark is “key to revitalizing the historic community.”

"'The decision to return The Forum to commercial zoning — after 10 years of hard work by our team — is critical to its further rehabilitation,' Loyd said. 'The Forum was a civic, cultural, and commercial hub of our community, and we can now focus fully on bringing it back.' (Nesbitt Golden and Laurence, Block Club Chicago, 5/26/21)

Preservation Chicago has long worked with owner Bernard Loyd to help bring about a restoration of The Forum. The Forum is not currently landmarked, but it is essential that his building be recognized, celebrated and protected by a Chicago Landmark Designation.

"Prolific North Side development firm Cedar Street has broken ground on two major projects in Uptown and Edgewater, including on the long-promised new home of the Double Door.

"In Uptown, crews have begun tearing up the parking lot at Wilson and Kenmore avenues. The Wilson Avenue Theater’s parking lot will be replaced by an apartment building while the 112-year-old venue will be renovated to host shows once again.

"Though the development was approved by City Council earlier this year as a 62-unit complex, Cedar Street’s website now says the project will include 86 units. The original plans called for an eight-story building with 110 apartments to be built next to the theater.

"Cedar Street has also received building permits to start work in the historical theater, 1050 W. Wilson Ave. The developer has been cleared to remove an elevator shaft and a concrete wall and make other improvements.

"After being evicted from its longtime Wicker Park location in 2017, it was rumored Double Door would relocate to Uptown. The move was confirmed by Ald. James Cappleman (46th) in 2018 and again by the club’s owner in 2019.

"Plans for the theater and adjacent apartment building were approved earlier this year. Though the plans don’t mention the Double Door by name as the theater’s eventual occupant, Cappleman said during the approval process 'we all know' who it is.

"The combined apartment building and theater redevelopment are expected to be completed next year, according to Cedar Street’s website." (Ward, Block Club Chicago, 5/26/21)

Preservation Chicago played an important role in the designation of this building and approximately 49 others as part of the Uptown Square Historic Landmark District.

"Construction of the Obama Presidential Center is expected to begin this fall in Chicago after years of debate over whether the complex will benefit low-income residents of the surrounding neighborhoods.

"It will be located in Jackson Park on the South Side of Chicago – one of the most historically significant parks in the city, and originally designed for the 27 million visitors to the 1893 World’s Fair. The roughly $500m Obama Presidential Center (OPC) will feature a museum, playground, public library and an open plaza.

"But the development, expected to break ground this fall, has not arrived without controversy. Over the last six years, the Obama Foundation, which will fund the OPC, and the city of Chicago have courted scrutiny from two groups: park preservationists upset at a private development being built on public land, and community organizers who fear that low-income Black neighbors will be displaced by rising rents and land speculation.

"Since 2018, Protect Our Parks has waged legal battles to prevent the park’s construction in Jackson Park, the second largest park on the South Side and home to more than 250 species of birds. The non-profit maintains that the development could be built at an alternative site about two miles from Jackson Park with minimal damage to the environment.

"'This is a world-class park put together by Frederick Law Olmsted … and now somebody wants to gut it when, in fact, they can put it in a perfectly serviceable [location somewhere else],' said Richard Epstein, a constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago who represents Protect Our Parks.

"Neighbors’ response to the Obama Presidential Center has been cautious. Woodlawn, Washington Park and South Shore are predominantly Black low-income neighborhoods that have experienced the brunt of housing demolitions, discriminatory lending practices, and disinvestment since the 20th century. For residents used to empty promises, this new development could propel the community forward – or leave it behind.

"A major flashpoint has been affordable housing. A University of Illinois at Chicago study found that housing prices in the area rose between 2010 and 2017. 'While rents vary, there is clear evidence of rising rents in newly renovated and new construction units, which the majority of current renters cannot afford,' researchers wrote.

"Dixon Romeo, an organizer in South Shore, said some ardent OPC supporters have mischaracterized such calls as opposed to the development itself. 'Most folks you talk to understand that the issue isn’t [with] Barack Obama,' said Romeo. 'We’re for the Center but not for displacement,' echoed Paru Brown, a coalition organizer with the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization.

"To Alderwoman Jeanette Taylor, who was elected in part because of her advocacy around the OPC, these policy shifts are personal. Before she was elected in 2019, she was an organizer and mother priced out of Bronzeville, another South Side neighborhood. When the OPC was first announced, she feared being displaced from Woodlawn. 'I [couldn’t] afford to live anywhere else in the city,' she said." (Moore, The Guardian, 5/24/21)

"On Thursday evening Novak Construction revealed its vision to redevelop the shuttered Sears store at Six Corners in Portage Park into a mixed-use complex with new retail space, parking, and rental units. The plan would breathe new life into the hulking commercial building which has sat vacant since closing in July 2018. Although a joint venture between Tucker Development and Seritage Growth Properties pitched a $200 million proposal to redevelop the store at 4730 W. Irving Park Road, that plan did not move forward. Novak purchased the property in September 2020.

"'As many would agree, this site has the potential to play a role in helping to transform our community and give our local economy a boost that is long overdue,' said Ald. James Gardiner (45th) at a virtual community meeting to discuss the plan. Gardiner noted that Six Corners was once the second busiest shopping district in Chicago, and that the shuttered art deco structure was one of a handful of stores that featured the 'iconic' second-floor showcase window—an architectural feature the developers hope to retain.

"Novak's plan would demolish the 1970s-era addition on the east of the building and construct a five-story residential wing to the north and a sixth-floor glass-enclosed amenity area and an outdoor pool. The proposal would also reclad the exterior with a vertical pattern to evoke art deco architecture and rebuild the "lantern" section on the corner, which is no longer structurally sound according to the development team.

"Designed by architecture firm MG2, the proposed mixed-use complex will contain 208 apartments offered in studio, one-, and two-bedroom floorplans. Apartments on the fifth floor will boast 18-foot ceilings and some units will be lofted. Monthly rents are expected to be in the $2.75 to $3 per square foot range, and there will be six affordable-rate residences on-site. Novak will need to amend an existing Planned Development to build their proposal and hope to get the city's approval this fall and break ground next spring. Construction will take roughly 18 months." (Koziarz, Urbanize Chicago, 5/27/21)

"The building’s official address on Fullerton Parkway is a parking lot, so odds are you’ve never really noticed the beautiful structure on Cleveland Avenue, set half a block back. But take a closer look: Some of the loveliest brickwork you’ll ever see in Chicago forms the 1967 Cenacle Sisters Retreat and Conference Center, at 513 W. Fullerton Parkway, designed by local architect Charles Pope.

"'It’s a keeper,' I would say. Except that it’s not. See it while you can, because it’s likely about to be smashed to rubble, with the express permission of the Commission on Chicago Landmarks.

"The Catholic order that owns the complex has applied for a permit to demolish and redevelop the campus. The matter landed before landmarks commissioners last week because the retreat sits in the city’s Mid-North Landmark District.

"But commission members voted to allow demolition. Not that they were especially happy about it. Several commissioners expressed discomfort at losing this neighborhood gem. One uttered the forlorn, not-entirely-convincing hope that maybe some of the stunning brickwork could be saved. But the commission was boxed in — three times.

"First, by a 1987 ordinance that prevents the city from landmarking places of worship without the owner’s consent. To this day, religious landlords are the only category of property owners with veto power over landmarking.

"The second box is that the Cenacle Retreat is inside the Mid-North Landmark District, created in 1974 — seven years after Cenacle was built — to protect the many fine 19th century buildings within its borders. But the Cenacle Retreat, listed by the district’s rules as a 'non-contributing' building, is deemed to be completely disposable.

"So — why not just landmark it on its own?

"Third box: There’s a thing called the Chicago Historic Resources Survey, identifying over 17,000 properties of “historic or architectural importance.”

"Many of those listed are already landmarks. The others might be. Each building is color-coded. Red for most important, orange for potentially important, and so on. If a developer decides they want to knock down an orange-rated building, for example, a 90-day demolition delay kicks in to allow time to consider its merits as a potential new official landmark.

"That’s how a striking Queen Anne Victorian building at 1393 W. Lake St., once home to the Italian restaurant La Luce, is in the process of being saved today.

"But the Chicago Historic Resources Survey, completed in 1995, ends in 1939. Any building constructed in 1940 or later is excluded — 43% of Chicago’s entire history.

"So the Cenacle Center has no evaluation, no rating — red, orange, purple or otherwise — to trigger a considered public dialog on its merits. Very sorry — goodbye!

"At the same Landmarks Commission meeting in which the Cenacle Retreat was sacrificed, Ald. Michelle Smith (43rd) talked about how her office and the community were already working together to revise a Landmark District ordinance in her ward to protect architectural landmarks of the modern era. That’s a good precedent for future action.

"It can be said that a church is a community, not a building, but it also cannot be denied that the souls of Chicago’s early immigrants reside in the often spectacularly beautiful expressions of faith they built. Like our secular historic structures, whether 19th century or 20th, they cannot be cast aside without injury to our collective memory and spirit. A landmark is more than a legalism. It is an enduring marker, a reference point, a reminder of where we came from, and who we are.

"The 20th century, and its architectural record, is now two decades in the past. It’s time, before more is lost, to weave it into the continuous fabric of Chicago history.

"Revisit the religious organization exemption. Update the Historic Resources Survey." (Becker, Chicago Sun-Times, 6/7/21)

"The West Side has a new Chicago landmark: the 90-year-old Pentecostal Church of Holiness in the K-Town neighborhood of North Lawndale.

"The landmark designation was approved by City Council Wednesday, giving the building at 1444 S. Keeler Ave. protection from demolition and access to tax and financial incentives. The church’s Pastor Chaun Johnson started pursuing landmark status in 2019.

"'We want to ensure that those who hear about North Lawndale will know that there is a lily in the valley. There is beauty in what seems to be degradation,' said pastor Chaun Johnson.

"The church was originally founded as a Catholic parish, Our Lady of Lourdes, that served the predominantly Czech population who migrated to Lawndale from the Pilsen neighborhood. The Catholic parish was originally a wooden building, but as the congregation grew, it was rebuilt in 1932 in the Romanesque Revival-style architecture that survives today.

"The church remained a central part of K-Town even as the area transformed to a Black community in the ’50s, as racist housing policy and disinvestment made it one of the poorest parts of Chicago.

"'I want to preserve it. We want to preserve our history, and demonstrate and show the community that we are invested in our neighborhood,' Johnson said. (Sabino, Block Club Chicago, 5/26/21)

"The Downtown economy has sputtered during the pandemic — and the relative emptiness of the streets is also hurting houses of worship. The president of the area’s only synagogue said they, too, are being pushed to the brink.

"Chicago Loop Synagogue was founded in 1929 and moved into 16 S. Clark St. upon the building’s completion in 1957. The synagogue has lost members over the years, going from about 1,400 members in 1992 to 416 now. Dues that max out at $180 a year are not nearly enough to cover the temple’s $400,000 in annual operating costs, congregation President Lee Zoldan said.

"The majority of the congregation are Chicago Jews who belong to synagogues near home but work Downtown and sometimes attend services closer to their offices. With many of those workers still at home, and hardly any travelers from out of town, the synagogue is in a precarious situation, Zoldan said. The lack of financial support means the synagogue cannot offset the costs of operating the three-story space, including covering expenses such as heating and cooling. If people don’t return to services soon, the synagogue won’t last more than 18 months, Zoldan said.

"And if the temple is forced to relocate, it’ll call into question the future of the synagogue’s 30-by-40-foot stained glass window, which attracts tourists from all over the world. 'Technically, we could pull up our stakes and move; it’s not unheard of. We don’t need this big building for our congregation. But we can’t move this,' Zoldan said, referring to the window.

The window was designed by renowned artist Abraham Rattner. It is on the second floor and extends to the fourth floor of the open sanctuary. The exterior is protected by plexiglass. Before the pandemic, architecture tours routinely brought nearly 2,500 to see it on weekends. In the window’s left corner there is a sun, along with symbols of creation and a tree of life. There are also 12 squares symbolizing the 12 tribes of Israel, Zoldan said. In the center panel near the top, there is a menorah; a fern, known as the Palm of Shins, a symbol from the fall Succoth festival, goes across three panels; a star of David; a sun and a shofar (the ram’s horn used during the high holidays); a moon and planets; and a prayer in Hebrew.

"'The other synagogues that have gone out of business, they take their stained glass windows and actually bury them because it’s considered like a death. So, we have people that are very distraught about this. They have an attachment, and we have some that are the third-generation coming here,' Zoldan said.

Ward Miller, executive director of Preservation Chicago, said he spoke with Zoldan about other options to save the window and the building. Were they to secure landmark status for the building’s exterior, that would include the window and ensure any new owner would have to keep it in place. Miller said losing the Loop synagogue would be a big blow to Chicago’s Jewish community. The Standard Club, considered the social nexus for Chicago’s Jewish elite for more than 150 years, closed in 2020.

"'Certainly, the Standard Club closing was a blow to all of us,' Zoldan said. 'We’re in the position where we are trying to learn from their experience what we should and shouldn’t do. 'I think a lot of people felt like, 'Wow, I didn’t know this was happening,' so I’m in the position that I want people to know what exactly is going on here, full disclosure, total transparency, so if the worst comes to pass people can’t say we stuck our heads in the sand. I’m screaming from the rooftops.'

"One option to raise money that the synagogue has considered is hosting concerts and educational programming, Zoldan said.

"Chicago Loop Synagogue welcomes donations through its website." (Chiarito, Block Club Chicago, 5/17/21)

"A Rogers Park apartment building near the Red Line will get an addition after the project received City Council approval Wednesday.

"Property investor Mark Falanga now can add 16 units to his building at 1415 W. Morse Ave. The addition would bring relatively affordable units near the Morse station and help modernize the existing four-story building.

"Plans call for a five-story structure on the property’s rear parking lot. A 'bridgeway' would connect each level of the addition to the existing building. An elevator in the new building would therefore be accessible to the existing structure, making those apartments accessible to people who use wheelchairs for the first time in their history, Falanga said at a previous community meeting.

"Ald. Maria Hadden (49th) favored the project, saying it benefits the neighborhood to add onto an existing building rather than tearing down and replacing a building, or constructing on an empty lot."

"'This is the type of smart development that I’m hoping we can see more of in the 49th Ward and around the city,' Hadden said." (Ward and Laurence, Block Club Chicago, 5/26/21)

"As Chicago looks to combat a shortage of affordable housing, its communities face a key challenge: the loss of the city’s iconic two-, three- and four-flats.

"In high-cost communities, the buildings often were replaced with single-family homes. In lower-cost neighborhoods they were often demolished, leaving behind empty lots.

"The changes to Chicago’s housing stock, detailed in a new study from the Institute for Housing Studies at DePaul University, show the ripple effects of increased demand for expensive single-family homes in high-cost neighborhoods at the expense of affordable housing large enough for families. In neighborhoods where buildings were razed but not replaced, the findings highlight the need for investment in existing properties and in the broader community, the study concluded.

"Two-, three- and four-flats historically have been an accessible, income-producing homeownership opportunity and a key source of lower-cost, family sized housing for renters. Once lost, they are hard to replace with similarly large, affordable units, the study found.

"'Why is there an affordability crisis in Chicago? It’s not that there is a lot more low-income people coming to the city or living in the city,' said Geoff Smith, executive director of the institute. 'It’s actually that there’s a loss of supply of those low-income units. And this component of the stock, the two- to four-unit buildings, is really important to that affordable supply.'

"The study comes as Chicago grapples with a shortage of nearly 120,000 affordable homes, according to a September report from a city task force. Aldermen have approved several measures aimed at protecting affordable housing in rapidly gentrifying areas near The 606 and Pilsen. They also approved a new affordable requirements ordinance that tightened rules requiring affordable units when developers put up large buildings.

"DePaul’s study found that between 2013 and 2019 Chicago lost 11,775 units in two-, three- and four-flats, or 4.2% of all units. Nearly three-quarters of them were replaced with single-family homes or are no longer used for housing, with some becoming vacant lots, the study found.

"In higher-cost neighborhoods, the loss of two- to four-flats to single-family homes can make those areas more exclusive, as homes for low- and moderate-income families are replaced with homes for higher-income or smaller households, Smith said.

"Lower-cost neighborhoods, where demolished buildings leave behind vacant land, are seeing the effects of 'historic disinvestment, long-term population loss and the continued legacy of the foreclosure crisis,' according to the study. (Freishtat, Chicago Tribune, 5/13/21)

"The owners of a trio of vintage buildings on 18th Street in Pilsen are the first to take out demolition permits under the city’s new anti-gentrification plan that tacks $15,000 onto the existing cost of taking out a permit.

"The Chicago City Council in late March approved the surcharge for demolitions in most of Pilsen and along the western reaches of the 606 Trail as a way to slow gentrification that displaces long-term residents.

"The fees—totaling $45,000 for this row of three buildings—will go to the Chicago Community Land Trust to help create long-term owner-occupied affordable housing in the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood.

"The $45,000 'will bring benefits to our community that this development wouldn’t have brought in' prior to the new rules, said Pilsen-area Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, 25th.

"The $15,000-per-building fee will act as a disincentive to demolition in some cases, Sigcho-Lopez said, but 'these developers saw it would still be profitable for them, with the fees.'

"The three buildings contain a total of 17 apartments, according to the Cook County Assessor. Built between 1894 and 1914, they are on a block of mostly the same vintage. A new replacement building would be the first on the block since the middle of the 20th century, from the look of the neighboring structures. In a four-block stretch of 18th Street, there are only three or four structures built in the 21st century.

"It’s the second attempt at demolition for these three buildings. In 2019, Fox executives withdrew a plan to raze the buildings, according to Block Club Chicago, and said they would rehab the structures instead.

"At the time, the city was considering landmarking a swath of Pilsen containing hundreds of buildings in an attempt to slow gentrification. If the owners of these three buildings had pursued demolition, city officials would have been forced to make a quick decision on the landmark district proposal.

"Now that Fox has switched its plan back to demolition, Sigcho-Lopez said he is disappointed but 'not surprised' and reiterated that he believes the $45,000 contribution toward affordable housing “does something that is needed in the community.”

"Fox bought the three buildings in June 2016 for $950,000, according to the Cook County Recorder of Deeds. They appear to have been vacant since 2019, when the Sun-Times reported a gift shop that had been in the center building for 19 years was closing so the buildings could be demolished." (Rodkin, Crain's Chicago Business, 5/10/21)

"A plan to tear down an Avondale bungalow and build condos in its place is drawing opposition from neighbors who say the project represents a trend of construction that ultimately prices out longtime residents.

"Developer Tadeusz Kawula is trying to get a zoning change to raze a 1920s bungalow at 3840 W. Cornelia Ave. and replace it with a six-flat condo building with a parking garage in back and a rooftop deck. The condos would cost $350,000-$500,000 depending on the market when the building is complete, and they would be 1,200-2,400 square feet, the development team said.

"While the project is small compared to others in the area, several neighbors at a community meeting Thursday evening spoke out against the plan, saying it has wider implications for the future of the neighborhood. They said the three-story condo building will change the character of the quaint block and lead to displacement.

"'I think this is a pattern of what is going to happen in our neighborhood … because, unfortunately, gentrification is coming,' neighbor Alejandra Lopez said.

"Lopez lives less than two blocks from the bungalow. She said she’s worried the Cornelia Avenue project — and others like it, including a condo building proposed for 3310 N. Harding Ave. — will eventually drive out working-class people who have called Avondale home for years.

"'When they start to build units and buildings like that, the [tax] increases are crazy and people like me, [they say], ‘I can’t afford it,'' Lopez said. 'It’s obviously about business, not about what happens to the neighbors who live over here.'

"Neighbor Andrew Sirota said the bungalow the developer wants to demolish is 'one of the most unique buildings' in the area. 'It is in poor shape, but it could be fixed up,' Sirota said.

"Ald. Ariel Reboyras (30th) said he will continue to work with the development team to satisfy neighbors’ concerns. He said the project is 'not a done deal.' Reboyras in February rejected a developer’s plan to tear down an 105-year-old home at 3917-21 W. Eddy St. and replace it with condos after neighbors put up a fight.

"'I don’t make zoning changes unless we have the support of the community,' Reboyras said. 'I’ve always been fair with the zoning process, contrary to what some say.' (Bloom, Block Club Chicago, 5/17/21)

"Linda Culver always knew the coach house behind her family’s West Side home was old. But it wasn’t until the city moved to tear it down that Culver learned the building could date back to the late 19th century — a time when Austin wasn’t yet part of Chicago.

"The city is seeking a demolition permit for the coach house behind Culver’s family home at 710 N. Lotus Ave. due to concerns the building is unstable and unsafe. There have been hearings to discuss tearing down the building since May 2020, with the next hearing scheduled for June 28.

"Culver’s family has lived on Lotus Avenue since the 1970s. Her mother rented the coach house to several families over the years, but her family hasn’t been able to keep up the maintenance and it’s fallen into disrepair.

"Still, Culver said she could tell from its construction and the style of architecture the structure was built in an era long passed. Hoping to confirm her hunch and gather evidence to prove to the city the house was worth saving, she reached out to Preservation Chicago.

The coach house appears to be built in an Italianate style of architecture, which can be identified by the narrow windows with carved hooded moldings. That style of building was popular in Chicago during a narrow window between the 1860s and 1870s, Chavez said, potentially making the house up to 160 years old.

“It has a physical structure to it that looks very singular and very different than anything in the area, and even Chicago overall,” Chavez said. “Rough condition doesn’t always necessitate demolition. This building is really significant and you can tell just by looking at it.”

After researching records and archive materials, Chavez found the coach house likely was built on land owned by C.C. Merrick, a railroad executive who owned much of Austin before the neighborhood was incorporated into Chicago.

Records show there were very few homes in the area at the time the house was built. Much of the land that would become Austin was farmland, Chavez said. The building was likely designed to serve some agricultural purpose, like housing farmhands, Chavez said.

Culver hopes to eventually get the funds to fix the roof, stabilize the walls and gut the interior, she said. She hopes the house can be saved and restored instead of torn down because it still has a lot of potential. Its old construction style gives it a “vintage chic … architectural kind of swag” that shouldn’t be forgotten, she said.

“What was really gorgeous was the windows. … Those huge gorgeous long windows go all the way to the floor,” Culver said.

If the building is preserved, it could still be useful to the neighborhood once restored as a rental apartment, or as a community asset like a museum that documents the history of Austin.

“It does speak to a time in Austin’s history — and Chicago’s history, really — that is just not well documented. Especially since so many buildings burned in the Great Fire, you don’t necessarily have many old structures of this age around anymore, especially this far out,” Chavez said." (Sabino, Block Club Chicago, 6/7/21)

North Shore Dairy, C.1880s, 1822 N Howe Street. Demolished September 2020. Photo Credit: Rachel Freundt / Chicagoland Architecture Blog

North Shore Dairy, C.1880s, 1822 N Howe Street. Demolished September 2020. Photo Credit: Rachel Freundt / Chicagoland Architecture Blog

North Shore Dairy, C.1880s, 1822 N Howe Street. Demolished September 2020. Photo Credit: Rachel Freundt / Chicagoland Architecture Blog

"The buyers of a triple lot in Lincoln Park who demolished a conjoined pair of 1870s buildings to make way for a megamansion appear to have changed their minds. They have put the property, now cleared of buildings, on the market at $6.75 million.

"When the property sold in May 2020, the agent for the sellers, Meredith Manni Meserow of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago, told Crain’s that the buyers were not homebuilders but end users who planned to have their own home built on the site.

"The site, which can accommodate a single house of up to 15,500 square feet or could be divided, 'is cleared and ready to build,' Tassone’s listing says.

"It’s been cleared of the house that Deborah and Ron Clarkson made out of an old dairy four decades ago. The dairy had been made out of two 19th century workers’ cottages in the early 1900s, according to Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich.

"Deborah Clarkson told Schmich that 'buildings have so many lives. They give a voice to the past.' That was before the present owners demolished the structures, about 5,400 square feet including a connecting wing between them, to make way for new construction." (Rodkin, Crain's Chicago Business, 5/19/21)

"The Fulton-Randolph Market Landmark District was created in 2015 to 'recognize and preserve the historic significance and importance of the…historic streetscapes and buildings' as the area quickly gentrified over the last decade, becoming a shell of its former self. It was important to protect what was left.

"But part of the problem is the district’s seven blocks are too limited. One building after another is being lost to new development, like Daniel Burnham’s Chicago Machinery Exchange back in 2018. A complex that encapsulates the history and architecture of Fulton Market, the ADM Mill, is currently being torn down just like many others before it. More will soon follow, like 1032-42 W. Madison, in a never-ending path of demolition for this area despite the many efforts of preservationists.

"Originally serving as Eckhart & Swan’s wheat and rye mill when it was built between 1896-97, the flour mill was the largest in the state of Illinois at the time of its construction with 2,200 barrels according to the Chicago Tribune. It was designed by architects William Carbys Zimmerman, who would serve as Illinois State Architect, and John J. Flanders. Additions were made in 1910 with the grain elevators and silos going up in 1927 and 1948. Chicago-based ADM bought the plant for $14 million in 1990, then put it on the market in 2017. Sterling Bay, the controversial real estate developer behind the $6 billion Lincoln Yards, later purchased the block-long 2.2. acre property for $25 million.

"Starting in February of this year, Sterling Bay started demolishing the complex to make way for what will include a combo office, retail, hotel, and residential space as well as a new Metra station. They had planned to kept parts of the structure, incorporating or adapting the silos, but engineers determined it couldn’t be saved.

"Chicago was once the grain capital of the world. There has been a grain elevator at this specific site since at least 1886, according to Robinson’s Map of Chicago. Now that 145-year history is gone, wiped away purely due to greed and a lack of imagination or in this case, the famous last words of every developer who knocks down a building, a lack of “structural integrity”.

"Tower cranes replaced the meat-packers and other workers of this area awhile ago, and I’m not sure that’s a good thing. What’s good about an architecturally and historically rich city becoming unrecognizable before your eyes? Some might like the newly transformed Fulton Market but the specificity of what made Chicago *Chicago* is being lost on a daily basis. It now looks like any other city.

"The Archer Daniels Midland Wheat Mill should have been protected, especially as it’s located just a block outside the landmark district’s boundaries. The existing structure could have been repurposed, no matter the developer’s claims, paying homage to Fulton Market’s industrial heritage. How cool it would have been to see at least the silos as part of an adaptive reuse for the proposed Metra station for this site. Or even a facadetomy of the original brick building. A mix of the old and the new. But that was not to be. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the Fulton Market area becomes less and less interesting every year." (Freundt, Chicagland Architecture Blog, 5/26/21)

"To admire Helmut Jahn’s boldly expressed buildings is to perceive a man of exceptional talent who both was nurtured by Chicago’s history of architectural greatness and contributed an enduring and inventive new chapter.

"Jahn, who was killed in a bicycle crash Saturday in suburban Campton Hills near St. Charles, added path-breaking structural icons to Chicago’s storied architectural resume. Among them: the O’Hare Airport United Airlines terminal and its light-infused moving walkway, the 120 N. LaSalle building, State Street Village at the Illinois Institute of Technology, the Art Deco-themed addition to the Chicago Board of Trade, the Accenture Tower and others, including the endangered James R. Thompson Center, with its pioneering curvilinear exterior and dramatic interior atrium.

"Jahn was instrumental in the creative design of the second McCormick Place, now called Lakeside Center. More recently, he designed a spectacular skyscraper for 1000 S. Michigan Ave. that, though halted by the pandemic, will be his tallest building in the city if completed.

"He was prolific, designing memorable buildings across the nation and world, including 1999 K Street in Washington, D.C., the blue-glass-and-granite Liberty Place in Philadelphia, Thyssenkrupp Test Tower in Rottweil, Germany, the Messeturm in Frankfurt, Germany, and the Sony Center in Berlin. His O’Hare terminal tour de force informed designs of new airport terminals — no longer just practical boxes — around the world.

"Jahn, who was born in Germany, came to Chicago to study at IIT with renowned architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, beginning an exceptionally long and influential career at the forefront of postmodern architecture. His ouvre never was defined by a single decade.

"To Ward Miller, executive director of Preservation Chicago, Jahn was a worthy member of Chicago’s venerated club of remarkable architects, adding to the city’s status as a global center of architecture.

"'He really brought that postmodern movement to the city,' Miller said, 'yet some of his buildings had the guidelines and principles of his training at IIT.'

"Long before Helmut Jahn ever arrived, Chicago was a celebrated stage for world-class architecture. Jahn belonged on that stage — he knew it — and he proved it for half a century." (Chicago Sun-Times Editorial, 5/10/21)

Renowned architect Helmut Jahn, designer of some of the most remarkable buildings in Chicago and other cities around the world, died on May 8 in a tragic bicycle accident. He was 81.

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: Second Church of Christ Scientist 2700 N. Pine Grove Avenue, Lincoln Park

#100903102

Date Received: 01/07/2021

Ward: 43rd Ward Alderman Michele Smith

Applicant: Second Church of Christ Scientist c/o Fenton Booth

Owner: Second Church of Christ Scientist

Permit Description: Alterations to the interior of the existing masonry church building, including seven-story and basement additions containing 26 residential units, and 30 basement-level parking spaces. Work includes the demolition of the interior structure, the roof and the north wall of the existing church, exterior east, west and south walls to remain on the building.

Status: Released 04/14/2021

Preservation Chicago has been advocating to save the Second Church of Christ Scientist for many years and it was a Chicago 7 Most Endangered in 2019. Second Church of Christ was designed by Solon S. Beman in 1901. By any measure, it should be a Designated Chicago Landmark.

Preservation Chicago was able to secure the interest of a major philanthropic foundation with plans to restore the magnificent church building and convert it into a cultural arts center. The congregation would have continued to have access for religious services. The congregation flatly rejected the offer preferring to monetize the value of the land. The decision of the development team to save the exterior walls is an improvement over the initial plans, but the building, including its magnificent dome, should be preserved in its entirety.

Address: 1399 W. Lake Street, West Loop (Lake Street Schlitz Tied House / La Lucé)

#100901650

Date Received: 12/02/2020

Ward: 27th Ward Alderman Walter Burnett

Applicant: Spirit Wrecking and Excavation, Inc.

Owner: Veritas Chicago, LLC C/O Anthony Giannini

Permit Description: Demolition of a 4-story, multi-family, mixed-use masonry building.

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

Address: 10943 S. Homewood Avenue, Morgan Park

#100912834

Date Received: 5/20/2021

Ward: 19th Ward Alderman Matthew O'Shea

Applicant: KLF Enterprises

Owner: Righteous Oaks, LLC

Permit Description: Wreck and remove a two-story frame residence.

Status: Released 05/21/2021 [Per an Administrative Order issued by the Department of Buildings to address dangerous and hazardous conditions.]

Address: 4500 N. Spaulding Avenue, Albany Park

#100908603

Date Received: 02/18/2021

Ward: 33rd Ward Alderwoman Rossana Rodriguez

Applicant: D. S. Construction, Inc

Owner: Chicago Milal Church

Permit Description: Demolition and removal of a 2-story masonry church

“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.

"As religious attendance declines and churches empty, developers have in recent decades bought and transformed holy edifices into dwellings. Such plans are always controversial, with critics accusing them of desecrating a sacred space and proponents arguing that they preserve a historical building while allowing it to be used for a new, contemporary purpose.

"Two recent proposals to convert churches to condos have recently attracted spirited opposition. In December, City Council approved a plan to graft a multi-story apartment building onto the Second Church of Christ, Scientist, a plan that landed the church on Preservation Chicago’s list of seven most endangered buildings in 2019. (Roman Catholic churches also made the list that year and again in 2021.)

"A similar proposal to convert what was once the Fourteenth Church of Christ, Scientist in Ravenswood into an apartment building without preserving its worship space was rejected by the local alderman after objections from neighbors; a new proposal is supposedly in the works.

"Both buildings have colonnaded fronts and domed roofs, grand touches for their locations on quiet residential streets.

"What is a 'Church of Christ, Scientist,' and how many of them are there in Chicago?

"You would almost certainly recognize one of them. The Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist sits proudly along the river at Wabash Avenue and Wacker Drive downtown. Its clean-lined edifice, designed by Harry Weese in 1968, has been seen in films such as Divergent and Transformers 3. The building is one of only a few original Churches of Christ, Scientist in Chicago that still houses a Christian Science congregation. (Hautzinger, WTTW Chicago, 5/11/21)

"A piece of Civil War history is being restored in one of Chicago’s most well-known public buildings. But what was it doing there in the first place?

"GAR stands for Grand Army of the Republic. It was essentially a fraternal organization and social club for veterans of the Civil War on the Union side, which established hundreds of chapters across the United States in the second half of the 19th century.

"Today, it’s home to the Chicago Cultural Center, located prominently on Michigan Avenue across from Millennium Park. It was the original central branch of the Chicago Public Library.

"So how did the GAR manage to score space in the library in the first place?

"Well, the better question might be: How did the library score space in the GAR?

"In the late 1800s, the city was looking for a site to build a main library. They decided on what seemed to be the perfect location on Michigan Avenue – but there was just one catch.

"Portions of the land were owned by – you guessed it – the GAR, which hoped to use it for a Civil War memorial. The land had been given to Civil War veterans groups by the Illinois state legislature.

"So the city compromised, and parts of the northern section of the building became the GAR’s Chicago headquarters, where they held meetings and also hosted an exhibition of Civil War memorabilia. Today the space is used for various private and public events, including the Chicago Architecture Biennial.

"And as our questioner mentions, the GAR rooms are undergoing an extensive restoration project. That includes refurbishing the dome outside the GAR Memorial Hall, designed by building architect Charles Coolidge and Louis Comfort Tiffany, and fabricated by renowned local art glass company Healy and Millet.

"This is not to be confused with the more famous Tiffany glass dome at the southern end of the building, which was magnificently restored a few years ago.

"The project is also restoring many of the more than century-old surfaces and walls in the GAR Memorial Hall ornamented with symbols of war from throughout history." (WTTW Chicago, 3/25/21)

"There’s a glorious secret concealed behind a relatively modest, opaque façade on Clark Street just south of Madison Street in the Loop.

"In the tall shadow of the 56-story Chase Bank tower, a little four-story building hardly draws attention with an exterior that appears like a dark, dusty grid. But inside the building, the Loop Synagogue, the secret is revealed: The rear of that dark and dusty wall is a spectacular display of stained glass that stretches 30 feet high and 45 feet wide.

"It’s the east wall of a beautifully modern sanctuary, is limestone made to look like blocks cut at angles to evoke the ancient stones of the Western Wall in Jerusalem. The sanctuary is also home to a row of tall, impossibly slender columns — a trademark of mid-20th century architecture — that support the ceiling. The windows, monumental in scale and completed in 1961, depict many symbols and icons of Judaism.

"'This is a treasure in Chicago,' said Lee Zoldan, the synagogue’s president. Yet it’s a rarely seen treasure.

"Membership at the synagogue, which was built in 1957, was already declining before the pandemic — down to about 425 members from nearly 1,500 in the early 1990s. Then the pandemic hit, and the synagogue’s three services a day, five days a week, suddenly had very little audience. Members generally aren’t Loop residents but Loop workers, Zoldan said. Services also attract visitors from other cities and countries, but that too has been severely curtailed since March 2020.

"The congregation has no debt on the building, Zoldan said, and is not in danger of shutting down overnight, but 'we look out at the next few years, and we need to do something now, before it’s too late.' (Rodkin, WBEZ Chicago, 5/13/21)

"Ward Miller, executive director of Preservation Chicago, joins Anna to talk about the importance of preserving the Thompson Center and the tragic death of famed architect Helmut Jahn."

Hear the interview at WGN Radio 720 (8 Min)

"The Chicago Urban Historian is bringing his history lessons from the small screen to the city’s streets in a series of South Side tours.

"Shermann Thomas, best known as Dilla on TikTok, is hosting city tours on Father’s Day on June 20 and over the Fourth of July weekend. Tours will begin at the DuSable Museum of African American History, 740 E. 56th Place.

"'A lot of people famously know du Sable as the first non-Native settler here, but after that, you don’t hear about another Black guy until Harold Washington,' Thomas said. 'In between that, a lot was going on. We’re going to examine prominent African Americans in history from about the 1850s to the Chicago Fire, which is when the hurting started and the Black Belt was soon created.'

"Thomas will bring back his tours for the Fourth of July weekend to discuss how Chicagoans shaped the nation.

"'The Father’s Day tours will be solely about the impact and contributions of African Americans, but the Fourth of July tours will just be Chicagoans in general across all races,' Thomas said. 'We weren’t around for the Revolutionary War — Chicago wasn’t founded yet — but we were very involved in the Civil War. We’ll discuss how each neighborhood signed up for different wars to continue the country.'

"The goal is to meld joy and history for an enjoyable and unforgettable summer, Thomas said. 'It’s very evident that we’re thirsty for something positive to be in front of us to counterbalance all of the negative stuff that’s going on,' he said. 'I’m happy to be part of the positive.'

Logan Square Workers Cottages. Image credit: Tom Vlodek / Chicago Workers Cottage Initiative

"As developers continue to raze workers cottages for single-family homes and condos in gentrifying Logan Square and other parts of the city, preservationists are embarking on a project to raise awareness about the historical yet overlooked homes and to shape policies that would save them from demolition.

"Leaders with Preservation Chicago and the newly-formed Chicago Workers Cottage Initiative recently teamed up with students in the historic preservation department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago on a data project that aims to shed light on the loss of workers cottages throughout the city.

"'If you see two poor-conditioned workers cottages next to each other, that’s a threat,' said Mary Lu Seidel with Preservation Chicago. “Developers will buy them up, get a 50-foot-wide lot and build their mega-mansion Barbie dream house.”

"After the surveying process is complete, the data will be sent to the city, Seidel said. The data is meant to lay the groundwork for city policies around preserving workers cottages, she said.

"Eventually, the group would like the city to craft a policy or legislation to protect workers cottages from demolition. Seidel said that could mean creating a thematic landmark district across city neighborhoods to protect against teardowns or helping the owners of workers cottages with renovation projects so they’re able to stay in their homes.

"In the coming months, the preservationists plan to expand the project and collect data in other neighborhoods home to a lot of vulnerable workers cottages, such as McKinley Park, Pilsen and Wicker Park. But the groups started with Logan Square because the gentrifying neighborhood has seen more teardowns in recent years than other neighborhoods.

"Logan Square resident Tom Vlodek, who helps run the Chicago Workers Cottage Initiative, said he’s watched many of the workers cottages around him disappear in favor of single-family homes and condos. Vlodek said in recent years he’s counted as least nine teardowns in the four-block radius around where he lives.

"In 2018, Logan Square resident Matt Bergstrom, who is also helping with the workers cottage effort, documented the transformation of his street, which at that time had lost roughly two dozen homes for construction.

"'You’d be hard-pressed to think of [workers cottages] as affordable housing or anything in Logan Square anymore, but I see this as our mandate. These are Chicago’s original affordable, single-family homes, built for workers that built the city. Once you tear down one of those homes, there will never be an affordable home there again,' he said." (Bloom, Block Club Chicago, 4/15/21)

"The 2 to 4 unit housing stock plays a unique and critical role in Chicago’s overall housing supply by providing affordable rental housing, homeownership, and wealth-building opportunities. More than any other type of rental housing in Chicago, 2 to 4 unit properties are the most likely to offer lower-cost rents and family-sized units and these units make up a substantial portion of the housing supply in Chicago communities of color, particularly the city’s Latinx communities.

"Building on this work, this analysis uses a unique data set to document the loss of the 2 to 4 stock in Chicago neighborhoods in an effort to understand the different ways that market forces put pressure on this key segment of Chicago's housing market. For more details on the importance of the 2 to 4 stock in Chicago neighborhoods, see The Characteristics of the 2 to 4 Stock in Chicago Neighborhoods report released in tandem with this research.

"This analysis finds:

"These findings highlight the need for a comprehensive approach to preserving 2 to 4 unit buildings that 1) recognizes the stock’s critical importance to providing affordable rental housing, homeownership, and wealth-building opportunities in all Chicago neighborhoods and 2) addresses the spectrum of challenges facing these buildings, their owners, and tenants in different market contexts.

"Background: Buildings with 2 to 4 units are a critical component of Chicago’s housing stock and play a unique role in providing both renter- and owner-occupied housing, comprising 26 percent of all residential units in the City of Chicago. According to forthcoming research from IHS's 2021 State of Rental Housing in Cook County, 2 to 4 unit properties made up over 35 percent of the city’s rental housing supply. These buildings are often owned by small “mom and pop” landlords who may also occupy a unit as their home while renting out the remaining units, providing affordable homeownership and wealth-building opportunities for these households. In Chicago, roughly 54 percent of 2 to 4 unit buildings had active homeowner exemptions in tax year 2019 and are likely to be owner-occupied.

"Units in 2 to 4 unit buildings are also a critical component of a community’s supply of affordable rental housing for lower-income households, particularly in Chicago’s communities of color. According to national research from the University of Southern California and Enterprise Community Partners, rental units in 2 to 4 unit buildings tend to have the lowest rents of any building type and also serve renters with the lowest incomes. In Chicago, 2 to 4 unit buildings have the highest share of rental units with rents below $900, a key benchmark for affordability. Compared to multifamily properties, 2 to 4 unit properties are much more likely to offer family-sized units with roughly 40 percent containing three bedrooms or more. Additionally, 2 to 4 flats are particularly important to the housing stock in communities of color and to residents of color citywide. Roughly 60 percent of Latinx-headed renter households and 32 percent of African American-headed renter households live in 2 to 4 unit buildings. Nearly 46 percent of the total housing units in majority Latinx census tracts and nearly 30 percent of total housing units in predominantly African American census tracts are in 2 to 4 unit parcels.

"The temporary or permanent loss of the 2 to 4 unit building rental stock is a critical community development issue impacting all Chicago neighborhoods. More than other residential properties, IHS analysis shows that 2 to 4 unit buildings were more significantly impacted by foreclosure during the Great Recession than other property types with nearly 30 percent of 2 to 4 unit parcels associated with at least one foreclosure filing since 2005. In the years following the Great Recession, as rental housing demand and the overall rental supply in Chicago grew, the city still saw losses to the 2 to 4 rental stock. IHS's upcoming State of Rental Housing in Cook County report finds that between 2012 and 2019, the city lost roughly 6 percent of its 2 to 4 unit rental stock. As this analysis will show, it is likely that many of these units have been permanently lost to conversion or demolition and, once lost, are unlikely to be replaced and if replaced are unlikely to be affordable. Due to the importance of this type of housing, it is critical to affordable housing policy to understand the factors driving the loss and instability of these rental units and buildings in different neighborhood market contexts. Without intervention, this essential component of Chicago's affordable housing stock could be further threatened by the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic." (Institute for Housing Studies at DePaul University, May 13, 2021)

"Last week, as I was walking around my Andersonville neighborhood in Chicago, I noticed the above scene. These three buildings–a 3-unit apartment building built in 1909, a 5-unit apartment building built c. 1966, and a 3-unit condominium building built in 2018–sit right next to each other. At PlaceEconomics, we argue that older, smaller, densely-built neighborhoods are a critical source of affordable housing across the nation, so I wondered if this microcosm might support our theory about older housing stock and affordability.

"These types of buildings–small-scale, 2- to 4-flat buildings–have long been the workhorses of Chicago’s residential housing stock and make up approximately 26% of the City’s residential property types, 90% of which are more than 75 years old. However, Chicago’s flat-type buildings are being torn down at an alarming rate and are being reconstructed at lower rates than any other housing type.*

"Nationally, older housing stock plays an important and often overlooked role in providing unsubsidized affordable housing. About 29% of housing units in the country were built pre-1960 and they house around 32.4% of households with incomes below $40,000. Older units are also more likely to be renter occupied.

"I decided to run some numbers on these three buildings. Using data from the Cook County Assessor’s Office, I found the 2020 estimated market value for each building and calculated the estimated value per square foot.** As demonstrated in the graph below, the value per square foot of the 2018 building is 3 times greater than the 1909 building. This has drastic implications for the future affordability of the neighborhood.

"Further digging revealed that the new building replaced an older, cottage-style multi-family building of comparable size. We often look at the citywide-level when studying this phenomenon, but it’s useful sometimes to shift the scale. This is just a small vignette and it gives us an understanding of what happens at the block-level when one older residential building is replaced with new construction. But, if we take this one example and extrapolate it across the city, the loss of older, affordable housing represents a significant loss. Over time, if this pattern repeats, it leads to displacement and gentrification that changes the feel of the neighborhood and affects who is able to live there.

"During a community engagement session for a recent PlaceEconomics project in Nashville, something that a stakeholder said stuck with me, and probably always will. When talking about tear downs in her neighborhood, she made the observation that once an older, smaller house is lost, that site will never be affordable again. As she put it, 'This creates a cycle that is not reversible–it will always be a rich neighborhood from now on.' It’s also important to note that the three buildings used in this micro-analysis don’t fall within the boundaries of an existing historic district, meaning they aren’t protected from demolition and could be torn down and replaced with new construction at any time.

"As this micro-analysis illustrates, preservation of older 'missing middle' housing is an important way to retain affordability. Unfortunately, land values and existing zoning laws make it virtually impossible to build smaller, affordable multi-family housing without generous subsidies, which makes preserving those that do exist that much more important. As Donovan likes to say, 'You can’t build new and rent or sell cheap.'

"Missing Middle Housing refers to multi-family or clustered housing types that are compatible with single-family neighborhoods and includes common pre-World War II housing types such as duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, bungalow courts, courtyard buildings, and other small apartment buildings. These tend to be prevalent in older neighborhoods that pre-date existing zoning laws."

"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:"

"Preservation Futures is set to explore the future of historic preservation through research, action and design—but the Chicago-based firm does things differently. Founded by architectural historian, writer and photographer Elizabeth Blasius, and Jonathan Solomon, architect and associate professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Preservation Futures goes beyond historic preservation’s traditional approach to saving buildings, to identify and shepherd future landmarks that elevate the social and cultural history embedded in places and spaces.

"'Our work includes preservation of public buildings and spaces; preservation of the recent past; and preservation as a tool to increase justice, equity and resiliency in the built environment,' say the founders, stressing the importance of working in the present and looking to the future. 'We believe in maintenance and care as values in society and in a built environment in which more is appreciated and less is forgone, and we think that preservation can help lead us there. Gratitude is our attitude!'

"We founded Preservation Futures to [affect] historic preservation through research, action and design. Our mission includes preservation of public buildings and spaces; preservation of the recent past, and preservation for the public good, as a tool to increase justice, equity and resiliency in the built environment.

"We work with the existing tools of preservation, but try to use them better. We prepare landmark register nominations and navigate tax incentives and benefits related to preservation for clients that might not have access to. We produce research that informs public processes and policy decisions for the public good. We also work to expand preservation’s range and purview. We go beyond historic preservation’s traditional approach to saving buildings to identify and shepherd future landmarks that elevate the social and cultural history embedded in places and spaces. We plan programming and design creative interventions that develop audiences and engage communities.

"Collaboration is important to us, and we are very aware that there are no firsts in preservation. Everything we do is built on the work of others. We believe that preservation is a futurist profession, that we need to always be working in the present and looking to the future.

"History is always a moving target, but preservation in Chicago has not been keeping up. The city’s last survey, The Chicago Historic Resources Survey (CHRS), was completed in 1995, and it has not been updated. Moreover, it was completed in a way that left out a lot of important history. The CHRS focused on buildings fifty years old or older, with very few exceptions made for buildings by well-known mid-century modern architects.

"Most buildings built after 1940 were not included, leaving [examples of] neighborhood modernism like Pride Cleaners in Chatham, or the catalogs of the work of architects like John Moutoussamy and Gertrude Kerbis not recognized as historic or covered by Chicago’s Demolition Delay ordinance for historic structures. Moreover, by focusing architectural value and other majority narratives, the CHRS left out Chicago’s Black and Latinx heritage, the work of female architects, its indigenous heritage and other histories no less deserving of preservation.

"We are trying to remedy this. In the 2020s, the 1970s will turn fifty. What about the next ten years? And the next? Preservation needs to continually develop research and scholarship, test tools and techniques, and engage public interest that will enable us to preserve the 1980s, the 1990s and beyond.

"Instead of thinking about preservation as limited and precious, we think it should be popular and widespread, the standard, not the exception. Henri Lefebvre wrote “La Droit à la Ville,” the right to the city; we believe part of that right is a right to history, to have our stories held and elevated collectively in our built environment.

"Right now we are working, with Landmarks Illinois and AJ LaTrace, to nominate the James R. Thompson Center to the National Register of Historic Places. This postmodern gem is a vitally important part of Chicago’s architectural history and although it was only completed in 1985 it is under threat from demolition

"We are also working with Blacks in Green and Pax Design on a National Register nomination for the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley House, which was only recently granted status as a Chicago landmark. We are grateful to be part of the work to elevate the history of Chicago as a Great Migration metropolis in this way. We are also excited by our broader collaboration with Traci Sanders at Pax Design, which includes a pilot cultural heritage survey of Woodlawn.

"Finally, we are about to kick off a Preservation Clinic, in partnership with Preservation Chicago, to serve members of the public who qualify for tax credits and other incentives but don’t have access to the expertise to claim them. If we can help even a small group of property owners improve their homes or shops, they can help show others, and on and on, and we can have a big impact. We are excited about all these projects and delighted to be a part of the future of historic preservation in Chicago!" (Rigou, Newcity Design, 4/21/21)

"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)

"In this video, we visit Chicago's most endangered building--the Thompson Center--and discuss issues related to its preservation and impending demolition."

"Perhaps no building in Chicago is closer to a date with the wrecking ball than the Thompson Center. While those responsible for initiating this threat cite years worth of deferred maintenance and high costs of operation as the primary reasons for their decision, these are not the real reasons for the building’s demise. It suffers from a much more lethal ailment — treating it like a normal building. In this video, Stewart explains why the Thompson Center is definitely not a normal building and offers alternative ways to evaluate it. What if we considered it to be a piece of urban infrastructure or public plaza instead? Relating the building to Rem Koolhaas’ theory of ‘Bigness’, this video builds the case that the Thompson Center should be valued for how it brings people together in space rather than its colors, or material palette, or any other normal ways of evaluating mere buildings."

"Roseland’s South Michigan Avenue Commercial District is the commercial center and heart of this Far South Side community, located approximately 15 miles from downtown Chicago. Situated on a hilltop ridge, the corridor extends between 100th Street and the viaduct just south of 115th Street, with the central core of the existing commercial district located between 110th and 115th Streets.

"Once referred to by local residents as 'The Avenue,' the street’s viability as a commercial corridor began to deteriorate and fade in the mid-1970s. Over the decades, some historic buildings have been remodeled and covered with new facades, and many other notable and significant commercial buildings, which further helped to define the district, have been lost to demolition.

"However, it is important to protect, restore and reuse the remaining structures, many of them noteworthy in their overall design and materials. This would honor the legacy and history of this remarkable community and encourage a holistic approach to further promote economic revitalization along the South Michigan Avenue commercial corridor." (Preservation Chicago)

Special thanks to project partners including the Greater Roseland Chamber of Commerce, the Roseland Community, Andrea Reed, Alderman Beale, Open House Chicago, Chicago Architecture Center, and Preservation Chicago staff!

Host, Ward Miller, Executive Director of Preservation Chicago guides you on a tour of one of Lincoln Park's most important historic districts.

Learn how the district developed following the 1871 Great Chicago Fire: from modest frame homes to enormous mansions built by noted architects for prominent Chicago families.

Ward meets restoration expert, Susan Hurst with Bloom Properties for an exclusive tour of the newly restored Sarah Belle Wilson House at 522 W. Deming Place.

Features special guests, historian and Preservation Chicago board member, Diane Rodriguez; and Ed Vera, Formlinea Design+Build and Vera Rice Architects.

The 2021 Chciago Lakefront “Chicago 7 Most Endangered” poster is now available for sale on the Preservation Chicago webstore.

Previous years' “Chicago 7 Most Endangered” posters including Thompson Center, Union Station Power House, Jackson Park, and Holy Family Church are also available. The posters are available in three sizes; 8x10, 16x20 and 24x36.

Check out other great Chicago 7 swag including mugs and bags featuring the wonderful Chicago 7 artwork. Please let us know what you’d like to see offered, and we can work to make it happen.

Please note that between 30% and 40% of the sales price helps to support Preservation Chicago and our mission.