Original painting by Haden Miller, Follow Haden Miller on Instagram

The Great Chicago Fire occurred on October 8, 1871. It destroyed approximately 3.3 square miles of Chicago and over 17,000 structures. Approximately 300 people were killed and more than 100,000 residents lost their homes. But almost before the ashes had cooled, Chicago began to rebuild. The energy and innovation from this rebuilding would change the shape of the Chicago and cities across the globe.

The Great Chicago Fire, WTTW Chicago

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"The Society of Architectural Historians lost a great leader and friend when former executive director Pauline Saliga passed away on Sunday, September 11, 2022, after a brief illness. For 27 years she served as the executive director of the Society of Architectural Historians and the Charnley-Persky House Museum Foundation in Chicago, where she helped promote the study and appreciation of architecture and architectural history, advocated for public humanities, and furthered public engagement with the built environment.

"Pauline Saliga was born in Chicago in 1953. A lifelong Chicagoan, she grew up in the Canaryville neighborhood and was a longtime resident of Beverly.

"Pauline studied art history at DePaul University and went on to earn a BA in art history from Northern Illinois University in 1975. She earned a master’s degree in art history and museum administration from the University of Michigan in 1977.

"She began her career as an assistant curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, where she worked from 1977 to 1981. There she helped organize a Sol Lewitt retrospective, an exhibition on Bang and Olufsen Design, and many exhibitions on contemporary Chicago art. In 1981 she joined the Art Institute of Chicago where she was Associate Curator of Architecture for 14 years. She organized numerous exhibitions and catalogues focusing on 19th- and 20th-century architecture in the United States and Europe including Building in a New Spain; Contemporary Spanish Architecture; and Design for the Continuous Present: The Architecture of Bruce Goff, 1904–1982. Of the exhibitions she curated, she was most proud of Fragments of Chicago's Past, a permanent collection of architectural fragments displayed around the central staircase in the main building of the Art Institute.

"She was the author, co-author, or editor of many books, articles, and exhibition catalogues, including Design for the Continuous Present: The Architecture of Bruce Goff, 1904–1982 (Prestel Verlag, 1995); Building in a New Spain: Contemporary Spanish Architecture (Gustavo Gili, 1992); and The Sky’s the Limit: A Century of Chicago Skyscrapers (Rizzoli, 1990). She was also interested in the history of Japanese garden design in North America and the history of industrial design.

"In 1995 the Society of Architectural Historians welcomed Pauline as its new executive director when it moved its headquarters from Philadelphia to Chicago. She set up SAH’s new office in the Charnley-Persky House, designed by Louis Sullivan with Frank Lloyd Wright, which Chicago philanthropist Seymour Persky purchased and donated to SAH. The Charnley-Persky House Museum Foundation was created in 1997 as a means of managing the property as an architectural monument and educational site, while simultaneously using it to house the SAH headquarters.

"The announcement of Pauline’s appointment in the SAH Newsletter (August 1995 Vol. XXXIX No. 4) noted her 'deep commitment to architectural history in all of its manifestations,' and remarked that members 'will quickly come to appreciate her bright calmness and subtle clarity of expression.'

"In addition to overseeing SAH’s annual conferences, field seminars, and educational programs that disseminated new research, Pauline guided the Society to become a leader in the digital humanities. JSAH Online was one of the first humanities journals to incorporate multimedia such as video, audio, and Google maps. SAHARA, a digital archive developed by SAH in collaboration with Artstor, today contains more than 171,000 user-contributed images of the global built environment for research and teaching. The open access resource SAH Archipedia, published by SAH and University of Virginia Press, contains histories, photographs, and maps for over 21,000 structures and places in the US and brings peer-reviewed scholarship to a worldwide audience.

"A strong advocate for the public humanities, Pauline worked to position SAH as a bridge between scholarly and public audiences. Under her direction, SAH promoted meaningful public engagement with the built environment through SAH Archipedia, virtual programs, SAH Affiliate Groups, as well as tours and educational programs at the Charnley-Persky House. She was steadfast in her commitment to fostering a more equitable and inclusive culture at SAH and worked to shape the Society to serve the needs of 21st-century architectural historians with the creation of the SAH Inclusion Diversity Equity Accountability and Sustainability Initiative (IDEAS) and the establishment of the SAH IDEAS Committee.

As executive director of the Charnley-Persky House, Pauline oversaw the Society’s stewardship of the house, which included the completion of the house’s conservation management plan and various restoration projects. She loved working in such a beautiful and historic building, and she valued its role in expanding outreach activities that utilized the Society’s intellectual resources. 'I’m steeped in history on a daily basis, and I love telling the many stories associated with buildings and making history come alive for new generations,' she told VoyageChicago in 2018. Tourists from all over the world visit the house on tours throughout the year, and student groups learn firsthand about architecture and architectural history. When the Charnley-Persky House was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1998, Pauline remarked that it was an honor and that it provided 'an important opportunity for the Society to fulfill its mission to heighten awareness and understanding of the built environment in the public realm.'

"This year she was working on an exhibition, The City Beyond the White City: Race, Two Chicago Homes, and Their Neighborhoods, with Dr. Rebecca Graff, associate professor of anthropology at Lake Forest College. The exhibition frames the history of race and the built environment in Chicago through the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and two homesites, the Charnley-Persky House and Mecca Flats, located respectively on Chicago’s privileged Near North and disinvested Near South Sides. Pauline was passionate about the project and utilizing the Charnley-Persky House to examine difficult and erased histories of Chicago. The exhibition will open this fall at the Charnley-Persky House and will be accompanied by an exhibition website.

"In 2015, when Pauline was named an SAH Fellow, one of the Society’s highest honors, architectural historian Richard Longstreth remarked on the central role she played in moving SAH forward into the digital realm and in becoming a more international organization. 'She has been the driver to push the Society into new realms, and she has been the glue that has held it together.'

"When it was announced that she would be stepping down in fall 2022, Pauline said that serving as the executive director of SAH and the Charnley-Persky House 'has been an honor and the opportunity of a lifetime.' The SAH community will miss Pauline’s quiet brilliance, levelheadedness, kindness, and generosity. We express our heartfelt gratitude for her visionary leadership of the Society, and we offer our sincere condolences to her husband, John, and her children, Nadia and Tom.

"If you would like to honor Pauline’s memory and support SAH, donations may be made to the recently established Pauline Saliga Fund, which helps fund the Society’s ongoing technology expenses and recognizes her achievements as a visionary proponent for new technologies in the digital humanities. Donations may be made online at sah.org/donate or by mailing a check to SAH at 1365 N. Astor Street, Chicago, IL 60610.

"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.

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)

Lake Street Schlitz-Brewery Tied House / formerly La Lucé restaurant, 1892, 1393-1399 W. Lake Street after neglect and vandalism on September 5, 2022. Photo Credit: Gabriel X. Michael @_GXM tweet

Board-up in progress at landmarked former La Luce, September 6, 3:20 pm. Photo credit: Lynn Becker tweet @LynnBecker

"The former home of La Luce Italian restaurant, which gained landmark status last year, has severely deteriorated in recent months, preservationists said.

"Residents and preservationists fought hard to save the building and get it landmark status, which was granted in June 2021. But the former Schlitz Brewery tied house at 1393-1399 W. Lake St. is missing some of its copper-clad siding and has been defaced with spray paint. Up until recently, it was unsecured and people could roam freely inside the gutted building, which had holes in the floor.

"Veritas LLC, co-owned by Anthony Giannini and Steven DeGraff, bought the building with the intention of razing it, their zoning attorney previously told the landmark commission. The building has sat vacant since it received landmark status.

"Ward Miller, executive director of Preservation Chicago, said he’s called the city, Ald. Walter Burnett Jr (27th) and an attorney representing Veritas LLC in an effort to get the damaged fixed.

"Because of those calls, inspectors from the city’s buildings department visited the property to see if repairs were being made in line with the city’s building code, according to a statement from the department Friday.

"'After [Department of Building] inspectors visited the building, they referred the case to the Department of Law. The Department of Law is reviewing the complaint. A case has not yet been filed,' according to the city.

"Ward said it’s the second time he’s had to reach out regarding the building’s condition. In March, he alerted the city the door had been left open and unsecured.

"'Six months later and it’s only gotten worse,' Miller said.

"'It’s my personal opinion is if this owner or developer can’t clean up this terrible mess and restore a landmark building, perhaps they should be considered banned from doing business in Chicago in the future,' Ward said.

"According to the property’s landmark designation report, the protected features of the building include all exterior elevations, including the rooflines.

"Landmark buildings must be up to the city’s building code, but there is no upkeep requirement listed in city’s landmarks ordinance. (Mercado, Block Club Chicago, 9/19/22)

Preservation Chicago has long advocated for the building's preservation and will continue to advocate for it until its in a safe place. Schlitz-Brewery Tied House / formerly La Lucé restaurant became a Chicago Landmark in July 2021 after a rapid response Preservation Chicago advocacy effort to when its owner attempted to demolish it. Dating from 1892, this Queen Anne Victorian building is, according to Maurice Cox, Commissioner of Planning and Development, at the landmark hearing, a 'rare asset."

"A handful of mostly middle-aged women threw up a barricade made of sticks, branches, broken bricks and a couple of sawhorses Friday morning.

"Then they sat down and prayed.

"'We have God. We have the rosary. We have the bigger barricade,' said Judy Vazquez, 65.

"Whether that will be enough to deter the Archdiocese of Chicago remains to be seen. Vazquez and her fellow demonstrators quickly assembled outside the majestic but crumbling St. Adalbert Church, 1650 W. 17th St., Friday morning when they got word workers were on their way to try once again to remove the church’s marble Pieta, a replica of Michelangelo’s.

"Vazquez said she and her group managed to turn the workers away Friday morning, even as the men grumbled the women had no right to block their way.

“This whole thing is so agonizing, it’s so heartbreaking. We shouldn’t have to be out here,” Vazquez said.

"Work began late last month to remove the statue from St. Adalbert’s, which was built by Polish immigrants in the early 1900s and opened its doors in 1914. In 2016, it was announced the church — in need of major repairs — would close. It held its last Mass in 2019, and its parishioners were merged with the nearby St. Paul’s Catholic Church — where the archdiocese plans to move the marble statue.

"But it won’t be without a fight.

"Supporters of saving St. Adalbert’s said Friday that they plan to remain in front of the iron gates 24 hours a day until they can sit down with archdiocese officials. They don’t want the Pieta moved.

"Vazquez, who grew up in the Pilsen neighborhood, said she postponed a knee replacement surgery in Seattle to fight the archdiocese.

"'We want the archdiocese to come to the table and realistically talk to us as parishioners [about] what to do with this property so it’s not sold to developers. We have just as much right to this property as they do,' she said.

"She and others said they would be willing to be arrested, if necessary.

"On Friday, Susan Thomas, a spokeswoman for the archdiocese said, 'The statue will follow the parishioners to St. Paul Church in Pilsen, where it can be properly displayed and safeguarded in an active parish church.'" (Esposito, Chicago Sun-Times, 9/9/22)

After neighbors sounded the alarm when they discovered contractors working for the Archdiocese of Chicago attempting to break-through the east transept wall of St. Adalbert Church. Preservation Chicago arrived on scene to assist preservation partners and has been proactively reaching out stakeholders. Preservation Chicago staff camped out on site through much of the weekend of to support the human barricade of community members attempting to prevent the unpermitted demolition work.

The rectangular hole will be approximately 10’ or 15’ in height and 8’ wide, and a cut opening through the exterior masonry wall. The drilling and backhoeing of this portion of the east wall may undermine portions of the structure. This work is being done without a permit and was initiated without the knowledge of the City and the Community.

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.

Ald. Sigcho-Lopez files complaint against Mayor Lightfoot over rezoning of Pilsen church

"A Southeast Side site that was part of the Underground Railroad is having a sign dedication event this Saturday.

"The Jan and Aagje Ton Farm was the first Underground Railroad site in Chicago to be recognized by the National Park Service’s Network to Freedom project. The farm once provided a safe harbor to people who had been enslaved but escaped to freedom.

"'It’s part of our long effort — almost a 20-year effort — to showcase and bring awareness to the Ton Farm site, which was an important stop on the Underground Railroad back before the Civil War and emancipation,' said Tom Shepherd, one of the project’s volunteers.

"Larry McClellan, a historian and retired professor who leads the Little Calumet River Underground Railroad Project, submitted the farm to the Network to Freedom in 2019. The site was approved the same year. There was a celebration at the time, but now the Illinois State Historical Society marker is in place, making the site an 'official deal,' McClellan said.

"McClellan has studied the history of the Underground Railroad in Illinois for more than 30 years, he said. He’s identified dozens of sites in northeastern Illinois where 3,000-4,500 formerly enslaved people traveled to find refuge and passage to the North, he said. Among those sites are 20 spots in Chicago proper where people who wanted freedom traveled to and received aid, McClellan said.

"The Ton Farm, run by Dutch immigrants and abolitionists Jan and Aagje Ton, helped formerly enslaved people in their journey North, McClellan said.

"'There was a very active Underground Railroad here,' McClellan said. 'In the 1850s, it was really run by a group of Black abolitionists, Black activists. Uniquely, at the southern edge of Chicago, there was a settlement of a lot of Dutch farmers, and several Dutch families ended up directly assisting freedom seekers who were leaving Chicago on their way to freedom in Canada.'

"McClellan said Saturday’s event is important because it will celebrate and highlight the history of Ton Farm and the city’s often ignored and forgotten Southeast Side.

"'The stories of freedom seekers and the Underground Railroad, along with other aspects of Black history in this country — these are stories that have either been ignored or have been deliberately pushed aside, and we’re very excited that we’ve been working with a very diverse group of community people and other folks … to kind of bring back to light,' McClellan said.

"'The movement of freedom seekers and the Underground Railroad road is a very important part of American history [that] has been just overlooked for too long.' (McDonald, Block Club Chicago, 9/21/22)

"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

"Woodlawn community organizers say public masses have been suspended at the Shrine of Christ the King Catholic Church, and they worry the Archdiocese of Chicago is planning to shutter the landmark.

"Mass and other sacraments at Shrine of Christ the King, 6401 S. Woodlawn Ave., were suspended on Monday, according to Jennifer Blackman, a member of the Coalition to Save the Shrine, a nonprofit organization aiming to restore the church.

"Blackman said the ban came from the archdiocese under a directive issued early this year to bring parishes and shrines in line with a papal decree aimed at limiting Mass being celebrated in Latin. Christ the King Church only celebrates Mass in Latin.

"The Coalition to Save the Shrine was formed in January of 2016 after fire destroyed the roof of the church. The organization said more than $3 million was raised to repair the damage and save the church from demolition, according to Blackman.

"Gabriel Piemonte, co-founder of Save the Shrine, said the recent developments 'are a cause for concern.'

"'We and other community stakeholders are requesting that the archdiocese be transparent in the decision-making process to ensure the future of the building reflects its highest and best use,' Piemonte said.

"The building was constructed in 1927 as St. Clara Church. It was granted landmark status in 2003 as St. Gelasius.

"Blackman said representatives from Coalition to Save the Shrine plan to speak at Thursday’s Commission on Chicago Landmarks meeting. (Heather, Chicago Sun-Times, 8/2/22)

Preservation Chicago has worked closely with preservation partners for many years to defend and protect this significant building. The highly ornate 1923 church building at 6401 S. Woodlawn Avenue was devastated by a fire in October 2015. The historic church’s interior and roof were completely lost, but the massive limestone walls survived. The estimated cost of rebuilding was $9 million dollars so the Archdiocese was left with little choice but to demolish the remains of the Designated Chicago Landmark Building.

Then something of a miracle occurred. Due to an extraordinary preservation advocacy effort, within a few months of the fire, nearly $650,000 in pledges had been received to rebuild. Ultimately, the congregation, Woodlawn residents, the preservation community, and Preservation Chicago were successful in their efforts to preserve the building resulting in a transfer of ownership from the Archdiocese to a separate Catholic order, known as The Institute of Christ the King, at no cost, but with a commitment to rebuild the building and a Catholic presence in Woodlawn.

Initial funding was used to stabilize the building with the optimism that future monies would be raised for the installation of a new roof. Over $3 million dollars were raised. The rebuilding efforts for fire-damaged Shrine of Christ the King/St. Gelasius/St. Clara Church in Woodlawn reached an important milestone in March 2018 when the first new roof trusses were installed.

"One of Uptown’s historical buildings is undergoing a massive renovation after years of neighbor efforts to preserve it.

"City officials helped break ground Tuesday on the renovation of the Clarendon Park Community Center, a 106-year-old field house once threatened with demolition.

"The city and Park District are spending $13 million to upgrade the facility, including giving it new accessibility features, outdoor space and a remodeled lobby. Work will soon begin on the long-promised renovation that seeks to restore the community center to its former glory.

"'We came very close to having this demolished,' Ald. James Cappleman (46th) said at the groundbreaking. 'Every battle that had to be fought was fought and won.'

"The community center at 4501 N. Clarendon Ave. will see a massive overhaul that will refurbish the 1916 structure and improve community amenities. The gym will be renovated, the lobby rebuilt and there will be a new outdoor gathering area. Work will also include a renovated dance studio, performance space and club rooms, according to a planning document presented to the public.

"The renovation work is badly needed, as the structure’s deteriorating condition led it to be included in Preservation Chicago's 2015 list of the city’s 'most threatened' historic buildings.

"In 2019, Park District officials unveiled multiple proposals for the site, including demolishing and replacing the structure. Neighbors and preservationists rallied to the building’s cause, helping convince the Park District to invest in its restoration.

"'We thought it was important to preserve the building beyond its architecture,' said Ward Miller, executive director of Preservation Chicago. 'This building is a safe haven for children.'

'The Clarendon Community Center was built in 1916 as a bath house to serve the Clarendon Municipal Beach. At the time, Lake Michigan’s shores abutted the beach bath house.

"'We’re bringing back the old and making it new, making it functional,' Park District CEO Rosa Escareño said. 'Projects such as this really cater to everyone in our city.'" (Ward, Block Club Chicago, 9/14/22)

Preservation Chicago applauds Ald. James Cappleman for his commitment to seeing the Clarendon Park Community Center protected from demolition and for helping to solidify the necessary renovation funds. Preservation Chicago applauds the Chicago Park District for its flexibility, support and commitment to this important project.

The Clarendon Park neighbors and community stakeholders played an essential role in this effort and deserve special recognition for their unwavering support for this wonderful outcome with a special thanks to Katharine Boyda, Melanie Eckner, Martin Tangora, Cindi Anderson, Stuart Berman, the Uptown Historical Society, the Clarendon Park Advisory Council, Uptown United and Uptown Chicago Commission.

"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 these Landmark bank buildings. We are pleased to see the Mid-City Bank Building revisioned under a new ownership after many years of vacancy.

"A big, empty building on State Street in the Loop is hitting the market again, a property that could attract interest from developers that want to tear it down and build a high-rise in its place.

"The Sterling Organization, the owner of the 112,000-square-foot building at 209-227 S. State St., has hired Chicago brokerage Greenstone Partners to sell the property, the home of a Woolworth’s store for many years. The building has been vacant since Foot Locker closed its store there in 2020.

"Not surprisingly, Greenstone plans to market the property as a redevelopment candidate, accentuating its size and generous zoning that could accommodate a tall building on the site. A new apartment building would be the most obvious option for the property, given the strength of the downtown multifamily market.

"'There are so many different ways you can cut it from a development standpoint,' said Greenstone CEO and Managing Partner Danny Spitz. 'It’s very rare to find something like this on State Street.'

"Demolishing or repurposing the existing building to create something new also makes sense given State Street’s current retail struggles.

“Apartments make a ton of sense (for Sterling’s property), whether it’s adaptive re-use or ground-up,” Spitz said.

"The existing building, which rises as high as seven stories on its north end, sits on a 20,300-square-foot parcel with current zoning that could accommodate a project as large as 325,000 square feet, according to Greenstone. A developer also could seek a zoning change that would allow for a larger building on the property.

"A developer also could preserve and reuse the existing art deco building, which is about 100 years old, according to Spitz. The property is not a landmark or included on the city’s list of historically significant buildings.

"Should the city step in to save it? Chicago preservationist Ward Miller isn’t ready to take a stand on that question.

"'This is a nice example of a fine-quality building that should be preserved,' said Miller, executive director of Preservation Chicago, an advocacy group. 'Is it landmark quality? I think we’d have to look into it further.'

"Miller is more focused on saving two historic structures directly across the street: the Century and Consumers buildings, which the federal government wants to tear down to create a security perimeter around the federal courthouse complex next door. In July, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks asked city staffers to prepare a report on the buildings, a possible first step toward a landmark designation that would block the demolition plans." (Gallun, Crain's Chicago Business, 8/29/22)

Update: Chicago Vocational High School was approved for National Register of Historic Places on August 15, 2022.

“We’ve been plenty concerned about Chicago Vocational, the architecturally important but underutilized Art Deco/Art Moderne designed high school in the city’s Avalon Park neighborhood.

“Built in 1941 for 4,000 students, only about 800 pupils currently attend the school at 2100 E. 87th Street.

“The city’s second-largest public school building — only Lane Tech is larger — Chicago Vocational is so underused, officials closed off a nearly block-long wing along Anthony Avenue, a few years ago.

“There was even talk a few years back of wrecking the Anthony wing, which triggered concerns among the school’s alumni about the building’s future.

“But those fears might be allayed a bit now. That’s because the Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council last month voted to recommend the National Park Service list the rambling 81-year-old school on the National Register of Historic Places.

“It is simply one-of-a-kind and thus the school is well-deserving in taking its place among other noted and honored structures,” said Michael L. Mims, a 1978 graduate of the school — he majored in architectural drafting — who is leading the National Register nomination effort.

This is good news that we hope leads to a full-on effort to preserve the historic school — and rebuild its curriculum also.

“Now called Chicago Vocational Career Academy, but best known by its original name, Chicago Vocational High School, CVS sits on a 22-acre campus west of the Chicago Skyway.

“During its prime in the 20th century, the school provided a top-notch vocational education on the then-largely industrial Southeast Side.

“But rather than stick students with a bare-bones, factory-like school building, Chicago Board of Education architect John C. Christensen designed a stylish building, rippling with architectural details.

“‘CVS is an exemplary building and architecturally distinct from any other public school in Chicago,’ Oram said. ‘But CVS is more than another Art Deco landmark. CVS is a monument of social history that represents the experiences of local students, teachers, and families.’

“But Mims and Oram’s good work shows the city must also get about the business of granting CVS local landmark status.

“A city landmark designation would help protect the building from demolition or unsympathetic alterations.

“Together, a city landmark designation and the National Register could make a solid foundation to reinvest in CVS and turn it into the academic asset it once was — and must be again.” (Chicago Sun-Times Editorial, 7/2/22)

Could preserving school’s regal architecture help CVS regain status as ‘the pride of the South Side’? Some grads of Chicago Vocational High School say their alma mater is in a state of disrepair. As enrollment declines, they hope designating the school as an official Chicago landmark can save the building — and the community, Jason Beeferman, Chicago Sun-Times, 11/11/21

"Chicago Vocational School is located at 2100 East 87th Street on Chicago’s south side in Avalon Park. The South Side is the largest of the City’s three sides.

"Chicago Vocational School (CVS) was constructed in 1938 and sits on a 27-acre campus with two contributing structures bordered by 87th Street, Anthony Avenue, 85th Street, and Chappel Avenue. The school is set in a residential community of Post WWII era, single-family dwellings.

"The campus, which encompasses 4.4 square city blocks, includes a World War II-era aircraft hangar that contributes to its historical integrity. CVS was one of only two structures in the Avalon Park community recognized for architectural distinction by the Chicago Historic Resources Survey.

"Chicago Vocational School is a strong candidate for Chicago Landmark designation. It is believed that the school meets six of the seven criteria, but more particularly Criterion 1 for its significance to Chicago history and Criterion 4 as an exemplary example of Art Deco-Art Moderne architecture.

"Criteria #1: CVS was designed as a male-only vocational high school, which included state-of-the-art shop rooms for classes like sheet-metal, engineering, printing, auto mechanics, electrical work, and architectural drafting. The monumental building was designed to accommodate 6,000 students – and remains one of the largest public schools ever constructed in Chicago history. It was designed and highly regarded at that time to be the largest, most modern and best equipped trade school in the entire United States of America.

"Financial support for the school’s construction came from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) program during the Great Depression. The school features a fourteen-panel wood carved mural in the auditorium completed by an artist for the WPA Federal Artists Project in 1939. Four of the panels depict architectural landmarks in downtown Chicago; like the Chicago Board of Trade building, while the other panels depict scenes of industry and commerce, relevant to the vocational programs offered at CVS. This is an exceptional example of WPA-era public art unique to Chicago due to its wood panel construction; most surviving public school murals are traditional fresco and oil paintings.

"Also, historically unique was the school’s conversion into a Naval Training School for Mechanics during World War II. The Board of Education gave the school over to the Department of Navy to train naval men and teachers to repair and assemble aircrafts. The school was occupied by the Defense Priority Board and Second Floor Anthony Wing served as barracks for naval students and personnel, and notably an aircraft hangar was constructed on campus in 1941 for students to study aviation mechanics, which still remains today. This was the only high school in the state of Illinois occupied by a branch of the U.S. Military during the war, and the only school in the country that trained teachers in aviation mechanics for the Navy during World War II.

"Criteria #4: Art Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture and design that first appeared in France before World War I. Its name stems from the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts held in Paris in 1925. In the 1930s a sleeker form of Art Deco called Art Moderne emerged featuring curving forms and smooth polished surfaces, giving way to more functional and unadorned styles of modern architecture.

"Chicago Vocational School is an architectural icon on the south side of Chicago and blends art deco and art moderne design. It’s mostly notable exterior features are dramatic curved limestone facades. Repeating vertical lines in the facades draw the eye skyward to suggest modernity and progress. This design is characteristic of Art Deco skyscrapers constructed in Chicago during the 1930s like the Chicago Board of Trade Building but is rare in low-rise schoolhouses. In fact, Chicago Vocational School is the largest Art Deco/Art Moderne building in Chicago that is not a skyscraper and is Chicago's best large-scale example of Art Deco-Art Moderne architecture.

"The school is also home to such notable Alumns as Football Hall of Famer Dick Butkus, NFL Linebacker for Chicago Bears; Comedian Bernard McCullough-aka Bernie Mack; NFL Linebacker Keena Turner; and Jowan Howard-Head Basketball Coach of the Michigan Wolverines.

"This wonderful, historical and architectural wonder should be preserved. Those who have signed this petition believe the historical value, aesthetic interest, and the developmental role Chicago Vocational School has played, not only for the city, but for our great nation is unmatched- and certainly worth saving.

"Please join us in saving, preserving, and LANDMARKING Chicago Vocational School."

"When Carl Schurz High School was granted city landmark status in 1979, the report making the case for the designation listed other architecturally significant Chicago schools designed by the North Side edifice’s noted architect, Dwight Perkins.

"The list included the now-former Trumbull Elementary in Andersonville, Cleveland Elementary in the Irving Park community and others designed by Perkins when he was chief public school architect from 1905 to 1910.

"Absent from that roll call, however, was Schurz’s twin, James H. Bowen High School, 2710 E. 89th St. In addition to being omitted from the designation report, the school — designed by Perkins and opening the same day as Schurz — has never been landmarked by the city.

"Bowen alum Marc Edelstein wants to change that. The 1968 graduate began circulating an online petition recently in a bid to seek enough popular support to nudge city officials to finally landmark the 112-year-old South Chicago neighborhood school.

"'Architecturally, it’s a gem,' Edelstein told us.

"He’s right. And it’s high time to correct the 40-year-old oversight.

"Edelstein is vice president of the Bowen High School Alumni Association. He said the group’s main purpose is awarding scholarships to the schools’ deserving seniors, but Edelstein began championing for Bowen to have landmark status five years ago.

"'The petition is our most recent attempt to get greater public support and hopefully make an impact on the landmarking decision-makers,' Edelstein said.

"'As a landmark, the building will be preserved and maintained, which will help the economy of the hard-working South Chicago neighborhood residents,' said one signer.

"'Preserving SE side treasures is vital to the preservation of the community!' wrote another.

"'[Its] bold Mission, Prairie, and Chicago School elements speak to Dwight Perkins’ gifts,' Edelstein said. 'His use of natural lighting and sophisticated hygiene systems — imagine, indoor bathrooms on every floor — were unique for the time.'

Schurz High School, 3601 N. Milwaukee Ave., was designed with the same features and has been rightfully lauded for them. In addition to being a city landmark, Schurz has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1987.

A city planning department spokesperson says the agency’s historic preservation staff believes Bowen and Chicago Vocational would meet landmark criteria. But there’s no word on when — or even if — the buildings would be brought before the landmarks commission for approval.

"Classic public schools are among the finest buildings in Chicago, yet they are unrecognized in a city that’s rightfully proud of, if not downright boastful about, its architecture.

"It’s time to landmark Bowen and bring more architecturally significant school buildings into the fold." (Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board, 8/30/22)

Preservation Chicago has been working closely with Marc Edelstein and the Bowen High School Alumni Association to help protect and landmark Bowen High School. We contributed to the report for future inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. We would volunteer our services pro bono to the City of Chicago to prepare a Chicago Landmark Designation report for Bowen High School.

"We urge the Chicago Public School Board, 7th Ward Ald. Greg Mitchell, and the Commission on Chicago Landmarks to advance a Landmark nomination for Bowen High School, located at 2710 E. 89th Street. Landmarking will preserve and protect this architectural treasure for future generations of Chicagoans.

"James H. Bowen High School is a Chicago public school which opened in 1910. It was designed by famed architect Dwight H. Perkins, and is a prime example of the Chicago School and Prairie style of design. Bowen High School has a twin sister school - Carl Schurz High School on the North Side of Chicago – that was designed and built by Perkins the same year. Schurz High School was Landmarked in 1978. It is past time for Bowen High School to receive the same Chicago Landmark designation.

"Equity in Landmarking – what’s Landmarked on the North Side should be Landmarked on the South Side as well. It is overdue for this remarkable architectural asset in South Chicago to get the same recognition as its twin building on the North Side."

Preservation Chicago has been working closely with Marc Edelstein and the Bowen High School Alumni Association to help protect and landmark Bowen High School.

"Community leaders and local officials gathered Tuesday for the ceremonial groundbreaking at a multimillion-dollar project promising to transform a long-vacant landmark into a culinary hub.

"Englewood Connect, a $14 million eco-friendly food hub and year-round community 'living room,' will replace the vacant, 93-year-old Engine Co. 84 firehouse at 6204 S. Green St. The 9,000-square-foot development will serve as a business incubator and culinary center where neighbors, local businesses and entrepreneurs can grow and operate.

"The culinary hub was the winning proposal for the site in Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s Invest South/West initiative, created to bring developments to West and South side neighborhoods. McLaurin Development Partners, a real estate development team, is leading the project.

"Phase one of Englewood Connect will include restoration of the firehouse and construction of the Living Room, a gathering space. The city provided $6 million in Tax Increment Financing assistance and sold the firehouse and 2 acres of city-owned land for $1 to bring the hub to fruition.

"Englewood Connect was also one of six development projects selected to receive grant funding from the Chicago Community Trust’s We Rise Together: For An Equitable and Just Recovery initiative.

"The city is 'doing the work,' Lightfoot said in an interview with Block Club.

"From the announcement in 2019 to hosting community meetings, selecting proposals, and 'in a year starting groundbreaking,' the city is moving at 'record pace,' Lightfoot said.

"'Vertical construction takes sometimes years once the shovels start in the ground,' Lightfoot said. 'Anybody that actually knows construction and development knows that this is a very fast pace. In many instances, these would have been years and years in the making, but we know that people need to see progress, and that’s precisely what we’re doing.' (Reed, Block Club Chicago, 9/28/22)

"The Muddy Waters MOJO Museum could get a new garden to host outdoor performances — if the city allows the owner to buy an adjacent lot.

"Museum founder Chandra Cooper and her team unveiled plans for the empty lot during an Aug. 30 community meeting. They hope to transform the lot next door to the 131-year-old house museum, 4339 S. Lake Park Ave., into an urban oasis with greenery, seating and a stage. A mural of the iconic blues legend would grace the exterior wall.

"Waters and his family lived on the first floor of the home for nearly two decades. It was built in 1891 and has been transformed into the museum through the efforts of Cooper, his great-granddaughter, and other supporters.

"But the museum will need the city’s OK to buy the vacant lot and make the garden plans come true.

“We’ve been using the vacant lot with no problems over the past two years for small performances in the early afternoon during the summer months,” Cooper said. “We’ve also used it as a healing space.”

"Cooper envisions a communal space where visitors can practice yoga and meditation one day and take in an intimate live show the next. Community organizations would be welcome to host events, and a gate would be installed at the front of the lot. The back of the property would be 'closed off' for safety, Cooper said.

"Edward Torrez, the architect overseeing the project, said he’s looking for input from residents to create a garden everyone can enjoy, with design elements reflecting the city’s blues history.

"The city’s planning department is in talks with the museum team to sell the vacant lot, though a price is yet to be determined, a spokesperson said.

"Cooper said she hopes the museum will get a fair shake from the city.

"'What we’re doing is adding cultural value,' Cooper said. “I hope [the city] takes that into consideration.'(Nesbitt Golden, Block Club Chicago, 9/7/22)

Preservation Chicago encourages the City of Chicago to sell the vacant lot to MOJO Museum for $1 in recognition of Chandra Cooper's dedication in face of adversity and her fierce love for this important part of Chicago’s cultural heritage.

We're thrilled that the long-endangered Muddy Waters home is finally receiving the financial support it needs to be restored. We will continue to support this effort until the MOJO Museum celebrates its grand opening.

Preservation Chicago has worked very closely with neighborhood preservation partners and has played a strong role in supporting the effort to protect and landmark the Muddy Waters home. Additionally, our petition with nearly 33,000 signatures and other advocacy efforts played a decisive role in publicizing the proposed House Museum Ban ordinance that would have been devastating for emerging house museums like the Muddy Waters home, and scores of arts and cultural centers across Chicago.

We continue to advocate for a Chicago Jazz, Blues, and Gospel Thematic Landmark District that would recognize and protect the places and spaces where Chicago musicians made history.

"Bishop Louis Henry Ford, the influential Black pastor who saved a noteworthy 1830s house from ruin and rehabbed it over the course of decades, may be honored with more than simply renaming the house.

"City officials 'are looking at ways we might amplify the story' of Ford buying the Greek Revival house when it was about a century old and fixing it up with his congregation at St. Paul Church of God in Christ, Erin Harkey, commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, said at a community meeting yesterday about the remaking proposal.

"'It’s clear we’ve reached a critical point in the history of the house,' Harkey said. Owned by the city since 1977 and officially known as the Henry B. Clarke House after the Chicago pioneer who built it in 1836, the house has recently been held up as an example of whiting out Black history.

"Signage and other information about the house 'has been light on the role Bishop Ford played in the preservation' of the house, said Ald. Pat Dowell, whose 3rd Ward encompasses the Chicago Women’s Park & Gardens, where both this house and the Glessner House stand. 'We have to be authentic about the people who gave their blood, sweat and tears” to rescue and repair the house,' Dowell said.

"Harkey said the house will likely be renamed the Clarke/Ford House, but that in a larger way, 'we are considering the future of the house.' The time is right, she said. The city begins a $1 million renovation of the house in September.

"Renaming and repositioning the house to acknowledge Bishop Ford is one piece of Chicago's nation-leading Black house movement, a grassroots push to memorialize momentous Black figures in the homes where they did their work, outside mainstream institutions. In recent years, the homes of Emmett Till and his pioneering mother, blues icon Muddy Waters, entrepreneur S.B. Fuller and others have been part of the movement.

"After stewarding the house from 1941 to 1977, Ford wasn’t invited to the city’s rededication of the house as a museum in 1982, said Elizabeth Blasius, an architectural historian and principal of Preservation Futures, which has been working with Ford on the effort to better recognize his father’s history with the house.

"Bishop Ford saw his church’s work with the building as symbolic of the Black community’s efforts elsewhere. In 1969, he told the Chicago Tribune that 'here in the ghetto, grass is growing all around, and flowers. So many people think the black community is supposed to destroy everything. Destroy everything? Here we have preserved the oldest house. This is our message.'

"In 1965, an architect who had supervised the creation of a list of historic buildings in Chicago in the 1930s told the Chicago Tribune that 'Bishop Ford and his congregation deserve a great deal of credit for preserving this home.'" (Rodkin, Crain's Chicago Business, 8/24/22)

"There used to be a teacher’s desk in each classroom at the old Elizabeth Peabody public school building on Augusta Boulevard in Noble Square. Now each one has a kitchen island.

"The Peabody school, one of dozens of Chicago Public Schools buildings shut down in 2013, is getting a second life as apartments at the hands of a company that has converted two other closed school buildings.

"In the rehab, Buffalo Grove-based Svigos Asset Management is creating one apartment in each former classroom and the principal’s office. Rents for the one- and two-bedroom apartments, some with ground-level outdoor spaces and indoor parking, run from $3,000 to $4,200, said Nick Vittore, Svigos' vice president of real estate.

"'Some of the things we’re obsessed with now, like high ceilings and big windows for lots of light, were obsessions for the people who built these schools in the 19th century,' Vittore said.

"Fourteen-foot ceilings and tall windows were necessities in 1894, for daylighting classrooms and keeping sooty furnace smoke up above students' heads. Now they’re part of what keeps the apartments feeling bright and spacious.

"The historical features of the Peabody School Apartments don’t end there. Svigos has restored or re-created transom windows, wainscoting and handsome old cabinetry throughout the 40,000-square-foot building. Outside, they’ve replicated a wrought iron fence design that was common to Chicago schools in the 1890s but had been removed by the time Peabody closed.

"Authenticity, Vittore said, is a guiding principle. In one apartment, he noted that the laundry room door is a standard pre-hung item that the developer gets for $225, while the main interior door is a hefty wood original, refinished.

"'That one cost us about $1,500,' Vittore said, 'but we would do it again. It’s part of preserving the historic character of these buildings.'

"Svigos has a portfolio of about 250 apartments, mostly on the city’s North Side, including 81 in a trio of former CPS schools. In 2017, the firm completed conversion of the former Mulligan School on Sheffield Avenue in Lincoln Park into 24 apartments. In 2019, Svigos reopened the former Motley School (aka Near North Elementary) as 36 apartments.

"Reminders of the Peabody School’s previous incarnation are everywhere in the nearly finished project. They include an old cafeteria table that was refinished and now stands beneath a pergola on the rooftop deck and chalkboards in every apartment. Some are less obvious. Look closely at the refinished original maple flooring, and a series of screw holes might be visible. The screws were used for fixing old desks in place." (Rodkin, Crain's Chicago Business, 8/23/22)

"The Elizabeth Peabody Public School Building is a handsomely-designed and detailed public school building, a significant building type in the context of Chicago history. With its crisp geometric forms, paired with boldly-contrasting red pressed brick and stone walls, it exemplifies Chicago architecture of the 1890s, embracing both tradition and innovation in design. The building has finely-detailed and crafted ornament in stone, molded brick, terra cotta and decorative metal, reflecting the late Victorian love of detail in architecture.

"The building was an early design by W. August Fiedler as newly-appointed Architect to the Chicago Board of Education. During Fiedler's tenure, the Board Architect position became an integral part of the Board of Education staff with greater professional support on design matters made readily available to the Board through Fiedler and his fellow architects.

"The Peabody Public School Building occupies several lots on the north side of west Augusta Boulevard in Chicago’s West Town community area on the Near Northwest Side of Chicago. The school was built in response to the growth of the area’s primarily Polish and German immigrant population. Thousands of immigrant families arrived in the area during the turn of the nineteenth century, and West Town became home to the largest Polish population outside of Warsaw. Peabody relieved older, over-crowded schools and gave the neighborhood a new educational 'landmark' which would serve Chicago school children for roughly 120 years." (Peabody School Landmark Designation Report)

Read the full story at Crain's Chicago Business

"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.

"The City of Chicago is once again pushing for redevelopment of its underused and dilapidated Central Manufacturing District properties, including the historic Quartermaster Depot warehouse at 1769 W. Pershing Road, Chicago, and the neighboring vehicle storage lot and shed building at 1717 W. Pershing Road.

"A tour of the properties on September 15, 2022, had Chicago Department of Planning & Development Lead Planner Nolan Zaroff showcasing development opportunities to attending architects, planners and developers.

"The tour follows the July 18, 2022, release of the City of Chicago’s Pershing Road RFP (or Request For Proposal) detailing the site, development requirements and necessary developer qualifications.

"This push is the latest in a series of city attempts to inspire development here, including a larger package of city-owned Central Manufacturing District properties failing at the finals of the C40 international urban design competition.

"So what’s different now? 'This time, we’re splitting it up,' Zaroff said.

"Earlier development proposal requests included all three sibling warehouses fronting Pershing Road — 1769 W. Pershing Road, 1819 W. Pershing Road and 1869 W. Pershing Road — each with about 500,000 square feet of floor space.

"'We tried to market all the buildings as one,' Zaroff said. '1.5 million [square feet] is a lot.'

"Now, both 1819 and 1869 W. Pershing Road are undergoing multimillion dollar redevelopments for continued municipal use while the two properties to the east hopefully get developed.

"'There’s lots more interest in the properties this time,' Zaroff said.

"The RFP details options for developers, including mandates that the 1717 W. Pershing Road property not be split off into a standalone development, and requirements to maintain the historic character of the Central Manufacturing District warehouse.

"'We will not entertain proposals for demolition [of the warehouse],' Zaroff said.'There is an expectation to maintain the facade.'

"The properties are currently zoned for commercial and manufacturing use, however, development proposals could include changes in land use, Zaroff said. 'We’re open to creative and adaptive use.'

"Jason Roberts, director of Logistics and Supply for the City of Chicago, also accompanied the tour and detailed how the warehouse is on the National Register of Historic Places, but has not received landmark designation by the city." (Kerr, McKinley Park News, 9/16/22)

Proposals are due October 21, 2022.

"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)

"Redevelopment of the old Grace’s Furniture building in the heart of Logan Square has taken yet another turn as the developers behind the long-delayed project have dumped city-approved plans to open a boutique hotel on the site.

"Now, developers Blue Star Properties and Marc Realty are looking to redevelop the Grace’s Furniture site, 2616-18 N. Milwaukee Ave., into a mixed-use project with Logan Square Athletic Club as its anchor tenant, said Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th).

"The gym would operate under the Chicago Athletic Club brand, which has several locations in the city, including in Bucktown, Lincoln Park and the West Loop, Ramirez-Rosa said. A restaurant/cafe is planned for the first floor.

"The proposal still needs landmark and zoning approval and is under review by neighborhood group Logan Square Preservation, Ramirez-Rosa said.

"Scaffolding recently went up at the site as developers have begun restoring the building’s terra cotta. The work is being done in response to safety concerns. The building, previously family-owned since the ’60s, has deteriorated over the years and is in need of immediate upgrades, Ramirez-Rosa said.

"'The Department of Planning and Development and myself have expressed that we need to make sure the building is secure and stabilized,' the alderman said.

"The Logan Square Athletic Club proposal is the latest in a string of efforts to redevelop the Grace’s Furniture building, which has sat vacant for years despite being one of the most prominent structures overlooking Logan Square and the Illinois Centennial Monument.

"The Logan Square Athletic Club proposal looks similar to the hotel project, Ramirez-Rosa said. If approved, the facade of the building will be restored. The developers are also working toward preserving the original Grace’s Furniture sign, the alderman said.

"The terra cotta work is a sign the developers are 'taking the steps necessary' to finally redevelop the site after years of fits and starts, Ramirez-Rosa said." (Bloom, Block Club Chicago, 9/22/22)

"Developer GW Properties has come back to the community to propose a new plan for the rehabilitation of the Hollander Building. Located at 2422 N. Milwaukee, the building stands just north of the intersection of N. Milwaukee Ave and W. Fullerton Ave. The rear of the Hollander Building turns to front W. Fullerton Ave, with the rest of the site backing up against the public alley and Blue Line CTA L tracks.

"Designed by NORR, the updated plan would rehabilitate the Hollander Building and build a new five-story addition that will replace an existing parking lot and one-story structure. Rising 74 feet, the project would add 4,500 square feet of retail to the base of the Hollander Building and there will be 5,000 square feet of retail in the new addition. According to the developers, Guidepost Montessori and a salon have already signed onto the project.

"The site has gone through multiple zoning changes since its first version, with an approved plan from 2019 calling for a five-story addition to convert the building into offices, retail, and commercial space. In 2021, the developers came back to remove the addition, use the existing one-story building as an extension of the ground floor commercial space, and put 9 apartments and office space into the Hollander Building. (Kugler, Urbanize Chicago, 9/6/22)

Preservation Chicago had been in communication with developer, former owner David Hollander and aldermen's offices to encourage a preservation-sensitive reuse of the building and to promote a potential landmark designation. All were receptive to the concept. Preservation Chicago encourages the developer to consider landmarking the Hollander Warehouse building and its highly decorative and intact lobby.

A different building with similar name, the Hollander Fireproof Warehouse located at Milwaukee, North and Damen avenues was renovated in 2016 as part of the Northwest Tower/ Robey Hotel project.

"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)

"A food pantry in Pilsen has been operating out of a former church for the last two years.

"The founder is hoping to buy the building but says she is running into obstacles with the Chicago Archdiocese.

"For the last two years, the pantry has been operating out of a former Catholic church.

"Evelyn Figueroa is one of the founders of the Pilsen Food Pantry and is a family doctor in the neighborhood. She originally ran the pantry from her health clinic. And in 2020, relocated inside former Holy Trinity Croatian Church.

"'We went from a 600 sf space to a floor that was over 3,000 sf. So it really gave us the space to grow into the organization that we wanted to become,' said Figueroa

"Figueroa says she wants to buy the property in hopes of expanding their services. The pantry even raised money to purchase the building and made an offer. But now she says the problem has been communicating with the Archdiocese of Chicago. The last time she heard from an Archdiocese representative was in August 2021 where she said she was told she could expect a counter offer.

"'We submitted a written outline, a business plan of what we wanted to do with all of the space and its wasn't indicated to us that there was something afoul with what we had submitted. So we were handed keys two months later, which to me was a verbal agreement that we would be able to move forward with leasing to own the property and then a couple months later ran into a lot of snags with our representative of the Archdiocese,' said Figueroa

"Pilsen Food Pantry is open five days a week serving about 350 people weekly. We're told losing this space would mean they wouldn't be able to operate in the capacity they do.

"'I think it would have a heavy blow on the community," said Steve Wiley

"We meet with Ward Miller with Preservation Chicago to learn more about the challenges organizations say they face when wanting to purchase a closed church from the Archdiocese.

"'We've found that lately, especially with the closure of so many churches in the Archdiocese of Chicago's portfolio, that its even more challenging. Its almost like the community versus a developer often times,' said Miller.

"In recent years, Miller says the organization found more than 70 church closures, many without landmark status. Without landmark status, developers can essentially do what they want with the property.

"'Sometimes the historic building is given to a developer, or sold to a developer and the developer demolishes the building. We've seen this numerous times, especially with the Archdiocese in recent years. Its tragic because its really pulverizes the story,' said Miller." (Hernandez, WTTW Chicago, 8/27/22)

"The iconic 'Pink House' on Chicago’s West Side is not being demolished, but it also won’t be pink for long, as its new owners have begun a full interior remodel to restore the dilapidated property — and give it a new paint job.

"Debra Kelch, who bought the house at 556 N. Central Ave. in Austin about 18 months ago with her husband and daughter, said construction started last week on the extensive remodel, which will include a complete gutting of the house’s interior, an open floor plan, new roof, new siding and new windows.

"Social media posts claiming the house was being torn down circulated widely on Tuesday, saddening West Siders who described the property as an indelible part of their neighborhood.

"Kelch quashed those rumors Wednesday, saying the family was merely restoring the house in the hopes of putting it on the market, and that the classic Victorian exterior facade, gabled turret and double-deckered, wrap-around porch would remain largely the same.

"'Everything is going to be kept as original as possible,' Kelch said. 'We’re going to try to keep it a beautiful Victorian. It’s too pretty of a design. That’s actually why we bought it.'

"Situated on a large corner parcel at the intersection of Central Avenue and Ohio Street in Austin, the stately, 2,600-square-foot, five-bedroom Victorian gingerbread house has a history that dates back to the late 1800s. In the 1980s, Isiah Anderson bought the rundown property, restoring it to its former glory and repainting the once murky-green building with its hallmark pink-and-white colors.

"'Everything will be brand new, inside and out,' Kelch said. 'The house will be beautiful when it’s all done.'

"Yolanda Anderson, the previous owner, said homes this old often need parts torn out in order to build it back up.

"'I am positive that they will do an excellent job and bring it back to life better than ever,' she said. (Asimow, Block Club Chicago, 9/22/22)

"Gov. J.B. Pritzker wants to sell off an abandoned industrial site in Chicago best known as a backdrop for the 2014 Hollywood blockbuster 'Transformers: Age of Extinction.'

"The state will accept bids this fall for Damen Silos at 2900 S. Damen Ave., along the South Branch of the Chicago River, a 23.4-acre property familiar to drivers on the Stevenson Expressway for its towering old grain silos.

"Officials said selling Damen Silos will relieve the state of a financial burden, and a buyer could transform it into a data center, telecom facility, cannabis business or an industrial complex, giving surrounding neighborhoods an economic lift.

"'The sale of this surplus property will generate significant economic opportunities in Chicago’s Lower West Side and McKinley Park communities while also saving the State the cost of annual operating expenses,' said Anthony Pascente, acting director of the state’s Central Management Services, in a prepared statement.

"It may not be an easy property to unload. The state tried to auction off Damen Silos in 2014, but officials ended up canceling the potential deal, according to Mike Senner, an industrial expert and executive vice president at Colliers International.

"Selling Damen Silos is part of Pritzker’s initiative to rid the state’s real estate portfolio of properties either obsolete or too expensive to maintain. The administration sealed its most prominent deal in that effort earlier in the summer when Google agreed to buy the James R. Thompson Center, which state officials estimate will save taxpayers nearly $1 billion over 30 years.

"The Illinois Department of Transportation took over Damen Silos from a railroad nearly a century ago, eventually using it to mix road construction materials. But in 2005, department officials said they had no more use for the property and transferred it to the state’s Central Management Services for disposal. By 2013, 'Transformers' director Michael Bay was using it to set off fiery explosions.

"The state is selling the property in 'as-is' condition, and initial bids, which must be a minimum of $3.25 million, are due by Oct. 19. Officials will choose the winning bid by November, according to a marketing flyer from commercial real estate firm JLL." (Rogal, Chicago Tribune, 8/15/22)

"Built in 1906, the tallest structure reaches 15 stories tall and used to be served by a massive network of interlocking grain elevators, all combined the silos had a capacity of 400,000 bushels of grain. They were originally constructed by the Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, which was founded in 1859 and was headquartered in Chicago. It eventually grew into one of the largest railroad companies in the nation before being merged with Burlington Northern in 1995 to form the Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway, or BNSF as it is more commonly known." (Achong, Chicago Yimby, 8/23/22)

"'Hog Butcher for the World,

   Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat...

   Stormy, husky, brawling,

   City of the Big Shoulders'

     -Carl Sandburg, 'Chicago'

"When Sandburg wrote those lines, dozens of grain silos lined the banks of the Chicago River. These were the city's original skyscrapers, feats of human ingenuity storing much of the agricultural wealth of the Midwest. Today, nearly all are gone. One of Chicago’s few remaining grain silo structures can be found at a site owned by the State of Illinois on the South Branch of the river near the Damen Avenue bridge. But now the State is attempting to sell the site. If the sale goes through, the silos will almost certainly be demolished and replaced with a bland, anonymous big-box warehouse.

"These historic structures should be preserved for future generations and the surrounding twenty-four acre water front site opened to the public. Establishing a park would provide badly needed green space and river access for nearby residents. It would protect wildlife habitat and create connections with cycling and walking trails. It could also act as a catalyst for the long term economic vitality of the area as well as creating opportunities for education, research and remediation on the long neglected and abused South Branch of the Chicago River. Please sign and share this petition to urge Governor Pritzker to reconsider the sale!"

"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.

"The Chicago developer turning Uptown's landmark Bridgeview Bank building into apartments has enlisted WeWork to operate co-working space on the property's lower floors, the shared-office giant's first location on Chicago's North Side.

"In a rare deal by WeWork in a residential property, the New York-based company will run a 25,000-square-foot, two-story co-working space in the grand hall of the 12-story building at 4753 N. Broadway, which is being transformed by Chicago-based developer Cedar Street into 176 apartments.

"The deal highlights the evolving role co-working providers are playing in commercial real estate with more people working remotely. Companies struggling to figure out their office needs in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic have driven up demand for space offered by WeWork and its competitors, which can be leased by the month.

"The Uptown space, built out among ornate windows and recommissioned bank teller spaces in the 97-year-old building, will include 60 private offices with a total of 176 desks, as well as private phone booth offices and kitchen spaces. Some space will be dedicated for members of WeWork's All Access program, which offers monthly subscriptions and access to hundreds of WeWork locations globally.

"Cedar Street, which has been one of the busiest apartment developers in the city, began work last year on the $58 million Bridgeview Bank redevelopment after landing $44 million in construction financing for the project.

"In addition to apartments on floors five through 12 and the WeWork space, the revamped property will include 13,500 square feet of retail space and 19,000 square feet of traditional office space. A spokeswoman for the firm said Cedar Street spent much of the past year restoring the lower floors of the building and work is now underway on the apartments, which are due to be completed by mid-2023." (Ecker, Crain's Chicago Business, 9/15/22)

Preservation Chicago presented strong testimony in support of the Bridgeview Bank adaptive reuse project. We played a significant role in the landmark designation of the Uptown Square Landmark District. This district provides protection to 57 properties within the Uptown Entertainment District, located along the commercial corridors of Lawrence, Broadway, and Racine.

This district provides protection to 57 properties within the Uptown Entertainment District, located along the commercial corridors of Lawrence, Broadway, and Racine. Landmark buildings now protected include the Uptown Theater, Aragon Ballroom, Riviera Theater, Essanay Studios, Green Mill, Wilson Avenue 'L' Station, Lawrence Hotel, People’s Church/Preston Bradley Center, and many of the beautiful historic commercial retail buildings, hotels and office buildings that make Uptown such an extraordinary neighborhood. The Landmark District also provides important economic incentives to help stimulate increased historically-sensitive investment and renovation.

In additional to strong advocacy for the Landmark District, Preservation Chicago pushed the proposal further by asking for the designation to extend beyond the façades and to include protections for the many wonderful interior lobbies and other notable spaces of the Riviera, and Aragon, the Uptown National Bank Building, and the WPA-Works Progress Administration murals in the Post Office.

"Renovation and construction work are rapidly taking shape for Fulton Market’s new Guinness Taproom. Coordinated by developer Fred Latsko, the project is an adaptive re-use of the former Pennsylvania Railroad Terminal Building at 375 N Morgan Street. A former destination for street art, the converted beer hub will yield a 10-barrel brewery, a pub, and a restaurant with local chef cuisine.

"Much of the original brick and interior structure has been retained, while the updated facade will consist of a chocolate-colored brickwork, warehouse-styled windows, and copper metal paneling. The interior will be lined with brick walls and beams, a chandelier, and a large glass wall system for visitors to gaze upon the craft at hand." (Crawford, Chicago YIMBY, 8/25/2)

"Guinness Chicago Taproom is expected to open in Fulton Market in early 2023, and more specifically — and hopefully — by St. Patrick’s Day, the iconic Irish brewer announced Tuesday.

"Jay Sethi, chief marketing officer of Diageo Beer Company, USA — a branch of Guinness’ parent company, London-based Diageo — called Chicago a 'natural choice' from a historical and business standpoint.

"'The history of Chicago, in general, fits our values, beyond just the Irish history,' said Sethi, who was born in the city and attended the University of Chicago. With Guinness, 'you see a lot of a lot of resilience in our history. Chicago has seen a lot and there’s a lot of resilience in its history.'

"Sethi said Guinness picked the trendy West Loop for its accessibility for both city and suburban residents and its architecture. In fact, the selling point for Sethi was the site: the former Pennsylvania Railroad Terminal, 375 N. Morgan St., which he called an 'X factor.'

"'I remember seeing it, being like, ‘Yep, this is it.’ Because it’s this awesome, A-line, old building that just felt like I was walking into a little bit of what a building would have in Dublin. You know, that was old, but we could make it beautiful again — something I think we do really well in Guinness,' Sethi said.

"The new pub and brewery will offer revolving menus of food and brews — including some beers available only in Chicago and others imported from various Guinness locations. However, Guinness also will continue to import its famous stout from its original brewing location in Dublin.

"'Overall, it’s diverse. It represents so many different communities that we want to reach,' Sethi said. '... Chicago is very much just a huge Guinness city.'" (Kenney, Chicago Sun-Times, 9/21/21)

"After a months-long hiatus, a beloved skating rink has reopened on the South Side with a fresh look.

"The Rink, 1122 E. 87th St., reopened Sept. 1 after closing in November. Owners Curtis and Ramona Pouncy celebrated the occasion with a grand reopening, welcoming about 400 young people back to the space.

"Curtis Pouncy said area kids were 'grateful' the rink reopened so they had something to occupy their time.

"'One of the things that I noticed was that when the kids came in, they just stopped and looked around, and they said, ‘We’re home. I am so glad to be home. We are home,'" Ramona Pouncy said. 'They were smiling. [There were] some kids [where] you could see little tears were welling up in their eyes.'

"Curtis and Ramona Pouncy bought The Rink in 2019. They are skating enthusiasts who frequented the rink themselves when the previous owner announced he wanted to sell the business to someone who would keep it a skating rink.

"They eventually were able to reopen as pandemic restrictions eased, but they closed in November to renovate the building, which was an electric company before it was a skating rink, Curtis Pouncy said.

"The rink has been around for almost 50 years, and it means so much to this community,' she said. 'If it was gone, it would leave a vacuum. These kids, it has saved lives for so many people. We have generations that come in and say, ‘This rink has saved my life. Now I’m bringing my kids and their kids to skate.’

"'So, it’s a way of us preserving the family unit in our community and giving them something to do because there’s not a lot of things for the family to do on the South Side of Chicago.'

"The couple is committed to preserving skating for the next generation and helping get people of all ages involved. They’ll also hold future community outreach events which will be posted on The Rink’s website and social media pages.

"'The Rink is for the community, it’s for the kids, families that live in that general area, and it gives them something to do. And we feel it’s kind of our mission to continue that rink for this underserved area,' Curtis Pouncy said. 'They don’t have much to do in terms of recreation, and we feel we’re providing some good clean, wholesome fun for these kids in this area.' (McDonald, Block Club Chicago, 9/9/22)

"Bronzeville probably would look very different today if it weren’t for the passion of Harold Lucas.

"Mr. Lucas, the son of a Pullman porter and grandson of a renowned chef who brought tastes of the world to the family table, knew all about Bronzeville’s glory days and never stopped educating people about them. Other activists and community leaders say his outspoken advocacy contributed to the preservation of some of the most historic buildings in the South Side neighborhood once known as the Black Metropolis.

"'My heart,' he once said, 'has a vision of Bronzeville restored.'

"The longtime Bronzeville resident died Aug. 9 at the Estates of Hyde Park. He was 79.

"'He was a giant,' said Shannon Bennett, executive director of the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization, who called him the 'foremost proponent' of efforts to see Bronzeville recognized as 'the Black Harlem of Chicago' and ensure that its brick-and-mortar past survived.

"Bennett said Mr. Lucas’ legacy includes helping get city landmark status for the Overton Hygienic Building at 36th and State streets — once a hub of Black commerce — and for the former Eighth Regiment Armory building at 35th Street and Giles Avenue. The nation’s first armory built for a Black regiment, it’s now home to the Chicago Military Academy.

"Mr. Lucas also helped gain city landmark recognition for the building that housed Supreme Life, 3501 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., the first Black insurance company in the northern states.

"'As you walk and drive around Bronzeville, Harold’s works are everywhere,' said Nathan Thompson, author of “Kings: The True Story of Chicago’s Policy Kings and Numbers Racketeers.”

"'None of the work would have been possible without him being the drum major,' said Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd).

"Mr. Lucas also fought against demolition of the South Shore Country Club.

"In his later years, he led bus tours of Bronzeville. He’d tell people how, in the days of the Great Migration, Bronzeville pulsed with Black industry, ambition and creativity. Racism and restrictive real estate covenants circumscribed home ownership in most of Chicago. But in Bronzeville, Black people headed businesses and produced sublime music and works of literature.

"'Harold made the history come alive for us,' Bennett said. 'He made you think you were in one of the speakeasies or hearing the great jazz musicians from the Savoy Ballroom or Gerri’s Palm Tavern.' (O’Donnell, Chicago Sun-Times, 8/26/22)

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.

#100970047

Date Received: 08/10/2022

Ward: 28th Ald. Jason C. Ervin

Applicant: Alliance Demolition and Evacuation Services, Inc.

Owner: City of Chicago

Permit Description: Wreck and remove a three-story, masonry residential building and garage.

#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.

Status: Released 08/11/2022 [Per an Administrative Order issued by the Department of Buildings to address dangerous and hazardous conditions.]

#100955534

Date Received: 07/01/2022

Ward: 1st Ward Ald. Daniel La Spata

Applicant: IR Design Firm, Inc. C/O Hemal Purohit

Owner: 1535 N. Maplewood Apartments, LLC C/O Gregory M. Fordon, Jr.

Permit Description: Partial demolition of a masonry two-flat to accommodate a new one-story rooftop addition.

#100975594

Date Received: 06/10/2022

Ward: 43rd Ward Ald. Michele Smith

Applicant: Quality Excavation, Inc. C/O Grainne Keane

Owner: GrowCor, LLC C/O Charles Grode

Permit Description: Wreck and removal of a 2.5-story, masonry, multi-family residential building.

Status: Released 07/28/2022

#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.

1325 W Carmen Ave, Chicago, IL 60640

$899,000

Sale Status: Contingent

"DEVELOPER ALERT! ATTENTION DEVELOPERS, INVESTORS AND REHABBERS! Unique and Exceptional opportunity on one of the best blocks in the area. Coveted 40x136, RT-4 zoning, in exceptional residential area. Outdated property best suited for teardown or rehab project. Bring your ideas to transform this vintage home with incredible potential, or tear down and build a multi-unit condo development. Originally built as a three-unit, property was converted into single-family home. The home's current condition needs updating and repairs throughout. SOLD AS-IS."

#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.

3331 N. Hamilton Avenue, North Center. Demo September 2022. Photo Credit: Google Maps

"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)

"A tale of two stories is taking center stage at the Richard H. Driehaus Museum.

"A new exhibition, 'Capturing Louis Sullivan: What Richard Nickel Saw,' explores the work of architect Louis Sullivan and a photographer on a literal life’s mission to capture his impact.

"'We’re moving both narratives forward throughout the whole exhibition,' said guest curator David Hanks. 'It’s like an opera. The music goes forward, and then the drama. So we have two stories we’re trying to tell.'

"It’s a story of an architect and photographer. Two artists connected through their work, but never in life. Born four years after Sullivan’s death, Nickel was committed to documenting Sullivan’s architecture, as both a photographer and preservationist. It was a decision he made when learning about the architect while a student at the IIT Institute of Design.

"'Richard Nickel was trying to record the buildings, one through taking photographs of them, and then second by salvaging architecture ornament. The ornament was important to Sullivan’s idea of adding beauty and aesthetic dimension to his houses,' Hanks said. 'So the exhibition is not only photographs that Nickel took, but also the artifacts that he salvaged.'

"Chicago buildings created by Sullivan, and his partner David Adler, were being destroyed in the 1960’s and 70’s. A preservationist, Nickel saw it his duty to document everything from behind the lens.

"'He was a documentary photographer, and told it as it was, warts and all,' Hanks said. 'He showed the building in a documentary fashion, not to make them the most beautiful but to document to show the buildings.' (Idowu, WTTW Chicago, 8/29/22)

"Think Illinois politics is weird? Last Friday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker urged tech giant Google before a packed crowd at the live recording of the talk show 'Good Evening with Pat Whalen' at the Promontory to save the Thompson Center’s … Sbarro.

"For context, we have to go back a month ago to when a small group of Thompson Center fans gathered in the building’s food court for lunch. The group of architects, historians and transit advocates had met there a few times before, and as a joke, we called ourselves 'Sbarro Urbanists' after our lunch venue of choice. Organizing the meetup on Twitter, we were charmed when @sbarro noticed and sent us some swag to distribute: socks, water bottles and yo-yos. But we were honestly surprised when the “event” was covered in the national press and then apparently reached the governor’s desk.

"Our platform is no joke: A Sbarro is a place where you can get an affordable and convenient lunch. At the Thompson Center food court, you can get that lunch — at Sbarro or a number of other fine vendors — in a safe, clean and architecturally spectacular space easily accessible by trains and buses. As a state building, the Thompson Center also provides free access to Wi-Fi and public restrooms, and you can stay as long as you want without being hassled. There’s no guarantee its private owner will offer this. State-owned public space is fundamentally different from a food hall or a Starbucks, and these differences matter most to the city’s most vulnerable.

"More than ever, Chicago needs Sbarro Urbanism.

"Whatever you think of the Thompson Center, its conception at a time when Illinois government saw its duty to the people as requiring a robust investment in public space made it a unique resource for the state and the city. Now that the building is being outfitted for Google, this investment in the public is what is under threat. As a preservationist, I am grateful that the Thompson Center will not be sent to a landfill and hopeful for its second iteration, but I am disturbed by the loss of public space.

"So, Google, please: Save our Sbarro Urbanism!

"The Thompson Center will no longer be publicly owned, but here are some ways Google can help preserve it as a unique resource for the city.

"First, support nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. This nomination is already complete and under consideration by the National Park Service. All Google needs to do is tell the building’s current owner, Prime Group, not to object to the listing. Listing on the National Register is honorary. It provides a framework for understanding the building’s public value and signals a commitment by Google to preserve it.

"Second, support listing the building as a Chicago landmark. Landmark status is the best way to ensure the people of Chicago have a say in the building’s future. If the city uses the recent landmarking of Wrigley Field as a model, Google could retain broad flexibility to renovate and modernize the Thompson Center while still presiding over an irreplaceable part of the city’s cultural identity.

"When renovations do occur, Google should look to another historical Chicago interior for inspiration: the Rookery Building. Completed by Burnham & Root in 1888, the Rookery was renovated by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1905. Though the style of the interior changed, its quality and the attention to detail were maintained, while modernization kept the building commercially viable and helped ensure it was never demolished.

"Finally, and most importantly, Google can preserve Sbarro Urbanism by keeping the space in the Thompson Center free and open to the public.

"Can Big Tech be a trusted steward of private space for public use? Google has a chance here to show that it can. (Solomon, Chicago Tribune, 9/22/22)

"Jonathan Solomon is an architect and associate professor at the School of the Art Institute. He is partner with Elizabeth Blasius in the firm Preservation Futures and an author of the nomination of the Thompson Center to the National Register of Historic Places."

"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)