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"Once a Chicago 7, always a Chicago 7," until its saved or lost. Link to all past Chicago 7s.

"The Commission on Chicago Landmarks delayed a vote on the preliminary landmark designation of the Century and Consumers Buildings during its recent monthly meeting on Thursday. The vote would’ve set up a battle between the city and the federally run General Services Administration (GSA), as they seek to spend $52 million in federal funds to demolish the towers, citing security and safety reasons for the Dirksen Courthouse.

"With an extremely thorough and detailed presentation, city historic preservation staff outlined how the two buildings each meet three landmark designation criteria, as well as the separate integrity criterion.

"The GSA provided a statement to the commission that they will be impartially conducting the Section 106 process from the National Historic Preservation Act, which directs them to consider viable alternatives to the proposed demolition. They remain officially neutral on the proposed landmark designation.

"The landmarks staff has been directed to work with the relevant city and federal agencies to identify specific safety issues that the buildings pose while the GSA proceeds with their Section 106 process. The GSA will be setting up public meetings in the next few weeks as part of that procedure. (Kugler, Urbanize Chicago, 9/11/22)

"Maurice Cox, commissioner of the Department of Planning and Development, said there was little doubt the “properties are meritous of landmark status” but argued that no action should be taken without a more thorough understanding of the broader issues at play.

"Ultimately the commission’s chairman, Ernie Wong, declined to call a vote on whether to confer preliminary landmark status on the buildings. Citing the 'highly unusual circumstances' surrounding the buildings, he said additional study is needed into the specific safety issues at hand and potential solutions. (Wetli, WTTW Chicago, 9/8/22)

Preservation Chicago along with other preservation partners provided powerful testimony at the Commission on Chicago Landmarks hearing in support of the Century and Consumers Buildings. This represents the culmination of an intensive campaign to save these important buildings from demolition by securing the strong support of the public and City of Chicago. The campaign included a Chicago 7 Most Endangered designation, dozens of media stories detailing the history, circumstances, threat, and alternatives, discussion of the UNESCO World Heritage Site nomination, the Chicago Collaborative Archive Center press conference, a Change.org petition with over 23,000 signatures, a B1M short film with over 900,000 views and extensive high-level advocacy.

This preservation effort succeeded in profoundly shifting the public discourse and earning a 'spot at the table' for preservation partners with the GSA and the Federal Court to directly discuss opportunities and challenges. On September 12, 2022, key preservation leaders and Chicago Collaborative Archive Center leaders met with representatives of the GSA and Federal Court for over two hours. The meeting was cordial, constructive and comprehensive. A second meeting was held on October 25, 2022.

The ultimate outcome of these efforts remains uncertain, but the preservation effort is well positioned for the upcoming Section 106 hearings, scheduled to occur in the coming months.

The advocacy campaign has sought to anticipate and address all potential concerns. We continue to reinforce the architectural significance of the buildings, the viability of the Chicago Collaborative Archive Center and its comprehensive solutions to the security concerns, the risk to the UNESCO nomination, and the importance of these terra cotta skyscrapers to Mies van der Rohe's overall vision for the Chicago Federal Center.

The focus is increasingly shifting to the buildings' existing conditions and cost to restore. Despite 17 years of deferred maintenance during the period of GSA ownership, we believe that the buildings are in stable condition and can successfully be restored. Many examples of buildings in far worse condition have been successfully restored including the Old Chicago Post Office, Cook County Hospital, Reliance Building, and many others.

Regarding cost, we believe that if the $52 million federal earmark for demolition were reallocated to restoration, it would cover a significant portion of the rehabilitation cost. For perspective, Lane Tech is Chicago's largest public school at 607,000 square feet. It's more than double the square footage of Century and Consumers Buildings combined. In 2017, Lane Tech was comprehensively restored, inside and out, including restored parapets, replaced terra cotta, new windows, new roof, and interiors for a total cost of $52 million.

Read more at Urbanize Chicago and WTTW Chicago

"The Century and Consumers buildings, two vacant downtown skyscrapers that are shamefully rotting away and now targeted for demolition by the federal government, might soon gain a powerful advocate.

"The Commission on Chicago Landmarks has asked the city’s Department of Planning to work on creating a landmark designation report on the early 20th century buildings, located at 202 and 220 S. State St.

"This is key because, traditionally, creation of the reports is almost always a first step toward granting landmark status to a site.

"'I think there’s a lot of examination that has to be done,' the commission’s chairman, Ernest Wong, said this month at a hearing on the buildings.

"For a while now, we — along with the town’s leading preservationists — have said the federal government’s plan to wreck the buildings to create a security plaza for the Dirksen Federal Building is a senseless affront to architectural preservation, and also to efforts to make State Street more viable.

"So it’s great to see the commission and the city weigh in. Both are important voices with enough weight to possibly change the outcome for the two buildings.

"The commission requested the preparation of a landmarks designation report after a July 7 meeting on the Century and Consumers buildings.

"In the wake of the [$52 million demolition earmark], one of the leading voices for saving the buildings, Preservation Chicago, proposed turning the structures into a limited-access archives center for religious orders and other organizations.

"'There hasn’t been a space for robust conversation in the past,' Ward Miller said. 'It’s the GSA giving directives.'

"The stance by the landmarks commission, and the Lightfoot administration by proxy, represents a potential turnaround from the city’s position just three years ago.

"But hopefully today is a new day. Would a city landmark designation — on its face — prevent the federal government from razing the buildings?

"Likely not. It could lead to a standoff that ends with the federal government using its power to bigfoot over the city’s wishes.

"Or — and this is what we want to see — landmarking the buildings could bring the judges, the city, the GSA and that $52 million earmark to the table to work out something that leads to these buildings being properly redeveloped.

"That’s what Chicago and downtown really need." (Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board, 7/23/22)

After over a decade of vacancy, the Pioneer Arcade received Preliminary Chicago Landmark approval at the November 3, 2022 Commission on Chicago Landmarks meeting. This protection is long-overdue and essential to protect its beautiful ornate facade as part of an adaptive reuse project. The Pioneer Arcade was a Chicago 7 Most Endangered in 2015 and Preservation Chicago has made many attempts over the years to advocate on behalf of the building. We applaud the Chicago Department of Planning and Development for encouraging to the developer to pursue adaptive reuse and Chicago Landmark designation.

"The Commission on Chicago Landmarks has approved the preliminary landmark designation for the Pioneer Arcade. Located at 1535 N. Pulaski, the building was designed by Jens J. Jensen and built in 1924-25. With an impressive terracotta facade, the building is one of the last of Chicago’s commercial recreation center buildings. Holding bowling lanes and a billiards hall, the building was a center of neighborhood commercial activity for decades.

"As proposed, the designation states that the building meets Criterion 1 for its value as an example of city, state, or national heritage. Bowling and billiards were the staples of entertainment in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Chicago was the midwestern center for the national indoor sports movement, hosting the first modern bowling tournament in 1901 and one of the first billiards world championship tournaments in 1916. Allen Hall, a well-known billiards competitor, made Pioneer Arcade his signature establishment, raising its profile with well-publicized tournament games.

"In 1924, the Chicago Tribune reported that the Pioneer Arcade would be 'one of the city's finest” and would be 'one of the most elaborate recreation buildings in the city'. Opening in 1925, the ground floor was home to four shops and 35 billiards tables. Upstairs, the second floor was home to 16 bowling lanes with a spectator platform looking down onto them. The recreation building thrived as a bowling and billiards hall, becoming a long-term fixture in the social life of Humboldt Park.

"The second landmark criterion for the building is Criterion 4, for exemplary architecture. As one of the grandest sports halls from the 1920s, the building is an outstanding example of a district commercial building, designed in a version of Spanish Baroque Revival style called Churrigueresque, which refers to the most ornate examples of the overall style. Key elements include the twisted columns, the forms of classical architecture, and the exuberant ornament on the facade, especially above the main entrance. Jens J Jensen was the architect of the building.

"In its current state, the building’s exterior is mostly intact, with only very minor alterations to the main facade. On the interior, the bowling lanes and billiards hall have been significantly altered with no historic significance remaining. In an unusual circumstance, the building came before the commission with a redevelopment plan to demolish the back portion of the building and use the front section as part of a new development by Hispanic Housing Development Corporation.

"With UrbanWorks serving as the architect, the plan calls for the restoration, repair, and integration of the front 35 feet of the Pioneer Arcade, with the rear 85 feet set to be replaced with six stories of senior housing. This new addition will be setback significantly from the street and a new building planned for the vacant site south of the Pioneer Arcade will also be setback from the historic building for visual relief. The muted palette of the new design does not aim to compete with the Pioneer Arcade facade.

"The developers have received site plan approval from DPD under the property’s existing Planned Development and came to the Commission on Chicago Landmarks consenting to the designation. While a designation usually covers the entire building, there are precedents for the landmarking of a building where it is partially demolished for new construction." (Kugler, Urbanize Chicago, 11/8/22)

Parishioners protest the removal of the La Pietà statue from the former St. Adalbert’s Church in Pilsen on Oct. 18, 2022. St. Adalbert Church, Henry J. Schlacks, 1636 W. 17th Street. Photo Credit: Colin Boyle / Block Club Chicago

Bronislawa Stekala lays in the middle of the alley in tears and prayer while parishioners protest the removal of the La Pietà statue from the former St. Adalbert’s Church in Pilsen on Oct. 18, 2022. St. Adalbert Church, Henry J. Schlacks, 1636 W. 17th Street. Photo Credit: Colin Boyle / Block Club Chicago

Officials inspect the removal of the La Pietà statue from the former St. Adalbert’s Church in Pilsen on Oct. 18, 2022. St. Adalbert Church, Henry J. Schlacks, 1636 W. 17th Street. Photo Credit: Colin Boyle / Block Club Chicago

"Archdiocese of Chicago workers temporarily halted efforts to remove a beloved statue from a former Catholic church Pilsen neighbors fought years to save after an hours-long protest.

"Former parishioners demonstrated outside St. Adalbert Church, 1650 W. 17th St., as workers moved to remove a replica of Michelangelo’s La Pietà statue that sits in the former church. The archdiocese plans to move it to St. Paul Catholic Church in Pilsen, a spokesperson said.

"For a month, residents have rotated shifts to watch over the statue, camping outside to block it from being removed. Tearful parishioners who started gathering before 7:30 a.m. prayed in Polish, English and Spanish, and cried as they appealed to police officers. At one point, faithful Bronislawa Stekala threw herself prostrate in the alley — rosary in hand — as she tearfully pleaded to preserve the church.

"Other neighbors said they were willing to be arrested to keep the statute in the church building.

"Residents and Pilsen Ald. Byron Sicgho-Lopez (25th) decried the process to remove the statue, stating city officials lacked the permits to do so. After hours of protesting, police Sgt. Sergeant Karczewski told demonstrators the statue would not be removed Tuesday and would be moved at later date.

"Demonstrators began leaving around 11 a.m. when police officers and an employee of the city’s Department of Buildings left the church. One car, which has been used to house the demonstrators during their weeks-long vigil, was ticketed for blocking the alley.

"Sigcho-Lopez, who was on site during the protest, slammed the lack of communication between Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office and archdiocese regarding plans for the closed church.

"'What we need, immediately, is a response from the archdiocese and the Mayor to sit down with the parishioners to discuss the future of St. Albert openly, transparently,' the alderman said. 'We need today, more than ever, a city that listens to the parishioners, to the community, to local officials.'

"Polish and Mexican parishioners fought for years to save the church, which was founded in 1874 by Polish immigrants and built in Pilsen in 1912. The church hosted its final mass in 2019.

"Blanca Torres, who was part of Tuesday’s protest, is a lifelong parishioner and a member of the St. Adalbert Preservation Society. She said the group has tried to present numerous ideas to the Archdiocese about what could be done with the church site to keep it a sacred place in the community, but they were just met with 'lip service.'

"'I think they missed on opportunities,' Torres said. 'I think there were viable solutions that could’ve been talked about, but [the Archdiocese] needed to be part of the conversation as well.'

"Sigcho-Lopez said the archdiocese should be seeking community input on how to repurpose empty churches rather than working 'unilaterally' with developers and the Mayor’s Office.

"'But instead of that, we have this police presence — 18 police officers to remove parishioners,' he said. (Boyle and Savedra, Block Club Chicago, 10/18/22)

St. Adalbert Church was a Chicago 7 Most Endangered Buildings for several years, and was designed by architect, Henry Schlacks. As the building is orange-rated and city officials have promised that it would become a Chicago Landmark. The building was deconsecrated and closed three years ago by the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Preservation Chicago encourages the City of Chicago to initiate landmark proceedings for St. Adalbert before the Commission on Chicago Landmarks. If the church and rectory were to be brought into Preliminary Landmark Recommendation, it could remain in a long-term Tolling Agreement, to give the Archdiocese, the City and other stakeholders the opportunity to continue with robust conversations.

This would offer all of the protections of a true Chicago Landmark Designation, and also prohibit the removal of art glass. Tragically, all the art glass was recently removed without a permit from the orange-rated All Saints-St. Anthony Church in Bridgeport, another closed church by Henry Schlacks. St. Anthony's sanctuary was devastated by contractors working for the Archdiocese prior to transferring the property to a private developer.

In the past that this idea of a Tolling Agreement worked for St. Gelasius/St. Clara, now known as The Shrine of Christ the King, as well as the New York Life Building, now the Kimpton Hotel Gray at LaSalle and Monroe Streets. That designation of St. Gelasius, which the Archdiocese opposed, led to Cardinal George inviting another religious order from Wisconsin to move to Chicago and establish this as their national headquarters, known as the Institute of Christ the King, within the St. Gelasius/St. Clara Church building and complex. So, the Chicago Landmark Designation was a wonderful planning tool, which led to excellent outcomes.

Promontory Point in Autumn. Promontory Point, 1937, Alfred Caldwell, Chicago Lakefront between 54th and 56th Streets. Photo Credit: Vashon Jordan www.vashonjordan.com

"To the Editor,

"On October 18th, members of the Promontory Point Conservancy met with Superintendent of the Chicago Park District Rosa Ecareno and Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation Gia Biagi, and members of their respective staffs. Together we walked the entire length of the Point’s revetment to look at the actual conditions and talked about how repair, restoration and rehabilitation of the historic limestone structure are feasible, sustainable and affordable.

"We are deeply grateful to the public officials who walked with us and devoted their time and attention to the Point and the community’s concerns. They said they are committed to a preservation approach and to satisfying the community’s 22 year demands for true preservation of the historic limestone revetment.

"As a result, we are greatly relieved to know that demolition of the historic limestone revetment, completely new construction with concrete revetment, and merely decorative and ornamental reuse of the limestone blocks are no longer being considered.

"Promontory Point Conservancy is now proposing to make Promontory Point a Chicago City Landmark to honor and protect its historic value, its beauty, and the community’s devotion. Mayor Lightfoot and Alderman Hairston (5th) support preservation of the limestone revetment, and Alderman Hairston has initiated the City-landmarking process. We have asked for the Chicago Park District’s support as the property owner. The Conservancy would be pleased to walk the Point with the leadership and staff of the Chicago Landmarks Commission as we did with the Mayor, the Park District and the Department of Transportation." (Promontory Point Conservancy Op-ed, Hyde Park Herald, 10/27/22)

"A $30 million, six-story affordable apartment building could replace a retail strip and storage facility at a prominent Howard Street intersection under a development proposal.

"Development group Housing For All wants to build 110 affordable apartments and ground-floor retail at the northeast corner of Howard and Paulina streets, directly across from the Red Line, according to plans shared by Ald. Maria Hadden’s 49th Ward office.

"The project would move forward in two phases and require state and likely city funding, said Shelly Tucciarelli, a developer with Housing For All.

"The six-story development would replace a single-story retail strip at 1646-1660 W. Howard St. that holds a currency exchange, Post Office and Redz Belizean Restaurant.

"The project will also require the demolition of the Werner Bros. Storage building, a warehouse at 7613 N. Paulina St. designed by architect George S. Kinglsey and built in 1921. The building is listed as 'orange-rated' in the city’s historical survey, requiring a review of the building and development plans before a demolition permit is approved.

"The Werner building can’t be redeveloped into housing because some of the floors do not meet ceiling height requirements for housing units, Tucciarelli said. The warehouse is mostly vacant.

"The development would move forward in two phases, with the first phase replacing the Howard Street retail building followed by a building on the Werner Bros. site. There would be 55 apartments built in the first phase.

"Tucciarelli is a longtime developer who is helping build affordable housing catering to Indigenous people at a site in Irving Park. She also spent 20 years working at the Illinois Housing Development Authority, where she managed the low-income housing tax credit program, she said.

"Housing For All is building a 47-unit affordable housing development in suburban Aurora that will adaptively reuse two historical schools. One of the property owners involved in that project also owns the Rogers Park parcels at Howard and Paulina streets, Tucciarelli said. (Ward, Block Club Chicago, 10/25/22)

Affordability and preservation are strongly symbiotic and mutually beneficial. The Werner Brothers Storage Building is an ideal candidate for affordable housing adaptive reuse. Preservation Chicago strongly encourages the developer to pursue this option as they have successfully done in Aurora. Additionally, we encourage 49th Ward Ald. Maria Hadden and community members to make historic preservation a requirement of this redevelopment.

Low income housing tax credits and the 20% Federal Tax Credit for the Rehabilitation of Historic Properties work well together and can generate significant additional development funding. Historic preservation tax credits could generate 20% additional funds for development expenses within the historic building. Millions of additional development dollars could be used to build additional affordable units on site. Additional affordable units, perhaps as many as eight or ten, would be widely celebrated and historic tax credits are the key to unlocking the funding for them.

"Developers plans to replace a large industrial building in McKinley Park with a cold storage facility, but neighbors are concerned about potential pollution and preserving the building’s historical architecture.

"Developers with Karis Cold presented their plans at a community meeting Wednesday night. The group has applied for a special-use permit to demolish a warehouse at 3815 S. Ashland Ave. and build a nearly 100,000-square-foot cold storage facility they expect will be used to store produce, meat and other food products, attorney Robert L. Gamrath III said at the meeting.

"If the city approves the project, the company expects to demolish the old building in May, development manager Andy Laue told neighbors. The new building could be finished by early 2024, he said.

"Ward Miller, executive director of Preservation Chicago, urged developers to leave part of the old building intact and add the new facility behind its facade. He said that could help preserve the historical identity of McKinley Park, one of Chicago’s first industrial neighborhoods.

"'We’re destroying these first-class buildings one by one, block by block, so it would be wonderful if this corporation could honor Chicago’s architecture and integrate the building’s facade and tower into these plans,' Miller said during the meeting. 'Another blank wall on Ashland is another blank wall, and I think it really dumbs down our city that’s known for its architecture.'

"Gamrath said company leaders considered preserving some of the old building, but they decided not to because it’s covered in graffiti, isn’t structurally sound and the size of the lot isn’t big enough to accommodate a new building and the old facade.

New Cold Storage Facility That Would Replace McKinley Park Building Would Be ‘Another Blank Wall On Ashland,’ Neighbors Say; Developers want to demolish an old warehouse on McKinley's Park Ashland Avenue and replace it with a nearly 100,000-square-foot cold storage facility, Kayleigh Padar, Block Club Chicago, 9/23/22

"A Humboldt Park museum led by a longtime former alderman has been ordered to stop construction on a cinder-block building after city officials found the project got underway without correct permits.

"The National Puerto Rican Museum of Arts & Culture, which occupies a landmarked building at 3015 W. Division St. in Humboldt Park’s namesake park, is building a secondary facility on park land directly next to the museum. Once complete, the building will store the museum’s archives and art collections, Executive Director Billy Ocasio said. Ocasio served as 26th Ward alderman from 1993 to 2009.

"Preservationists and neighbors questioned how the rectangular, cinder-block structure was permitted to go up next to the Queen Anne-style stables, which date back to the 1890s. As it turns out, the project did not receive necessary permits or clear layers of city and state approval to start construction, officials said. A stop-work order was issued Sept. 25, city officials said.

"The site was abandoned Tuesday, with a half-built cinder-block structure, building tools and machinery cordoned off by construction fencing and police tape.

"The museum operates out of Humboldt Park’s oldest-surviving structure, the Humboldt Park receptory and stables, a Park District-owned building built in 1895 for horses, and as storage for wagons and landscaping tools. Designated a Chicago landmark in 2008, the building also housed the office of renowned landscape architect and then-park Supt. Jens Jensen.

"Ocasio said they’ve been trying to build a climate-controlled storage and archives building on the site since before the pandemic, and they secured $750,000 in state capital funds in 2020 to bring the project to life. Ocasio said the building will be no more than two stories tall.

"No building permits have been issued for the project, city records show.

"'The general contractor listed on the application has received over 130 permits since 2000 and would know that a building permit was required prior to any work,' a city spokesman said.

"Local preservationists and neighbors who frequent the park are concerned the facility will detract from the beauty and charm of the landmarked stables building and the park, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

"'It’s important for the museum to have a place to store their art, but they should be able to do it through a process that ensures that their singular purpose doesn’t negate the incredibly hard work the city has put toward preserving Humboldt Park and the Humboldt Park stables,' said Mary Lu Seidel with Preservation Chicago.

"'You’re not just talking about some building on the corner that has no history or character; you’re talking about a Chicago landmark and a National Register of Historic Places park that we don’t want to impact.'

"Neighbor Bridget Montgomery said the museum appears poised to 'slap up' the facility without any regard for the site’s rich history.

"'To build a new building on the same site as a historic landmark, especially one that has such important to the area — it’s ignorant and sort of insulting,' Montgomery said." (Bloom, Block Club Chicago, 10/12/22)

"An Uptown church and social services center is getting a much-needed renovation and conversion into a nonprofit community hub after being sold for the first time in its nearly 100-year-history.

"The now-closed Preston Bradley Center at 941 W. Lawrence Ave. has been sold to Daniel Ivankovich, a renown orthopedic surgeon, philanthropist and blues musician known as Chicago Slim.

"Ivankovich plans to rehab the church, cultural center and social services building into a home for his and other nonprofits. The building would act as an office space for the organizations and a community space for hosting health clinics, seminars and arts and cultural programs.

"Some of the 1925 building’s historical uses, including as a place of worship and a respite for the underprivileged, will remain, Ivankovich said.

"'We’ve been looking at unconventional spaces that had a cultural or historical significance that we could build on,' he said. 'We’re looking to make it an even greater resources to Chicago, to Uptown.'

"The Preston Bradley Center will serve as the home of One Patient Global Health Initiative, a group run by Ivankovich and wife Karla Ivankovich that provides medical services to disadvantaged populations in the Chicago area.

"It will also be home to Chicago Blues Society, a nonprofit founded by Ivankovich that provides music lessons for underserved kids and helps working musicians by providing services, including free health care.

"Ivankovich bought the building for $2 million and plans to spend more on a renovation to the building. The nonprofits could move in by spring.

"'Everything is there,' Ivankovich said. 'It just needs to be restored.'

"The Preston Bradley Center was built by its namesake, the Rev. Preston Bradley, in 1925 to house his Peoples Church of Chicago, a progressive Christian congregation. The six-story building includes a nearly 1,300-seat auditorium with two balconies. It has a large hall or event space, office space and art studios.

"The building will hold offices for nonprofits and be able to host health clinics and other pop-up services, Ivankovich said. A soup kitchen that used to reside in the center will be welcomed back.

"'I see the building functioning as an incubator for non-for-profits,' Ivankovich said.

"The renovation saves a building that is a contributor to the Uptown Square Historic District and that has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places." (Ward, Block Club Chicago, 10/28/22)

In 2015, Preservation Chicago advocated for a individual Chicago Landmark Designation for the building that would include both the exterior and significant interior features including the large 1,300 seat sanctuary / auditorium and the highly decorative Masonic Hall located on the top floor of the building.

Fortunately, the exterior of Preston Bradley Center / Peoples Church is protected by the Uptown Square Landmark District. However, the interior is not explicitly protected. At that time, the ownership was open to an Individual Landmark Designation, but the process never moved forward. We hope to revisit the possibility of creating an Individual Landmark Designation for Preston Bradley Hall/Peoples Church which would both protect these important interior spaces and provide assistance to support this vital social and cultural center which serves the greater Uptown community.

Upon learning that Preston Bradley Center would be listed for sale, Preservation Chicago began actively seeking buyers for the Chicago Landmark that would preserve the building and social uses. Daniel Ivankovich is precisely the type of community-oriented, preservation-sensitive buyer we hoped to find and are thrilled by this news.

"An upstart hotel company that frames itself as a cross between Airbnb and traditional inns has purchased a long-vacant West Loop landmark where it plans to spend more than $20 million turning the property into its biggest location to date.

"A venture of Chicago-based Neighborhood Hotel paid $14 million late last month for the six-story building at 801 W. Madison St., according to sources familiar with the deal. The company bought the historic 82,000-square-foot property at the southwest corner of Madison and Halsted streets—landmarked as the former Mid-City Trust & Savings Bank building—from a venture of Monaco-based investors that had owned it since the mid-1980s.

"The deal tees up the redevelopment of a building that was previously the corporate headquarters of MB Financial Bank but has sat empty for more than a decade while the area around it has changed dramatically. The Neighborhood Hotel company, which launched its first location in Lincoln Park in 2020, plans to convert the upper floors of the West Loop property into 80 apartment-style hotel units, by far the company's largest project to date, said Neighborhood Hotel CEO Jonathan Gordon.

"'The business plan is to offer a well-equipped and designed base camp for travelers to go immerse in a neighborhood, with all the comforts of a vacation rental but the quality of a hotel,' Gordon said. 'This is a special building and one of the last historic assets in the West Loop' that has yet to be redeveloped.

"Current zoning allows a hotel on the property. The company will seek a Class L property tax designation from Cook County to move forward with the renovation, a program that lowers the assessed value on a historic property—thereby lowering its tax bill—over a 12-year period after a developer invests heavily in restoring it. Gordon projects that process and the interior work will put the hotel on track to open in early 2025.

"The 801 W. Madison building became a Chicago landmark in 2012, joining a long list of former neighborhood bank buildings the city began designating as landmarks five years earlier. The West Loop building was built in 1911 and remodeled in 1928 to add a new exterior and remodel a grand banking hall on the first two floors. The building today is flanked by a Mariano's grocery store and luxury apartment buildings, and is kitty-corner from a Whole Foods.

"Armando Chacon, president of the West Central Association community group, called the planned redevelopment of the bank building 'extremely significant' and a great complement to a $2.9 million city-funded streetscape project coming to Madison Street that will include speed bumps, sidewalk improvements and pedestrian islands, among other new features.

"'It's been frustrating to see this building be dormant for so long. To know that it's coming back to life is nothing short of remarkable,' Chacon said. 'It's sort of the jewel of the street, and for the gateway (to Madison) to be in decay for so long has been really unfortunate.' (Ecker, Crain's Chicago Business, 10/5/22)

The Former Mid-City National Bank Building was designed by architect, Horatio R. Wilson in 1911-1912, and later remodeled and expanded in 1928, by the architectural firm of Perkins, Fellows and Hamilton. The 1928 remodeling included a reconstructed first-and second-story façade, with a Classical revival-style arcade of large arched openings, clad in limestone. The revisioning and expansion of the building also included a much enlarged banking room on the first floor interior, which replaced a former theater, originally located directly behind the bank building.

In the early 2000s, a group of neighborhood bank buildings throughout Chicago were considered for designation. The initial list included seven bank buildings and in the years following the list grew. In 2012, 13 bank buildings throughout the city representing different communities and styles were given Chicago Landmark Designation. The Mid-City National Bank was also given a Chicago Landmark Designation that same year. With this designation the Mid-City National Bank Building was the beneficiary of the expanded and revised Adopt-A-Landmarks program, though a grant offer by the City of Chicago. This resulted with funding for the recreation of the original cornice design which was restored after being lost for decades. The building’s cornice was recreated with glass reinforced concrete-GRFC with this City grant and extends 133’ along Halsted and 126’ along Madison Street, giving the structure a highly finished appearance and restoring the 1928 design.

For reference, the 13 banks designated in 2012, included: the Belmont-Sheffield Trust and Savings Bank, (architect, John Nyden & Co. 1928-1929), located at 1001 W. Belmont; The Fullerton State Bank, (Karl M. Vitzthum, 1923), 1425 W. Fullerton; the Marquette Park State Bank, (Karl Vitzthum, 1924), 6314 S. Western Avenue; the Cosmopolitan State Bank, (Schmidt, Garden & Martin, 1920), 801 N. Clark Street; South Side Trust and Savings, (Albert Schwartz, 1922) 4659 S. Cottage Grove Avenue and The Kimbell Trust and Savings Bank, (William Gibbons Uffendell, 1924) 3600 W. Fullerton Avenue. Also, the Calumet National Bank, (John A. Domickson, 1910), 9117 S. Commercial Avenue; Sheridan Trust and Savings Bank, (Marshall & Fox, 1924 and Huszagh & Hill, 1928), 4753 N. Broadway; Chicago City Bank and Trust, (Abraham Epstein, 1930), 815 W. 63rd Street, Marshfield Trust and Savings, (William Gibbons Uffendell), 3321 N. Lincoln Avenue; Stock Yards National Bank, (Abraham Epstein, 1924), 4150 S. Halsted Street, Hyde Park-Kenwood National Bank, (Karl Vitzthum) 1525 E. 53rd Street, and the Swedish American State Bank, (Ottenheimer, Stern & Reichert, 1913), at 5400 N. Clark Street.

The Laramie State Bank was designated a Chicago Landmark in 1995, followed by the Noel State Bank in 2007, the Pioneer Bank in 2012, along with the Mid-City Bank in 2012. Additionally both the Laramie State Bank and the Pioneer State Bank are both to be restored and repurposed as part of larger developments, inspired by the INVEST South/West programs, developed under Mayor Lightfoot administration, with Commissioner Maurice Cox and under the City’s Department of Planning and Development.

Preservation Chicago has been a longtime advocate for many of the Chicago Landmark bank buildings. We are pleased to see the Mid-City Bank Building adaptively reused by new ownership after many years of vacancy.

"When it comes to what community members want to replace the Mars candy factory 2019 N. Oak Park Ave. in Galewood once it closed in 2024, the people have spoken. Residents have settled on a mixed-use development for the site.

"'So this is a factory with walls,' Goldstein said on Oct. 8. 'Now we’re trying to create a community without walls.'

"The design proposal that the majority of community members recommended during the fourth meeting features a 'boulevard' design, which is a style that provides lots of green space and is bifurcated into seven different areas.

"One area includes roughly three acres designed for neighborhood commercial or healthcare uses. Another seven acres is split in two, with one side dedicated to a training, education or recreation space. The other half would house offices and a business incubator. Additional acreage will be divided into a space housing an outdoor classroom, a wildlife habitat space and an area dedicated to urban farming and renewable energy, among other uses.

"A landscaped boulevard path will stretch throughout the areas for access and a service road along the railroad will allow trucks to travel to the urban farming or business areas, eliminating residential traffic on the other side of the site, Goldstein said.

"During the fourth meeting on Oct. 8, Kandalyn Hahn, representing the historic preservation division of the Commission on Chicago Landmarks, said she’s confident that once a status report is complete, the city will focus on preserving the factory’s original facade dating to 1929.

"'The majority of landmark preservations only concern the exterior,' she said. 'That means whatever you want to do to the interior — you can do it.'

"Whether or not the site will become a landmark, however, comes down to a City Council vote following the completion of the report.

"Hahn said the Mars factory site is considered an orange-rated building, meaning it has significance within a neighborhood context. She said the determination of landmark status is a six- to 12-month process.

"She said the commission has met with Mars representatives to notify them of the building’s orange-rated status. A consultant has begun examining the building’s history and architecture to determine if it meets at least two of the seven criteria for landmark status.

"The design recommendation made by attendees over the course of the five meetings will be reviewed by Mars executives, who will make the final decision about the factory’s future.

"Following this decision, Mars will communicate with the community on a quarterly basis to update residents on the decision and buildout process, said Ben Anders, the sponsorship and engagement manager at Mars." (O'Toole, Austin Weekly News, 11/11/22)

Preservation Chicago has attended all public meetings to voice support neighborhood preservation partners, to discuss the benefits of historic preservation, and provide expertise regarding the landmarking process. The Mars factory community meetings have been well run and there is now strong, nearly universal support for a historic preservation to the 1929 building and other historically significant structures. We hope that a Chicago Landmark Designation will be pursued as well.

"From its creation in 1923, the Belden-Stratford apartment building in Chicago’s Lincoln Park community was designed for an elite crowd. Over the years, its status slipped. But now, courtesy of a top-to-bottom renovation backed by billionaire Joe Mansueto, it soon will have a new introduction in high society.

"Mansueto’s investment firm, Mansueto Office, acquired it in late 2018, paying $106 million. The renovation began in earnest last year, and the plan is to have new tenants arrive beginning in January. Rents start around $3,000 a month for a studio and go up to almost $8,000 for three bedrooms.

"The makeover gives the building 209 units, compared with up to 650 units it had in its hotel days. Ari Glass, head of real estate at Mansueto Office, said the work restores the original distinction of a beaux-arts design that mimicked the palaces of France’s Louis XIV. The architect was Meyer Fridstein, whose other works include Chicago’s Congress Theater and Shoreland Hotel, now a rental building in Hyde Park.

"The restoration also brings in amenities for today’s tastes. A ballroom has been converted into a fitness center. Residents will get a wine-tasting space, a lounge with billiards and a rooftop sundeck. An on-call Tesla rental service is due when you need wheels to show off.

"Glass declined to disclose how much Mansueto, founder and executive chairman of investment research firm Morningstar, is paying for the work. On that point, Krikhaar added, 'It’s more than most developers would spend on a project like this because of his love for this building.' Glass said Mansueto lived in the building during the 1980s; he’s still in the neighborhood, in a well-known modern mansion, but he likes the old styles, too.

"Mansueto owns the Wrigley Building, which he carefully restored, and the Waldorf Astoria Chicago. He also owns the Chicago Fire and a speculative industrial site that’s trying to bring jobs to West Humboldt Park. He was an investor in the Chicago Sun-Times, and the newspaper receives funding from the Mansueto Foundation.

"He provided this statement about the Belden-Stratford: 'As a former resident, my desire to invest in this property came from my personal love of this city, neighborhood and preserving great architecture. So returning The Belden to its former glory was an easy decision — especially as the building approaches its 100th anniversary. It’s wonderful to preserve an iconic building for many generations to come.'" (Roeder, Crain's Chicago Business, 11/7/22)

Preservation Chicago had worked for years with preservation partners to generate support for a Lincoln Park West Chicago Landmark District to protect the Belden-Stratford and other historic buildings from Lincoln Park's intense development pressure. We are thrilled that the buyer of the Belden-Stratford so deeply values the building's history and we applaud Joe Mansueto for his commitment to beautifully restoring this important Chicago building. Additionally, we encourage ownership to pursue a Chicago Landmark designation to fully recognize, celebrate and protect the Belden-Stratford for decades to come.

"Longtime owners of the iconic Flat Iron Arts Building in the center of Wicker Park have sold the property to a pair of local real estate developers.

"The Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 N. Milwaukee Ave., has for decades been home to artist studios, performance spaces, cultural organizations and many other local businesses with an artistic bent.

"Since 1993, the Flat Iron has been owned and managed by Berger Realty Group, which also operates the Fine Arts Building, 410 S. Michigan Ave., and other properties in Chicago. But the company recently sold the Flat Iron Arts Building, according to a notice sent to tenants this week.

"'Berger Realty Group has decided to transition the ownership of the building. Let me be clear: this was no easy or quick decision, and as such, we took our time finding the right people to take over the building and to continue the legacy!' a message signed by owner Erica Berger reads.

"My father bought the Flat Iron Arts Building over 30 years ago with a vision of encouraging established as well as aspiring Chicago artists. I’m glad that as we step away to focus on other projects, we were able to identify a Chicago-based firm with owners who are engaged in the city and in the arts. We believe their experience, coupled with their appreciation and understanding of the building and the neighborhood, will be fruitful and beneficial for the community in the decades to come,' she wrote in an email.

"The building’s new owners are Savas Er, principal of North American Real Estate, and real estate investor Buzz Ruttenberg, who has long been a supporter of the arts in the Chicago.

"Reached by phone Wednesday, Er said he and Ruttenberg plan to keep the building’s artist studios in place. Their main focus will be expanding retail options in the building, he said, including in the vacant storefront at the corner of Milwaukee and North avenues.

"'It’s one of the greatest corners in the city and it’s one of the greatest buildings in the city,' Er said. 'At this point, we’re not looking to make any drastic moves. We would love to settle and see how the building is working right now. And if there is any space to upgrade, we will upgrade it.'

"The Flat Iron Building has long been an epicenter of arts and culture in Wicker Park. Local tour guide Gordon Meyer said when he first moved to the neighborhood in 2005, he was amazed by the 'labyrinth' of studios and art spaces in the building.

"Over the years, the building has been “ground zero for the artistic renaissance of this neighborhood. [Like] back in the ’70s when it was turned into below-market art studios, expressly so artists can move in,' Meyer said. 'And then now, all these years later, it’s kind of the last vestige … of an artistic center in the community.'

"'There used to be a lot more studios and galleries and things around. But as property rates improved, I don’t think there are as many of those as there used to be, but the Flat Iron has hung on,' Meyer said." (Myers, Block Club Chicago, 11/3/22)

"Neighbors in a McKinley Park environmental group are asking the state to slow down its sale of the Damen Silos to a controversial industrialist.

"Neighbors for Environmental Justice — which has long clashed with the industrialist, Michael Tadin Jr., and his MAT Asphalt company — used a Twitter thread Monday to call on the state to suspend its plan to sell the silos to Tadin. They want the state to gather neighbors’ feedback before they continue.

"The state announced Wednesday it plans to sell the silos at 2900 S. Damen Ave. to MAT Limited Partnership, a group of businesses owned by Tadin.

"The site was made famous as a backdrop in the 2014 film “Transformers: Age of Extinction.” The 23.4-acre property includes two land parcels along the south branch of the Chicago River and sits near the Stevenson Expressway.

"'If the state wants to sell this property, the community must be at the table,' members of the group tweeted.

"MAT offered the highest purchase price for the property at $6.52 million — more than double the state’s minimum bid, according to the state. But the McKinley Park group tweeted it is 'unacceptable' the state is making plans for McKinley Park 'that do not include its residents.'

"MAT Asphalt opened a plant in McKinley Park in 2018, surprising neighbors and city officials who said they had no idea it was coming.

"Over the years, the environmental group’s members have said the plant contributes to pollution and environmental racism in the area. They have held tours of the neighborhood to help people learn about the environmental burden faced by neighbors, and they’ve protested MAT Asphalt’s presence.

"'Now they want to do it again,' the group’s members tweeted Monday. 'The state plans to sell the historic Damen Silos to Michael Tadin so he can showcase the profits he has made polluting our community. Again, there has been no process for community input, no interest in finding out what the people who live here want or need and no consideration of the risks.'

"Neighbors for Environmental Justice said the state selling MAT more property and claiming it as a win for the environment is 'astonishing.'

"'Since MAT Asphalt began operating, there have been hundreds of complaints — residents have reported foul choking odors in the park and in their homes,' the group members tweeted. 'City inspectors have documented the smell of sulfur making it ‘very uncomfortable to inhale,’ emissions escaping from trucks, and blowing from the plant into adjoining streets and properties.'

"Neighbors for Environmental Justice tweeted they believe “money was the sole consideration” for the state selling the silos." (Finlon, Block Club Chicago, 11/8/22)

"A white-pillared house on Sheridan Road in Edgewater, built in 1900 during the street's heyday as a long strand of upscale homes along the lake, will be demolished by its new owners.

"The brick house, on a little over a quarter of an acre at 5852 N. Sheridan Road, sold Thursday for $1.2 million. Jingjie Shen, the Time Realty agent who represented the buyers, said they plan to demolish it.

"The house was built in 1900 for George and Mary Eddy. George Eddy was an executive at R.M. Eddy Foundry, which had been in Chicago since at least 1851 and was located in what's now River North, at Kingsbury and Ohio streets. Later, their son Charles owned the house until he died in 1930.

"At the time the house was built, Sheridan Road ran along the lakefront, and developer John Cochran laid out wide sidewalks and other amenities to rival the draw of the north lakefront suburbs. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a few dozen large single-family homes were built there, many with lake views.

"Among the residents of the neighborhood were meatpacking king Oscar Mayer, Chicago Cubs owner Charles Weeghman and the heads of several industrial firms.

"The other single-family structures that remain on the strip include one that is now operated as a co-working space, one owned by Loyola University Chicago and two owned by the Chicago Park District and serving as public spaces in Berger Park" (Rodkin, Crain's Chicago Business, 10/31/22)

Preservation Chicago, Edgewater Historical Society and preservation partners have organized an advocacy effort to try to prevent the demolition of this historic home. We have reached out to the buyer to explore possible adaptive reuse or incorporating the historic building into new construction.

"The owner of a vintage 16-story office building on LaSalle Street is facing a $21 million foreclosure lawsuit, adding to a wave of distress on the historic-but-vacancy-ridden thoroughfare and teeing up a potential conversion of the property into a residential or other use.

"The lawsuit is one of many like it that have battered office landlords since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which fueled the rise of remote work and weakened demand for offices—particularly those in older Loop office buildings. Space-shedding has pushed downtown office vacancy to a record high, dwindling the bottom lines for many office building owners. Rising interest rates this year have made it even more difficult for landlords to sell or refinance their mortgages, forcing a number of them in the Loop to face foreclosure lawsuits or surrender their properties to their lenders without a fight.

"The financial pain has been severe along and near LaSalle Street, where Mayor Lori Lightfoot's administration is now hoping investors will buy outmoded office buildings at big discounts and convert them into residential uses. City planners are counting on such redevelopment to help bring much-needed foot traffic and vitality to the heart of the central business district.

"The William LeBaron Jenney-designed building was originally known as the Central YMCA Association Building when it opened in 1893. The building's largest tenant today is the Law Offices of Jeffery Leving, which has a lease for 15,642 square feet set to expire in July 2023, Bloomberg data shows.

"The building is rated 'orange' by the Chicago Historic Resources Survey, a city report completed in 1995 to analyze the historic and architectural importance of all buildings in the city constructed before 1940. The orange rating is for properties that are not landmarked but "possess some architectural feature or historical association that made them potentially significant in the context of the surrounding community," according to the survey. That makes them likely candidates to receive tax credits or other public subsidies earmarked for historic properties if a developer would restore them as part of a renovation or conversion to a new use. Other historic, distressed properties nearby include the former Bank of America offices at 135 S. LaSalle St., the majority of an office tower at 105 W. Adams St. and a block of offices above the JW Marriott Chicago hotel at 208 S. LaSalle St.

"Incentives could come into play at 19 S. LaSalle through the city's new 'LaSalle Reimagined' initiative, which is dangling tax-increment financing and other public subsidy sweeteners to get developers to convert old LaSalle office buildings into apartments with affordable units.

"The 19 S. LaSalle property is separated by a pedestrian alley from the building at 29 S. LaSalle St., the only former office building on the corridor to be converted into apartments. That building, now dubbed Millennium on LaSalle, includes 216 units and debuted last year." (Ecker, Crain's Chicago Business, 11/2/22)

"Several U.S. officials on October 21 visited the Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ where leaders and historians gathered to share the historic significance of the church that held the funeral of Emmett Till.

"The meeting came as the church marks its 100th Anniversary in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood.

"A Chicago landmark, the church is currently undergoing renovations as Senator Dick Durbin and U.S. Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland seek to designate it as a National Historic Monument. The designation would offer the church federal support from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the National Park Service for its role in the Civil Rights Movement.

"In addition to Durbin, Congressmen Bobby Rush and Danny K. Davis also attended the event.

"During her visit, Haaland said she met some of Till’s relatives and church officials. She also talked about the Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ’s rich history.

"'These walls have borne witness to say much. That’s the meaning of community and I see it here in abundance,' Haaland said. 'I’m here because this church is a key part of our nation’s history.'

"As part of the designation process, U.S. officials visited the church to gather input from residents about the church’s pivotal role after Till was murdered in 1955.

"Maurice Cox, Chicago’s first Black Commissioner of Planning and Development, pointed out other Chicago landmarks in the Black community that are tied to Till’s life and death. He mentioned the original building of the Chicago Defender in Bronzeville and the Johnson Publishing Company building on Michigan Avenue. Both publications were the first to publish photos of Till’s mutilated face. He also mentioned Till’s home in Woodlawn that became a Chicago landmark in 2021.

"'All the Till sites in Chicago and Mississippi matter because they are physical reminders of the people and events that changed the course of history,' Cox said.

"'There is no other place in the United States that bears witness to how the galvanization of the Civil Rights Movement impacted not only the United States but the world,' said Sherry Williams, founder and president of the Bronzeville Historical Society. 'I encourage madame secretary to bring a message of love and encouragement to our president to designate Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ a national monument.'

Ward Miller was invited to speak at the event and shared Preservation Chicago's decades long effort to recognize, honor and protect the memory of Emmett Till and Mamie Till Mobley through Chicago Landmark Designations. Preservation Chicago played an important role in the landmark designation of Roberts Temple in 2006.

More recently, Preservation Chicago played an essential role in coordinating all the stakeholders and ensuring that Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley Home finally became a Designated Chicago Landmark in 2021.

We continue to advocate to designate the McCosh Elementary/Emmett Till Academy public school as a Designated Chicago Landmark and hope that stakeholders will move forward with an Emmett Till Memorial Path connecting his home and school.

"Protracted plans to redevelop long-vacant Von Humboldt Elementary School into an 107-unit apartment complex for teachers got a boost in city funding to help move plans forward.

Newark, N.J.-based RBH Group was awarded $18 million in tax-exempt bonds last month to bring 'Teachers Village' to the shuttered Humboldt Park elementary school, 2620 W. Hirsch St., setting the stage for redevelopment.

"Now, the developer is working with the city’s Department of Housing to secure more public financing to bring its ambitious project to life. The development is expected to cost $50.6 million.

"'We are on track to close public financing by the end of the year and anticipate commencing construction immediately thereafter,' RBH Group’s CEO Ron Beit said in an emailed statement.

"The Humboldt Park development proposal includes 102 apartments marketed toward educators and five market-rate townhomes. There will also be commercial and retail space, a 'community as campus' learning center, a public plaza and 53 parking spaces.

"Von Humboldt was one of nearly 50 'underutilized' public schools closed by then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2013, a move that sent shockwaves through Chicago and across the country.

"Redevelopment of Von Humboldt is a sensitive topic among former students and parents and neighbors, who were devastated when the school was shut down.

"The elementary school has a long history in Humboldt Park. The original school building was constructed in the 1880s and designed by John J. Flanders, the district’s official architect at the time, according to local historians. W. August Fiedler designed the school’s second building, which was built in 1895 and meant to address overcrowding. A third addition, designed by Arthur Hussander, went up in 1921.

"RBH Group plans to preserve the school’s original exterior as part of its redevelopment. (Bloom, Block Club Chicago, 10/5/22)

Preservation Chicago applauds developers RBH Group for this creative adaptive reuse project that will provide necessary housing for Chicago school teachers in a great historic school building. This is an excellent example of how adaptive reuse can reinvigorate historic structures. It also demonstrates how the inherent authenticity of historic structures can result in more interesting, unique, desirable and ultimately successful finished projects than comparable new construction.

Over the past few years. Preservation Chicago has been involved in many hearings and discussions on the transformation of the building. In addition to retaining the entire building’s exterior envelope, we strongly advocated for retaining certain features of the interiors including staircases and the auditorium. We also encouraged a Chicago Landmark Designation of the building, but the development team chose not to pursue this option.

"After hanging on for two-and-a-half years, the historic Patio Theater is bringing back more events, concerts and other shows as entertainment life reawakens.

"Like many music venues, the nearly 30,000-square-foot theater at 6008 W. Irving Park Road closed its doors at the start of 2020 and only reopened at the beginning of the year with in-person performances and COVID-19 guidelines. But they’ve not yet returned to staging the number of shows in a consistent schedule as before the pandemic, owner Chris Bauman said.

"Bauman renovated parts of the theater while it was closed, repainting and replacing parts of the marquee, fixing the canopy and parts of the roof that were caving in, adding fresh coats of paint on the walls and a new electrical system.

"Bauman, who took over the 1,500-seat theater in late 2019, has also been busy booking acts for the end of this year and already has performers lined up for fall 2023 in an effort to bring back live music and entertainment to the 95-year-old venue that is a Far Northwest Side treasure.

"'We’re going to be having some amazing talent starting to come back through here again … everyone who has performed here, some are gonna be returning,' he said. 'But we are also going to be bringing a lot of new talent that hasn’t performed here because they’ve heard about it.”'

"The theater was built in 1927 by three brothers: William, John and George Mitchell. During its early years, the Patio screened movies like the silent film 'The Blonde Saint' and was home to vaudeville performers and the eight-member Patio Symphony Orchestra.

"Neighbors have been hoping to see the theater thrive again after closing and reopening several times under different owners in the last eight years. Chris Touwaide, co-owner of Bistro 6050 at 6050 W. Irving Park Road who also lives on the block, said Bauman has been a good neighbor who can help revive the Portage Park strip.

"The Patio Theater also plans to relaunch its membership program, which started during the pandemic but had trouble getting off the ground, Bauman said. Members will get free and discounted concert tickets, unlimited access to all Patio Theater-sponsored movies and members-only events.

"Despite the pandemic slowing down plans, Bauman said he is committed to restoring the historic structure, and making it a mainstay for the community and the city’s independent music scene — especially as other historic theaters such as the Portage Theater and the Congress Theater have not yet reopened due to ownership and financial setbacks.

"'All of these buildings should be protected,' he said. 'I think the model is you can’t shut these things down — you shut them down, they fall apart. And so you need to keep them operating with the right people.' (Parrella-Aureli, Block Club Chicago, 10/6/22)

"Solar panels may soon cover the Near South Side rooftop that used to hold a big sign that read 'Muhammad Speaks.”

"The city Plan Commission at its meeting today will consider rezoning a 1920s printing factory building for residential use. If it’s approved, 548 Capital will begin work developing 47 apartments in the four-story structure, with solar panels installed on top.

"From 1969 until sometime in the 1980s, the brick and stone building at 2548 S. Federal St. was owned by a wing of the Nation of Islam that produced its newspaper, Muhammad Speaks, with a peak press run of 800,000 weekly and the name of the newspaper spelled out in a rooftop sign.

"'It’s pretty cool that we’re putting solar on this historic building,” said A.J. Patton, the principal of 548 Capital, a development firm he founded with a core focus on using solar and other sustainable technologies in residential projects.

"Solar would power at least all common elements of the building, including its two elevators, and probably more, Patton said. He does not yet know how much of the power needs inside the apartments would be supplied, as full measurements have not yet been completed. 'When we’ve sized the solar system, we’ll be able to say X percent of their power will be solar,' Patton said.

"The $22 million project would be funded in part by $5.2 million from megadeveloper Sterling Bay. For its 30-story apartment tower at 160 N. Morgan, Sterling Bay opted to provide the funds to 548 Capital rather than include affordable units, under the requirements of the city’s Affordable Rental Ordinance. As a result, 28 of the 47 units at the Federal Street building will be offered as affordable housing for people who meet the income guidelines.

"The Federal Street building opened in 1928 as home of Rapid Roller, a printing firm. That was the appeal for the nation of Islam in 1969, when it wanted an office for its newspaper that would rival the handsome homes of other Black publications based in Chicago, Ebony and the Chicago Defender, according to 'A House for the Struggle: The Black Press and the Built Environment,' a book by E. James West published this year.

"The initials RR, for Rapid Roller, are still visible in carved ornament over the main door of the building. East of the site on 26th Street are a former factory that went residential more than a decade ago, Opera Lofts, and a 2020 conversion to apartments, Kissel Car Lofts. Also close by are the Moody Tongue brewery and adjacent restaurants." (Rodkin, Crain's Chicago Business, 9/15/22)

"The Grant Park entrance to the Metra Electric and South Shore line’s Van Buren station has given Chicago an added touch of Paris for the past two decades. There it sits, right off Michigan Avenue in Grant Park, a letter-perfect reproduction of the train station entrances designed by French architect Hector Guimard and built along the Paris Metro in 1900.

"The City of Lights, one of Chicago’s sister cities, gave us the Art Nouveau beauty, which was installed in 2003. And what a gift, with its detailed organic metalwork providing a perfect match for its Grant Park setting.

"Walk through the entrance and down its stairs on the right day, and it’s hard not to imagine for a second that you’re about to board a train bound for Saint-Germain-de-Pres to hang out with the bohemians and intellectuals in the 6th Arrondissement — rather than perhaps heading to the dry cleaners on 55th Street or way out to the split-levels of Park Forest.

"But get ready to bid au revoir to Metra’s French connection. The commuter agency is replacing the Guimard with a new and accessible entrance as part of a $100 million upgrade of the Van Buren station. Improvements at the station are certainly needed, particularly ones that provide access to all riders. But there are so few touches of whimsy in this often gray and sober city. You hate to lose one.

"The late philanthropist and architecture maven Seymour Persky is credited with helping bring the Guimard to Chicago. And according to the Chicago Park District, Paris’s transit authority, the RATP, crafted the Van Buren station ornament using Guimard’s original molds, then donated the finished product with the help of the Union League Club of Chicago.

"The Van Buren entrance has been a crowd-pleaser since its installation. Travelers will take one image of themselves beneath the Van Buren station entrance’s floral metal arch — which is crowned by “Metra” in Art Nouveau script — and then a similar one outside a Paris Metro stop.

"Built in 1896 by the Illinois Central Railroad beneath Grant Park, the Metra Electric’s Van Buren station is the most picturesque — and the oldest — station on the line. The waiting room is a treat, a real step back in time with wooden benches, tile floors and terra cotta detailing. Station upgrades will restore the historic waiting room.

"Changes include removing the Guimard — filling in the accompanying stairway to the station — and replacing it with a larger entry with stairs and elevator.

"If Metra’s $100 million effort won’t make room for the Guimard to be used somewhere else in Grant Park above the Van Buren station site, then it should be reused — not just displayed — in a location that honors its design, intent and history." (Bey, Chicago Sun-Times, 10/1/22)

Preservation Chicago has been attending Section 106 hearings regarding the Illinois Central Railroad Station Restoration for many months and has been advocating strongly with preservation partners for the protection and preservation of the Hector Guimard's Art Nouveau Metra Entrance in its current location.

"A Walgreens official surprised Wicker Park neighbors this week by saying a flagship location inside a renovated bank in the heart of the neighborhood is closing — but company representatives are now saying that’s up in the air.

"A Walgreens spokesperson said no decision has been made to close its centerpiece store in the former Noel State Bank, 1601 N. Milwaukee Ave. Company representatives told neighbors it was closing at a community meeting Wednesday.

"Walgreens took over the former bank a decade ago, undertaking extensive renovations as it transformed it into a pharmacy and drugstore.

The branch became known for its ornate interior and repurposed bank features, including the “Vitamin Vault,” which stores rows of vitamins in the former vault in the building’s basement.

"Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st) said Walgreens reached out to him Thursday and confirmed no decision has been made.

"The Noel State Bank building was constructed in 1919 and was home to various banks throughout the 20th century, according to a 2007 report from the Commission on Chicago Landmarks.

"'Designed by Gardner C. Coughlen in a dignified Classical Revival-style, the design of the bank expresses an image of permanence and security. The exterior is clad entirely in ornamental terra cotta. Large windows are divided by engaged pilasters topped with Corinthian capitals, and a prominent cornice wraps around the rounded corners of the building,' the report reads.

"Walgreens opened the store in 2012 after two years of building restorations.

"The drugstore location has become a fixture on TikTok and in other media for its unique features, with some calling it a 'hidden gem,' even though it’s located in the middle of Wicker Park." (Myers, Block Club Chicago, 10/7/22)

"Sweetgreen is opening a restaurant this week in Lincoln Park.

"The Sweetgreen opens Tuesday at Lincoln Common, 2361 N. Lincoln Ave., Suite A1-110.

"The 2,769-square-foot space is a former 1930s boiler house that was rehabilitated and renovated to keep its industrial-era elements, such as exposed brick, beams and piping, according to Sweetgreen.

"The dining area features a double-height ceiling, handmade tiles and custom millwork, company leaders said. It has room for 26 diners. (Wittich, Block Club Chicago, 10/31/22)

Children's Memorial Hospital campus was a Preservation Chicago 7 Most Endangered in 2011 and 2016. After a long and complicated advocacy effort, most the of campus buildings were lost. However, Preservation Chicago and preservation partners were able to save the Children's Memorial Hospital Laundry Building and Boiler House along with two commercial structures. We're pleased to see this interesting historic building restored and reactivated.

"The Commission on Chicago Landmarks honored eight successful development projects and seven advocacy leaders at the 2022 Preservation Excellence Awards.

"The projects included the restored Grand Army of the Republic rooms at the Chicago Cultural Center in the Loop, the rehabilitated Lion House at the Lincoln Park Zoo, and a restored home in the Claremont Cottage District on the Near West Side.

"The Preservation Excellence awards have been presented annually since 1999 to individuals, nonprofits, businesses, and public bodies that have significantly contributed to Chicago’s architectural and cultural history. The Landmarks Commission’s Permit Review Committee reviewed and selected the winners over the past year.

"'Today’s event highlights the owners who act as good stewards of our existing landmark properties, the advocates who push for local protections, and the citizens who take it upon themselves to care for archived records of memory that others might have overlooked,' said Commissioner Maurice Cox of the Department of Planning and Development (DPD), which provides staff services to the Commission on Chicago Landmarks."

"The 2022 winners include:

Recipient: City of Chicago

The award recognizes restoration work to the Grand Army of the Republic Rooms that date to the Cultural Center’s construction in 1897, including a 40-foot dome containing 62,000 pieces of stained glass.

Recipient: Phoenix Development Partners

The adaptive reuse of of the former railway headquarters into a pair of hotels preserved and repaired the building’s historic windows and granite and terra cotta masonry units.

Recipient: Lincoln Park Zoo

Recently completed improvements to the 110-year-old Lincoln Park zoo facility include new lion habitats, outdoor viewing shelters, new animal care facilities, and meeting and event spaces.

Recipient: Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church

Partly funded through an Adopt-A-Landmarks grant, recent exterior masonry repairs to the 110-year-old church included rebuilt piers, face brick replacement and tuckpointing.

Recipient: Vista Group Real Estate

The restored 1884 workers cottage includes a remodeled interior to meet modern needs and a skillfully restored exterior that preserves the late 1800s character of the 19-building Claremont Cottage landmark district.

The advocacy award is being share by five women who, over several years, created a 120,000-person database of noted Black Chicagoans that is organized by name, birth date, birthplace, next of kin, and burial location.

Members of the Bronzeville Historical Society joined Illinois Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza on October 4, 2022 at the Bronzeville Historical Society offices on the South Side. Photo Credit: Anthony Vazquez / Sun-Times

Lisa DiChiera, Emeritus Advocacy Director of Landmarks Illinois

The advocacy award recognizes Lisa DiChiera’s 22-year commitment to local preservation issues as the advocacy director of Landmarks Illinois, where she helped support and lead multiple successful preservation efforts across the state.

The John Baird Award for Stewardship recognizes Tim Samuelson for his expertise on Chicago’s African American heritage and the City’s legacy of progressive architecture, including the work of architects Pond & Pond, Bruce Goff, and affordable housing designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

"When we first reported on Emily Nielsen in a 2016 'Women to Watch' column, the fate of her campaign, #SaveTheShrine, was a cliffhanger. The Shrine of Christ the King at 64th and Woodlawn was marked for immediate demolition. Emily along with her co-founder Gabriel Piemonte and about 20 other committed volunteers, backed by professional preservationists, raced the clock to raise $650,000 and obtain 2,250 names on an online petition. The Woodlawn neighborhood made it their project as well and many from diverse religious backgrounds, including those without church affiliation, committed to the cause.

"At the time Emily commented: 'We are delighted that the Archdiocese was able to come up with such an innovative solution to save the Shrine. It is now owned by the Institute of Christ the King, the international order of priests who have been serving the Shrine community since 2004. This is the only instance I know of where a diocese has divested itself of a historic church building, while transferring ownership to an entity which will continue to operate it as a place of Catholic worship. This is really a win-win-win for everyone: the faithful, the neighborhood, architecture lovers, and the Archdiocese.'

"The Shrine of Christ the King church, completed in 1928 as St. Clara Church and Landmarked as St. Gelasius in 2003, is a Chicago Landmark which has been damaged by fires in both 1976 and 2015. Reflecting the Renaissance Revival style with several Baroque elements, the church was designed by ecclesiastical architect Henry J. Schlacks, who later became the founding director of the Notre Dame School of Architecture.

"Over the past six years, more than $3 million has been raised to restore the Shrine, with funds coming from parishioners, preservationists and neighbors as well as the National Fund for Sacred Places. Nielsen, who serves as board president of Save the Shrine, led not only fundraising efforts but also the search for Save the Shrine’s Managing Director Jennifer Blackman.

"Nielsen addressed the National Trust soon after the victory, the youngest person to have been invited to speak to the organization. What had been a practically around-the-clock effort in 2016 became for all involved a success story. Not only were major preservation groups such as Preservation Chicago, Landmarks Illinois, and the Chicago Field Office of the National Trust critical to the success but also neighborhood groups in Hyde Park, Woodlawn, and Kenwood joined the effort.

"Once again, all is up for grabs. On July 31st, in accordance with an order from the Archdiocese of Chicago, a sign was posted on the Shrine’s chapel door stating, 'As of August 1st, the celebration of public Masses is suspended.'

"This announcement has implications not only for those who wish to partake in the Latin Mass, but also for Woodlawn area Catholics who now will have to go elsewhere for religious celebration. Suspension of the masses in Woodlawn relates to a recent papal decree limiting the traditional Latin Mass worldwide. St. John Cantius is the only remaining church celebrating this Mass in Chicago at this time.

"'There is a widespread feeling of betrayal among all the groups who have supported the Shrine’s restoration over the past six years,' Nielsen said. 'Members of the First Presbyterian Church next door, which has been so supportive since the start, joined the Shrine’s Canons and faithful in their final procession around the neighborhood on July 31st. The university students who have given so many volunteer hours to the restoration project, both the Media Communications students at Kennedy King College down 63rd St. from the Shrine, and the graduate students from the University of Chicago who have participated through the Harris School of Public Policy’s Harris Community Action program, they have stayed engaged with the Shrine and I see their shock and disbelief in their reactions on social media.'

"'The Shrine is a Chicago Landmark and we hope that this designation will be a strong protection,' she said. Nielsen and other members of the Save the Shrine team appeared before the Chicago Landmarks Commission in August and September to tell their story." (Carmack Bross, Classic Chicago Magazine, 10/29/22)

"A Chicago planning department veteran who was hired last year to run the Cook County Land Bank Authority is on the move again, taking the reins as the new CEO of the Chicago Architecture Center.

"Eleanor Gorski has been tapped to lead the design-focused nonprofit, filling the role left behind earlier this year by Lynn Osmond, who left after 25 years to become CEO of tourism bureau Choose Chicago.

"Gorski will start Dec. 2 at the helm of an organization whose mission is to promote Chicago as a center of architectural innovation and education and is well-known for running its "Chicago's First Lady" architecture boat tours along the Chicago River that typically serve more than 700,000 patrons each year. The nonprofit, formerly known as the Chicago Architecture Foundation, also operates a 20,000-square-foot CAC museum that opened along Wacker Drive in 2018.

"Gorski, 53, called the new job a "culmination of everything that I've worked towards in my career" with priorities of the CAC including historic preservation, studying the reuse of buildings and urban design, and running educational programming about design for students and communities.

"'I loved the work I was doing at the Land Bank, and I so believe in the mission and would be grateful if I could still participate in some way, but this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I couldn't pass up,' Gorski said.

"Gorski previously spent more than two decades in the city's Department of Planning and Development, where she helped shepherd city approvals for the renovation of Wrigley Field, the creation of the Fulton Market Innovation District, and early plans for the Obama Presidential Center and megaprojects Lincoln Yards and The 78. She left the department in 2020 for a role as director of design and planning for the University of Illinois Chicago, then moved to the Cook County Land Bank Authority in August 2021, overseeing the agency meant to give new life to tax-delinquent houses.

"During her short tenure leading the Land Bank, Gorski helped guide forward a plan to redevelop the Washington Park National Bank building in Woodlawn, the extension of the CTA's Red Line and the redevelopment of the Land Bank's 1,000th home. The agency's primary mission is to acquire distressed residential properties and clear away tax liens and other debt before selling them to developers. The homes are then rehabbed and ideally sold, restoring their property tax value to the county." (Ecker, Crain's Chicago Business, 10/12/22 )

"As the longtime executive director for the Chicago-based Society of Architectural Historians, Pauline Saliga helped move the nonprofit into the digital age and also worked to maintain the society’s headquarters in the historic Charnley-Persky House on the Gold Coast. Earlier a curator at two prominent Chicago museums, Saliga was a fixture in the city’s museum community and an expert on architectural history.

"'She ran the Charnley house beautifully,' said Chicago architect John Vinci. 'She loved the house and she protected it. And she was just the most agreeable, easy-to-work-with person I’ve ever known.'

"Saliga, 69, died of complications from pancreatic cancer Sept. 11 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, said her husband of 37 years, John Gronkowski. She had been a resident of the South Side Beverly community.

"Born in Chicago, Saliga grew up in Canaryville and graduated from Maria High School on the South Side. She studied art history at DePaul University and transferred to Northern Illinois University, where she got a bachelor’s degree in art history in 1975. Saliga received a master’s degree in art history and museum administration in 1977 from the University of Michigan.

"From 1977 until 1981, Saliga was an assistant curator at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art, where she helped organize a retrospective on artist Sol LeWitt, along with many exhibitions on contemporary Chicago art.

"In 1981, Saliga joined the Art Institute of Chicago as the assistant curator of architecture. The Art Institute had formed a full-fledged curatorial department of architecture in 1981, and now-retired museum professional John Zukowsky, who had been working at the museum’s Ryerson and Burnham libraries as an archivist, was tapped to be associate curator overseeing the new department. He hired Saliga as an assistant curator of architecture.

"'I knew she would be a great addition to the Art Institute of Chicago staff as well as our new department, in part because of her familiarity with contemporary Chicago architects, since we were building bridges to that group,' Zukowsky recalled.

"Saliga, who later became the Art Institute’s associate curator of architecture, organized various exhibitions and catalogs related to European and U.S. architecture in the 19th and 20th centuries.

"'When she was with us at the Art Institute of Chicago, her quiet perseverance and stable temperament led her to very successfully complete complex grant narratives to support equally complex museum installations, exhibitions and publications,' Zukowsky said.

"Saliga was most proud her work on 'Fragments of Chicago’s Past,' a permanent collection of Chicago architectural fragments that the museum installed in 1987 around the main building’s central staircase, her husband said. Vinci [and Ward Miller] oversaw the renovation of the Art Institute staircase and lobby right before the 'Fragments' exhibit was installed.

"'Our hope is that the presence of these fragments and our curatorial commentary on them will be a strong argument for preservation,' Saliga told the late Tribune architecture critic Paul Gapp in 1987. 'This is not just a graveyard.'

"In 1991, the Art Institute published a 180-page handbook related to the 'Fragments' exhibit that Saliga edited.

"In 1992, Saliga edited a 186-page catalog for an exhibit on modern Spanish architecture, and in 1995, she co-authored 'The Architecture of Bruce Goff: 1904-1982,' an exhibition catalog containing architectural drawings by Goff, an eclectic architect who practiced for a time in Chicago.

"In 1995, Saliga left the Art Institute to join the Society of Architectural Historians. The group had left its headquarters in Philadelphia after philanthropist Seymour Persky gave the society money to buy the Charnley house — the only private home designed by architects Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright together — and donated it to the society on the condition that the group relocate to Chicago.

"The society settled in the three-story 1892 house, and part of Saliga’s job as executive director was overseeing renovations to make the home suitable for offices. She also led the group’s efforts to publish a quarterly journal, a bimonthly newsletter, an annual meeting involving scholarly papers and two study tours a year. In her work, Saliga oversaw projects such as creating mobile apps for architecture tours.

"'She was such a personable and modest person and yet she had a vast understanding of the role that she played over the years — she was an outstanding person who made enormous contributions to Chicago, to the consciousness of the architectural heritage that this city has, and she has done a lot to help many people become more aware of that than they might have otherwise,' said Chicago artist William Conger." (Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 10/14/22)

"One of Chicago’s oldest funeral homes has closed and is set to be demolished as its longtime Devon Avenue home is redeveloped..

"John E. Maloney Funeral Home, 1359 W. Devon Ave., closed this summer after 125 years. The funeral home on Devon Avenue is being demolished this week, set to be replaced by a building with stores and apartments, records show.

"The namesake Maloney was born in 1876 and began working as an undertaker at age 21. He went into business with a partner, opening Mullen & Maloney in Wicker Park, according to the Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society.

"Maloney bought out his partner and went into business for himself in 1897. It is unclear when the business moved to Devon Avenue. The building that housed the funeral business was constructed in 1934, according to a property listing.

"A Maloney family trust sold the longtime funeral home location on Devon Avenue in July to developer and architect James Vari for $1.22 million, property records show.

"Vari has received a building permit to construct a four-story building with six apartments and ground-floor retail space, according to city building records. The construction permit was issued in mid-September, and a demolition permit was issued Oct. 7.

"Maloney Funeral Home is the latest in a list of longtime Devon Avenue businesses closing this year.

"Uncommon Ground, the next building over from Maloney’s at 1401 W. Devon Ave., will close this month after 15 years in Edgewater. Its owners hope a new business can move in and continue to operate its award-winning rooftop farm." (Ward, Block Club Chicago, 10/20/22)

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.

#100986304

Date Received: 09/09/2022

Ward: 2nd Ald. Brian Hopkins

Applicant: Precision Excavation, LLC

Owner: Todd and Kara Dziedzic

Permit Description: Wreck and removal of a masonry two-story single-family building and a detached two-car garage.

#100984396

Date Received: 08/19/2022

Ward: 2nd Ald. Brian Hopkins

Applicant: Robert Davies

Owner: Robert Davies

Permit Description: Partial demolition of the roof and rear floor plate to facilitate a larger rehabilitation project including full restoration of the front façade of a three-story masonry building. [The proposed work retains and restores the significant architectural features of the building.]

#100981484

Date Received: 08/18/2022

Ward: 47th Ald. Matt Martin

Applicant: Longford Design, Development + Construction C/O Brian Connolly

Owner: 3914 N. Lincoln

Permit Description: Demolition of a three-story masonry building.

#100960059

Date Received: 07/05/2022

Ward: 39th Ward Ald. Samantha Nugent

Applicant: Hanna Architects, Inc.

Owner: 3244-50 Bryn Mawr, LLC C/O Igor Michin

Permit Description: Partial demolition of an existing 1-story commercial building with a new 4-story addition.

#100970938

Date Received: 05/17/2022

Ward: 47th Ald. Matt Martin

Applicant: Demox, Inc. C/O Vitalii Grygorashchujk

Owner: Jerald and Pamela Kreis

Permit Description: Wreck and removal of a 2-1/2 story frame residential building.

#100946230

Date Received: 12/3/2021

Ward: 40th Ald. Andre Vasquez

Applicant: Alpine Demolition Services, LLC

Owner: Doris Eneamokwu

Permit Description: Opening of closed existing windows, install new window frame and glazing, repair existing glazed brick as needed (tuckpointing) [removal of ornamental masonry panel]

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

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

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

“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.

"A historical two-flat in North Lawndale is now a vacant lot. So is a former check cashing store in Englewood. Three homes in Lincoln Park have combined into one mansion.

"The contrast of then-and-now — and how location plays a leading role — is part of a photo project named 'After Demolition,' which shows what became of 100 Chicago buildings 10 years after they were torn down. The project is from David Schalliol, a sociology professor at St. Olaf College in Minnesota.

"Schalliol found nearly every demolished North Side building he’d photographed had been replaced within 10 years, while most on the South and West sides were left as vacant lots.

"'Divestment, both public and private, have produced these outcomes and vacancies, which hurt neighborhoods of color,' Schalliol said. 'On the North Side, we see buildings that were perfectly fine demolished to make way for new ones. On the West and South sides, buildings are demolished when it’s the last resort.'

"Schalliol was a grad student at University of Chicago in 2012 when he became interested in demolition as the United States grappled with the aftermath of the housing crash. In the mornings, he’d checked the city’s emergency demolition records, hop in his Volvo and 'race out to the building before it was too late' to take a photo, Schalliol said.

"But there’s still no plans for the site of a rowhouse at 4313 S. Prairie Ave., even though it’s right by the Green Line in Bronzeville, Schalliol said. There’s only grass left on the holy ground of Shepherd’s Temple, 3411 W. Douglas Blvd., which was once the largest synagogue on the West Side.

"'We’re losing history and the places that connect communities to their shared history,' Schalliol said. 'One building gone doesn’t seem like much, but when you add it all up, it changes the neighborhoods. A home, a church, a store; it spirals. It would be important that the removal of a building led to investment in a new one.'

"A similar dynamic has occurred as the city’s signature home, the two-flat, rapidly disappears from housing stock.

"DePaul University researchers said in a study last year nearly half of the two-, three- and four-flats that have been eliminated were replaced with a single-family home through conversion or demolition and new construction. Most of that replacement is occurring in North Side neighborhoods with growing numbers of higher-income households and families with children.

"But about one-third of Chicago’s demolished flats remain vacant land, according to the researchers. Those vacant lots are most prevalent in South and West side neighborhoods dealing with disinvestment, long-term population loss and a foreclosure crisis.

"The vacant lots can create maintenance and safety issues for neighbors, be a detriment to their property values and perpetuate stereotypes about blight in 'communities that are still vibrant with people living and creating meaningful lives,' Schalliol said." (Liederman, Block Club Chicago, 10/25/22)

"In late 2019, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a landmark investment in some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods. Invest South/West would direct $1.4 billion in total, including $750 million in public funds, to redevelop properties across the city’s South and West Sides.

"Focused on 10 specific neighborhoods, the program’s first projects broke ground in August and September. Teams of workers will turn a firehouse into a culinary hub and event space; a stately Art Deco bank is set to be converted into an art space that will anchor an attached mixed-use development. Another former bank, in Humboldt Park, will be renovated into Latino-owned commercial offices, an entrepreneurial incubator space, and a Latino cultural center, as well as housing.

"These reuse projects aim to do more than fill the gaps of Chicago’s legendary vacant-property crisis: In reanimating shuttered historic buildings, the initiative aims to restore the economies of commercial corridors that were victims of destructive mid-20th-century 'urban renewal' initiatives.

"'It’s about time that we see this trend, after decades and decades of thinking we save neighborhoods by demolishing buildings,' says Maurice Cox, who leads Chicago’s Department of Planning and Development. 'Now I think we realize we save them by reusing them.'

"The wave of retrofits goes far beyond Chicago: The popularity of fixing up older buildings in US cities recently hit a record high. As of spring 2022, the majority of architecture firm billings come from renovation work, not new construction, according to the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

"Conversely, Invest South/West looks to adaptively reuse buildings, such as the 1929 Laramie State Bank, that are cultural touchstones in these South and West Side neighborhoods. Katherine Darnstadt of Latent Design is working on the West Side neighborhood of Austin’s Invest South/West project with two other firms, Valerio DeWalt Train and Bauer Latoza. She says this focus on renovation is 'necessary to continue to anchor the memory of those neighborhoods.'

"Cox’s strategy is to use Invest South/West to restore what remains of the neighborhood downtowns that proliferated all over Chicago. These commercial districts were satellites of the downtown Loop that allowed neighborhoods to function like 'villages with their own town centers,' he says. During community meetings, Cox says neighbors 'almost always turned to some of the existing buildings that they used to remember as being vibrant — local amenities like banks, pharmacies and theaters. It starts with the acknowledgement that there are amazing assets that are primed for reuse. This is not charity. This is just good business.'

"Some buildings targeted for renovation by Invest South/West are landmarked. But the program, which has faced criticism for construction delays, is casting a wider net on older properties that aren’t as well known outside their neighborhood, and the non-landmarked buildings are subject to 90-day hold on demolition permits that can allow the planning department to assess historic value.

"That cycle may have reached its bleeding edge with buildings like the Helmut Jahn-designed Thompson Center, completed in 1985. Derided as garish and impractical, this postmodernist icon soon fell into disrepair; after surviving a preservation fight, it now awaits a refresh from its soon-to-be new owner Google." (Mortice, Bloomberg CityLab, 10/19/22)

"The $105 million sale of the Thompson Center to Google has the potential to restructure the Loop by bringing in more residents — and, with them, residential developments, real estate experts say.

"Developers, investors and real estate executives are watching the market closely after the tech giant announced in July it will redevelop the Thompson Center for office use, potentially bringing thousands of workers Downtown.

"The workers will need a place to live — and many will want to be nearby, said Ben Creamer, principal and managing broker of Downtown Realty Company.

"Now, Creamer and other industry experts are watching the Loop for what they are calling the “the Google effect:” a spike of real estate investment around the Thompson Center.

"John Sheridan, executive vice president for James McHugh Construction Co., said other notable properties in the area are considering adaptive reuse, meaning they could convert offices into residential or hotel units.

“We’re almost always looking at a couple buildings Downtown to be converted into a hotel or residential use from office use,” Sheridan said.

"Conversion of historical buildings can also come with tax incentives to alleviate the cost of construction, making them attractive to developers. On the other hand, such projects can take years to get off the ground, with their success dependent on good planning and working at the 'right time,' Sheridan said.

"Sheridan believes the Loop will continue to see conversions and adaptive reuse projects ahead of Google’s move-in date — but those projects aren’t all a result of the tech giant, as all of Downtown has seen adaptive reuse as the city’s landscape evolves.

"Tribune Tower, LondonHouse Hotel, the Virgin Hotel and the Dearborn Tower in the South Loop have been adaptive reuse projects in recent years.

"'You can go up and down throughout the city — there are a huge number of buildings [that are conversions]. So I think this will continue to be a trend that we’ll see more and more over time,' Sheridan said." (Mercado, Block Club Chicago, 9/21/22)

"City government officials, real estate owners, architects and planners have lately linked arms around a common concern: The Loop’s LaSalle Street corridor needs help. The campaign probably leaves some Chicagoans wondering what all the fuss is about.

"What makes LaSalle so special? Aren’t the bankers and traders down there doing fine? Yes, most are probably fine, but they aren’t there in the middle of the Loop anymore.

"Northern Trust is still based on LaSalle, but it has moved a lot of its staff to 333 S. Wabash Ave. BMO Harris and Bank of America have vacated the street for glass curtain-walled modernism in West Loop towers that bear their names. People who used to congregate and shout orders at the Chicago Board of Trade now do business elsewhere, in home offices or firm-specific trading floors that can be anywhere.

"They have left behind a LaSalle that can seem sleepy even on bright weekday afternoons. The pandemic blitzed the street and remains a deadening factor as many people are holdouts in the great back-to-the-office push.

"Market analysts put the office vacancy rate around LaSalle at 26%, the highest of downtown submarkets, with retail vacancies of about 36%.

"Or, as the city prefers to see it, maybe 1,000 new homes, 300 of them for people with low to moderate incomes. With its LaSalle Street Reimagined initiative, the city is offering money to landlords to support renovations, especially those that diversify downtown housing.

"An array of subsidies is available, but a lot of discussions will center on tax increment financing subsidies from property tax payments. The street includes the LaSalle Central TIF district, which has long been one of the city’s biggest 'mad money pots.' At the end of 2021, the account had almost $197 million.

"Samir Mayekar, Lightfoot’s deputy mayor for economic and neighborhood development, said landlords and lenders, who in a few cases might end up controlling properties, are eager for the city’s help. Redevelopment plans, due by Dec. 23, could serve the interests of both historic preservation and affordable housing, he said.

"Michael Reschke, chairman of Prime Group, is the downtown developer responsible for the best news LaSalle has had in some time. His tripartite deal puts Google in the Thompson Center, state government’s former base at LaSalle and Randolph Street, and moves 1,800 state workers to 115 S. LaSalle, the old home of BMO Harris. Google is expected to bring several thousand employees to the Loop but hasn’t put a number on the influx yet.

"The move shows office use will remain an economic driver in the area, Reschke said. Still, he said he supports Lightfoot’s plan to end the office 'monoculture.' Reschke owns 111 W. Monroe St., next to the state’s new home, and he’s considering converting the top half of it to apartments. 'That’s the best residential market in the city,' he said. (Roeder, Chicago Sun-Times, 10/3/22)

"Six months after rejecting a plan to turn Lakeside Center into the Chicago casino, McCormick Place is looking to redevelop all or part of the aging convention facility into a new tourist attraction.

"The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, which owns McCormick Place, issued a request for information last week, inviting developers to submit ideas for 'reimagining' the 51-year-old steel-and-glass exhibition hall, an underutilized but architecturally significant building that needs more than $400 million in deferred maintenance.

"The redevelopment partner would operate the project to 'enhance the experience' of conventioneers and visitors, drive economic impact and address the needed renovations — without reducing existing convention space, according to MPEA’s request.

"The $1.3 billion Rivers Chicago McCormick bid to redevelop Lakeside Center as the Chicago casino was touted by developers as an opportunity to repurpose and renovate the building, and cover the deferred maintenance. But the proposal was pulled from consideration in March after McCormick Place expressed concern that it would lose hundreds of scheduled events over the next decade that could not be accommodated without a replacement facility.

"Scott Goodman, founding principal of Chicago-based Farpoint Development, a partner in the Rivers Chicago McCormick casino proposal, believes McCormick Place missed an opportunity at Lakeside Center.

"'We obviously felt that the casino was a great catalyst to conduct the necessary renovations and improvements and make it into a comprehensive entertainment complex,' Goodman said. 'The city decided otherwise for the casino, but we still believe this is an iconic building for the city, and deserves to be fully utilized and repurposed.'

"McCormick Place is hoping to find an alternative redevelopment plan that would revitalize Lakeside Center and attract visitors while complementing the core convention business. At this point, everything but a casino is apparently on the table.

"The four-level pavilion was designed by renowned architects Gene Summers and Helmut Jahn, and is considered one of Chicago’s 'great mid-century modern buildings,' according to Preservation Chicago. But the building has seen better days, and needs a new roof, repairs to the parking structure, exterior glass replacement, interior upgrades and other improvements.

"Heywood Sanders, a convention expert and professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio, said the state of Lakeside Center reflects both a declining industry and mismanagement by MPEA.

"'Deferred maintenance is a failure,' Sanders said. 'Their performance as a host of conventions and trade shows has been highly problematic.'

"Sanders said McCormick Place should think outside the lakefront box and be open to other uses for a 'distinguished piece of architecture on a critical piece of public land.' Replacing convention space, he said, is not a priority. 'Having seen their business systematically shrink, after doing all the things that they said they needed to do to boost their business, I question their contention that they need to replace any exhibit space they lose.'

"MPEA has set a Dec. 22 deadline for the request for information on redeveloping Lakeside Center. It expects to winnow the submissions down to two or three viable options and issue a request for proposals by mid-2023, Clark said.

"Farpoint Development, which missed out on its bid to turn Lakeside Center into a casino, plans to participate in the competitive process to redevelop the building.

“'We have ideas for an adaptive reuse for the building that we are contemplating and trying to figure out if they are feasible economically,' Goodman said." (Channick, Chicago Tribune, 9/20/22)

"Richard Nickel was nothing if not a man of his word.

"'I’m afraid our days of adventuring, salvaging, avoiding the cops, etc. in the cause of Sullivan will soon terminate. For me, anyway, since I plan to marry Carol sometime this early summer,' the photographer and activist wrote to his friend Tim Samuelson in 1972.

"'Sullivan' meant Louis Sullivan, the visionary behind ornate, turn-of-the-century buildings that, at the time, were swiftly becoming an endangered species. For nearly two decades, Nickel and his compatriots petitioned the city to preserve Sullivan and Dankmar Adler’s oeuvre. When they failed — as they usually did — Nickel led risky expeditions to save what he could from the condemned buildings’ crumbling infrastructure. He documented it all with his camera, capturing their Olympic grandeur while caressing their craftsmanly details.

"Nickel’s oft-repeated mantra was that these artifacts were a pale substitute for the buildings themselves. Watching scores of them nonetheless reduced to rubble, he was exhausted and ready to plot his exit when he embarked on one last mission, scouring for ornaments in the Chicago Stock Exchange on April 13, 1972. His final letter to Samuelson ended up being prescient. Nickel had arrived early to comb over the Stock Exchange trading room, a space he once called 'a holy room.' He likely died there, when a section of the building collapsed around him.

"'Capturing Louis Sullivan: What Richard Nickel Saw,' which opened recently, spotlights his photography and salvage collection in no less fitting a space than the Richard H. Driehaus Museum, a restored Gilded Age mansion itself narrowly saved from destruction — twice. The shift in public consciousness that drove its namesake philanthropist to save the mansion owes much to Nickel and the preservationist movement of 50 years ago.

"'His death really mobilized people. Landmarks laws had been strengthened before that, but then along came the Stock Exchange, and obviously, the landmarks laws weren’t strong enough to save that building. So they became even stronger,' says exhibit curator David Hanks.

“I think people were very quick to recognize the loss of the Stock Exchange. Pieces of the building are in museums all over the world — a staircase is at the Metropolitan Museum, there are fragments all over Europe, and the trading room and arch is with the Art Institute,” he says.

"Nickel, were he here, would probably scoff and say those relics are no substitute for the real deal. He’d be right, of course. But the Art Institute’s 1977 reconstruction of the trading room likely wouldn’t exist at all without the pieces Nickel salvaged, and the determination of his friends and allies. That room might have lost the original’s sanctity, but it’s the closest thing to a public memorial to both Adler and Sullivan’s lost works and their most ardent pilgrim.

"If that’s not a little holy, too, I don’t know what is.

“Capturing Louis Sullivan: What Richard Nickel Saw,” until Feb. 19, 2023, Thursdays and Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Richard H. Driehaus Museum, 40 E. Erie St.; admission is $20, more information at driehausmuseum.org" (Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 8/31/22)