The 2019 Chicago 7 Most Endangered
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Highly Successful Preservation Chicago
2019 Chicago 7 Most Endangered
Announcement and Presentation
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
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A Full House at the Preservation Chicago 2019 Chicago 7 Most Endangered announcement, February 27, Photo Credit: Preservation Chicago
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Ward Miller presents the Preservation Chicago 2019 Chicago 7 Most Endangered at Chicago Architecture Center, February 27, Photo Credit: Preservation Chicago
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Preservation Chicago announcement and presentation of 2019 “Chicago 7 Most Endangered” on February 27, 2019 was highly successful with a full capacity audience of approximately 140. The Presentation was held at noon at the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s Gand Lecture Hall, 111 E. Wacker Drive, Chicago.
Press reporting has been robust with the following coverage in days following the event.
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Read the full unabridged Preservation Chicago 2019 Chicago 7 Booklet electronically with the optimised eReader.
Link to eReader.
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Preservation Chicago 2019 Chicago 7 Booklet eReader, Photo Credit: Preservation Chicago
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2019 Chicago 7 Booklet and Poster
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Prefer to read a printed version of the Preservation Chicago 2019 Chicago 7 Booklet?
Our thank you for a
donation of $35 or higher is a complementary printed booklet of the Preservation Chicago 2018 Chicago 7 Most Endangered (or $20 for seniors or students).
Our thank you for
donation of $75 or higher is a complementary 24 x 36 poster Preservation Chicago 2019 Chicago 7 Most Endangered 24 x 36 poster (unframed) in addition to the booklet!
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Preservation Chicago 2019 Chicago 7 Booklet, Complimentary for any donation of $35 or more
Photo Credit: Preservation Chicago
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Preservation Chicago 2019 Chicago 7 Poster, Complimentary 24x36 Poster for donation of $75 or more
Photo Credit: Preservation Chicago
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The 2019 Chicago 7 Most Endangered
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THREATENED: Jackson Park, South Shore Cultural Center & Midway Plaisance
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Address:
Bounded by Lake Michigan, 56th, Stony Island and 71st, Chicago
Landscape Architects:
Frederick Law Olmsted & Calvert Vaux , F.L. Olmsted & Co., Olmsted, Olmsted & Eliot with additions by Alfred Caldwell and May McAdams. (Jackson Park & Midway Plaisance)
Architects:
Benjamin Marshall & Charles Fox, Thomas Hawkes (South Shore Cultural Center)
Date:
c.1870s to 1937
Style:
Naturalistic
Neighborhood:
Hyde Park, Woodlawn, South Shore
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Jackson Park, Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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OVERVIEW
Jackson Park, Midway Plaisance & the South Shore Cultural Center have now been part of Preservation Chicago’s--Chicago 7 Most Endangered List for a third year in a row.
We at Preservation Chicago very much welcome and support the many buildings proposed for the new Obama Presidential Center, but for another nearby site and not on historic public parklands designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, with additions by Alfred Caldwell, May McAdams and others of national and world recognition.
The Obama Presidential Center (OPC) has been contentious among residents, citizens of Chicago and elsewhere across the nation because of concerns about gentrification and displacement and due to its placement within a historic park belonging to the people of Chicago for more than 130 years. It is also a lakefront site and subject to ordinances designed to keep the shoreline protected from private development and unnecessary non-public structures—and understood by many citizens to be “forever open and free.” This forever open and free idea along Chicago’s lakefront, while revolutionary in concept for a large American city of the 19th and early 20th century, originated in 1836. It gets challenged every so often because of political pressures and perhaps land values and speculation.
The proposed Obama Presidential Center (OPC) campus is to be sited on about 20 acres of Jackson Park, situated near the Midway Plaisance at 60th and Stony Island Avenue and extending southward.
It is part of an on-going Federal Section 106 process required by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, due to the park’s significance and listing on the National Register of Historic Places. It is also subject to a review process through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and to Urban Parks and Recreational Recovery (UPARR), administered by the National Park Service.
Additionally, there is an on-going lawsuit to protect Jackson Park and to further encourage another nearby location for the Obama Presidential Center (OPC). The legal action by Protect Our Parks, Inc. (POP) is currently before the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. A tremendous amount of resources are being invested by both the City of Chicago and the Obama Foundation to place this new center and campus of buildings onto a historic Olmsted park and lakefront land where it does not belong. This proposed complex is contrary to Lakefront Ordinances and the public good, acknowledging for this site what has been upheld by Chicago for more than 150 years -- that the lakefront should be “public ground. A common to remain forever open, clear and free of any buildings or other obstructions whatever,” with access to all.
This proposed Presidential Center to be situated on public lands has also absorbed thousands of hours of City staff time over the past few years, as well as preparation of thousands of pages of documents required for the Federal 106 related hearings and U.S. District Court proceedings. Had the University of Chicago and the Obama Foundation chosen a site that was not historically significant and not on public lakefront land, the time investment would have been significantly reduced. If the Obama Presidential Center were proposed for nearby private lands, the complex would have most likely already been under construction and completed, likely with significantly less investment of public resources. The City of Chicago and the University of Chicago own significant amounts of land at alternative site locations, and this viable option should be further explored.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Preservation Chicago joins the fervent support of the Obama Presidential Center locating in Chicago. It just should not be in Jackson Park. The Obama Foundation’s drawings for a site west of Washington Park would be a great location for the OPC. The University of Chicago, along with the City of Chicago has been assembling acreage adjacent to Washington Park, and that area has great access to public transportation. This location is targeted for redevelopment and is adjacent to the Garfield Park L stop for the Green and Red line trains. The OPC located there would be an extraordinary asset to the community and the City and would make this remarkable monument to President Obama’s legacy more accessible to people throughout the area. In solidarity with the residents of the area, Preservation Chicago calls on the Obama Foundation to enter into a binding Community Benefits Agreement for this alternate site to ensure that promises made to avoid displacement and provide more jobs are kept.
The City of Chicago and the Chicago Park District need to develop plans that reflect the full range of stakeholders in this process and balance the interests of their constituents with the interests of private developers. They should prioritize an open and transparent process in determining the future of our public lands and green spaces. In the process, they should protect the historic integrity of these nationally and locally significant landscapes, structures and buildings so they may remain accessible assets for the people of the South Side, Chicago and the world for generations to come.
To help restore the area the City of Chicago and the Chicago Park District should consider narrowing the Olmsted-designed historic parkways instead of closing and removing them completely and retaining South Lake Shore Drive, with its current proportions and winding Lakefront Boulevard characteristics. This would render unnecessary the proposed widening of the other roadways and perhaps save hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars.
Preservation Chicago reaffirms its commitment to providing a constructive, preservation-oriented voice in this large and complex conversation. As a consulting party in the federally mandated Section 106 review process, Preservation Chicago will continue to strongly advocate for the importance of protecting historic features, including the world-renowned Olmsted landscapes. We continue to work to ensure that any construction in the historic parks will be conducted with sensitivity to historic features, historic structures and historic landscapes. This includes archaeologically important sites such as the foundations and remnants of the Women’s Building designed by Sophia Hayden, the only female architect who designed a building for the Exposition; the Children’s Building; and other important structures and features from the World Columbian Exposition in 1893, likely hidden below the soil line. Also, this proposed construction would impact the Woman’s Garden, also known as the Perennial Garden in Jackson Park, designed by May McAdams in 1937, a noted female landscape architect.
We remain hopeful that the federal review process mandated by the National Preservation Act will reinforce the importance of protecting the important features of the park and minimizing the adverse effects of new construction. Specifically, we want to insure that the South Shore Cultural Center be included in the Section 106 process already underway, or a new Section 106 process be initiated specifically for the golf course expansion project at both Jackson Park and the South Shore Cultural Center.
A formal survey of Jackson Park and South Shore Cultural Center trees, detailing type, age and caliper, should be conducted along with an assessment of which trees are planned to be cleared. The findings of this survey should then be released to the public for comment and discussion before any work begins. Also, while an inventory of historic structures in Jackson Park has been approved, there are a number of critical needs for historic buildings that require urgent repair to stabilize and return them to public use.
Preservation Chicago will continue to push for a written agreement from the Chicago Park District that some percentage of the many millions of dollars to be invested in these potential projects will be earmarked instead for the badly needed maintenance and rehabilitation of historic park structures. These include the South Shore Cultural Center main building and stables, as well Jackson Park improvements to the Comfort Station, the Iowa Building, the Columbia/Darrow Bridge, public paths and meadows, and ball fields.
There is significant Chicago history buried underground at Jackson Park. Archaeological explorations from seven borings on the site were shared at one of the Section 106 meetings. They revealed nearly 10,000 objects from the 1893 World’s Columbia Exposition. We understand that permanent concrete foundations for all the temporary buildings are also located below the soil line, and it is our opinion that these features should remain intact and should not be destroyed by heavy-equipment, which will backhoe the site. The Women’s Garden, the approximate site of Sophia Haden’s Women’s Building during the World’s Columbia Exposition, should also not be disturbed. This was the only building designed by a woman architect for the 1893 Fair, which highlighted great strides and accomplishments by women all housed in a magnificent building, on scale with many of the large structures of the Fair.
SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS
1.
Relocate the Obama Presidential Center to a nearby site outside of Jackson Park. Land just west of Washington Park provides great public transportation access, and a good deal of this land is already owned by the City of Chicago and the University of Chicago.
2. Repair and restore the existing Jackson Park Golf Course and the South Shore Cultural Center golf course. These currently serve the public well, but they are in need of some long-deferred maintenance.
3. Move the proposed TGR Golf Course concept for Jackson Park and the South Shore Cultural Center southward to the new South Lake Shore Drive Extension and extend it to the site of the former and now demolished United States Steel factories in the South Chicago neighborhood. This would be an economic boost to the South Chicago and East Side neighborhoods of Chicago, and it would result in three separate golf courses for a major city like Chicago. A large 18-hole golf course on the former U.S. Steel site, suitable for hosting PGA Championship games, would “green” this former industrial site as part of on-going efforts to retain publicly accessible parks and green space along the extraordinary and expansive Chicago Lakefront.
4. Repair and Landmark the South Shore Cultural Center’s and Jackson Park’s existing historic buildings, structures, paths, meadows, bridges (including the Columbia/Clarence Darrow Bridge—closed for almost a decade for safety reasons). These structures have suffered through enough long-deferred maintenance. One of the historic structures, the modest one-story Comfort Station at 67th Street and South Shore Drive, which is in terrible disrepair, had a partial roof collapse in the past six months.
5. Narrow the Olmsted-designed roadways and parkways to their historic pre-1960s dimensions. The 1960s widening project was considered a misstep by the general public at that time and was part of numerous protests. A substantial number of trees were lost during that widening project. A narrowing of Cornell Drive, in lieu of total closure, could provide a correction of these missteps and help to again restore a tree-lined boulevard through the park which everyone could enjoy. Everyone should be able to enjoy the pastoral setting of Jackson Park by various modes – walking, jogging, biking and driving.
6. Retain South Lake Shore Drive’s current proportions and winding Lakefront Boulevard characteristics, and retain the current proportions of Stony Island Avenue, without unnecessary expansions.
7. The entirety of Jackson Park, the Midway and Washington Park—the Olmsted & Vaux parks, should be considered for a Chicago Landmark designation.
8. In its entirety, the Chicago Lakefront Park System should be considered as a National Monument or National Park. This would be much like the recent honor further recognizing the Indiana Dunes as a National Park, or the Pullman Historic District of Chicago as a National Monument. This would protect our valuable public lakefront parks from further attempts at parceling them out to private developers and would provide additional resources for maintenance and rehabilitation. This could be an amazing partnership if implemented with the National Park Service, the Chicago Park District, and the City of Chicago all sharing the stewardship of Chicago’s Lakefront parks.
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THREATENED: Laramie State Bank of Chicago
(a Designated Chicago Landmark)
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Address:
5200 W. Chicago Avenue
Architects:
Meyer & Cook
Date:
1929
Style:
Art Deco
Neighborhood:
Austin
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Laramie State Bank of Chicago, Photo Credit: Garrett Karp
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OVERVIEW
The Laramie State Bank Building is an architectural gem located at 5200 W. Chicago Avenue in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood. This exuberant Art Deco, three-story bank building is adorned with some of the most spectacular polychromed, terra cotta ornament in Chicago. The Laramie State Bank Building was designed by Architects Meyer & Cook and completed in 1929.
Despite being designated as a Chicago Landmark by the City of Chicago in 1995, the Laramie State Bank Building was foreclosed upon, has sat vacant for many years, and is suffering from considerable deferred maintenance. The building is frequently on the docket at Building Court. A portion of the roof collapsed in 2018. Emergency repairs are being considered to stabilize the building, but the fate of Laramie State Bank Building hangs in the balance.
The Laramie State Bank Building is an excellent example of the strong confidence and architectural exuberance of the “Roaring Twenties.” Unlike the more typical limestone bank buildings of the period with their reserved and serious Neo-Classical design, the vibrant mustard, celery green and cream terra cotta bas-relief sculpture of the Laramie State Bank Building is a vivid visual celebration of American desires for wealth and abundance. The building’s ornamentation itself was used to both beautify the building and to communicate shared vision and aspirations to the bank’s customers of industry and saving.
The ornament of the building’s exterior includes many progressive-era motifs illustrating the creation of wealth through stylized heroic workers representing industry, agriculture and technology and reinforced through the images of beehives and squirrels collecting nuts. The fruits of this industry and saving are represented by plentiful coins interspersed along the soaring two-story columns. The concept of economic stability is reinforced by a sculptural scene installed over the front doors which illustrates a basket of plenty overflowing with fruits and flanked by a family embracing a child and an elderly couple at peace. Confidence and security is communicated through the owl of wisdom, and the American eagle astride the globe.
“While its arresting appearance alone distinguishes the Laramie State Bank from most other banks, it also represents a pinnacle in the technical and artistic achievement of the Northwestern Terra Cotta Company. Following the 1925 Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et lndustriels Modernes, which gave the world the new decorative style of Art Deco, the Northwestern Terra Cotta Company hired a number of the prize-winning sculptors from the exposition and brought them to Chicago as modelers. It hired six of the prize-winning sculptors from that exposition, including a twin gold-medal winner - Edouard Chassaing, to create new designs for the company. Laramie State Bank is a beneficiary of this investment in French craftsmanship.” (Chicago Landmark Designation Report, 1/4/95)
By the late 1920s, the Northwestern Terra Cotta Company was the largest terra cotta company in the United States. Despite having hundreds of buildings within its portfolio, Laramie State Bank Building was a stand-out. “Northwestern was very proud of the results. It presented the Laramie Bank as its premier model of Art Deco design in a special folio that it issued to potential clients in 1929.” (Chicago Landmark Designation Report, 1/4/95)
RECOMMENDATIONS
Laramie State Bank is a designated Chicago Landmark, an outstanding example of the Art Deco period, and a highly visible and important landmark in the Austin community. While the challenge to find the resources to restore the building is clear, this outstanding building is worth the effort. Preservation Chicago, Landmark Illinois and the City of Chicago, along with neighborhood preservation partners, have been working diligently to secure a patron that could stabilize the Laramie State Bank Building and restore this exuberant Landmark. We have a strong preference for a community or cultural use for the ground-floor banking hall that would ensure public access to this wonderful building.
We also want the City of Chicago to use Adopt-a-Landmark funds to make needed repairs to the roof which would help stabilize the building. We also want to encourage the Cook County Land Bank to become involved in the property to clear the title on the building and the adjacent parking lots which would allow for a reuse and excellent preservation outcome.
“It has great potential to become a West Side tourist attraction. Laramie State Bank is a gorgeous building on the outside. There’s nothing like this that is so strikingly, fully Art Deco. This is unique. This will make a perfect cultural and historical arts museum, something that children could come to and play their art and music.” said James Bowers, a long-time Austin resident and business owner. (Zhang, AustinTalks)
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THREATENED: Seven Continents Building / Rotunda Building
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Address:
O’Hare Airport, originally between Terminals 1 and 2
Architect:
Gertrude Lempp Kerbis with Naess & Murphy, and
C.F. Murphy Architects
Date:
1963 (drawings 1961)
Style:
Jet Age
Neighborhood:
O’Hare
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The grand concourse connecting Terminals 1 and 2 with entry to Seven Continents Restaurant on mezzanine and Tartan Tray Coffee Shop on ground level, circa 1963. Seven Continents Building / O’Hare Rotunda Building, interior view. Photo Courtesy Gertrude Lempp Kerbis Archive, Ryerson and Burnham Archives, The Art Institute of Chicago
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OVERVIEW
In 1961, Gertrude Kerbis, with the architectural firm of Naess & Murphy, later known as C.F. Murphy, designed the Seven Continents/O'Hare Airport Rotunda Building as a multi-purpose structure housing several restaurants and airport functions. It served as a magnificent passenger link connecting two major airport terminals. The Rotunda Building is a Jet Age design that was once the centerpiece of Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and is an excellent example of Midcentury Modern airport architecture.
Gertrude Kerbis was a groundbreaking architect and one of the first women at the forefront of Chicago architecture working in the modern style in the 1960s. She studied with Walter Gropius at Harvard and with Ludwig Mies van der Rohe at IIT-Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. Kerbis worked with at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) and later at Naess & Murphy/C.F. Murphy. She opened her own architectural firm, Lempp Kerbis Architects, in 1967. Kerbis was one of very few female architects working in a male-dominated profession. She worked on the original O'Hare Terminal structures and the Chicago Civic Center, now known as the Richard J. Daley Center, a designated Chicago Landmark.
Kerbis designed the Seven Continents/Rotunda Building using an elaborate structural system consisting of one mile of heavy bridge cables spanning a 190-foot ceiling and measuring approximately five inches in thickness, considered by some to be a structural feat. This system resembles a sunburst pattern sheathed in concrete visible from the floor of this unique circular, public, two-story space. The Rotunda Building remains largely intact today but has faded from public use due to the closing of the original restaurants, the expansion of O'Hare Airport and the difficulty of accessing the building beyond added security checkpoints.
Preservation Chicago advocates for a greater appreciation, recognition, restoration and Chicago Landmark status for this iconic building. As an extensive $8.5 billion O'Hare modernization effort is about to begin, the Seven Continents/Rotunda Building should be retained and restored.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Preservation Chicago supports a Chicago Landmark designation for the Seven Continents/Rotunda Building and a full restoration of the building. The structure meets and fulfills four of the seven criteria set forth for Proposed Designation of Chicago Landmarks and it also fulfills the “integrity criterion” required for Landmark designation. Landmark status would protect the Rotunda Building from neglect or demolition as O'Hare Airport plans for the future. With the $8.5 million modernization effort and replacement of Terminal 2, it is our hope that the Rotunda Building will be restored and returned to become a lively center of activity. With new uses that both honor and restore the integrity of this remarkable structure and its complex and sophisticated spaces and finishes, it can be enjoyed by the public once again. If the positioning of the Rotunda Building will not allow for it to function as a public thoroughfare, it should be considered as a special lounge area with a fine dining option.
There has been an effort at airports across the country to restore and reuse the Midcentury Modern airport buildings. The TWA Flight Center headhouse by Saarinen at JFK is being redeveloped as a hotel and the Theme Building at LAX by Pereira and Luckman is anticipated to be preserved in the airport’s master planning efforts. The Rotunda Building should be included in this group of Jet Age, Midcentury Modern airport architecture.
Gertrude Kerbis and this incredible structure should be honored in March 2019 for Women's History Month. Chicago Landmark designation would properly honor the Rotunda Building’s place in women’s 20th century achievements in architecture and aviation, and it would protect it during current and future expansion plans at O’Hare. After years of additions and remodeling throughout O'Hare Airport, the Rotunda Building has endured, and it is as interesting, fresh and relevant as ever.
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THREATENED: Loretto Academy /
Institute of the Blessed Virgin
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Address:
1447 E. 65th Street, 65th and Blackstone Avenue,
Chicago (originally Jackson Park Terrace and Washington Avenue)
Architect:
William P. Doerr
Date:
1905, with 1927 addition
Style:
Flemish Revival/Flemish Renaissance Revival
Neighborhood:
Woodlawn
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Loretto Academy. Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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OVERVIEW
Loretto Academy and The Institute of the Blessed Virgin (Mary) is a picturesque four-and-a-half-story building, with a three-and-a-half story addition, situated in Chicago’s Woodlawn community and a short distance west of historic Jackson Park. The area was known locally as “Carmelite Way,” with several former and present Catholic institutions including The Shrine and Institute of Christ the King (originally St. Clara Church and School and later St. Clara--St. Cyril, then St. Gelasius), Mount Carmel High School and the affiliation with this once prominent school for girls. After the school closed in the early 1970s, the Loretto Academy building served a variety of uses and has been subject to a long period of disinvestment and neglect. It is currently vacant and has fallen into disrepair.
THREAT
While owners and uses have changed over the past four decades, the building has been vacant and mothballed in recent years. In addition, vandals have removed much of the patinated copper cornice and fascia of the upper facades. Large blue tarps were stretched over the high gabled mansard roofs over the last couple of years, and these have become shredded over time. While the building appears secure, we are concerned that water infiltration from a leaking roof may be contributing to further deterioration of the building.
RECOMMENDATIONS
This remarkable building should be considered for a reuse by another institution or as residential housing. The community is in need of permanent, affordable housing, and its close proximity to several transportation lines makes it an ideal location for such a use. It could also be used in tandem with Mount Carmel High School, as it is situated across the street from Mount Carmel’s Athletic Fields on 65th Street and a short distance to Stony Island Avenue and nearby Jackson Park.
The former Loretto Academy Building is currently owned by Reverend Leon Finney of the Metropolitan Apostolic Community Church located in the Bronzeville community. Reverend Finney is also the long-time president of The Woodlawn Organization and the Woodlawn Community Development Corporation.
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THREATENED: Crawford Power Station
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Crawford Power Station, Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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Address:
35th and Pulaski
Architects:
Graham, Anderson, Probst and White
Date:
1926
Style:
Industrial Gothic
Neighborhood:
Little Village / South Lawndale
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OVERVIEW
The Crawford Power Station is fast approaching 100 years standing in the Little Village industrial corridor. After years of community organizing to eliminate the pollution it generated, the historic buildings stand as a testament to the community’s victory as well as a bygone time when great architecture was the standard for industrial corridor development. Little Village is part of the South Lawndale community area.
What has been proposed for the 70-acre Crawford Station site is a massive 1 million square-foot diesel truck staging, cross-dock facility by developer Hilco Redevelopment Partners.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Preservation Chicago strongly encourages the adaptive reuse of the historic buildings into a redevelopment plan with new construction located elsewhere on the vast 72-acre site. The historic Graham, Anderson, Probst and White buildings, especially Turbine Hall, are an asset that should be recognized, valued and protected.
The Little Village community has been over-studied in the last few years and wildly underrepresented in redevelopment plans. The planned Hilco development is a prime example of that imbalance. Instead of approving a plan in the name of a free market that threatens the safety and quality of life of community residents and destroys important architectural history of Chicago, Hilco could be a responsible corporate neighbor working with the community to find a healthy balance between the company’s profits and people’s right to live in a healthy and safe neighborhood – one that retains its historic built environment.
It is possible and essential to redevelop this site in a way that minimizes harm to the community, honors the history and architecture and yet profitable for the developer. Little Village residents should not be required to sacrifice their quality of life in exchange for Hilco maximizing its return on investment on the Crawford site.
In London, a once shuttered coal-fired plant built in 1947 was adaptively reused and is now the celebrated Tate Modern. This river-front art museum has become the third most visited attraction in the UK with 5.8 million visitors in 2016. That building faced repeated threats of demolition for nearly 20 years prior to its reuse in 2000. In Savannah, Georgia, the former Georgia Power Plant located on the Savannah River is being turned into a 670,000-square-foot, mixed-used development by Marriott.
Hilco recently acquired another significant property in the Pilsen community, the Fisk Generating Station at 1111 West Cermak. The company can practice profitable and sensitive redevelopment at Crawford to gear up for the same model at Fisk. Our city’s history should not be erased in the name of one company’s profits.
SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS
Preservation Chicago is not opposed to redevelopment for the site, but it strongly encourages the 1926 portion of the 72-acre campus be adaptively reused in any redevelopment plan. The historic structures could incorporate some of the existing equipment to tell a story of Chicago’s place on the world stage in the history of electricity and the production process. This concept was employed at the former Sears Roebuck headquarters on Chicago’s West Side where some of the old powerhouse equipment was integrated into the new high school, known as the Charles H. Shaw Technology and Learning Center operated by Noble Street Charter Schools.
Community residents, including those involved with the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, favor a reuse on the site that retains the historic buildings and offers potentially food-related growing and production operations within those structures. Hilco could then find a use on the site’s vacant land that is respectful of the community’s quality of life goals. Jobs can be created and profits can be turned without causing harm to the community and erasing our historic built environment.
The 1 million-square-foot facility proposed at Crawford would never be considered on Chicago’s North or Northwest sides, and it should not be forced on the neighbors in Little Village/South Lawndale. Residents there have endured decades of disinvestment and environmental pollution with minimal investment of City resources toward protecting its built history.
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THREATENED: Justice D. Harry Hammer / Lu & Jorja Palmer Mansion
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Address:
3654-3656 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive (originally called Grand Boulevard, then South Park Way)
Architects:
William Wilson Clay, Wheelock & Clay
Date:
1885
Style:
Queen Anne/Romanesque
Neighborhood:
Bronzeville/Douglas Community
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Justice D. Harry Hammer / Lu & Jorja Palmer Mansion. Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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OVERVIEW
The Hammer/Palmer Mansion was constructed between 1885 and 1888 for Justice D. Harry Hammer. Designed by noted architect William Wilson Clay (1849-1926) and his firm of Wheelock & Clay, in the Queen Anne style. William Clay, and his various firms of Wheelock & Clay (1876-1886), Clay & Dutton (1886-1888), Beers, Clay, & Dutton (1888-1894) and with his own firm from 1894 onward, were notable for their grand-scale houses and mansions. He primarily designed in the Romanesque Revival or Richardsonian style, as well as the Queen Anne style, the two most modern and popular styles of the late 19th century.
Clay and his firms designed many notable mansions on the Near South Side, Kenwood and Hyde Park communities, as well as along such streets as Prairie and Michigan Avenues in the neighborhood we now call Bronzeville. In addition, the firm designed historically significant tall structures, or “skyscrapers”, such as the 14-story Medinah Building of 1893 in the Loop (a precursor to Medinah Temple and the Medinah Athletic Club) and the 11-story Lakota Hotel at 3001 S. Michigan Avenue of 1892. These have both been demolished. Also, the design of the Diamond Match Company Building for the Columbian Exposition/Chicago World’s Fair of 1893. Several of Clay's mansions still stand on the Southside, Near North Side, and the Gold Coast. However, much of their work has been lost.
More recently the Hammer/Palmer Mansion was the home from 1976 to 2004 of the noted African American activist, reporter, writer, and 'godfather of Chicago black political activism' Lutrelle 'Lu' F. Palmer II (1922-2004) and his wife Jorja English Palmer. The mansion has been vacant in recent years while under the ownership of Wilcar, LLC, with real estate magnate Elzie Higginbottom and members of the English family. The structure has fallen into a state of disrepair and there is danger that it will become a victim of demolition by neglect. Instead we hope it is saved, restored and made part of a larger Chicago Landmark District to include all of the buildings and their facades fronting this stretch of King Drive and nearby adjacent streets of Bronzeville.
THREAT
The Hammer House faces the threat of demolition by neglect. The house has been vacant for a number of years. It is in need of repair. Given the size of the house and the necessary investment the property requires, Preservation Chicago is concerned that the house will continue to deteriorate and accumulate building violations. This would give the owner and the City an excuse to demolish this important Bronzeville building and erase another part of Bronzeville history.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Preservation Chicago strongly advocates for the preservation and restoration of the Hammer/Palmer Mansion. This property needs immediate repairs and investment. This building should be landmarked, either as an individual landmark or as part of a broad King Drive/Grand Boulevard Chicago Landmark District, or both. The house is clearly landmark-eligible, both from an architectural standpoint, and from the standpoint of cultural history. Its original owner, D. Harry Hammer, and its longtime owners Lu & Jorja English Palmer as they were significant residents of this historic community. The Palmers were active and noteworthy in Chicago’s African American cultural and political community, and were essential to the election of Harold Washington as mayor of Chicago. This house deserves to be saved, restored, and landmarked.
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THREATENED: Second Church of Christ, Scientist
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Address:
2700 N. Pine Grove Avenue
Architects:
Solon S. Beman
Date:
1899-1901
Style:
Classical Revival
Neighborhood:
Lincoln Park
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Second Church of Christ, Scientist, Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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OVERVIEW
Second Church of Christ, Scientist is a fine example of Chicago architect Solon S. Beman’s work and is located on the North Side adjacent to historic Lincoln Park. Beman, known most famously for his design of the historic Town of Pullman as well as commercial and religious buildings, designed this church in a Classical Revival-style, reminiscent of an ancient Greek Temple. The building was completed in 1901 as the second church structure and institution, dedicated to the Christian Science movement in Chicago.
After serving the Lincoln Park community for more than a century, this remarkable building, designed by one of Chicago’s well-noted architects, has been offered for sale by the congregation and a real estate consultant. The church may be in imminent danger of demolition if sold to a developer, as the building is not a designated Chicago Landmark. This is due in part to a 1987 Chicago ordinance requiring owner permission and consent to designate religious buildings as official protected and recognized Landmarks. Often churches and owners of religious structures do not wish to be encumbered by this designation and honor, which may limit future plans, including possible demolition of their magnificent buildings.
THREATS
This extraordinary building has been offered for sale by the congregation and a real estate consultant. Despite a proposal in 2017 to consider a reuse of the building as a community cultural center and library, sponsored by a Chicago-based foundation in tandem with the City, the congregation continues to seek a developer for the property. This marvelous structure, much like several other former Christian Science churches, may be in imminent danger of demolition, thereby losing both an amazing legacy building and an opportunity for this structure to continue to serve the community as a destination and a much-needed resource and cultural center.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Preservation Chicago would like to encourage the church’s owners to explore further the cultural and community center proposal in partnership with private foundations, elected officials, the City of Chicago and nearby institutions like Lincoln Park Zoo and the Lincoln Park Conservatory. Such a universal space with auditorium seating could provide a much-needed gathering and meeting space for concerts, lectures and other events.
We encourage this remarkable structure to be considered for designation as a Chicago Landmark. The building would meet the criteria for designation and would fulfill a long-standing conversation in the community with public officials and ownership to consider such a designation and honor. The reuse of the building to a cultural center, combined with a Chicago Public Library branch, would also perhaps be in the spirit of Mrs. Eddy and the larger Christian Science community to reuse the building to benefit mankind.
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THREATENED: James R. Thompson Center / State of Illinois Building
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Address:
100 W. Randolph Street
Architects:
C.F. Murphy, Murphy/Jahn, Helmut Jahn
Date:
1985
Style:
Post-Modern
Neighborhood:
Loop
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James R. Thompson Center / State of Illinois Building. Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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OVERVIEW
This is the third time the James R. Thompson Center/State of Illinois Building, plaza and atrium has made Preservation Chicago’s 7 Most Endangered list. However, imminent threats to the building’s future require us to spotlight it again in 2019. Since it was built in 1985, the building’s design and engineering challenges of the space have been a contentious topic for the city. However, it is an iconic representation of Post-Modern design by world-renowned architect Helmut Jahn.
SB 886 has passed the Illinois House and Senate. It sits now on Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s desk for signature, and he has less than 60 days left to sign it. The bill lays out the process by which The Thompson Center can be sold. Preservation Chicago encourages the City of Chicago to work with the Governor and the State of Illinois to landmark this building to protect its historically significant elements. While SB 886 does not require any purchaser to retain the historic Post-Modern structure, it does ironically mandate that any future development on the property must bear in whole or in part the name of former Governor James R. Thompson.
THREAT
Legislation initiated when Bruce Rauner was Illinois’ governor has now moved forward to new Governor J.B. Pritzker’s desk for signature. Former Governor Rauner projected the building could generate $300 million from the sale. 42nd Ward Alderman Brandon Reilly has doubted the validity of this projected sale price. We remain hopeful that prevailing political opinions will work to retain the building as a state-owned facility for the people of Illinois.
Preservation Chicago believes that the scale of the Thompson Center and its vast, open plaza and public interior atrium spaces add to Chicagoans’ quality of life by allowing light and air into a dense section of the Loop. If sold to the highest bidder, these benefits are almost certain to be lost. Additionally, the soaring central interior atrium was built by and for the people of the State of Illinois, and, therefore, should remain accessible to the public as a public building. Conceptual drawings that increase density but retain the historic building have been advanced by Helmut Jahn and Landmarks Illinois.
The Monument with Standing Beast sculpture located in The Thompson Center’s public plaza, was created by one of the world’s most noted Modernist artists Jean Dubuffet. It was a gift to the citizens of Chicago and Illinois and must be protected. We’ve seen important works of 20th century Chicago public art removed (Henry Bertoia’s Sonambient), whitewashed (All of Mankind mural by William Walker), destroyed (top surface mosaic of Marc Chagall’s Four Seasons), placed in storage (Alexander Calder’s The Universe) or sold at auction (Henry Moore’s Large Internal-External Upright Form). 20th century Chicago public art was a 2017 Chicago 7 Most Endangered, so it is imperative that this great Dubuffet sculpture be protected.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Our 2019 call to action is twofold: first to the City of Chicago and then to the Illinois State Legislature in Springfield and the Governor’s office.
Preservation Chicago urges the City of Chicago to move quickly to designate the Thompson Center/ State of Illinois Building as a Chicago Landmark. A Landmark designation could protect this building, plaza and public sculpture ensuring that these will be retained in any redevelopment of the site. Jahn’s career began in Chicago and is now celebrated around the world. This is a building of the people, built as a monument and open to all, with many public spaces that should be forever open to all, and efforts to both protect its architecture and vision and activate the building should be implemented.
We call on the State of Illinois to prioritize preservation into its specifications for the eventual sale of the property. As residents of the state, we understand the financial pressures that our legislature is working under. Diverting revenues from the sale the James R. Thompson Center would make a small dent in the unfunded pension deficit, but the history of Chicago’s built environment does not need to be erased to get there. There are preservation-sensitive ways to give developers the density their profit margins sometimes demand.
The State of Illinois and the City of Chicago need to work together to protect this significant building. A comprehensive redevelopment plan could correct the deferred maintenance. A tower-addition study by Helmut Jahn’s design firm has suggested that the existing building could accommodate new construction that would add square footage while remaining sensitive to the historic building, atrium and public space. As of now, we want to see the building preserved in its entirety along with its public spaces, plazas and artwork.
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THREATENED: Roman Catholic Churches of Chicago
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Address:
Throughout Chicago
Architects:
Dillenberg & Zucher, John van Osdel, Patrick Keely, Burnham & Root, Gregory Vigeant, Henry Engelbert, William Brinkman, Henry Schlacks, Worthmann & Steinbach, and others.
Date:
Between c.1857 to about c.1927
Style:
Victorian Gothic, Renaissance Revival, Romanesque, Byzantine-Romanesque, Gothic, Roman Basilica, French Gothic
Neighborhood:
Throughout Chicago, but mostly in Pilsen, Bridgeport, Canaryville and Uptown communities
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St. Michael the Archangel, Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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OVERVIEW
T
he Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago was once the largest and most populous diocese in the nation with the most parishes and largest parochial school system. Comprised of hundreds of magnificent church buildings, often on the grand scale, these churches were designed by some of America’s greatest architects and most recognized architectural firms. The Chicago area, with 2.2 million Catholics, still stands as one of the largest concentrations of Catholics in the United States. The Archdiocese of Chicago represents an enviable assemblage of ethnic national parishes and more mainstream parishes.
The church buildings which have made Preservation Chicago’s 7 Most Endangered List for 2019 are both gateways and landmarks in their communities and a great source of pride, stemming back to their inception—often built with the pennies, nickels and dimes of the Faithful. These structures were then given to an institution, including the Archdiocese of Chicago, to care for, maintain, staff and steward. In recent years, this has proven to be a challenging task.
Over the past three decades, the Archdiocese of Chicago and its holdings have been substantially trimmed and reduced, with many religious buildings closed and merged, along with school closings, which have often left communities without their cherished houses of worship and a building vacant and devastated. The Archdiocese of Chicago has seen successive waves of church closings or consolidations. Nearly 30 years ago under then-archbishop Joseph Cardinal Benardin, a wave of church closings and consolidations swept through the city shuttering more than 40 churches and parochial schools.
In 2016, news broke that by 2030 the Archdiocese of Chicago will have a rapidly decreasing number of priests serving, with the rate of retirement far exceeding new ordinations.
Six years ago, Chicago’s neighborhoods saw almost 50 public schools shuttered. Now some of the same neighborhoods will see their parish churches closed or consolidated. Communities are often defined by their church and school institutions. With both the schools and churches in some neighborhoods closing, residents could be left with large, vacant former community hubs to contend with.
Cardinal Blaise Cupich has directed a new program called “Renew Your Church” which has caused a re-evaluation of the many churches and religious buildings that have historically been anchors of the city’s communities. This has brought about new discussions of massive closings, projected to be 75 to 100 buildings and parishes across Chicago which are to be merged, consolidated, closed, sold and perhaps demolished. Financial issues and an expected priest shortage have been cited as reasons for why this is happening. This is devastating to many beyond the Faithful to lose these magnificent buildings and structures which were to be built for the ages.
This is nothing less than a tragedy, impacting whole communities and cities across the nation. Despite a predicted shortage of religious personnel and other on-going issues, these buildings and community landmarks could have a better future. Led by community input and with public-private partnerships, advocates can pool resources together – including Landmark designation – to keep these buildings alive. After all, these buildings and parishes are more than religious centers, but also community centers—hosting neighborhood meetings, food pantries, daycare, family and addiction counseling, educational facilities and warming centers in the most inclement weather. We can collectively do better and want to spotlight these amazing buildings that are both Chicago and world treasures.
THREAT
It is now apparent that a wave of church closings is imminent. With an estimated 75 Catholic churches expected to close or consolidate over the next 10 years, this current restructuring of the Archdiocese of Chicago would be almost twice as large as the 1990 restructuring under then-archbishop Joseph Cardinal Benardin.
Many of the churches targeted first for closure are the oldest and largest buildings and have higher operating costs; not surprisingly, this number includes many of Chicago’s most architecturally and historically significant churches. Currently there are 19 churches threatened with their doors being shuttered. For generations these churches served as spiritual centers and anchors to their parishes and neighborhoods. A majority of the churches are located on the South Side.
Most of these churches are either Red or Orange coded in the Chicago Historic Resources Survey (CHRS). In the CHRS, a color-coded ranking system was used to identify historic and architectural significance relative to age, degree of external physical integrity and level of possible significance. The CHRS defines Red-coded properties as buildings which “possess some architectural feature or historical association that made them potentially significant in the broader context of the City of Chicago, the State of Illinois or the United States of America.” The CHRS defines Orange-coded properties as buildings which “possess some architectural feature or historical association that made them potentially significant in the context of the surrounding community.” Despite their high ranking in the color-coded ranking system of the CHRS — ranking which proves the buildings are of high architectural and historical significance — most of the 19 churches are not designated landmarks. Due to a 1987 amendment introduced by then Alderman Burt Natarus requiring church owner consent to Landmark a building, only a handful of Chicago churches are designated Chicago Landmarks. Because the churches lack Chicago Landmark or Landmark District designation, there is little available to protect them.
Since 2003, dozens of important houses of worship throughout Chicago have either been demolished or significantly altered. The loss of these incredible churches diminishes the character of the surrounding communities. Three years ago, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich wrote in the archdiocesan newspaper Catholic New World: "Demographics have shifted dramatically. Some of our parish buildings are in disrepair. We have fewer priests to pastor our faith communities. The result is that we end up spreading our resources too thinly. We should not be afraid to face these realities.”
RECOMMENDATIONS
Preservation Chicago is committed to ensuring the preservation of Chicago’s religious legacy. It will:
- Continue to proactively monitor vacant and abandoned religious structures throughout the city.
- Continue to oppose inappropriate “preservation” solutions like “façadism” and building deconstruction and relocation.
- Continue to pressure the city to amend the Chicago Landmarks Ordinance which currently allows owners of houses of worship to opt out of the Landmarks Ordinance.
- Propose and advocate for policies that will encourage the restoration and repurposing of houses of worship.
In April of 2018 the City Council Zoning Committee approved Alderman Brian Hopkins’s ordinance to fine property owners $1,000 to $2,000 for letting historic properties or those within Landmark Districts deteriorate. Preservation Chicago advocates for the City Council’s formal enactment of Alderman Hopkins’s ordinance with respect to demolition by neglect. While the future for many of Chicago’s Catholic churches is unknown, the city should proactively protect these architecturally and historically significant churches which are neighborhood landmarks and gathering places. Hopefully, with a strong ordinance in place, parishioners and preservationists would be allowed time to select the highest and best use for the many churches now projected to be closed.
According to canon law of the Catholic Church, if two or more parishes are merged the new combined parish may adopt a new name. While it may seem a small thing to some, Preservation Chicago recommends keeping the historic names of the Catholic churches, if possible. A name carries a lot of meaning. It can help tell the rich history of the neighborhood and parish.
Landmarks Illinois, our sister organization, has stated “many buildings that trigger a demolition delay due to their inclusion in the CHRS are architecturally significant but don’t meet more than one of two required criteria for landmark designation due to lack of information regarding its original owner or architect. Yet these buildings often contribute to a neighborhood’s economy, historic streetscape, scale and character.” Preservation Chicago advocates for the City Council to amend the Chicago Landmarks Ordinance so that in special cases a Chicago Landmark designation based on one criterion, rather than two criteria, is possible. Preservation Chicago advocates for Chicago’s Mayor and City Council to support an amendment to the Chicago Landmarks Ordinance that would again allow the City Council to Landmark places of religious worship without the consent of the owner. This would allow the many Catholic churches included in the Archdiocese restructuring to be designated as a Chicago Landmark or to be located within a Chicago Landmark District.
The following churches have been added to the rapidly growing Preservation Chicago Endangered Church Watch List (listed by location North to South):
- St. Ita
- St. Thomas of Canterbury
- St. Mary of the Lake
- St. Stanislaus Kostka
- Notre Dame de Chicago
- Holy Family
- St. Adalbert (Chicago 7 2014 and 2016)
- St. Therese Chinese Catholic Church
- St. Jerome Croatian
- All Saints – St. Anthony
- St. Barbara
- Santa Lucia – Santa Maria Incoronata
- St. Mary of Perpetual Help
- Nativity of Our Lord
- St. Gabriel
- St. Michael Archangel
- St. Camillus
- St. Felicitas
- St. Joachim
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Petition: Save the Clarendon Park Field House
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Clarendon Park Field House. Historic Postcard Credit: Chuckman Collection
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The Clarendon Park Community Center will either begin an extensive renovation or will be demolished and replaced. The building hangs in the balance and a strong voice from the Clarendon Park community is essential to help decision makers to make a good decision.
As recently as 2015, demolition was widely considered to be the most likely outcome for the historic Clarendon Park Community Center building and it was included as a 2015 Preservation Chicago 7 Most Endangered Building. It was widely celebrated when in 2017 $6.1 million TIF funds were earmarked for the long-neglected Clarendon Park Community Center building with the expectation that the building would finally be renovated. Now there is concern that the Chicago Park District will choose to use these funds for a smaller, new construction building instead of restoring the historic building.
The historic Clarendon Park building was designed by city architect C.W. Kallal in a Mediterranean Revival Style. This “Italian Resort Style” became the model for such other highly regarded lakefront landmark buildings as Marshall and Fox’s South Shore Country Club in 1916 (now South Shore Cultural Center) and the 63rd Street Bathing Pavilion in 1919. This style was defined by tall towers capped with hipped roofs clad in clay tiles, large entry colonnades, porticos, loggias and open-air promenades.
Preservation Chicago urges the Chicago Park District to recognize the value of this important historic building and to commit to seeing it restored. Preservation Chicago applauds 46th Ward Alderman James Cappleman for his commitment to seeing the Clarendon Park Community Center protected from demolition and for helping to solidify the necessary renovation funds. The Clarendon Park neighbors and community
stakeholders continue to play an important role and deserve special recognition for their unwavering support for this building with special thanks to Katharine Boyda, Melanie Eckner, the Clarendon Park Advisory Council, Uptown United and Uptown Chicago Commission.
Preservation Chicago hopes to see this important building’s exterior restored to an appearance more similar to its original design. The distinctive tall towers fronting Clarendon Avenue and the smaller towers fronting the beach, along with the entry colonnade and the verandas and open-air loggias were beautiful and distinctive architecture elements that should never have been removed. Their reconstruction would elevate the Clarendon Park Community Center to its rightful place alongside the 63rd Street Bathing Pavilion and other important landmark lakefront buildings from this period.
Additional Reading
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Logan Square Preservation Launches Campaign to Restore Church's Stained Glass
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Eleventh Church of Christ Scientist/Central Hispanic Seventh Day Adventist Church, 2840 W. Logan Boulevard, Leon Stanhope, 1916. Photo Credit: Google Maps Street View
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Eleventh Church of Christ Scientist/Central Hispanic Seventh Day Adventist Church, 2840 W. Logan Boulevard, Leon Stanhope, 1916. Existing condition of stained glass windows. Photo Credit: Logan Square Preservation
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Eleventh Church of Christ Scientist/Central Hispanic Seventh Day Adventist Church, 2840 W. Logan Boulevard, Leon Stanhope, 1916. Rendering of proposed backlighting of stained glass windows following restoration. Rendering Credit: Logan Square Preservation
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Logan Square Preservation has launched a fundraising campaign to raise funds to restore and backlight the original stained glass windows at an historic church located on Logan Boulevard in the heart of the Logan Square Boulevard Historic Landmark District.
“Help Restore Historic Windows at 2840 W. Logan Blvd.”
Designed by landmark architect Leon Stanhope and built in 1916 as the home of the 11th Church of Christ Scientist, the building at 2840 W. Logan Blvd houses the Central Hispanic Seventh Day Adventist Church congregation.
The fish-scale stained glass windows, which are an integral part of the design, are in need of restoration. Some are being held together today by duct-tape. LSP is working with them to raise the $12,000 necessary to completely restore and backlight the windows so they will be visible on Logan Boulevard at night.”
In 2016 Logan Square Preservation raised $5,000 from its members to restore one of the stained glass windows at the Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church. The Minnekirkin has been the only church to opt-in to the Logan Boulevard Historic District, which protects landmark buildings on the boulevard from demolition. All of the windows were in need of significant restoration. The windows facing the square were obscured behind discolored plastic installed to protect from damage.
The restored windows were unveiled in May 2016 and continue to be seen by thousands of people on Logan Square. Since then, the campaign to restore the remaining windows facing Logan Square has raised over $19,000 towards its goal.
(Logan Square Preservation.org)
"It’s a project that wouldn’t be possible without the fundraising campaign", according to Pastor Luis Eguiluz, who has been with the church for seven years “We are so grateful and happy that [Logan Square Preservation] is taking the initiative.” (Bloom, Block Club, 1/30/19)
Additional Reading
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If You Value Preservation In Chicago...
Please Support
Preservation Chicago
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Demolition of Chicago Machinery Building, 1217 West Washington Boulevard, designed by D.H. Burnham & Company in 1910, Photo Credit: Ward Miller
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- Be Heard! Attend community meetings, and stand up to make your voice heard!
THANK YOU from your friends at Preservation Chicago!
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