June 2019 Month-in-Review Newsletter
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THREATENED: Archdiocese tragically announces closure date for historic St. Adalbert Church in Pilsen
(Chi 7 2014, 2016 and 2019)
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St. Adalbert Church, Henry J. Schlacks, 1636 W. 17th Street. Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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St. Adalbert Church, Henry J. Schlacks, 1636 W. 17th Street. Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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Unless they can be convinced otherwise, the Archdiocese of Chicago has announced that Sunday, July 14, 2019 will be the final service held at St. Adalbert Church in the Pilsen neighborhood. The Archdiocese then plans to deconsecrate the church, much to the distress of the faithful worshippers at the church who are hopeful to keep it as a sacred place.
While the Archdiocese would not comment on it, there is widespread speculation in the community that a developer has made a successful bid to acquire the St. Adalbert site at 1636 W. 17th Street, which includes a church, rectory, convent and school building as well as a large surface-grade parking lot.
Parishioners were devastated and profoundly impacted by the news at a June church service. Preservation Chicago has worked diligently with the community and the Archdiocese over the years to broker an agreement to first and foremost save all the buildings from demolition and then work to keep the church building as a sacred space. Preservation Chicago has encouraged the Archdiocese to consider a Landmark designation of the building and a dozen others that are architecturally and historically significant as an act of goodwill. These treasures, constructed by the faithful with pennies, nickels and dimes and given up to the Archdiocese of Chicago to steward, staff and care for more than a century in most cases, need to be saved. Preservation Chicago will continue to advocate along with the community to ensure any redevelopment is sensitive to the community’s needs and guidance.
The Renaissance Revival church was designed by architect Henry J. Schlacks. Its soaring 185-foot twin towers can be seen prominently in the Pilsen community. It is certainly a landmark, and the Archdiocese of Chicago and the City of Chicago should recognize that honor. Religious structures need the consent of owners to be designated Landmarks in Chicago, and that consent is often difficult to attain. This often separates these buildings from the surrounding Landmark Districts – and therefore creates different standards and changes the rules that everyone else must abide by. Perhaps even the 1987 ordinance requiring religious structure owner consent can be overturned by our newly elected aldermen and Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
Additional Reading:
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THREATENED: St. Adalbert Unity Rally highlights worshippers’ plight
(Chi 7 2014, 2016 and 2019)
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Ward Miller Addresses Crowd at Rally to Save St. Adalbert Church, July 7, 2019, Henry J. Schlacks, 1636 W. 17th Street. Photo Credit: Mary Lu Seidel / Preservation Chicago
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Rally to Save St. Adalbert Church, July 7, 2019, Henry J. Schlacks, 1636 W. 17th Street. Photo Credit: Mary Lu Seidel / Preservation Chicago
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Chicago Tonight Coverage of Effort to Save St. Adalbert Church. Photo Credit: Ward Miller / Preservation Chicago
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“Ask your Cardinal!” Ward Miller’s response to a parishioner’s questions about why this is happening to the family at St. Adalbert.
Imagine a place that has been the foundation of your worship life. Your earliest memories are of sitting on your father’s lap during a church service. You had the funeral mass for that same father years later. Family was married there. You were married there. It is the hub of your spiritual life and the hub of your community life. And then the Archdiocese tells you it no longer has room for that facility among its assets, and it will be sold to the highest bidder.
That is what Blanca Torres and all the worshippers at St. Adalbert are going through right now. Whether of Polish or Latino upbringing, the faithful who worship at St. Adalbert all feel the same.
“We went to school here. We took our moral and spiritual foundation here. We got married here. We had our funerals here. In all of that, we were a community that supported and encouraged each other,” said parishioner Blanca Torres.
“The parishioners and the Catholic faithful have built this church. Why should we pay for it again?” asked Julie Sawicki, a worshipper at St. Adalbert. “We are fighting for everything (the church, rectory, convent and school), because we know the church cannot survive alone.”
25th Ward Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez promised the community that no further action would take place on the church until the worshippers and community members are at the table. “All the parishioners who have worked hard to build the kind of community we see today, there will be no movement on this project until the Archdiocese meets with the parishioners. It is irresponsible to decide that after July 14 this will no longer be a sacred place. We have a clear, transparent process about their plans. Without a conversation, it is irresponsible to make these kinds of decisions. You will be at the table!”
“Between the combined efforts of the Polish and Mexican communities and all others interested in this effort, we can and will make this work,” said Rosemarie Dominguez, a member of the St. Adalbert community. “All community members feel like they have been abandoned by their church leaders.”
“We encourage the Archdiocese and the community to come together and save St. Adalbert,” said Preservation Chicago Executive Director Ward Miller. “Closing the church is not the right answer here. We need the City of Chicago to Landmark this church (and save it for future generations).”
When one parishioner in the audience asked Miller “Why is it they can save buildings downtown, but they can’t save this church?” Ward Miller responded, “Ask your Cardinal!”
It is time to ask Cardinal Cupich! Preservation Chicago will continue to work with the St. Adalbert faithful and members of the community to return this sacred place to the people who built it. We will work together to find viable options to encourage it to be a sacred site.
Additional Reading:
“The Vatican’s primary appellate court has made known through prior decisions that churches cannot be closed due to a priest shortage. Second, a parish in good financial standing cannot be stripped of its financial resources, particularly those resources that the parish has accrued over the decades from the donations and work of parish members.”
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“Preservation First” is focus of Preservation Chicago’s 2019-2020 policy agenda
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Chicago Streetscape. Photo Credit: John Morris
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Every week the City of Chicago loses more places that define what Chicago is and how we came to be the city that we are -- whether by a bulldozer or special land giveaways on historic parkland. When will the City of Chicago put a premium on protecting our historic built environment?
“Chicago needs a bigger toolbox,” said Ward Miller, Executive Director of Preservation Chicago, “and it needs a City Council committed to legislation that will place the burden of proof on developers to make the case for why they should be permitted to erase our historic built environment.”
There are limited tools to save historic and significant buildings and not enough staff in the City to administer them.
After all, historic buildings are part of our cultural heritage which the world comes to Chicago to visit. It’s a large part of tourism for Chicago and a big income generator for our city.
There is a 90-day demolition delay on buildings that are red- or orange-rated in the Chicago Historic Resources Survey which was completed and published in 1996. The challenge with that is there is no burden of proof the developer needs to make in those 90 days that his or her building must come down. They just wait, and the preservation community – overwhelmed by daily threats to buildings – has 90 days to get a save. We have 90 days to convince the developer to change their mind or sell to a preservation-minded developer (if one can be found) or to convince the City and elected officials that the building meets the criteria for a Chicago Landmark designation.
There is Landmark designation – either for a single building or an entire district. That designation is effective, but there are only so many Landmarks that City staff can process in a single year. And not every building worth saving rises to the level of a Chicago Landmark. There are incentives that come along with Landmarked building, but many of those are unattainable for lower-income homeowners.
Preservation Chicago’s policy advocacy agenda for the coming years includes:
- Demolition fee ordinance. Make demolition cost-prohibitive, with exceptions for people experiencing hardship or for a building that is a life and safety threat.
- Longer demolition delays and for a broader category of buildings. Some great historic buildings were not included in the Chicago Historic Resources Survey or were given a lesser color coding like green. These all should be protected.
- Conservation districts. Landmarks Illinois has been leading an effort to create a conservation district ordinance in Chicago. This would allow greater protections for buildings that define the character of Chicago but may not meet the Chicago Landmark criteria.
- Update the Chicago Historic Resource Survey. It has been nearly 25 years since the last survey was published. It is time to invest in reassessing our built environment.
- Increase Landmark Division staff. So much of the business of protecting important buildings and places rests in this hard-working but severely understaffed department. While the staff work diligently and tirelessly to get done what they can, they need more help to expand capacity to protect our architectural treasures.
- Right zoning. Modify zoning to reduce opportunities to demolish or deconvert buildings and to make it harder to join two lots to demolish an existing structure and build big over both lots.
“I long for the day when developers value history as much as their return on investment,” Miller said, “But until then we need to grow our tools to protect what we know and love about Chicago.”
The Crawford Power Plant in Little Village, a Preservation Chicago Seven Most Endangered in 2014 and 2019, is the latest historic building to fall victim to demolition. When Hilco Global Partners bought the site, they appear to have given little consideration of saving the historic buildings that revolutionized power production across the country.
While Roberto Perez, Executive Vice President of Hilco, claims the buildings were structurally unsound, he never produced documentation to back up his company’s assertions. And the City didn’t ask for it. Now our city and the community that wanted to preserve those buildings have to watch the beautiful structures designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst and White in 1926 slowly destroyed by a wrecking crew. Turbine Hall, which was an architectural gem amongst the Crawford site, is mid-demolition.
Hilco also acquired the historic Fisk Power Station in Pilsen. Although Perez noted that Hilco does not have any plans to demolish the historic buildings on that site, he also said they do not have any plans for the site just yet. Fisk includes buildings by Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge -- the successor firm of H.H. Richardson and also the architects of the Chicago Cultural Center and the Art Institute of Chicago, both Chicago Landmarks.
Every developer who wants to erase history and build bigger says the historic buildings they acquired are not viable, and unless it is a Chicago Landmark there are few mechanisms to challenge those claims and protect our historic built environment.
The threat to the Washington Park National Bank is also heartbreaking for people who value their community history and saving historic buildings. The Cook County Land Bank Authority is poised to sell the building to a developer with plans to demolish the nearly 100-year-old, grand limestone commercial building at 63rd and Cottage Grove.
Furthering the threats to historic places are developers who buy historic buildings like the Palmer Mansion in Bronzeville or the Loretto Academy in Woodlawn (both Chicago 7 2019), sitting on them for years or even decades with no progress toward restoring or redeveloping them. This is demolition by neglect and unconscionable, and it should not be allowed to continue.
Preservation Chicago has been facilitating proactive preservation strategies in Bronzeville and Roseland, and they expect to work in at least two more communities in 2019. The work involves doing an inventory of buildings in the neighborhood, identifying vulnerable properties, developing strategies to protect those buildings and advocating for either a Landmark District or a future conservation district.
“We are trying to get ahead of the wrecking ball, but it is challenging when they are so many wrecking balls,” said Ward Miller, Executive Director at Preservation Chicago. “We need a City that makes it really hard to wreck a historic building. We need a City that puts preservation first and foremost and encourages a reinvestment in these fine, quality buildings.
“Investment in our historic buildings and Landmarks IS development -- and the most sensitive type of development,” Miller said.
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UPDATE: Alderman Sigcho-Lopez sponsors community meetings to open dialogue on Pilsen Historic District
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1639 S. Throop Street in Pilsen. Photo Credit: Cathie Bond / Preservation Chicago
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While the proposal for a Pilsen Chicago Landmark District works its way through the City of Chicago approval process, new 25th Ward Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez is convening an open community dialogue to learn more about what the District could mean to the diverse residents of Pilsen and respond to questions and concerns from the community.
The community meeting is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, July 11, 2019, at 1661 S. Blue Island Avenue. Representatives from Preservation Chicago, Landmarks Illinois, Arquitectos and the Department of Planning and Development-Historic Preservation Division will be participating in the conversation.
Residents are concerned about what a Chicago Landmark District will mean to their ability to make improvements to their property. While some residents worry the District will escalate gentrification in the neighborhood, others worry it will restrict their ability to maximize a return on their home or small business investment.
The process for this particular proposed Chicago Landmark District moved along at an accelerated pace due to several demolition permit applications for buildings in the proposed District, it became evident that the current Landmark District incentives are not as meaningful to lower- and moderate-income homeowners. There are also no protections within the Landmark Ordinance protecting affordable housing, which is a big issue for residents of Pilsen.
With 850 contributing buildings and public murals included, this is poised to be the largest Landmark District in Chicago. The boundaries are all within the 2005 National Register District, running along 18th Street.
Additional Reading
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THREATENED: 3726-28 N. Lake Shore Drive has a clear path to demolition
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3726-28 N. Lake Shore Drive. Photo Credit: Redfin
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3726-28 N. Lake Shore Drive. Photo Credit: Ward Miller / Preservation Chicago
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[Research for this article was provided by Matt Wicklund]
A beautiful, Sullivanesque ornamented building fronting North Lake Shore Drive, Lincoln Park and the Chicago lakefront looks to be headed toward demolition.
The three-story and raised basement, buff brick- and terra cotta-clad apartment building at 3726-28 N. Lake Shore Drive (originally Sheridan Road) was built in 1912-1913 for L. C. Gerhart and designed by architect Henry Hale Waterman, who is well noted for his residential work including fine quality houses. Most of Waterman's buildings are on the Far South Side in the Beverly-Morgan Park community where many structures by Waterman are in the Longwood Drive Chicago Landmark District as well as the National Register Ridge Historic District. There are also many of his buildings on the North and Northwest Sides of Chicago are well. The building has three large units, with a common space entrance and possibly a manager's suite on the ground floor.
Despite the grand detailing and character of this 1912-13 building, it was not listed as orange- or red-rated (of the highest significance) but green-rated in the Chicago Historic Resources Survey (CHRS) that was completed nearly 25 years ago. The green rating in this case indicates that it was noted as significant in the Illinois State Survey in the 1970s. However, that did not translate into a higher-significance rating. Ideally, all buildings in the CHRS should be protected by the 90-Day Demolition Delay Ordinance.
There is currently scaffolding across the front of the building, and the building has various code violations – many related to its façade. 46th Ward Alderman James Cappleman’s web site shows tentative drawings for a 4-story, newly constructed building planned for the site. The current owners purchased the property in 2016 for $8,750,000.
We want to encourage a solution which preserves at a minimum the Sullivanesque façade of the building.
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WIN: Cedar Street celebrates restored Bennett Brothers Building opening
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"The Alfred" at Bennett Brothers/ Hartmann Building, 30 E. Adams, Alfred Alschuler, 1925. Photo Credit: Ward Miller / Preservation Chicago
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"The Alfred" at Bennett Brothers/ Hartmann Building, 30 E. Adams, Alfred Alschuler, 1925. Photo Credit: Ward Miller / Preservation Chicago
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Cedar Street Companies was proud to unveil its $45 million restoration of the former Hartmann Building at 30 E. Adams now renamed “The Alfred,” after its original architect Alfred Alschuler.
According to its marketing website flatslife.com, the former office and retail/catalog building was converted to apartments featuring amenities for tenants like a rooftop lounge and fitness center. With a total of 176 units, the 12-story building contains studio, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom units. Miller’s Pub, a long-time restaurant and Chicago institution, will continue to operate on the first floor Wabash Avenue side of the building.
“Cedar Street continues to model an inherent appreciation for historic buildings and their sensitive restoration,” said Ward Miller, Preservation Chicago Executive Director. “This is another fine example of what they can do to both save history and operate a profitable business.”
Built in 1925 as the Hartmann Building and more recently known as the Bennett Bros Building, the developers worked diligently to retain as much of the historic character of the building inside and out. The redesign work was overseen by SPACE Architects + Planners.
Cedar Street saved and restored the main lobby from a 1950s remodeling along with the elevator lobbies on each floor and fixtures.
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UPDATE: One year later: The Uptown Theatre status
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Uptown Theatre. Rendering Credit: Chicago DPD
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The dream of a restored Uptown Theatre is awaiting additional fundraising before restoration can get underway.
A year ago, then Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced plans to provide City funding to close the gap for the $75 million estimated to restore the theater. At that time, it was projected that $14 million would come from the State of Illinois’ Property Assessed Clean Energy Act; $13 million in TIF funds; $10 million in Build Illinois bond funding; $8.7 million in federal tax credits; and $3.7 million in the City of Chicago’s Adopt-a-Landmark funds. That left $26 million for JAM Productions and partner Farpoint Development to assemble.
Jerry Mickelson, co-owner of JAM Productions, at an April 2019 Chicago Architecture Center panel discussion on the Uptown Theatre, indicated that $40 million needs to be raised to complete the fundraising. He also suggested that he wants to see at least $20 million of that committed before restoration work can begin. He is working now to create a 501(c)(3) non-profit to develop a fundraising strategy and take over ownership of the building.
While some had hoped work would begin in the summer or fall of 2019, Mickelson’s latest projections are now looking at 2020. He still hopes to have the theater open for business in 2021.
Preservation Chicago believes that with the funds raised to date, work on restoration of the building’s exterior should begin as soon as possible to seal the external envelope and prevent further deterioration from occurring.
Fans of the Uptown Theatre and Uptown residents hoping to see additional economic development spurred by the theater’s restoration will need to extend their wait, but if Mickelson comes through with his plans the final result will be extraordinary.
Designed by the architectural team of Rapp & Rapp, the Balaban & Katz theater at 4816 N. Broadway was built in 1925. It is a Chicago Landmark, designated in 1991. It has been vacant in 1981, with numerous plans for redevelopment over the last nearly four decades unraveling along the process.
Additional Reading
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UPDATE: Obama Presidential Center future not settled
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Obama Presidential Center CBA Protest at City Hall. Photo Credit: James Foster Chicago Sun-Times.
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Despite a federal judge ruling to dismiss the lawsuit intended to stop construction of the Obama Presidential Center (OPC) in Jackson Park, the future of the Center still remains uncertain.
The Protect our Parks (POP) group is preparing an appeal to that ruling with the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. In its recent newsletter, POP noted it has retained Professor Richard Epstein from the University of Chicago Law School to represent it during the appeal.
Beyond the lawsuit, there will also be a lengthy and exhaustive federal review process of the plans under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act and the National Environmental Policy Act, given that the OPC is planned for construction on a National Register-designated historic park.
“We will be a diligent consulting party during the federal review,” said Ward Miller, Executive Director of Preservation Chicago. “Given the complexity of the site and this development proposal, it is expected to be a lengthy process.”
The federal review process is intended to determine the impact federally funded projects will have on natural areas and historic buildings and sites and to seek mitigation strategies to reduce negative impacts.
“We stand with the community in wanting to see the Obama Presidential Center built on Chicago’s South Side,” Miller said. “We absolutely think it should be located on a site other than Jackson Park.”
“The Washington Park site (located next to the Green Line station and across the street from Washington Park) received a higher score than the Jackson Park site, and it would make an ideal alternate location,” Miller said. “For the last 2 years, the University of Chicago has been actively acquiring parcels in that area. They should go forward with turning that land over to the Obama Foundation for its presidential center.”
“Despite rhetoric to cast it as such, this is not a North Side/South Side divide,” said Mary Lu Seidel, Director of Community Engagement at Preservation Chicago. “This is about people from all over the region, the nation and the world speaking up for a world-renowned Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux landscape in Chicago. Chicago does NOT have to negatively impact that park in order to invest in the South Side and build an Obama Presidential Center. It’s heartbreaking to see it come down to this.”
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THREATENED: McKinley Park’s Central Manufacturing District should be a Landmark District
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Central Manufacturing District Tower Building. Photo Credit: Mary Lu Seidel / Preservation Chicago
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Central Manufacturing District. Photo Credit: Ward Miller
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Central Manufacturing District. Photo Credit: Ward Miller
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The grand and magnificent buildings that comprise the Central Manufacturing District (CMD) harken back to a time in the early 1900s to the 1920s when big companies began housing operations there – including Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co., the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Albert Pick & Co. and the U.S. Cold Storage Company.
Chicago’s CMD was one of the first planned industrial districts in the country. A remarkable number of the buildings are intact, but development pressure is mounting. Creating a Landmark District now will provide significant safeguards to protect the CMD buildings going forward.
With developers moving in on some buildings within the CMD, there is concern about the integrity of the buildings being maintained. Aberdeen Development has already stripped the brick off the U.S. Cold Storage Co. building at 2055 W. Pershing Road, claiming it was structurally unsound.
Now is the time to advance a Chicago Landmark District for both the Pershing Road buildings and the East District (bounded by Ashland Avenue to the west, 35th Street to the north, Morgan Street to the East, and Pershing Road to the south). Both of these areas are already National Register of Historic Places Historic Districts.
The City’s Request for Proposals (RFP) to sell three parcels it owns on the south side of the street between 1717 and 1831 West Pershing Road did not yield any viable bidders. The properties were included in C40’s Reinventing Cities design competition. The two larger buildings were built in 1918 and designed by architect Samuel Scott Jay. They are six stories tall, and each building is 570,000 square feet.
Hispanic Housing Development Corporation is developing affordable housing at 2159 W. Pershing Road in partnership with for-profit developer Code Real Estate Partners. That team will build out commercial, retail and residential space in a second building at 2139 W. Pershing Road. Aberdeen owns a second building, the historic, one-story post office building, at 1950 W. Pershing Road.
A Landmark District will protect the integrity of this significantly intact area, and it will provide incentives to preservation-minded developers. At a July 2 community meeting hosted by Alderman George Cardenas, both Code Real Estate Partners and Aberdeen Development representatives pledged their full support to designating the CMD a Chicago Landmark District.
Preservation Chicago stands alongside the community in calling for the creation of a Chicago Landmark District.
The 11-story Tower Building at 2001 W. Pershing Road, pictured in this article, has massive clocks at the top and was originally constructed to conceal a water tank.
“The Central Manufacturing District Tower Building was constructed during the summer of 1917 and served as the main water source for the District. The Tower Building was designed by architect Samuel Scott Joy and built by contractor E.W. Sproul. The tower in 11 stories in height and 50’ wide and 38’ deep. It is clad in red brick with Late Gothic Revival terra cotta architectural details. The tower has an elaborate terra cotta portal with Gothic detailing. The shaft has large industrial steel windows flanked by a single window on each side. Near the top of the tower there is a terra cotta string course with terra cotta decorative panels stemming from it. Above that there is a larger clock set inside a large, segmented arch window that has lancet mullions.” [from the National Register nomination prepared by Erica Ruggiero and supported by Preservation Chicago and Landmarks Illinois]
McKinley Park residents are justifiably concerned about the future of their community. With an asphalt plant being opened with little to no notice to neighbors and new developers arriving, people have begun discussions to draft a community benefits agreement (CBA) for future proposals.
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WIN: Direct engagement in Bronzeville and Roseland
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Bronzeville Community Engagement. Photo Credit: Preservation Chicago
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Having watched demolition, abandonment and neglect erode their communities, Bronzeville and Roseland residents are stepping up with hard work and advocacy to save what is left of their historic built environments.
Facilitated by Preservation Chicago, community members are surveying neighborhood buildings, assessing which ones have historic character and coming up with plans to protect them. Strategies to protect the historic fabric include recruiting developers to buy and restore the most vulnerable properties, seeking Landmark Districts and advocating for a new conservation district model. Both communities are also planning community outreach to raise awareness about the significant architectural history and how important it is to the sense of community and place.
It was heartbreaking that while planning the survey event in Roseland the historic Gately’s People’s Store had a devastating fire. All of the neighbors involved in the planning shared stories of how significant that store has been to the community.
Surveying of the 43rd Street corridor in Bronzeville is well underway, and the Roseland survey will kick off on July 15 and July 20. If you would like to participate in any surveying in these areas, please contact Mary Lu Seidel at
mseidel@preservationchicago.org.
If you are interested in doing this survey work in your own community, please reach out to Mary Lu as well.
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Advocates seek to make condominium deconversions harder
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168 N. Halsted Street pre-demolition. Photo credit: Gabriel X. Michael
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Rising rents are encouraging real estate investors to buy out condominium buildings and deconvert them to rental units in Chicago and across the country. While some condominium owners are comfortable with selling their buildings, many others feel pressured and bullied into these sales and are looking for ways to raise the threshold on existing condominium laws and regulations.
It takes 75% of unit owners voting in favor of a sale to allow it to happen, per Section 15 of the Illinois Condominium Property Act. State Senator Heather Steans (7th District) and State Representative Sara Feigenholtz (12th District) are looking to change that. Both have indicated support for legislation that would increase to 85% the percentage of unit owners needed to allow a sale.
Gene Hendricks and Scott Free are condominium owners who heartily support the proposal to require 85% of owner consent before a sale. Their lives have twice been impacted by condominium deconversion. The trauma they have endured during the process is real, and it is trauma that is felt by other homeowners as well.
Gene and Scott bought a condominium unit in a building at 5815 N. Sheridan in 2011. They were sure this would be their forever home, and they settled into life there. In 2017, unit owners were notified that a broker estimated sale of the 188-unit building could yield $38-42 million. At the same time, the management company started warning tenants that they would be hit with a large special assessment to cover deferred maintenance issues on the building. By the time the sale went through, it closed for $27.2 million. Gene and Scott were forced to move.
“Section 15 deconversion sales are based solely on the owner’s percentage of ownership, said Hendricks. “They do not, however, take into account the upgrade dollar amount the unit owner might have recuperated by selling the unit on his/her own.”
Feeling frustrated and uprooted by the sale of the 5815 N. Sheridan building, they found a new home at 5757 N. Sheridan. They were assured the building was not targeted for potential sale. Within three weeks of moving in, they received a letter from the Board Association inviting them to an informational meeting hosted by real estate broker firm CBRE to discuss condominium conversion.
“My concern is that none of the hype about condo deconversions discusses the aftermath of relocation nor the unaffordable cost to find similar residence in Edgewater,” said Hendricks. Many of my neighbors then and now are retirees, seniors and homeowners underwater with mortgage payments. They got the short end of the stick and were forced out of a community that they have known for decades.”
These condominium owners are not alone in their concerns. Fellow residents at 5757 N. Sheridan feel like the potential sale is hyped and overpromised, and it encourages more owners to agree to the sale. Even whispers of a potential condominium deconversion can have a negative impact on unit sales in condominium buildings.
We are also experiencing this issue for the third time in Lincoln Park and on Belden and Lincoln Park West where the community is seeking answers from Francis Parker School and some of their building boards. These residents are outreaching to 43rd Ward Alderman Michelle Smith to consider downzoning and discussions relating to possible consideration of a Chicago Landmark District. Neighbors are concerned that the buildings will be sold, deconverted and demolished.
In addition to requiring 85% of owners to agree to a sale, advocates for changing the state law would also like to see:
- Clarify in the law that it is the percentage of ownership and not the number of units that determine votes;
- The Board alone can reject an offer, but listing the property for sale requires an 85% vote;
- Require an audit of unit votes for a sale. The South Loop River City condominium deconversion vote was audited, and the results were different or varied;
- Require buyers to notify objecting owners that they are entitled to relocation costs required by the sale, and establish stiff fines for buyers who do not meet this requirement; and
- No unit owners can get additional compensation outside the building sale proceeds.
Feigenholtz advanced HB 2501 in the last legislative session, but it did not advance out of the Judiciary Committee.
For the condominium owners who met with Sen. Steans last week, it is an issue of taking away their relatively affordable housing and forced displacement of unit owners. “It (condo ownership) was once security,” said Free. “Now it’s gone.”
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New IIT College of Architecture dean hails from Chicago
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Reed Kroloff will take the helm at IIT’s College of Architecture on August 1. Photo Credit: IIT
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Reed Kroloff, a principal at the Chicago firm Jones Kroloff, will take the helm at IIT’s College of Architecture on August 1.
According to a statement published in Illinois Tech Today by IIT, “Kroloff has more than 30 years of professional experience as an architectural educator and academic leader. He was dean of architecture at Tulane University School of Architecture in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. Most recently, he was director of the Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Cranbrook, much like Illinois Tech’s (IIT) College of Architecture, was deeply influential in shaping Modernism in America during the twentieth century.”
“The thought of being part of the College of Architecture’s legacy is so exciting, especially given how remarkably well it has been sustained by the students, alumni, faculty, and staff, right down to the recent renovation of S. R. Crown Hall. I get goosebumps simply approaching the building,” said Kroloff. “Much of that comes from knowing you are joining a place, a history, and a movement that has brought so much innovation and positive change.”
Calling himself an “unapologetic modernist,” Kroloff joins a formidable list of great architects holding the position – most notably Mies van der Rohe.
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National Trust names new President and CEO
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National Trust names Paul Edmondson as the National Trust’s 9th President and CEO. Photo Credit: National Trust for Historic Preservation
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Paul Edmondson is the National Trust’s 9th President and CEO. He has been serving as the Interim President and CEO since the departure of Stephanie Meeks at the end of 2018.
Edmondson has been with the Washington, DC-headquarted National Trust for years as its chief legal officer, leading a team renowned for their defense of historic places through Section 106 reviews, lawsuits and other actions.
“Paul championed the strong enforcement and interpretation of preservation law in campaigns ranging from the ongoing fight to remove a massive power transmission line across the James River near Jamestown, Virginia, to defending the protection of archaeological and cultural resources on public lands such as Bears Ears National Monument. He has also built the National Trust’s easement program into a national model and, in his work with National Trust Historic Sites, he has advanced new shared-use models at both Cooper-Molera Adobe and Woodlawn to ensure their sustainability as vibrant and inclusive community assets.”
(from Saving Places.org)
Preservation Chicago welcomes Paul to this position. We look forward to working with him and the staff at the National Trust on national issues that impact our work in Chicago.
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Open access edition of SAH Archipedia goes live!
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Want to search on-line through the built environment in the United States? Take a ride on the search engine of the SAH Archipedia!
“In honor of the 243rd birthday of the United States on July 4, the Society of Architectural Historians and University of Virginia Press proudly make a gift to the Nation: the beta version of a newly designed, mobile-friendly, open-access edition of SAH Archipedia.
“We invite you to explore the rich history of more than 20,000 North American buildings, landscapes, and cultural landmarks. SAH Archipedia’s diversity of sites, new interpretations, and peer-reviewed scholarship make it a valuable online public resource for learning about more than 2,000 years of development in this part of the world.”
“SAH Archipedia is an authoritative online encyclopedia of the U.S. built environment organized by the Society of Architectural Historians and the University of Virginia Press. It contains histories, photographs, and maps for over 20,000 structures and places. These are mostly buildings, but as you explore SAH Archipedia you will also find landscapes, infrastructure, monuments, artwork, and more. This cross-section of the country demonstrates the richness and diversity of architecture and building practice across many centuries, from mud brick to steel, from ancient cliff dwellings to contemporary office towers—a history that unfolds in individual building entries and thematic essays written by leading architectural historians who survey and explain styles and typologies, materials and techniques, and social and political contexts, from local to state to national levels.” (Source: Archipedia website)
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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). 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.
Additional Reading
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Address:
4500 N. Spaulding Ave.
#100823798
Date Received: 06/05/2019
Ward: 33rd
Applicant: Tir Conaill Concrete Inc.
Owner: Chicago Milal Church
Permit Description: Demolition and removal of a 2-story church.
Status: Under review
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Address:
2825 S. Short St.
100810780
Date Received: 06/05/2019
Ward: 11th
Applicant: D.S. Construction Inc.
Owner: Doyle Builders
Permit Description: Demolition of a 2-story brick house.
Status: Under review
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Address:
16 W. Maple St.
#100817848
Date Received: 05/23/2019
Ward: 2
Applicant: Taylor Excavating & Construction, Inc.
Owner: Twelve West Maple, LLC
Permit Description: Demolition and removal of an existing four-story, multi-unit, mixed-use masonry building.
Status: Under review
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Address:
1320 W. Lexington St.
#100776482
Date Received: 08/07/2018
Ward: 28
Applicant: Donegal Excavating
Owner: Estate of Madeline Mazzone
Permit Description: Demolition of existing building.
Status: Released 11/5/2018
Photo Credit: Ward Miller Preservation Chicago
Photo Credit: Google Maps
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Address:
1517 W. Barry Ave.
#100808887
Date Received: 03/13/2019
Ward: 32
Applicant: Platinum Homes Development
Owner: Harvey Grossman
Permit Description: Demolition and removal of a 2-story frame house.
Status: Released 06/10/2019
Photo Credit: Zillow
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Address:
2602 S. California Ave
.
#100809124
Date Received: 03/25/2019
Ward: 24
Applicant: Milhouse Inc.
Owner: Sheila Atkins (Cook County)
Permit Description: Demolition of a multi-story masonry jail building.
Status: Released 06/24/2019
Photo Credit: Google Maps
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Address:
1847 N. Humboldt Blvd. (rear)
#100819371
Date Received: 05/15/2019
Ward: 1
Applicant: D.S. Construction Inc.
Owner: Humboldt Community Christian School
Permit Description: Partial demolition and removal of a three-story masonry school, with existing church to remain.
Status: Released 5/31/2019 [Not subject to demolition delay; CHRS orange-rated church to remain]
Photo Credit: Google Maps
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Address:
12134 S. Eggleston Ave.
#100816913
Date Received: 04/29/2019
Ward: 34
Applicant: Sciortino Group, Inc.
Owner: City of Chicago
Permit Description: Emergency demolition and removal of a single-family frame residence.
Status: Received and released 4/29/2019 [Per Administrative Order issued by the Department of Buildings to address dangerous and hazardous conditions]
Photo Credit: Google Maps
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Address:
4242 N. Kedvale Ave.
#100812685
Date Received: 04/22/2019
Ward: 39
Applicant: Side Pro
Owner: Holgur Bealum
Permit Description: Demolition of existing two-story brick building and brick garage.
Status: Under review
Photo Credit: Google Maps
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Address:
3305 N. Hamilton Ave.
#100815184
Date Received: 04/18/2019
Ward: 32
Applicant: Taylor Excavating & Construction, Inc.
Owner: Judith Williams Nitka
Permit Description: Demolition and removal of a 2-story, 2-unit masonry residence.
Status: Under review
Photo Credit: Trulia
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Address:
1216 N. Damen Ave.
#100811105
Date Received: 03/26/2019
Ward: 1
Applicant: Pro Excavating, Inc.
Owner: 1216 Damen LLC
Permit Description: Demolition of a 2-story masonry building.
Status: Released 06/24/2019
Photo Credit: Google Maps
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LOSS: “Spotlight on Demolition”
Crawford Power Station, Little Village (Chi 7)
810 W. Fulton Market Building, Fulton Market
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“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
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Crawford Power Station During Demolition, May 2019, Designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst and White in 1926, (Chicago 7 2014 & 2019). Photo Credit:
Mary Lu Seidel / Preservation Chicago
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810 W. Fulton Market Building
, Demolished June 2019. Photo Credit:
Mauricio Pena / Block Club Chicago
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Gately’s Peoples Store in Roseland. Demolished June 2019 following a devastating fire, 11201 S. Michigan Ave. Photo Credit: Chicago Fire Department
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LOST CHICAGO...BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
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Sherman House (4th Building)
by Holabird & Roche
Built 1911 & 1920, Closed 1971, Demolished 1980
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Sherman House (4th Building) with mansard roof by Holabird & Roche. Built in 1925. Closed in 1973. Demolished in 1980. Historic Photo Credit: Chuckman Postcard Collection
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Sherman House (4th Building) by Holabird & Roche with mansard roof removed and 6-stories added. Built in 1925. Closed in 1973. Demolished in 1980. Historic Photo Credit: Chuckman Postcard Collection
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Sherman House (4th)
Architect: Holabird & Roche
Location: Northwest of Clark and Randolph Street
Built: 1925
Closed: 1973
Demolished: 1980
The first Sherman House Hotel was located at the northwest of Clark and Randolph Streets. It was a three-story masonry building constructed in 1837 by Francis C. Sherman who later served as Mayor of Chicago. It was called the City Hotel until 1844, when a two-story addition was built atop the original structure. The remodeled five story building was renamed The Sherman House.
In approximately 1980 then Governor James Thompson and the State of Illinois acquired the site for a new State office building designed by C.F. Murphy and architect Helmut Jahn. Of the several proposals submitted by the architects, the one selected by Governor Thompson was the most radical and unconventional building design with an unusual curving shape and with a large plaza and a vast interior atrium.
Additional Reading
Chicago and its Makers: A narrative of events from the day of the first man to the inception of the Second World's Fair, by Paul T. Gilbert and Charles Lee Bryson, published 1929
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Save the Date: Chicago 7 Bus Tour
Saturday, August 17
from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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Preservation Chicago 2019 Chicago 7 Most Endangered Booklet . Photo Credit: Preservation Chicago
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Saturday, August 17 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Plan to join Preservation Chicago for a Chicago 7 Most Endangered of 2019 tour conducted by Ward Miller (Executive Director of Preservation Chicago) and Jacob Kaplan (Forgotten Chicago) to learn about and see first-hand the places that have been chosen. An air-conditioned coach bus will take you to:
- Jackson Park, Midway Plaisance and South Shore Cultural Center
- Laramie State Bank in Austin
- Loretto Academy/Institute of the Blessed Virgin in Woodlawn
- Justice Hammer/Lu & Jorja Palmer Mansion in Bronzeville
- Second Church of Christ, Scientist in Lincoln Park
- James R. Thompson Center/State of Illinois Building in the Loop
- Roman Catholic Churches throughout Chicago
The bus will depart from and return to Preservation Chicago’s office at 4410 N. Ravenswood. Stay tuned to our social media accounts when tickets go on sale. As always, tickets are limited and this event is a popular one!
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Back by Popular Demand!
Join Preservation Chicago for a Woodlawn/Jackson Park Walking Tour
Saturday, August 10 from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
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Jackson Park. Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers
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Saturday, August 10 from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Join Woodlawn Historian Mike Medina and Preservation Chicago’s Ward Miller on a tour around historically significant sites in Jackson Park and Woodlawn. Registration is open for this free event, but space is limited to 25. Please register today to guarantee a spot!.
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Petition: Halt the Demolition of One of Bronzeville's Historic Substations
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ComEd Substation, Herman von Volst, 626 E. 40th Street, 1931. Photo Credit: Google Street View
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Built in 1931, the ComEd substation at 626 E. 40th Street once provided power for the now-defunct Kenwood L line. Designated as possessing potential significance in the context of the surrounding community during the Chicago Historic Resources Survey, the substation’s demolition permit reached
the end of its 90-day hold on January 31, 2019. ComEd has not yet confirmed its intentions for this site.
Without intervention, Bronzeville could lose another beautiful monument to its rich history. Preservation Chicago is actively engaging in conversations with ComEd, the community and decisionmakers to save this historic building and return it to a vibrant use.
We urge ComEd to halt the demolition of its Herman von Volst-designed substation at 626 E. 40th Street in Chicago and work with the community and neighborhood leaders to find a preservation-sensitive use for the historic building.
Additional Reading
Crain’s Chicago Business published an op-ed in where an elevated linear trail similar to the 606 is proposed for the South Side on abandoned railway embankments. It suggest that this ComEd substation as an access point and park space.
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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 make your voice heard!
THANK YOU from your friends at Preservation Chicago!
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