September 2018 Month-in-Review Newsletter
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THREATENED: 42, 44 & 46 E. Superior Street Townhouses Added to Demolition Delay List
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42, 44 & 46 East Superior Street Rowhouses , Photo Credit: Ward Miller, Preservation Chicago
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Etching from Andreas's History of Chicago showing the 4th Presbyterian Church that stood east of the rowhousess until 1914 when it was replaced by the extant Methodist Book Publishing House. The houses are visible in the image. Image Credit: History of Chicago; From the earliest period to the present time, by A.T. Andreas, 1885
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42, 44 & 46 East Superior Street Rowhouse Demolition Delay Notification , Photo Credit: Ward Miller, Preservation Chicago
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The three 1880’s-era rowhouses at 42 E. Superior Street (George A. Tripp House), 44 E. Superior Street and 46 E. Superior Street (Hennessey Houses) were added to the 90-Day Demolition Delay List on September 12, 2018. The George A. Tripp House at 42 E. Superior Street has been the long-time home to Sunny Side Up Brunch and Coffee Shop. Because of their orange-rated status in the CHRS, these buildings trigger a 90-Day Demolition Delay.
“These are all really wonderful buildings and they could make part of a landmark district,” said Ward Miller of Preservation Chicago. (Koziarz, 3/14/17)
“To ensure the protection of these buildings, Preservation Chicago is hoping that area residents will help push for the creation of a new landmark district. This is McCormickville. This is where the McCormick family lived before and after the Great Chicago Fire. And with the continued demolition of other shorter, older buildings in the area, that there are only a handful of the original McCormickville buildings left. We need to value every inch of space where there are historic buildings that tell the story of the neighborhood.” Ward Miller, Executive Director of Preservation, Curbed Chicago 12/8/16
The twin houses at 44-46 E. Superior were built sometime between 1871 and 1876 as a pair of attached single-family homes. The residents of 44 E. Superior were Richard Hennessey (1845-1920) and his brothers. Richard was a building contractor along with his brother Patrick Martin Hennessey with the firm of Hennessey Bros. His brother Peter J. was a distiller and Thomas Hennessey was soda water manufacturer.
The other half of the building at 46 E. Superior was occupied by the family of Michael W. Kerwin (1835-) who owned a liquor business. From this it looks like the Hennessey brothers likely had a hand in at least building the double house, if not "designing it." The Hennessey Bros did work during the early 1900s with several semi-notable architects, so it's possible that the double house was designed by someone of note. Its likely that Hennessey's owned and built the building. The fact that a liquor dealer lived in 46 E. Superior may be due to the fact that the Hennessey brother that was a distiller and perhaps there was an existing connection.
The house at 42 E. Superior was likely built around 1880-1885 for George A. Tripp and his family. The architect for this house has not yet been
identified. (With a special thanks to Matt Wicklund for historic research)
Back in April 2017, 42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly rejected a proposal by Symmetry Development to build a 60-story tower on the northeast corner of Superior Street and Wabash Avenue. Alderman Reilly opposed the development in part because of the widespread community opposition due to the traffic issues it would cause and issues of preservation.
At the public meeting held by 42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly in March 2017, regarding the super tall building proposed by New York based Symmetry Property Development, Ward Miller’s passionate statement in support of preservation was meet with an enthusiastic round of applause from the over 300 residents in attendance.
That victory was only temporary and it was assumed that the developer would return with a more modest proposal. Prior to making its revised proposed development plans known, Symmetry Development is moving forward with its plans to bulldoze and clear the site. Perhaps the thinking is that by demolishing the historic buildings first and creating a large vacant parcel, the public approval process might prove easier.
Preservation Chicago strongly encourages the City of Chicago and Alderman Reilly to withhold releasing the Demolition Delay Hold or Demolition permit until after the public approval process for the new development has been completed. There are many examples, the most notorious being Block 37, in which significant time passed between when the demolition of the existing historic buildings and when the new construction broke ground.
Preservation Chicago strongly opposes the demolition of three orange rated row-houses at 42, 44 and 46 East Superior dating from the 1870’s and 1880’s. The status of the adjacent seven-story Art Deco limestone building and part of the historic four-story red brick Giordano’s building at 730 N. Rush Street, identified as significant in the Illinois Historic Structures Survey-ISS, are also potentially threatened by the same proposed development.
In fall 2016, Preservation Chicago discovered this remerged threat during conversations with the business owners, broke the story to the media, and began to deploy its rapid response advocacy to prevent demolition. An Asian investor based in New York had assembled much, if not all, of the block with the intention of clearing all the buildings and building a high-rise hotel. Some business owners had been warned of a possible redevelopment and are preparing for a 60 day notice to vacate.
Preservation Chicago has been very concerned over the increasing frequency and recent losses of low-rise historic Near North Side buildings, in and around an area established by Cyrus McCormick’s family and once known as “McCormickville”. As development pressure grows and as surface parking lots are being developed, developers have begun to actively targeting remaining clusters of intact, low-rise, historic buildings as development sites.
A new “McCormickville” Landmark District comprised of the handful of remaining historic buildings (less than a dozen) would be a powerful tool to protect this neighborhood’s historic building fabric and strengthen the vibrancy of this community. Preservation Chicago had suggested the “McCormickville” Landmark District to be considered for designation in the past.
Preservation Chicago is also concerned about the displacement and loss of small, locally-owned restaurants and retail Chicago Legacy Businesses that employ Chicagoans and contribute to the vibrancy of our neighborhoods.
Additional Reading
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THREATENED: Redevelopment Proposals Due October 31 for Washington Park National Bank Building
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Washington Park National Bank Building, 6300 South Cottage Grove, Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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Washington Park National Bank Building, 6300 South Cottage Grove, Photo Credit: Indiana University Archives
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Washington Park National Bank Building, 6300 South Cottage Grove, Photo Credit: Indiana University Archives
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The Cook County Land Bank Authority (CCLBA) released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to seek developers to explore redevelopment proposals for the Washington Park National Bank. The deadline to submit a proposal is October 31st, 2018, with a final decision deadline of December 13th, 2018. Under the leadership of executive director Rob Rose, the Cook County Land Bank Authority partnered with Metropolitan Planning Council to facilitate a three-part, community-led redevelopment process of the Washington Park National Bank Building to generate community input into how the building should be repurposed.
While the RFP recognizes the benefit of historic preservation, unfortunately, the language does not prioritize historic preservation.
“Benefits of Historic Preservation - The CCLBA also recognizes the sustainability benefits of adaptive reuse and historic preservation which in many cases provide the most comprehensive method of sustainable development – provided they also serve to achieve the economic development, community building and revenue generating objective of the CCLBA – without compromising or constraining the best redevelopment solutions.” (CCLBA RFP)
Adaptive reuse is often more complicated that new construction, however, if revenue generation is a priority for the CCLBA, there are many economic incentives to make the preservation option economically the most attractive. Economic incentives might include federal historic tax credits, state historic tax credits, Class L designation, eligibility for Adopt-a-Landmark funds, and others, none of which are available to new construction.
A Structural Assessment Report of the Washington Park National Bank was completed as part of the RFP process by Probe Consulting Services in August 2018. While the report acknowledges that the building is littered with construction debris from decades of neglect, it concludes that “that the existing framing system of the building is structurally sound, intact, and still in good condition and that the building is salvageable and can be repaired to restore its full structural integrity.”
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Washington Park National Bank Building, 6300 South Cottage Grove, Cook County Land Bank Authority RFP, Structural Assessment Report Probe Consulting Services, August 2018
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Located at 6300 S. Cottage Grove, the Washington Park National Bank Building was constructed in 1924 by architect Albert Schwartz. The building’s elegant Bedford Indiana limestone façade includes Corinthian pilasters, a projecting cornice, and decorative parapet, with the historic Washington Park National Bank name chiseled into the limestone entablature. Unfortunately, the Washington Park National Bank Building has no landmark protections against demolition.
The four-story neo-classical bank building was an anchor building in the once bustling 63rd Street commercial district. This district contained many great entertainment venues, hotels, ballrooms and was a center of the South Side. The area was a prominent hub for Jazz-era clubs and all forms of entertainment and shopping flourished into the 1960s. After the community suffered a period of extended decline and disinvestment, the Washington Park National Bank Building was mothballed and fell into disrepair.
The Cook County Land Bank Authority was created in 2013 by the Cook County Government to spur development by obtaining, refurbishing, and selling off vacant, abandoned, or tax-delinquent properties across the city. “The Cook County Land Bank Authority acquired the Washington Park National Bank in a tax sale auction. According to records from the Cook County Clerk’s Office, the property had accumulated more than $500,000 in unpaid taxes since 1996. The prior ownership was the Metropolitan Apostolic Community Church and the Woodlawn Community Development Corporation. Community Development Corporation and the church (until recently known as the Christ Apostolic Church), are both affiliated with Reverend Leon Finney.” (Belanger, South Side Weekly, 12/20/17)
Demolition should not be an option considered for this historic building. The Woodlawn community is strong and resilient, but has suffered through decades of disinvestment and demolition, and the vacant lots that follow. The community is burdened by too many empty lots already and any new construction ideas should be directed to towards activating a vacant lot, not destroying a neglected, yet important community landmark and anchor.
Now is the time to adaptively reuse the Washington Park National Bank Building. Woodlawn and this once prominent commercial corridor is again experiencing reinvestment. The nearby Grand Ballroom at 6351 S. Cottage Grove Avenue by architects Lowenburg + Lowenburg from 1923 was beautifully restored recently.
Additionally, the long-vacant former Strand Hotel across the street was adaptively reused as a residential apartment building with street level retail and art gallery. The Strand Hotel received a Landmark Illinois preservation award which praised it as “an inspiring example of how historical preservation can spark positive redevelopment and reuse.”
Preservation Chicago applauds the Cook County Land Bank Authority and the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) for coordinating and facilitating the workshop and RFP process to catalyze the redevelopment of this historic building. The Washington Park National Bank Building is an important neighborhood anchor on a commercial corridor that has seen the tragic loss of many important building. It is it essential for the long-term reinvestment and prosperity of this commercial district that this historic building be preserved and redeveloped.
Additional Reading
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POTENTIAL WIN: Avalon Regal Theater Recieves Boost From Kanye West
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Avalon Regal Theater L obby, 1645 E. 79th Street, by John Eberson, Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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Avalon Regal Theater Entrance, 1645 E. 79th Street, by John Eberson, Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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Avalon Regal Theater Auditorium, 1645 E. 79th Street, by John Eberson, Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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Avalon Regal Theater, 1645 E. 79th Street, by John Eberson, Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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The Avalon Regal Theater is one of Chicago’s most extraordinary theaters with exuberant ornament on par with the Uptown Theatre, the Congress Theater, the Oriental Theater, and the Chicago Theater. The Avalon Regal Theater is the last of the great theaters on Chicago’s South Side. Despite being in remarkably good condition, the building has been tied up in building court and mostly dormant since 2010. Jerald Gary, the current owner, has been making progress towards reopening the theater. His plans were given a boost when superstar rapper Kanye West announced his interest in seeing the Avalon Regal Theater reopened and pledged his financial support the effort. Originally from the South Side, West tweeted out to his 28 million followers, “We’re going to restore the Regal Theatre.”
The Moorish-style Avalon Theater was built in 1927 by movie palace architect John Eberson. Eberson specialized in the design of atmospheric theaters and used lavish ornament inspired by exotic locations to transport the imagination of theater-goers. His vision for the Avalon Theater was said to have been inspired by a Persian incense burner he found at an antique market in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The exuberant tiled lobby floor and ceiling resemble an Persian rug. The ornate lobby mosaics were designed by architect Charles Morgan, who worked with Frank Lloyd Wright on his Chicago projects. The walls and balconies are exquisite with their colorful ornament and arched opening. The 2,500 seat theater auditorium was designed to resemble the buildings of outdoor Moroccan market bazar with a simulated night sky complete with twinkling star lights. The Avalon Regal Theater was designated a Chicago Landmark on June 17, 1992.
The Avalon Theater operated as a theater for decades before being sold for use as a church in the late 1970s. In 1987, Edward and Bettiann Gardner, purchased the theater and invested approximately $10 million to renovate and reopen it as a performing arts theater. They also renamed the theater the New Regal Theater in homage to the Regal Theater once located at 47th Street and King Drive in Bronzeville which was the South Side’s grandest theater before being demolished in 1973. Reluctantly, the Gardners shuttered the theater in 2003 after it continued to operate at a loss for several years.
The current owner, Jerald Gary, purchased the building in 2014 out of receivership from the FDIC and its been reported that he invested over $1 million to update the building’s bathrooms, plumbing, electrical and HVAC systems. According to Gary, the building is within $150,000 of being able to complete the improvements required to reopen.
A GoFundMe Campaign has recently been launched to help raise the necessary funds.
“Gary’s motivations to bring the Avalon back to life are deeply personal. Having grown up in South Shore, Gary always considered the theater, which towers over East 79th Street, within sight of I-94 and the Chicago Skyway, the crown jewel of the neighborhood.” (Ballesteros, Sun-Times, 9/11/18)
For over a decade, Preservation Chicago has helped to support and advocate for a reopening of the building. We are hopeful that with the right support the Avalon Regal Theater will reopen soon. It’s an incredible Chicago Landmark and could prove to be a hub for performing arts and a powerful economic catalyst for the South Shore neighborhood. We applaud the commitment and efforts of Jerald Gary. We hope that Kanye West uses his star-power and financial resources to support the Avalon Regal Theater.
Using the model of 46th Ward Alderman James Capplemen who lobbied hard for many years before successfully securing significant city funding to help restore the Uptown Theatre, we strongly encourage 8th Ward Alderman Michelle Harris and Commissioner David Reifman to do everything within their power to help to secure city funding to support the Avalon Regal Theater.
Additional Reading
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THREATENED: Chicago Plan Commission Approves Demolition and Redevelopment for Crawford Plant Over Community Objections (Chicago 7 2014)
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Rally at City Hall to Oppose Hilco Development and Truck Dock Facilty, Photo Credit: LVEJO
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Proposed Cross Dock Facilty to Replace Graham, Anderson, Probst and White Designed Crawford Station, Rendering Credit: Hilco
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Aerial view of Graham, Anderson, Probst and White Designed Crawford Station site. The majority of the 72-acre site is currently vacant. Much of the historic building will be replaced by a surface grade, asphalt parking lot. Image Credit: Google Street View
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Crawford Station, Designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst and White, Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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Crawford Station, Designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst and White, Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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Crawford Electrical Generating Station, Historic Photo Credit: Library of Congress
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UPDATE: Despite strong community objections, the Chicago Plan Commission and Chicago Zoning Commission voted to approve the proposed demolition and redevelopment for Crawford plant. Chicago City Council will now consider the proposal.
What has been proposed for the 72-acre site Crawford Station site is a massive 1 million square-foot diesel truck staging, cross-dock facility by developer Hilco Redevelopment Partners. This industrial reuse plan is tragically ironic, considering the extraordinary 12-year effort to close the Crawford Station to eliminate the toxic pollution it generated. The massive truck staging facility will generate high levels of exhaust pollution, noise pollution, and restrict an extensive stretch of river frontage to an industrial use as opposed to converting this valuable riverfront acreage to cultural uses, green space and a riverwalk. It is even more tragic as the North Branch of the Chicago River is being activated reimagined for a dynamic mix of park space, residential, offices and transit.
For over a decade, a coalition of community activists fought to close two coal burning power plants that contributed significant air pollution into Chicago and created significant health impacts for individuals living close to these facilities. Finally, in 2012, the plants were closed down and the active pollution stopped. Mayor Rahm Emanuel promised that any new development would be environmentally-sustainable and that the community would be involved. According to a news release from the mayor’s office,
“When we closed down Chicago’s last two coal plants, we committed to creating a cleaner, brighter and more sustainable future for Chicago’s neighborhoods.”
“There have long been serious concerns about heavy trucks and diesel emissions near schools in Little Village. The fine particulate matter released by diesel trucks is linked to several threats to health including increased risk for cardiac and respiratory disease and cancer. For an organization that closed a coal plant, an increase in diesel emissions produced by trucks would reverse a major community victory on air quality.” (Bayne, Social Justice News, 8/28/17)
In addition to the proposed new use being contrary to the desires of the community, the plan calls for the existing buildings to be demolished, including the architecturally significant Crawford Station building. The building is orange-rated on the Chicago Historic Resources Survey (CHRS) which requires a 90-Day Demolition Delay to provide an opportunity for alternate plans to emerge that might protect the historic building from demolition. A request for a demolition permit was submitted on Monday, March 26, 2018. The demolition permit was released the following day on Tuesday March 27th, precisely one day later. “Orange-rated buildings are supposed to have a 90-day hold for this reason. Expediting the demolition of historic buildings really defeats the purpose of having the Chicago Historic Resources Survey,” said Ward Miller.
The Crawford Station was designed by architects Graham, Anderson, Probst and White, the successor firm to D. H. Burnham & Company. The firms’ others commissions included many large scale and important buildings such as Chicago’s Union Station, Soldier Field, The Field Museum, the Merchandise Mart (once the world’s largest building), Shedd Aquarium, and Chicago’s Main Post Office. Many of their designs have become cherished Chicago landmarks.
The Crawford Station is comprised of red-brick, stonework masonry, modern gothic forms and renaissance-revival detailing to create an eclectic mix of historic styles, now termed “Industrial Gothic.” The main Turbine Hall is a stately, massive red-brick building, resembling the front façade of church or religious structure with its large flanking towers dominating the front facade. A mammoth three-story-arched window opening is divided with slender brick piers.
Preservation Chicago strongly encourages the adaptive reuse of the historic building into a redevelopment plan with new construction located elsewhere on vast the 72-acre site. The historic Graham, Anderson, Probst and White buildings, along with its incredible Turbine Hall is an asset that should be recognized, valued and protected.
In London, a once shuttered coal-fired plant built in 1947 was adaptively reused and is now the celebrated Tate Modern. This river-front art museum has become the third most visited attraction in the UK with 5.8 million visitors in 2016. Prior to its reuse in 2000, the structure repeatedly threatened with demolition since it was closed in 1981.
Crawford Station’s Turbine Hall could be the site of an incredible cultural center, community center, art center, or museum. A creative reuse of Crawford Station could become a regional draw, attracting, attracting many visitors and tourists to Little Village if developed properly. Situated on the banks of the Sanitary and Ship Canal, it would provide access to and active this important waterway for recreation and park space for the Little Village, South Lawndale, Lower West Side, Archer Heights, Brighton Park, and McKinley Park communities.
The enormous Crawford Station electricity-generating coal-fired power station was considered an engineering wonder of the modern world after its completion in 1926. Engineering magazine in July of 1925, noted that “Probably no power station ever built has commanded greater interest during the period of its construction than has Crawford Avenue Station in Chicago”. The magazine made numerous references to the world power conference in London, England and the interest in Chicago’s new power plant.
The Crawford Station innovative technology conquered the previously difficult task of employing steam engine turbine technology to create the world’s largest electrical generators. The massive electricity production allowed Chicago to grow and prosper at a magnitude not previously seen. The success of the Crawford Station was replicated around the world, but it all began in Chicago.
In community meetings following the closing of the Crawford Plant and with regard to the proposed cross-dock facility, Preservation Chicago was instrumental in helping to empower residents to speak and be heard. The developers had planned a “divide and conquer strategy” community meeting, but Preservation Chicago was instrumental in redirecting the meeting towards a single, large circle conversation. The community spoke out and strongly opposed a new use that would create another source of dangerous pollution. They also supported the idea of preservation and reuse to with the possibility of including cultural, environmental and educational programs.
Additional Reading
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WIN: Lathrop Homes Celebrates Grand Reopening (Chicago 7 2007 and 2013)
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Lathrop Homes, Rendering Credit: Related Midwest
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Lathrop Homes, Rendering Credit: Related Midwest
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Lathrop Homes, Rendering Credit: Related Midwest
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Lathrop Homes Interior, Rendering Credit: Related Midwest
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After decades of preservation advocacy, the Julia C. Lathrop Homes celebrated its grand reopening in September, 2018. The Chicago Housing Authority and the development team of Related Midwest, Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation and Heartland Housing held a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the public housing project’s transformation into a mixed-income community. Rebranded as “Lathrop”, the final plan includes both historic preservation and new construction, but with a significantly higher percentage of preservation than initially proposed. The original proposed percentage of historic preservation was a tiny fraction of the historic structures, but the final percentage of historic preservation is close to 75%, with hopes for more preservation on the still-to-be-renovated section south of Diversey.
This more preservation-sensitive outcome is due to a multi-year preservation advocacy campaign by Preservation Chicago, our preservation partners including Landmarks Illinois, and the National Trust for Historic preservation, and neighborhood groups such as Logan Square Preservation, Lathrop Home Advisory Council and Logan Square Neighborhood Association.
Federal historic tax credits played a crucial role in the financing of the redevelopment. If more historic fabric was destroyed, the development risked losing millions of dollars of federal historic tax credits. Additionally, the requirements of the federal historic tax credits helped to development team to decide to eliminate the controversial proposed new construction mid-rise gateway buildings at Diversey, Damen and Elston and to preserve the original administration building located at the corner and adjacent historic apartment block.
The final redevelopment will deliver 1,116 mixed income residential units, 14 original buildings north of Diversey Avenue will be preserved and renovated, and with improvements to the 11 acres of green space including the great lawn, new retail spaces, and a new riverwalk. The final unit count will be 400 CHA units, 222 affordable units, and 494 market rate units.
Lathrop Homes has twice been a Preservation Chicago 7 Most Endangered, first in 2007 and again in 2013. The Lathrop Homes are one of the first and one of the best public housing developments built in Chicago, resulting in a remarkably stable racially-mixed community for generations. Completed in 1938, the 35-acre park-like site is located along the Chicago River and its graceful combination of mature landscaping and low-rise and gently ornamented buildings which create an intimate and human-scale atmosphere.
Among the “all-star” architects who worked on the original design included Hubert Burnham, son of Daniel Burnham, and Robert S. De Golyer, a designer of upscale Lake Shore Drive high-rises, who is credited for the inclusion of classical elegance that included fine brickwork, stone rooftop finials and the arched arcades linking many of the historic buildings. Hugh M.G. Garden was a highly respected practitioner of the old “Chicago School,” and imparted a blending of modernism and traditionalism.
The legendary landscape designer Jens Jensen was responsible for the landscape design and was known for his ideals of native landscapes and prairies. Many of Jensen’s original trees still remain, and have now aged into the sheltering maturity he envisioned. The townhouses also originally included small “kitchen gardens” in which residents raised fresh herbs and vegetables right outside their doors.
This has been a very lengthy and extraordinarily complex process and Preservation Chicago wishes to thank Alderman Proco “Joe” Moreno and Alderman Scott Waguepack, along with the Lathrop development team, including Chicago Housing Authority, Related Midwest, Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation, and Heartland Housing for their commitment to the development and its historic preservation.
Additional Reading
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WIN: Phoenix Rising...New Roof Installed at Shrine of Christ the King!
Visit during Open House Chicago, Oct. 13 & 14
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Shrine of Christ the King, 6401 S. Woodlawn Avenue, Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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Shrine of Christ the King, 6401 S. Woodlawn Avenue, Photo Credit: Shrine of Christ the King
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Shrine of Christ the King, 6401 S. Woodlawn Avenue, Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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Come visit #SeeTheShrine with Preservation Chicago during Open House Chicago on October 13 and 14.
After three years of being open to the elements, the Shrine of Christ the King (6401 S. Woodlawn Ave.) is getting a roof! Over the spring and summer, new steel trusses, decking and insulation were installed and the outer layer of shingles will be added this fall. It is something of a miracle that the extraordinary preservation efforts have come this far and this fast!
You’re invited to come celebrate this milestone and see the progress for yourself with Preservation Chicago this Open House Chicago weekend! Plan your visit for Saturday the 13th, and Preservation Chicago board members and staff will be on-site to welcome you, along with Shrine parishioners and members of the non-profit organization Save the Shrine. In recent years, the Shrine has been one of the most popular OHC sites outside the downtown area, and yes, visitors young and old still get to wear hard hats!
The Shrine, built as St. Clara and landmarked as St. Gelasius, has been one of Preservation Chicago’s most consistent efforts and biggest wins over the past two decades. When the neo-Renaissance masterpiece of Chicago architect Henry Schlacks was first threatened with demolition in 2002, Preservation Chicago, along with our partner organization Landmarks Illinois, led the successful effort to designate the building as a Chicago Landmark in 2003. When the Shrine was once again threatened with demolition following the massive fire that destroyed its roof in 2015, Preservation Chicago again rallied to #SaveTheShrine, generating hundreds of thousands of dollars in pledges to secure the building and facilitating an unprecedented transfer of ownership from the Archdiocese of Chicago to an independent Catholic religious order, the Institute of Christ the King.
Preservation Chicago has continued to be a crucial partner in the Shrine’s restoration, including recently by supporting the Shrine’s successful candidacy for the National Fund for Sacred Places. In 2017, the Shrine was the only Chicago house of worship to be accepted into this competitive program, which includes a quarter million dollar grant to support the restoration. Ward Miller has been frequently quoted in the press on the Shrine project, most recently by the Sun-Times in March, when he called the Shrine: “a fabulous structure that is so much a part of Woodlawn.”(Chicago Sun-Times, 3/23/18)
You can also #SeeTheShrine on the big screen this November, when Dr. Enid Wells’ film students at the Shrine’s neighbor Kennedy-King College, will once again include a short film on the restoration’s progress at their Arts Showcase on Tuesday, November 27th, from 2:00 to 3:30 at 6301 S. Halsted Streeet. The Shrine and Kennedy-King College were introduced thanks to Landmarks Illinois’ “People Saving Places” video series and the College has generously continued to give visibility to the project through film-making. This is a great chance to support young film-makers telling inspiring stories of preservation in their neighborhoods!
Additional Reading
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POTENTIAL WIN??? Former Sears HQ in Homan Square Sold to Chicago Investors, including Allstate Headquarters Building (Chicago 7 2013)
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Still Vacant, Former Sears Headquarters, Nimmons & Fellows, 3333 W. Arthington Street, Photo Credit: CoStar Group
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Still Vacant, Former Allstate Insurance Company Building, by Carr & Wright, 3243-3259 W. Arthington Street, Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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Former Allstate Insurance Company Building, by Carr & Wright, 3243-3259 W. Arthington Street, Photo Credit: Forgotten Chicago
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Charles H. Shaw Technology and Learning Center, Former Sears Powerhouse, Nimmons & Fellows, 929 S. Homan Avenue, Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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Nichols Tower at Homan Square, Original Sears Tower, Nimmons & Fellows, 906 S. Homan Avenue, Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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The former Sears, Roebuck and Company Headquarters Building located at 3333 West Arthington Street in Homan Square has been sold to a development venture led by Arnold Kozys, CEO of Markham-based freight carrier Arka Express. The $3.25 million sale also included the endangered Allstate Insurance Company Headquarters Building at 3245 W. Arthington Street, a 1,150-space parking structure, and a 3.4-acre vacant site. The 281,000-square-foot former Sears, Roebuck and Company Headquarters Building and adjacent structures on the campus are a Designated Chicago Landmark, however the 324,000-square-foot Allstate Insurance Company Headquarters Building has no landmark protection.
“The buyers are entrepreneurial, and they really saw the value of this location and what these properties mean for the area,” said David Levy, from NRC Realty & Capital Advisors who brokered the deal on the seller’s behalf. “It’s an immense amount of space just a few blocks from the [CTA’s] Blue Line and [Interstate] 290, so it’s just a matter of time before even more development moves into the neighborhood.” (Nitkin, The Real Deal, 8/23/18)
A 2013 Preservation Chicago Most Endangered, the Allstate Insurance Company Headquarters Building is a rare example of immediate postwar modern high-rise construction in Chicago. The 10-story, 324,000-square-foot building was designed by the noteworthy architectural firm of Carr and Wright in 1949. It was the first multi-story building constructed in Chicago after World War II and its unique elements make it a clear candidate for reuse and preservation.
There has been significant reinvestment in the Sears Homan Campus site in recent years. In 2009, the Homan Arthington Foundation opened the Charles H. Shaw Technology and Learning Center which houses the Henry Ford Academy in the former Sears Power House building. This $40 million restoration received design accolades and earned a LEED Platinum certification. In 2010, the YMCA opened just west of the Power House and in 2013, John D. and Alexandra C. Nichols sponsored the renovation of the original Sears Tower. In 2017, Mercy Housing Lakefront completed the adaptive reuse and renovation of the six-story loft warehouse Sears Catalog Printing Building at 3301 West Arthington and Spauling, a $65 million development that delivered 181 loft-style affordable apartments. Preservation Chicago has been supportinve of all of these initiatives and developments and has testified on their behalf before the Commission on Chicago Landmarks.
The site has plenty of upside for redevelopment because of its proximity to the CTA Blue Line and its location in the "path of growth" moving west from downtown, said Mercy Housing Lakefront President Mark Angelini. “The former Sears HQ building and the Allstate building "are the two pieces that need to be redeveloped and recapitalized, so we're excited." (Ecker, Crain’s, 8/22/18)
A wide variety of tax incentive development tools are in place to help finance the redevelopment of the former Sears HQ Building and the Allstate Building. The site is in the Homan Arthington tax-increment financing (TIF) district. The site is located within an Illinois Enterprise Zone. Additionally, it is located within an Opportunity Zone, a program created by last year's federal tax reform which allows investors to defer paying taxes on capital gains if they are carried over into developments in designated blighted areas.
As a Designated Chicago Landmark, the Sears, Roebuck and Company Headquarters Building is eligible for Chicago Landmark tax benefits, such as Class L Designation and federal tax incentives for historic preservation. The Allstate Insurance Company Headquarters Building is a strong candidate for Chicago Landmark Designation. This would both protect the building and make eligible for additional historic preservation tax incentive development tools.
Additional Reading
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THREATENED: The Prairie Farmer Building/ WLS Studios at 1230 W. Washington Redevelopment Plan Announced
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The Prairie Farmer Building/ WLS Studios, 1230 W. Washington Boulevard, Photo Credit: CoStar
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1230 W. Washington Boulevard, Conceptual Rendering, Rendering Credit: Bondy Studio
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The Prairie Farmer Building/ WLS Studios, 1230 W. Washington Boulevard, Historic Images Rendering Credit: www.WLSHistory.com
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1248 W. Washington Boulevard, Threatened with Demolition as part of the New Development, Photo Credit: Google Street View
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The three-story Prairie Farmer/ WLS Studios building at 1230 W. Washington Boulevard at Willard Court in the Fulton Market District is the target of redevelopment by New York based investors RCG Longview and CLK Properties. The proposed development would retain the historic building at the corner and build a new nine-story glassy office building behind, beside and above the historic structure. Chicago-based Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture is believed to be the design architect.
1230 W. Washington Boulevard loft-building contains 66,000 square feet and was built in 1928. The Prairie Farmer Building was the longtime home of WLS Radio Cornstalk Studio and WLS Radio Barn Dance Studio. In the 1960’s, it was converted to the famous "Rock of Chicago". The two-story Barn Dance Studio more recently was served as the photographic gallery and archives for The David R. Phillips Collection and the Chicago Architectural Photographing Company archives. The Phillips Collection, assembled over a 40-year period, includes vintage prints and archival fiber silver prints made from original negatives by David R. Phillips. Recently, it was home to the Marilyn Miglin Cosmetics Company.
Preservation Chicago had advocated to the former owners of 1230 W. Washington Boulevard to consider landmarking the building prior to its sale in 2012. The current proposal includes the demolition of the two buildings to the west. The façade of the two-story attractive red brick building with limestone ornament at 1248 W. Washington could be incorporated into the base of the new construction. Preservation Chicago strongly urges the RCG Longview, CLK Properties and Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture to pursue this direction.
“Since the stations main concern was the farmer, much of WLS' broadcast day catered to the rural areas of the Midwest. Informing the farmers was as equally as important as keeping them entertained. Market reports aired twice daily direct from the Union Stock Yards through remote broadcast lines. WLS used these new remote lines extensively, and promoted themselves accordingly as being on the cutting edge of this new medium. State Fairs, corn husking contests and even live coverage from the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago were just a few of the many remote broadcasts that WLS aired.” (WLSHistory.com)
“Then make your way out to 1230 West Washington Boulevard and walk up to the third floor. Enter the world of WLS, the Prairie Farmer station. You'll receive a warm greeting. And if you walk into the legendary "Cornstalk Studio", you will very likely find some of your favorite radio artists performing on the air. (They might include Gene Autry, Pat Buttram, Little Georgie Gobel, Lulu Belleand Scotty, Mac and Bob, the Cumberland Ridgerunners, the Prairie Ramblers, Patsy Montana, Rex Allen, Bob Atcher, "Arkie" (the Arkansas Woodchopper), Hermann Felber and the WLS Orchestra, the Maple City 4, or "Jolly Joe" Kelly---to name a few whose names pop into mind)”. (www.richsamuels.com)
Additional Reading
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LOSS: Temple Beth-El, 2122 W. Crystal Street Demolished!
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Temple Beth-El Building, 2122 W. Crystal Street, Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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Demolition of Temple Beth-El Building, 2122 W. Crystal Street, Photo Credit: Ward Miller / Preservation Chicago
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Despite an 11th hour advocacy effort by Preservation Chicago, the historic former Temple Beth-El building at 2122 W. Crystal has been demolished. Preservation Chicago strongly encouraged the developer to save all or part of the historic façade. When it became clear that this was not going to occur, Preservation Chicago arranged for the donation of the carved limestone façade elements to Temple Beth El now located in Northbrook, but the developer and demolition contractor did not take the steps necessary to have allowed this to happen and the historic elements were destroyed. However, the two decorative finials and some carved ornament were saved and it is possible that they will be donated or incorporated into the new development.
Childs Development purchased the historic synagogue/church building at 2122 W. Crystal Street in Wicker Park for $1.75 million. They closed on August 8, 2018. Twelve days later on August 20, 2018, a demolition permit had been issued for the 116 year-old building. Built in 1902 as the third Temple Beth-El synagogue, it became the Original New Morning Star M. B. Church in the 1970’s.
Tear-down developers are often willing and able to outspend buyers looking to live and restore historic homes. According to the listing broker, the church initially asked $1.1 million for the building. It went under contract in less than a week and for an amount $650k over the list price, or approximately a 60% premium over the asking price! The developer plans to building a high-end, six-unit condominium building with prices ranging from approximately $700k to $1 million per unit.
As reported in Block Club Chicago, the site was of particular interest to the developer as it is 14 feet wider than the standard 50 foot double lot. The location is just beyond the boundaries of the highly sought after Wicker Park Landmark District, so the Landmark District provides no protections for this building. Additionally, developers know that properties in protected historic landmark districts are highly-desirable and add value, so if they develop close to, but just outside of historic landmark districts, they can benefit from the high-desirability but without any restrictions.
Preservation Chicago had outreached to the developer to encourage the reuse of the façade or even part of the façade in their new construction. By saving and reusing the façade, it could replace the planned stairwell facade in the new construction and have minimal impact on the proposed condo units. The proposed rendering shows a contemporary, but highly generic building. The facade would have provided authenticity and uniqueness to the building which likely would have increase sales desirability. It would have demonstrated a high respect for the history of the site, Crystal Street, and the Wicker Park Community. Smart developers recognize that goodwill with the immediate neighbors is a very valuable asset, especially during construction.
As this development was “as-of-right”, there were few planning tools available to the community. There was no zoning change required, therefore Aldermanic approval was not required. The building was not protected by any landmark designation or even included in the CHRS which would have required an demolition delay. Downzoning properties to have the current existing building more closely correspond with the zoning would help to encourage reuse of existing building and homes. An extension of the nearby Chicago Landmark District would have provided the greatest protection and oversight for historic structures like Temple Beth-El.
The history of the building is evident on its highly intact façade including its decorative yellow brick work, a series of stone arches, limestone ornamentation and finials, and the Hebrew and English carved inscriptions over the entry doors. The only noteworthy prior loss to the façade was the replacement of the original art glass windows with glass block.
The adjacent Temple Beth-El school building at 2126 W. Crystal Street was successfully adaptively reused and converted to condominiums. Directly across the street the 1890’s Lutheran gothic revival church by architects Worthmann & Steinbach at 2127 W. Crystal Street which dates from is listed as orange rated in the Chicago Historic Resources Survey (CHRS). Other than the glass block, its unclear why a highly intact, architecturally distinct building such as 2122 W. Crystal Street would have been overlooked by the Survey, but provides yet another example of the limitations of the CHRS which dates from 1996.
Founded in 1871, Temple Beth-El is one of Chicago’s oldest congregations and was highly innovative throughout its history, including being one of the first to offer co-ed enrollment at the religious school on Crystal Street and was one of the first Chicago synagogue in Chicago to offer Sunday school education to girls. It hosted a wide-range of cultural activities including drama club performances, musical and literary events learning sessions, dances and mixers, and athletic competitions.
Per Temple Beth-El’s history website,
“In 1902, the temple purchased three adjoining lots at Crystal Street and Hoyne Avenue. There they constructed a much larger building for worship as well as a separate structure with a gymnasium and rooms for a Sunday school. Such a configuration was novel to Chicago; Beth El became the first synagogue in the city to house its religious school and its sanctuary in independent buildings.”
“Ever the innovator, Rabbi Rappaport went several steps further in offering coed enrollment at the school on Crystal Street. Beth El is thus noted as the first synagogue in Chicago to offer Sunday school education to girls. Rappaport’s strong commitment to family life touched other areas of his rabbinate as well; he established Chicago’s first synagogue youth group and Beth El’s first social club for married couples.”
“With a generous gift from the Molner family, the synagogue dedicated its secondary structure as Molner Hall, and throughout Rabbi Rappaport’s tenure, Molner Hall was considered a great social hub for the Jews of the Northwest Side. Molner Hall functioned like a miniature Chicago Hebrew Institute, offering plentiful resources to the Jewish community at-large for study, sport, and socialization similar to the original Chicago Hebrew Institute on Blue Island Avenue near 12th Street. Similarly, Molner Hall hosted drama club performances, learning sessions, musical and literary events, dances and mixers, athletic competitions, and numerous other opportunities for cultural outreach for more than 20 years”
The Temple Beth-El congregation moved from Wicker Park to Logan Square. Their Logan Square synagogue building located at 3228 W. Palmer Boulevard was built in the 1920s and served as the Logan Square Boys and Girls Club since 1955. The Palmer Boulevard building is under contract and preservation organizations are advocating for a preservation-sensitive outcome. The Temple Beth-El congregation then moved to Albany Park and ultimately moved to Northbrook in 1975.
Additional Reading
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LOSS: “Spotlight on Demolition”
1106 W. 18th Street, Pilsen
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1106 W. 18th Street, Pilsen, Demolished September 2018 Photo Credit: Google Street View
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FEATURE ARTICLE:
Facing Demolition: The Last Remaining Boston Store Stable
by John Morris in Chicago Patterns
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Boston Store Stable Building by Holabird & Roche, 4340 S. Vernon Photo Credit: John Morris/Chicago Patterns
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Holabird and Roche plans for South Side stable for Boston Store. Copyright Chicago History Museum
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By John Morris
from Chicago Patterns
published on September 24, 2018
reprinted in full with Permission
A pending demolition permit indicates the last remaining Boston Store Stable building won’t get a chance for reuse. This building at 4340 S. Vernon in Bronzeville served as a horse stable and parcel station for the Boston Store, constructed around the same time (1906) as the company’s massive massive new department store at State and Madison. Designed by the firm of Holabird and Roche, this unique historic structure is a link to another era.
Chicago’s Boston Store
In the past few weeks, a retail chain of Boston Store locations closed for good. Part of the Bon Ton umbrella of stores (including Carson’s), that Boston Store (founded in Milwaukee) has no historic connection to the Boston Store that occupied the corner of State and Madison for 75 years (above).
Netcher’s Boston Store, Founded in Reconstruction after the Great Fire
Several newspaper advertisements for a “Boston Store” in Chicago date back to the 1860s, all existing at different addresses and selling varying wares. The name reflected a style more than anything, as Boston was considered the center of fashion and commerce around the turn of the century.
The store once at State and Madison has origins in a partnership between Charles Pardridge and Charles Netcher. The two met when a young Netcher delivered bundles for the elder Pardridge in a store in Buffalo, NY. When Pardridge arrived in Chicago after the Great Fire to open a new store on State Street in 1873, he brought Netcher with him, impressed by his work ethic. Working his way up to store manager and later partner, Charles Netcher bought the remaining stake in the Boston Store in 1899.
Decades of Success and Expansion under Mollie Netcher
In 1890, Mollie Alpiner served as the chief underwear buyer for the Boston Store when Netcher introduced himself and proposed marriage. In the years after, the Boston Store’s growth continued upward under the leadership of both Mollie and Charles Netcher. The store’s location at State and Madison propelled its success, but in order to rise above the other retailers, more space was needed. Using anonymous third-party buyers, the Netchers assembled a half block of parcels that stretched the length of Madison and half of State Street. All of the desired land was finally acquired by 1901, but design and construction of a new building proved incredibly complex. The expense of acquiring so much land at “the busiest corner in the world” delayed construction by several years.
In 1904 after the death Charles Netcher, Mollie Netcher took the helm and oversaw the massive development project, two roles that were normally for men in that era. Her success in these dual roles earned her respect and notoriety in Chicago. Construction of the new department store took place in phases, beginning in 1905 and reaching completion about a decade later.
Sales at the Boston Store were $6 million annually at the time of Charles Netcher’s death, and under her leadership eventually reached more then $28 million annually. Her 1954 obituary noted she was “the most heavily insured woman in the world” at $3 million–a point illustrated with examples of lesser insurance coverage for Will Rogers ($1 million) and John Barrymore ($2 million).
The Mail Order Business, Warehouse, and Network of Stables
While considerable resources were devoted to retail expansion in the mid-1890s, the Boston Store company also built a city-wide supply chain network to facilitate delivery and movement of goods. The hub of this network was the Boston Store warehouse and stable at 1507 S. State Street (above) built in 1894.
About a decade after the warehouse on State Street was built, Netcher was supervising plans for construction of a new department store. It was during this time she also upgraded the business’s parcel delivery infrastructure.
A New South Side Stable
Boston Store stable operations in this part of what is now Bronzeville were in operation as far back as the 1890s, though the size and style of the original barn remains unknown. Perhaps in a bid to modernize the company’s city-wide network of stables to support the new department store, Mollie Netcher commissioned Holabird and Roche to build three new stables between 1906 and 1908.
Stylistically, it strongly resembles The Forum building a few blocks west. Both The Forum hall building (1889) and the Boston Store Stable (1906) have bright red brick, three large front-facing quoined arch window surrounds, brick circular portals, and quoined columns. Though lost to time and neglect, the stable originally had decorative terra cotta coping on top of the front facade. The stable building is unusual because these Romanesque and Italianate-era architectural traits popular in the 1880s and 1890s were mostly out of fashion by the time of the stable’s design in 1906.
The North Side stable also designed by Holabird and Roche had a modern design. Despite being designed only two years later and serving the same purpose, the appearance was dramatically different. Gone were the arched windows, portals, terra cotta, and decorative quoined columns. Instead, a restrained and minimalist appearance that closer resembled the new large department store on State and Madison.
A South Side Commercial Building with Alleys on All Sides
The neighborhood stables used in support of parcel delivery were located at 4520 W. Madison, 4858 N. Clark, and 4330 S. Vernon, all designed by Holabird and Roche. Of these, only the stable on Vernon Avenue is still standing. The South Side stable on S. Vernon Ave is not just remarkable because of its style, but also because of the parcel of land it rests upon. The stable is fronted by a brick pavered alley, a now uncommon feature in Chicago. As illustrated in Emil Rudolph’s plat of survey above, the building has alleys on three sides.
These Boston Store stables initially served as a home for horses used in parcel delivery, but as automobiles replaced horses, their use adapted as the automobile replaced the horse and carriage. 4330 S. Vernon was still in use when the estate of Charles Netcher sold it along with the other buildings to the Boston Store Company in 1920. 4340 S. Vernon transformed to residential use some time prior to 1940, when census records indicate families resided at the address. More recently it housed an Elks Lodge and later a community church.
The original glass roof with ventilation system is gone and the lower level lighting and egress have since been covered, but the building appears strikingly similar to its 112-year old design. Years of neglect would make rehabilitation an expensive proposition, but the structure was built to the highest standards by a renowned firm.
End of the Line for Boston Store Stable on Vernon
Bronzeville has experienced a building boom in recent years as empty lots have transformed to new buildings and older buildings become rehabbed and put into use. Some held out hope this arrival of real estate investment may transform this historic structure into an apartment building, but unfortunately hopes have dimmed with the arrival of a demolition permit application.
Lacking Landmark Status or Rating in the Historic Resources Survey
Despite its history and cultural significance, 4340 S. Vernon lacks landmark status and is notably absent from the Historic Resources Survey. Buildings with Orange Rating (denoting historical or architectural significance) automatically trigger a 90-day waiting period as part of the Demolition Delay Ordinance.
While the end seems certain for the last of the neighborhood Boston Store Stables, it’s not set in stone. We’ll update this post with future developments.
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FEATURE ARTICLE:
Reevaluating the CHRS: Chicago Needs a New Architectural Survey to Protect its Vernacular and Postmodern Heritage
By Elizabeth Blasius in The Architect's Newspaper
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3220 West Washington Boulevard, East Garfield Park, Built 1885, Photo Credit: Gabriel X. Michael
Not included in the Chicago Historic Resources Survey
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By Elizabeth Blasius
in The Architect's Newspaper
published on September 21, 2018
reprinted in full with Permission
The aging Chicago Historic Resources Survey, or CHRS, is Chicago’s benchmark document for determining what the city considers historic. However, without contemporary updates, it fails to protect modern (and postmodern) architectural heritage and leaves vernacular structures regularly at risk for demolition.
Chicago embarked on its very first survey of historic buildings in 1983 with the objective to identify new landmarks. The CHRS was a complex undertaking, combining research in archives and libraries with detailed field assessments and photography. A half-million properties were surveyed, with the work completed in 1994.
Dividing up the city into Chicago’s system of 77 community areas and 50 wards, the survey work began with teams driving through each ward and color coding each property according to three criteria adopted by the CHRS: age, degree of physical integrity, and level of possible significance.
Buildings given a red rating were determined to be significant on a national scale, the “best of the best” of historic resources. Orange properties possessed similar features but were significant locally. Yellow properties were identified as relatively significant and within a greater concentration of similar buildings. Yellow-green buildings were identified as being within a concentration of significant buildings but reflected alterations. Green buildings were identified in previous state surveys, and purple buildings reflected significant alterations. Lastly, the survey team included a category for buildings constructed after 1940 that were considered too new to be properly evaluated, blue, except in cases where significance was already established.
Data forms and photographs were produced for each property in the second phase of fieldwork, as well as follow-up research including zoning and building permits. In total, 22 people worked on the CHRS over the course of the 13-year, $1.2 million-dollar project. A summary of the survey was published in 1996 and widely distributed at Chicago public libraries, but it only represented a selection of significant buildings.
After the orange-rated 1927 Chicago Mercantile Exchange Building was demolished without oversight, the City Council approved a proposal sponsored by Mayor Richard M. Daley that would grant a measure of protection to significant buildings. Adopted in 2003, the Demolition Delay Ordinance requires a 90-day hold on the issuance of a demolition permit for a building rated red or orange in the CHRS.
The CHRS online database is widely used to determine if a building is an “eligible” historic resource. Unfortunately, neither the online database nor the published summary fully represents the estimated 500,000 buildings that were included in the field assessment. Each only includes a selection of buildings that fell under subjective eligibility criteria, with the city GIS website only representing data on red- and orange-rated buildings.
Demolition delay has become the most significant function of the CHRS, yet it was never the intention of the survey to have the data determine whether a building is demolished without a review of significance. The survey organizers felt strongly that the survey would have to be periodically updated to ensure accuracy.
The “modern” cutoff date of 1940 was selected to provide a 50-year waiting period for eligible buildings based on the anticipated 1990 completion of the fieldwork. This determination mirrored the National Register of Historic Places requirement for a building to be at least 50 years old before its eligibility may be determined. It was felt that this choice would allow surveyors to be more objective, but there has been no public attempt to survey or evaluate midcentury modern resources. As only red- and orange-rated resources are subject to the Demolition Delay ordinance, most modern and postmodern buildings could be at risk.
Buildings that were new at the time of the survey are rapidly aging to eligibility and could be threatened with demolition without a municipal matrix to protect them. Postmodern architecture is only represented in the CHRS if it is included but not contributing to a local landmark district. This leaves most of Chicago’s postmodern architectural heritage absent, including all of the work of Stanley Tigerman and Harry Weese, as well as the James R. Thompson Center.
In the survey, there are inconsistencies across neighborhoods and styles of architecture as well as works by individual architects. For example, a similar grouping of structures may be identified with a “warm” color rating in one neighborhood and have no information and no color rating in another. Vernacular buildings—the structures that make up Chicago’s neighborhoods—are disproportionately represented throughout the survey. Choices that include what modern buildings to include and how surveyors color rated them lack a degree of impartiality, as not enough time had passed between their construction and evaluation to make a fair, non-aesthetic judgment.
Furthermore, while the original survey team included historic resources that are individually listed on the National Register, are National Historic Landmarks, and contribute to historic districts, the surveyors did not evaluate buildings that were already designated as City of Chicago Landmarks. While Chicago Landmarks are well known, the omission of established landmarks within the CHRS data makes the overall results less comprehensive. This also renders it difficult for researchers to review Chicago Landmark and CHRS data concurrently.
While work has been done to informally update the data of the CHRS, no update or reinterpretation of the CHRS data or attempt to resurvey the portions of Chicago that are missing from the data would have the same effect as a comprehensive effort by a city-managed municipal survey. The Chicago Landmarks Ordinance states that the Commission on Chicago Landmarks must “encourage the continuation of surveys and studies of Chicago’s historical and architectural resources and the maintenance and updating of a register of areas, districts, places, buildings, structures, works of art, and other objects which may be worthy of landmark designations.”
History is not static, and old buildings are continually taking on the mantle of significance, some by aging into it, some due to changing mindsets, and others by losing enough of their stylistic comrades to become rare when once they were common. The data that we rely on to determine what buildings are saved and what buildings are demolished in Chicago is at best 24 years old, and at worst 35. An updated CHRS, one that evaluates modern and postmodern architectural heritage and takes a fresh look at vernacular architecture, is the only way that Chicago can continue to protect its architectural heritage.
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FEATURE VIDEO:
Pilgrim Baptist Gospel Museum Gaining Momentum
on Chicago Tonight WTTW Chicago
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National Museum of Gospel Music, Pilgrim Baptist Church/K.A.M. Isaiah Israel Temple, Adler and Sullivan 3301 S. Indiana Avenue, Photo Credit: Wight & Company. Co.
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Pilgrim Baptist Church/K.A.M. Isaiah Israel Temple, Adler and Sullivan 3301 S. Indiana Avenue, Photo Credit: Ward Miller / Preservation Chicago
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Pilgrim Baptist Church/K.A.M. Isaiah Israel Temple, Adler and Sullivan 3301 S. Indiana Avenue, Photo Credit: Art Institute of Chicago, Ryerson & Burnham Library
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Alternate Rendering, Pilgrim Baptist Church/K.A.M. Isaiah Israel Temple, Adler and Sullivan 3301 S. Indiana Avenue, Rendering Credit: ChicagoPatterns.com
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In December 2017 plans were announced to build the nation’s first major gospel museum within the exterior limestone walls of the highly-significant Adler and Sullivan-designed Pilgrim Baptist Church/K.A.M. Isaiah Israel Temple at 3301 S. Indiana Avenue. This Designated Chicago Landmark was devastated by a fire in 2006.
Lead by Don Jackson, the successful businessman and founder of the Stellar Gospel Music Awards, organizers of the National Museum of Gospel Music hosted a gospel music benefit concert in Chicago on September 27, 2018. “The National Museum of Gospel Music Concert will celebrate the power and impact of gospel music while introducing a new cultural attraction to the community and encouraging future support. Intended to become an annual event, this free performance is open to the public and features Stellar Gospel Music Award winners, leading Chicago area artists and others. Artists scheduled to appear include: Donnie McClurkin, Kirk Franklin, Marvin Sapp, Travis Greene, Tamela Mann, Anthony Brown, Koryn Hawthorne, Pastor Charles Jenkins, Tasha Cobbs-Leonard, Jekalyn Carr, Ricky Dillard, JJ Hairston, Pastor Smokie Norful, Shirley Caesar, Jonathan McReynolds, Sir the Baptist, and others.” (www.nationalmuseumofgospelmusic.org)
Pilgrim Baptist was known as the birthplace of gospel music due to the leadership of long-time music director, Thomas Dorsey, known as the Father of Gospel. Mahalia Jackson, the “Queen of Gospel” made her professional debut at Pilgrim Baptist Church in 1928. Gospel legends who performed at the church included Aretha Franklin, the Staple Singers, Albertina Walker, Sallie Martin, and James Cleveland.
The National Museum of Gospel Music architect is the internationally renowned architect Dirk Lohan of Wight & Company. The projected cost for the museum is approximately $40 million. The project rendering shows a 45,000 square foot building that restores the 127-year old limestone walls with a glassy rooftop addition. Preservation Chicago strongly supports the project, but would prefer to see a roofline more similar to the original Adler and Sullivan designed. The Adler and Sullivan design was renowned for its outstanding acoustics, and we believe that a similar roof design and volume will make it easier to achieve optimal acoustics in the renovated building.
After many years without success raising the funds necessary for rebuilding, there was growing pressure from the neighborhood for action. The trustees explored options to sell the building, but decided that demolition would be a preferable option. Preservation Chicago and neighborhood preservation partners responded rapidly and the immediate threat of demolition passed.
Recognizing the significance of the structure by Adler and Sullivan, even in its diminished post-fire condition, Preservation Chicago never gave up hope and remains in active communication with the stakeholders to encourage a win-win solution. In 2016, Preservation Chicago proposed an adaptive reuse plan where the church would sell the property to the City, who would adapt the existing historic three-story limestone and brick walls into a small outdoor park and amphitheater geared for gospel music and managed by the Chicago Park District. When this initiative stalled, Preservation Chicago reached out to Dirk Lohan and others to consider creative adaptive reuse concepts for this important building.
Additional Reading
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DON’T MISS!
Open House Chicago
October 13 & 14, 2018,
250 Sites...48 Hours...All Free!
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Chicago Architecture Center Open House Chicago 2018
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250 COOL PLACES.
48 HOURS.
GO.
IT'S FREE.
OCTOBER 13 & 14, 2018
9AM - 5PM
Have you ever walked by a building and thought I wish I could see what's inside?
The Chicago Architecture Center’s Open House Chicago (OHC) is the city’s annual architecture festival. For one weekend in October you can explore Chicago’s most iconic and unique architectural treasures. From mansions to sacred spaces, theaters to private clubs, hotels to secret rooms—OHC gives visitors a behind-the-scenes look at many of the city’s great spaces that are rarely, if ever, open to the public.
Here’s your chance to venture into new neighborhoods, learn the stories of Chicago’s buildings and experience the rich and diverse cultures of our community.
OHC is completely free-of-charge—no registration or tickets are needed. So gather your friends, plan your itinerary and mark your calendar for October 13-14, 2018!
And if you visit The Shrine in Woodlawn, please be sure to say hello to the Preservation Chicago Staff and Board Members there!
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Ward Miller to speak at the
The Logan Square Centennial Celebration October 14, 2018, 11:00 to 3:00
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Illinois Centennial Monument of Logan Square Celebration Poster
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The Logan Square Centennial Celebration
The Logan Square Monument
OCTOBER 13 & 14, 2018
11AM - 3PM
FREE
Join your neighbors to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the dedication of the Illinois Centennial Monument at Logan Square!
Logan Square's beloved monument is 100 years old this year and we are celebrating. Join Logan Square Preservation and the Logan Square Chamber of Commerce for a day of fun and festivities.
There will be fun for the whole family with activities, entertainment, speeches and more. Speakers to inlcude Ward Miller, Executive Director of Preservation Chicago.
Please email info@loganchamber.org for more information on how to volunteer or be a part of the event.
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Don't Miss
"Pictures from an Exposition: Visualizing the 1893 World's Fair" at The Newberry Library
Through December 31, 2018
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Chromolithograph poster showing the Ferris Wheel, which debuted at the 1893 World’s Fair, Pictures from an Exposition: Visualizing the 1893 World's Fair, Image Credit: The Newberry Library
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“Pictures from an Exposition: Visualizing the 1893 World’s Fair” is free and open to the public and will be on display at the Newberry Library from Sept. 28 through Dec. 31.
Trienens Galleries
Free and open to the public
As the grandest international spectacle in a great age of spectacles, the World’s Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893 captured the public’s imagination through a dazzling array of visual images, from photographs, paintings, and illustrated albums to souvenirs, guidebooks, magazine features, and popular histories. But the allure of the fair depended less on the aesthetics of single objects than upon its status as a total, unified work of art.
Featuring works of art and ephemera from the Newberry’s extensive collection of exposition materials, Pictures from an Exposition explores the fair’s tremendous power of attraction, both at the time of its presentation and through history into the present, for both those who attended and those who experienced it from afar. Opening during the exposition’s 125th anniversary year, the exhibition will pay special attention to the dynamic between fine art and popular imagery, the intertwining of aesthetic and economic imperatives, and the ways in which the exposition’s visual language reflected the important role that images played in late 19th century American history and culture.
Curator-Led Tours
Free, curator-led tours of the exhibition will be offered on the following dates:
Wednesday, October 3, 4 pm
Saturday, November 3, 11:30 am
Tuesday, December 11, 6 pm
The tour groups will gather in the lobby and then move in to the galleries.
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Hundreds Celebrate at the Thompson Center SOS Starship Landing Event
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SAVE OUR STARSHIP Event, Photo Credit: Preservation Chicago
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SAVE OUR STARSHIP Event, Photo Credit: Preservation Chicago
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SAVE OUR STARSHIP Event, Photo Credit: Preservation Chicago
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SAVE OUR STARSHIP Event, Photo Credit: Preservation Chicago
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Architect Helmut Jahn’s kaleidoscopic, controversial State of Illinois Center/James R. Thompson Center in Chicago shocked the world when it opened in 1985. It may not be long for this world.
Today this iconic building is a bit faded due to decades of deferred maintenance. Occupying an entire block in the heart of the Loop, the Thompson Center is currently threatened with sale and demolition by the cash-strapped state legislature and governor.
It is one of Chicago’s most iconic late 20th century post-modern buildings and it represented a radical departure from the design of conventional government office buildings of its time. Despite initial construction challenges, this singular architectural vision of an open, accessible, and inspiring civic building, defined by its iconic, soaring atrium remains intact.
We strongly encourage the City of Chicago and State of Illinois to move quickly to designate the Thompson Center/State of Illinois Building as a Chicago Landmark. This would protect the building, plaza, and the public sculpture, “Monument with Standing Beast” by Jean Dubuffet.
Helmut Jahn is one of Chicago’s most famous contemporary architects, whose career began here with C. F. Murphy and whose work is now celebrated around the world from Chicago to Berlin to Shanghai.
This is a building for the people of Chicago, for the State of Illinois, for everyone see, to experience and be inspired by. Most importantly it is open to all.
Efforts to both protect its architectural vision and to activate the building should be implemented. A comprehensive redevelopment plan could correct the deferred maintenance. A tower-addition study by Helmut Jahn’s design firm has suggested that the existing building could accommodate new construction that would add square footage while remaining sensitive to the historic building, atrium, and public space.
The vast soaring atrium lends itself to highly collaborative potential uses. We encourage the State of Illinois to designate a portion of the building to be an incubator that would provide discounted rent to small arts organizations, nonprofits, tech start-ups, and other creative uses to help drive innovation in Chicago. By seeding these organizations at the Thompson 'Innovation' Center, they would help to activate the building and help to provide the vibrancy to the building that was always contemplated but never realized. Further, the building's public atrium should be embraced through live art and performances to be held throughout the year, but especially during the winter months.
We strongly encourage the City of Chicago move to officially recognize and protect the thrilling civic spaces and their visionary design, which continue Chicago’s legacy of bold, risk-taking architecture.
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Computers for Pullman Archives
GoFundMe Campaign!
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"Pullman Factory Worker with Finished Car", Photo Credit; The Pullman State Historic Site Collections.
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The Pullman State Historic Site has an ever-growing and important collection of archival materials (such as photographs and memorabilia) relating to the Pullman Company, the Pullman neighborhood, and the adjacent Roseland neighborhood. These archives range in date from the early 19th century to the present day. A number of dedicated volunteers (including professional archivists) work together to digitize and catalog this collection so that everyone can use it.
The Friends of the Pullman State Historic Site work with the Pullman State Historic Site and strongly support these initiatives among others. The Friends group needs your help in making more of these archives available. The archives are currently accessed through a homegrown and increasingly outdated system which no longer sufficiently serves our needs. In order to ensure ongoing public access to these important collections, we need to move to an industry standard digital asset management system.
You can review a mockup of the new, more accessible record format here:
Unfortunately, the current computer hardware available to us is all but obsolete. By adding additional workstations, more materials can be cataloged and made available in a timely manner. Altogether, the Friends seek to purchase between four and six desktop computers with monitors and imaging software at an estimated cost of $4,000 to $5,000.
We would like your help in making the dream of accessing Pullman archives available for everyone.
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If You Value Preservation In Chicago...
Please Support
Preservation Chicago
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Demolition of Chicago Machinery Building, 1217 West Washington Boulevard, designed by D.H. Burnham & Company in 1910, Photo Credit: Ward Miller
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Preservation Chicago is a small organization with a big impact. In a city the size of Chicago, every drop of your support counts.
Please choose to support historic preservation in Chicago today!
- Spread the Word! Support preservation in Chicago by reading and reposting Facebook and Twitter posts!
- Be Heard! Support preservation in Chicago by attending community meetings and standing up to make your voice heard!
- Be Counted! Support preservation in Chicago by taking a moment to sign online petitions!
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