Save These Victorian Rowhouses from Demolition! Chango.org petition

Unless immediate steps are taken, these three 1880’s-era rowhouses will be demolished shortly after the 90-Day Demolition Delay hold expires on December 12, 2018. These authentic, beautiful, and charming historic Chicago rowhouses will be bulldozed to create a vacant lot. We are also highly concerned about the adjacent seven-story Art Deco limestone building and historic four-story red brick Giordano’s building!

 

In a little over a week, over 3,000 people have signed a petition to save the Superior Rowhouses from demolition!

 

Preservation Chicago applauds 42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly for his strong leadership and his proactive steps to protect these significant Chicago historic buildings against demolition. Alderman Reilly has taken the important preliminary steps to request that the City Council downzone the Superior Rowhouses properties.

 

“Downzoning is the only tool at his disposal ‘in order to essentially get the developer’s attention and ask them to voluntarily extend the demolition deadline so we can look at those properties with (the Commission on Chicago) Landmarks and the city to determine whether or not they need to be landmarked and preserved,’ Reilly said. ‘It’s not intended to be a permanent zoning classification, but I needed to use this to slow them down a bit and have them come back to the table and give us some more time to look at those buildings.” (Ecker, Crain’s, 1/11/18)

 

Preservation Chicago is actively working “on-the-ground” with neighborhood organizations and other stakeholders to generate support for a Designated Chicago Landmark District. Preservation Chicago researchers are hard at work discovering and assembling as much historic material as possible about these and the few other similar surviving buildings in the neighborhood.

 

Preservation Chicago STRONGLY OPPOSES THE DEMOLITION of these three, architecturally significant, orange-rated rowhouses at 42, 44 and 46 East Superior dating from the 1870’s and 1880’s. The adjacent seven-story Art Deco limestone building and historic four-story red brick Giordano’s building are also endangered. The three 1880’s-era rowhouses at 42 E. Superior Street (George A. Tripp House), 44 E. Superior Street and 46 E. Superior Street (Hennessey Houses) were added to the 90-Day Demolition Delay List on September 12, 2018. The George A. Tripp House at 42 E. Superior Street has been the long-time home to Sunny Side Up Brunch and Coffee Shop.

 

Perhaps the developer’s strategy is that the urban blight created from a vacant lot will help ease the process to push through a future plan for a large parking garage and glass-box tower on the site. We have no specific knowledge in this instance, however there are many examples of other developers and owners who have strategically demolished significant historic buildings prior to requesting or receiving approval for new development or prior to listing properties for sale.

 

“These are all really wonderful buildings and they could make part of a landmark district,” said Ward Miller of Preservation Chicago. (Koziarz, 3/14/17)

 

“To ensure the protection of these buildings, Preservation Chicago is hoping that area residents will help push for the creation of a new landmark district. This is McCormickville. This is where the McCormick family lived before and after the Great Chicago Fire. And with the continued demolition of other shorter, older buildings in the area, there are only a handful of the original McCormickville buildings left. We need to value every inch of space where there are historic buildings that tell the story of the neighborhood.” Said Ward Miller (Curbed Chicago, 12/8/16)

 

“If these three orange-rated townhouses are demolished, much of the scale and character of the Near-North Side, Gold Coast and McCormickville District will be lost. These smaller buildings add a distinct character, quality, craftsmanship, history and elegance to the community, which is close to being completely lost to overdevelopment in the vicinity. In addition, these buildings also provide unique opportunities for small businesses and provide “an envelope” for all sorts of creative things to happen from within these historic structures. They really do encourage unique small businesses, and add a livability quality to the community. At one time, there were many such small elegant restaurants and shops housed in these types of buildings, from the Chicago River to Oak Street. As a matter of fact, it was often these beautifully crafted buildings that initially gave Oak Street its unusual character and success. Some of those buildings still exist, but they are becoming more and more rare. Once they’re gone, they’re gone forever.” said Ward Miller.

 

“New York City also has groups of these types of buildings on several of its side streets on both the Upper East Side and the Upper West Side, some which comprise large Landmark Districts and they give that city a certain quality as well. Collectively, we often don’t appreciate those kinds of buildings in Chicago and their reuse of fine quality former residences in that same way or on that same scale as other cities like New York and Boston, and that’s tragic too!”

 

The twin houses at 44-46 E. Superior were built sometime between 1871 and 1876 as a pair of attached single-family homes. The residents of 44 E. Superior were Richard Hennessey (1845-1920) and his brothers. Richard was a building contractor along with his brother Patrick Martin Hennessey with the firm of Hennessey Bros. His brother Peter J. was a distiller and Thomas Hennessey was soda water manufacturer. 

 

The other half of the building at 46 E. Superior was occupied by the family of Michael W. Kerwin (1835-unknown) who owned a liquor business. It appears likely that the Hennessey brothers played a role in building the double house, if not fully designing it. The Hennessey Brothers did work during the early 1900s with several notable architects, so it is possible that the double house was designed by a notable architect. It is likely that the Hennessey’s owned and built the building. The house at 42 E. Superior was likely built around 1880-1885 for George A. Tripp and his family. The architect for this house has not yet been identified.

 

Newly uncovered historic research indicates that two nearby residential buildings at the southwest corner of Superior and Rush Streets were designed by the notable Chicago architect Henry Ives Cobb. Henry Ives Cobb was a principal of the firm Cobb & Frost which is better known for designing numerous important Chicago landmark buildings including the Chicago Athletic Association, the Newberry Library, the Chicago Historical Society Building (Excalibur), the Chicago Varnish Company Building (Harry Caray’s Restaurant), the old Chicago Federal Building, the Ransom-Cable House, the Potter Palmer “Castle”, and many of the historic building on the University of Chicago campus.

 

716 N. Rush Street was Cobb’s own personal residence and 720 N. Rush was the home of William Blair, of the William Blair Financial Advisors and a relative of the McCormick family. These buildings could be combined with the Superior Street rowhouses as part of a new “McCormickville” Landmark District. 720 N. Rush Street is currently the site of Rosebud Restaurant. (Special thanks to Matt Wicklund for this historic research)

 

In April 2017, 42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly rejected a proposal by Symmetry Development to build a 60-story tower on the northeast corner of Superior Street and Wabash Avenue. Alderman Reilly opposed the development in part because of the widespread community opposition due to the traffic issues it would cause and issues of preservation. This victory was only temporary and the developer is moving forward with its plans to bulldoze and clear the site.

 

At the public meeting held by Alderman Reilly in March 2017 regarding the proposed development, Ward Miller’s passionate statement in support of preservation was met with an enthusiastic round of applause from the over 300 neighbors and residents in attendance.

 

Preservation Chicago strongly encourages the City of Chicago and Alderman Reilly to withhold releasing the Demolition Delay Hold or Demolition permit until AFTER the public approval process for the new development has been completed. There are many examples, the most notorious being Block 37, in which significant time passed between the demolition of the existing historic buildings and the new construction broke ground.

 

Preservation Chicago, along with many residents in several nearby high-rise buildings, are encouraging the preservation of these structures and the creation of a Chicago Landmark District of about dozen buildings in the area, most of which are orange-rated and have already been considered highly significant. A new “McCormickville” Landmark District comprised of the handful of remaining historic buildings (less than a dozen) would be a powerful tool to protect this neighborhood’s historic building fabric and strengthen the vibrancy of this community. Preservation Chicago had suggested the “McCormickville” Landmark District to be considered for designation in the past.

 

Preservation Chicago has been very concerned over the increasing frequency and recent losses of low-rise historic Near North Side buildings, in and around an area established by Cyrus McCormick’s family. As development pressure grows and as surface parking lots are being developed, developers have begun to actively targeting remaining clusters of intact, low-rise, historic buildings as development sites. 

 

“We are at a tipping point,” said Miller, “where the community may become a high-rise canyon, deprived of sunlight, negatively impacting quality of life issues, which [ultimately] may impact the desirability of the community.” (von Buol, Loop North News, 10/24/18)

 

Additional Reading

Join over 3,000 supporters and Sign the Petition to Save These Victorian Rowhouses from Demolition!

 

Alderman moves to downzone River North site; Ald. Brendan Reilly yesterday moved to reduce the zoning allowance at 42 and 44-46 E. Superior St., hamstringing a development group, Danny Ecker, Crain’s Chicago Business, 11/1/18

 

Can preservationists save these River North buildings? A New York developer wants to raze two buildings at 42 and 44-46 E. Superior St., where it planned a 60-story condo-hotel tower—until it was rejected by Ald. Brendan Reilly., Alby Gallun, Crain’s Chicago Business, 10/10/18

 

19th century Superior Street row houses threatened with demolition, Peter von Buol, Loop North News, 10/24/18

 

Developer Behind Failed High-Rise Plan Moves To Tear Down Historic Row Houses Near Mag Mile… Again;The row houses “add a distinct character, quality, craftsmanship, history and elegance to the community,” preservationists say, Taylor Moore, Block Club Chicago, 10/30/18

 

River North’s 60-story ‘Carillon’ tower shot down, shorter high-rise still possible, Curbed Chicago, Jay Koziarz, 4/10/17

 

Rejected! River North’s Tallest Planned Tower Since Trump’s Gets Blocked, DNAinfo Chicago, David Matthews, 4/12/17

 

Neighbors rebel over proposed 60-story high-rise in Cathedral District, Loop North News, Patrick Butler and Steven Dahlman, 3/15/17

 

Near North Side residents air opposition to proposed 60-story tower, Chicago Tribune, Gail Marks Jarvis, 3/14/17

 

Plan for 725-foot River North skyscraper revealed, Curbed Chicago, Jay Koziarz, 3/14/17

 

Preservationists want a new landmark district in River North, AJ LaTrace, Curbed Chicago, 12/8/16

Studio Gang Architects Obama Presidential Library Proposal at South Shore Cultural Center, Image Credit: Obama Foundation

A Chicago 7 Most Endangered in 2017 and again in 2018, Preservation Chicago has consistently advocated for the protection of Jackson Park, a world-class historic landscape designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux with contributions by Alfred Caldwell. Preservation Chicago does NOT oppose the Obama Presidential Center (OPC) being built in Chicago, but for many important and valid reasons, strongly prefers the 20-acre private facility to be constructed in a location other than historic Jackson Park.

 

The University of Chicago played a major role in the OPC process and was responsible for the initial proposals to locate the OPC on Chicago Park District lands including Jackson Park, Washington Park, or the South Shore Cultural Center. None of the University of Chicago proposals included an option to locate the OPC on land controlled or owned by the University of Chicago. 

 

“Given this city’s rich and colorful history of graft, payola and insider dealing, Chicagoans are entitled to be enormously skeptical—and even maybe a tad bit cynical—when asked by our civic leaders to take certain things on faith,” according to the Crain’s Chicago Business Editorial Board on August 2, 2018. “But there’s another reason to wonder about the site selection: The University of Chicago-backed Jackson Park deal may not have been cut in the kind of smoke-filled backroom Chicago is notorious for, but it might as well have been. The public disclosures by the Emanuel administration, the Obama Foundation and the U of C have been about as transparent as cigar smoke.” (Crain’s Editorial Board, 8/2/18)

 

The University of Chicago and the Obama Foundation considered these proposals to be highly confidential and, despite many requests, had never shared them publicly. This all changed recently when as part of the ongoing federal lawsuit, the Judge John Robert Blakely indicated that he would open a discovery phase in which documents could be subpoenaed. The original proposals were released and made available to the public just prior to the court date. We still await the release of additional relevant documents.

 

These three once highly confidential original proposals for Jackson Park, Washington Park, or the South Shore Cultural Center are now in the public domain and posted on the Preservation Chicago website to facilitate easy access and review. The proposals are fascinating and merit close review and analysis. 

 

Surprisingly, all three proposals are stronger that the current proposal. All three original proposals more closely address and more successfully advance the core OPC objectives and goals. In general, they tend to be much more sensitive and respectful of their urban context. The Washington Park and South Shore proposals would have contributed more to commercial renewal, created more jobs, and community vibrancy due to their proximity to existing commercial corridors. Additionally, the Washington Park and South Shore plans would have likely caused much less intense gentrification and resulted in much less disruptive displacement. The South Shore Cultural Center proposal by Studio Gang is the most compelling of the three, but for mysterious reasons, this proposal was withdrawn prior to the final selection as was the South Shore Cultural Center as a potential site for the OPC.

 

Studio Gang’s South Shore Cultural Center Plan is a remarkable effort that creates a glassy pavilion on the shores of Lake Michigan. It both respected the historic South Shore Cultural Center building designed by architects Marshall and Fox in 1905 and sought to maximize the amazing frontage along Lake Michigan. Its proximity to the historic building suggests that OPC programming would occur in both buildings. Located at the apex of the major commercial corridor of 71st and South Exchange, the OPC would quickly catalyze new shops, restaurants, and other activity in the many vacant buildings of this once grand commercial and transit corridor. Additionally, the prospect of a water taxi direct to and from Navy Pier to the new proposed OPC boat landing suggests that the architect Jeanne Gang envisioned the OPC as a tourist destination. 

 

The Washington Park proposal was located along Garfield Boulevard and adjacent to a Green Line “L” Station. It was located largely across the street from Washington Park, and is the proposal that is most respectful to the historic Olmsted-designed park. Those buildings in the park were mostly at or below grade to minimize visual appearance. All the proposed buildings were to be constructed of natural materials like wood to gracefully blend with the nature surroundings. 

 

The weakest of the three options was the Jackson Park proposal as its location is isolated from an existing commercial corridor and the most distant from an existing rail station. The proposal was essentially a series of attractions located along the perimeter of Jackson Park intended to fill what is perceived as vacant space, rather than to advance a larger vision. What is notable in the original Jackson Park proposal is that the main building has a low-slung design that seeks to minimize its visual appearance. The building is a curvy pavilion with extensive sloping green roofs and naturalistic bands of tapered windows. It is modest in tone and deferential to the Beaux Arts Palace of Fine Arts (now the Museum of Science and Industry) from the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893. 

 

The modest approach of the initial proposals has been completely rejected and reversed by the current project architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien. “In the architects’ view, their design is a proper expression of the center’s mission: To train a new generation of citizen leaders; to be a beacon for the South Side and the world; and to symbolize hope and ascension. It is also, they said, a fitting monument to the country’s first African American president.” (Kamin, Chicago Tribune, 1/13/18)

 

The current proposal includes a massive, 235 foot-tall, stone monolith. Equivalent to a 23-story high-rise, the current proposal has been widely criticized. The earlier slightly shorter design was referred to by Blair Kamin as “an expanded version of a truncated obelisk. It’s too heavy, too funereal, too Pharaonic, too pyramid-like.” (Kamin, Chicago Tribune, 5/4/17)  Others have jokingly nicknamed it “Yertle the Turtle” tower. The architects responded to this criticism by making it taller!

 

Even though senior administrators at the University of Chicago have been the strongest advocate for locating the OPC in Jackson Park and even though the University of Chicago is the organization that potentially has the most to gain by its construction there, the “University of Chicago faculty have also weighed in on the public land debate several times. In January, nearly 250 professors signed a letter calling for the Center to be built in a location other than Jackson Park. They argued that preserving public land in city spaces should be an imperative and that building the Center would compromise the vision of the park’s original architect, Frederick Law Olmstead.” (Albaharna, Chicago Maroon, 9/21/18)

 

“The letter also expressed support for a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA): a legally binding document that would hold the Foundation accountable to the communities bordering the park. CBA advocates are concerned that the presence of the Center would raise rent prices in the area, driving low-income residents out of the neighborhood. The Obama Community Benefits Agreement Coalition is a group of seven South Side activist organizations, including a group of University students. They demand that the Center employ local citizens and supports residents in danger of displacement. The Coalition also outlines two dozen “development principles”: goals to improve everything from education to nearby public transportation.” (Albaharna, Chicago Maroon, 9/21/18)

 

In early August 2018, the City of Chicago and Chicago Park District began cutting down mature trees in Jackson Park until they were forced to halt following a powerful Chicago Sun-Times editorial. Despite claims that the demolition was unrelated to the planned OPC, it was self-evident that the bulldozing of the groves of trees, lawns, ball fields, and track was the first phase in clearing space for the planned OPC. The timing of the demolition and the destruction of these public assets occurred prior to City Council approval, prior to the outcome of the federal review, and in the midst of an ongoing Federal lawsuit. The Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board found the work to be highly contradictory to the Obama Foundation CEO’s pledge that ‘until the foundation has the permits, “there will be no trees removed or cut down” as promised to the Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board on January 12, 2018. (Sweet, Chicago Sun-Times, 1/12/18)  

 

Ironically, a week prior to the tree-cutting work in Jackson Park, the Obama Foundation announced the groundbreaking date for the Obama Presidential Center would be pushed back to 2019 and only after the conclusion of the federal review process.  

 

The Obama Presidential Center has enjoyed strong political support from the Mayor’s office and has sailed through a series of Chicago City Council votes and City Council sub-committee votes. On October 31, 2018, the Chicago City Council passed a proposed Obama Presidential Center Ordinance. There was minimal dissent or questioning from City Council members, but many statements– including by the Mayor–celebrating this “wonderful” accomplishment. These political statements largely avoided many of the unresolved unpleasant topics such as the onerous burden on taxpayers, the widespread displacement of local residents, the significant loss of public parkland, and the traffic problems resulting from road closures and realignments. The closure and removal of South Cornell Drive in the Jackson Park will result in expansion and widening of South Lake Shore Drive and Stony Island Avenue into the park resulting in the loss of parkland and massive tree cutting.

 

On September 20, 2018, the Chicago City Council passed an ordinance that approved the 99-year lease of 19.3 acres in Jackson Park for a total of $10. Jackson Park Watch co-founder Margaret Schmid said, “The idea of leasing invaluable, irreplaceable public parkland to a private entity for $10 for 99 years is astounding in this era when public lands and natural resources are under attack in so many places. Besides, Chicago’s finances are extremely precarious.” (Sweet, Chicago Sun-Times, 9/18/18) 

 

Additionally, as part of this lease deal, the City agreed to reimburse the foundation for environmental testing of the development site. These testing costs were capped at $75k. However, in the final language of the approved Ordinance, the taxpayers of the City of Chicago and State of Illinois are now fully responsible and liable for ALL costs related to any environmental remediation costs required or resulting from the construction of the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park. This language includes no cap for the total cost. Estimated remediation costs are not yet available, but it can be expected that the final remediation costs for this “blank check” will likely be enormous.

 

The City of Chicago and State of Illinois have also agreed to cover the cost of $172 million in discretionary road changes in Jackson Park. The oft-repeated argument is that the ultimate cost burden will be borne by taxpayers – both state and federal. Additionally, any precious federal funds brought to Chicago should be used first for desperately needed road work and crumbling infrastructure elsewhere in city.

 

Ironically, in August 2018, the Chicago Tribune reported that according to the Obama Foundation’s first annual report, that it raised nearly $233 million in 2017 mostly from private donors. The amount of Foundation’s fundraising in 2018 remains unknown. In light of the incredible amount of fundraising dollars the Obama Foundation has generated, it is hard to understand why a budget-strapped city and state would be required to provide such a “sweetheart” lease deal for incredibly valuable public lands, and then to willingly subsidize a private entity with hundreds of millions of additional dollars. 

 

Another important development is the ongoing federal lawsuit by a better government and parks advocacy group to block the Obama Presidential Center. On May 14, 2018, the nonprofit Protect Our Parks, Inc. filed a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court. In the complaint, they accuse the organizers for the Obama Presidential Center of pulling an “institutional bait and switch” by shifting away from an “official presidential library” overseen and paid for by the U.S. federal government and the National Archives and Record Administration (NARA).

 

“Although that original purpose of an official Presidential Library no longer exists,” reads the complaint, “the defendants continue to forge ahead to advance a totally different private nongovernmental project on public parkland.”

 

Furthermore, the suit claims that the Chicago Park District and the City of Chicago don’t have the authority to transfer public parkland, that public land is “prohibited by law” from being turned over to a private entity for private use, and that such a deal violates Chicago Park District code.

 

Additionally, the complaint argues that the City of Chicago and Chicago Park District’s intention to lease the land in perpetuity for a nominal amount is a violation of state law and represents “a shell game” to “legitimize an illegal land grab.”

 

As reported in the Chicago Sun-times, the arguments presented for the proposed Obama Presidential Center didn’t satisfy Ward Miller; executive director of Preservation Chicago who argued that it does not belong in “historic Jackson Park, known the world over” for its Frederick Law Olmsted landscape design that “so beautifully connects” Jackson Park to the Midway Plaisance and Washington Park. 

 

“Make no bones about it. The proposed plans…will backhoe and destroy almost 20 acres of this legacy park land,” Miller said, warning of the dangerous precedent.

 

“This green, leafy site will now be compromised…with three very large buildings, all on a concrete plaza, and a tall museum building which is over 200 feet tall. … No other presidential library is of this scale and magnitude.”

 

Miller urged the Obama Foundation and President Obama to consider “another nearby site in the heart of the community” rather than “sort of an extension of the University of Chicago into Jackson Park.” (Speilman, Chicago Sun-Times, 5/22/18)

 

Additional Reading

Just why is the Obama Center heading to Jackson Park? CRAIN’S EDITORIAL BOARD, 8/3/18

 

EDITORIAL: Chopping of Jackson Park trees related to Obama Center bad form, Sun-Times Editorial Board, 8/12/18

 

Letter: Empty promises, Ted Z. Manuel, Letter to the Editor, Chicago Tribune, 10/16/18

 

Alternative Obama Center designs, locations revealed ahead of court hearing, Jay Koziarz, Curbed Chicago, 10/22/18

 

Lawsuit against Obama Center moves forward after court hearing, A judge will announce a trial date by the end of the year, Jay Koziarz, Curbed Chicago, 10/15/18

 

It’s OK To Close Roads Through Jackson Park For Obama Library, Aldermen Say, Heather Cherone, Block Club Chicago, 10/26/18 

 

City Council committee OKs closing Cornell Drive for Obama Presidential Center, Fran Spielman, Chicago Sun-Times, 10/25/18

 

Judge says he won’t let suit against Obama Presidential Center drag on, Jeff Cohen, Chicago Tribune, 10/24/18

 

Ahead of court hearing, Obama Foundation reveals closely guarded design plans, Blair Kamin and Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 10/20/18

 

City Council Committee approves $10, 99-year deal for Obama Center, Rachel Hinton, Chicago Sun-Times, 10/11/18

 

Obama Presidential Center Awaits Federal Approval Process, Hesham Albaharna, The Chicago Maroon, 9/21/18

 

Woodlawn Residents Push For Anti-Displacement Ordinance Amid Fears Over Obama Library, Kelly Bauer, Block Club Chicago, 10/23/18

 

Federal lawsuit accuses Obama center organizers of pulling an ‘institutional bait and switch’, Tony Briscoe, Chicago Tribune, 5/15/18

 

Fence set up around OPC site, Aaron Gettinger, Hyde Park Herald, 7/30/18

 

Column: Artifacts from 1893 World’s Fair found beneath Obama center site, but report signals construction won’t be blocked, Blair Kamin, Chicago Tribune, 3/25/18

 

Column: Revised Obama center design seeks better fit with park and answer to critics, Blair Kamin, Chicago Tribune, 1/10/18

Aon Building/Standard Oil Building of Indiana/Amoco Building, by architect Edward Durell Stone with Perkins and Will in 1973, 200 East Randolph Street. Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers

The Aon Building owners are proposing alterations to the topmost floors of the historic building located at 200 East Randolph Street while also adding an observation deck, exterior elevator, and a gondola-like ride. Originally known as the Standard Oil Building of Indiana and later the Amoco Building, it was designed by architect Edward Durell Stone with Perkins and Will and holds an important place in the Chicago skyline. When it was completed in 1973, it was the tallest building in Chicago and the fourth-tallest in the world.

 

The proposed highly visible exterior elevator addition will protrude from the side of the building and project above the roofline, thus changing the iconic look and feel of this building and impacting the overall shape of this remarkable structure. The plan also calls for the removal of exterior steel columns and granite cladding above the 82nd floor to open up the space for an observation deck, forever changing its iconic appearance. The addition of a two-story exterior elevator, and a gondola-like ride that would sit atop of the building, will introduce an “amusement-park ride” component to one of Chicago’s most significant buildings.

 

Architect Edward Durell Stone’s vast work is well respected by art and architectural historians alike around the world and in numerous publications and the Standard Oil Building / Aon Center is perhaps the best building of his career. Stone designed notable buildings around the world, including the MoMA in New York City, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C., and high-profile projects in Panama, Peru, and India. The City of Chicago is considered to be one of the great “architectural capitals” of American 19th and 20th Century building design, and we need to make every effort to preserve great works of architecture. With every insensitive remodeling, the original design intent of these buildings are compromised and diminished, resulting in a negative impact to the overall building’s design integrity. 

 

The proposal for an exterior passenger elevator mounted to one of the corners of the building will negatively and adversely impact the design of Chicago’s third tallest building, (following Willis Tower and Trump Tower). It could be a significant enough exterior change to prevent the building from ever being considered for a Chicago Landmark Designation, or ever being considered for national recognition. To allow such design changes to the exterior of the building could become an embarrassment for Chicago.

 

Furthermore, if this plan were to proceed, there is a significant risk that other iconic, super-tall Chicago landmark buildings would follow this precedent and seek to install similar “amusement park ride-style” exterior elevators to boost their observation deck business, such as the Handcock Building and Sears Tower/Willis Tower. 

 

Preservation Chicago encourages one or more of the existing interior elevator banks be used for the purposes of a public observation deck. There are currently 40 interior elevators. Even if four elevators were dedicated to serving observation deck visitors, it would still leave 36 elevators for tenant use. In any event, the ultimate design should respect and not visually impact the character and architecture of this world-renowned building. 

 

In 1974, The Standard Oil Company, working with architect Edward Durell Stone on its new building, which at the time was the tallest building in Chicago, commissioned sculptor Harry Bertoia to design a kinetic piece of abstract art, which was placed around a central reflecting pool in the building’s plaza. “Sonambient” was comprised of eleven sets of copper and brass rods ranging in height from four to 16feet. The rods flexed and moved with the wind creating musical sounds. “Sonambient” was influenced by nature and represented wheat fields swaying in the breeze.

 

The grand-scale of Bertoia’s “Sonambient” sound sculpture on the plaza of the Standard Oil/Aon Building with its soaring brass rods was lost when the plaza was redesigned in 1994 and most of the sculpture hauled off to storage. As part of any approved plan, we would like to encourage a restoration of the building’s significant plaza features. In particular, the Harry Bertoia Sculpture “Sonambient” should be restored and reinstalled in its entirety in this once elegant plaza. Five pieces of the sculpture were sold at auction in 2013 and some were acquired by the Harry Bertoia Foundation. This new round of plaza alterations jeopardizes the few elements of the sculpture that remain. 

 

Preservation Chicago would like to see Bertoia’s “Sonambient” sound sculpture reassembled and reinstalled on the plaza. Alternatively, this sculpture should be reassembled and donated to The Art Institute of Chicago so that this important Chicago sculpture can once again be available to the public.

 

Additional Reading

Aon Center’s planned observation deck, Chicago’s third, could create competition for tourist dollars, Ally Marotti and Blair Kamin, Chicago Tribune, 5/15/18

 

Developers pitch Aon Center observatory, glass elevator, and rooftop thrill ride: Developers pitch Aon Center observatory, glass elevator, and rooftop thrill ride, Jay Koziarz, Curbed Chicago, 5/15/18

 

Aon Center owners float plan for sky-high exterior elevator to new observation deck, Blair Kamin, Ryan Ori and Bill Ruthhart, Chicago Tribune, 2/23/18

 

Proposed Aon Center Observatory Community Presentation, May 2018

Loft Buildings Targeted for Demolition at 810 W. Fulton Market, adjacent to the Fulton Market District Gateway Sign, Photo Credit: Ward Miller

The historic integrity and character of the Fulton Market District gateway is threatened by an 18-story glass-and-steel office building proposed for the entire block bounded by Fulton, Halsted, Wayman, and Green streets. This property is immediately to the north of the neighborhood’s distinctive gateway signage near the corner of Halsted and Fulton. The block consists of a collection of industrial buildings, including Isaacson & Stein Fish Company and Mid nightclub. The current development plan proposes to demolish all of the existing buildings.

 

The development proposal by New York developer Thor Equities envisions an approximately 400,000 square foot, 18 story glass-and-steel office building to be designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). To proceed, a significant upzoning from C2-5 to DX-7 will be required to accommodate the large new building. Thor would need to win support for the project upzoning from neighborhood groups and 27th Ward Alderman Walter Burnett. Thor is scheduled to meet with neighborhood community groups including West Central Association sometime in November and Neighbors of the West Loop on November 13th to seek their support. Alderman Burnett is reserving judgment on the proposal until after the plan is presented at public meetings and community groups.

 

Carla Agostinelli, executive director of the West Loop Community Organization told Block Club Chicago, “It’s great to see Fulton Street developed because we want to see economic development … but the infrastructure cannot support what is currently on the street, let alone a developer proposing a 19-story building that will bring in thousands of more people to an already congested area.” (Pena, Block Club Chicago, 10/10/18)

 

Erin Bowler, a longtime resident of 720 W. Fulton Building stated that “maintaining the historic character [of the Fulton Market District] benefits not just us and the neighborhood, but the whole city and the district itself.”

 

Preservation Chicago strongly encourages Thor Equities and SOM to save the historic loft building facades of 810 W. Fulton Market and 300 N. Green Street and incorporate them into the base of any proposed new construction projects. These four-story, red brick, loft buildings are highly characteristic of the Fulton Market District and would provide the appropriate scale and material for the streetscape. It’s even more important that these building facades be reused because they serve as the gateway buildings to the entire Fulton Market District. 

 

Additionally, taking steps to reuse, restore and incorporate the historic facades will demonstrate a genuine interest on the part of the developer in the existing character of the neighborhood and generate goodwill in advance of the neighborhood community meetings. Especially considering how many other properties Thor Equities owns in the Fulton Market District, generating and maintaining goodwill with the community groups should be a priority.

 

Furthermore, Thor Equites has specific experience with façade adaptive reuse as their project under construction a couple blocks away at 905 West Fulton Market. In this case, the facades were in much worse condition than those at 810 W. Fulton Market, yet they are being successfully incorporated into the new development and provide a sense of character and authenticity to the new construction. Preservation Chicago strongly urges the Thor Equities and SOM to pursue this direction. 

Additional Reading

19-Story Building Planned At Fulton Market Gateway, But Streets Can’t Handle It, West Loop Leader Says; The booming area’s infrastructure need to be redesigned or upgraded to handle another large office building, the leader said. Mauricio Pena, Block Club Chicago, 10/10/18

 

SOM-designed office tower planned near Fulton Market gateway; Developers filed a zoning application for an 18-story building earlier this week, Jay Koziarz, Curbed Chicago, 10/30/18

 

Big office building planned for Fulton Market District gateway; Thor Equities wants to put a 20-story glass-and-steel office building on a full city block at the doorstep to the Fulton Market District, Danny Ecker, Crain’s Chicago Business, 10/5/18

 

More West Loop Development Worries Some, Welcomed By Others, Vince Gerasole, CBS Chicago, 10/17/18

Current Proposal for Lawrence Avenue Sears Store. Rendering Credit: Springbank Capital Advisors

 

Façade treatments proposed by developer will compromise the historic integrity of the shuttered Sears Store at 1900 W. Lawrence. A 2016 Preservation Chicago 7 Most Endangered Building, the shuttered Sears Store at 1900 W. Lawrence Avenue was the first Sears, Roebuck & Company retail store to be built from the ground up as a commercial department store. It is an outstanding building with great prospects for a preservation-sensitive redevelopment. 

 

The building was purchased from Sears Holdings and is being redeveloped by Springbank Capital Advisors. The proposed $40 million redevelopment plan includes an adaptive reuse of the existing structure and plans to deliver 59 apartments, 42 parking places, and 20,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space. 

 

Development plans are moving faster now that according to Springbank CEO David Trandel, “for-profit college DeVry University has leased most of the retail space, and plans a vocational school in about 17,500 square feet on the ground floor” (Ori, Chicago Tribune, 10/9/18)

 

The Lawrence Avenue Sears store was built in 1925. At that time, it was on the cutting edge of department store design including massive plate glass windows to maximize natural sunlight. Sears called this new generation of neighborhood department stores its “daylight” stores, according to Professor Richard Longstreth, in his article “Sears, Roebuck and the Remaking of the Department Store, 1924-42”.

 

Preservation Chicago’s primary concern is with regard to the façade treatment. The original building façade had large and expansive windows and we would strongly support the reinstallation of windows of a similar size to the original design. Additionally, we oppose changing the original exterior colors. 

 

Preservation Chicago hopes that the developer will reconsider some façade treatment elements. Earlier renderings indicated a solution that was more sensitive to the building’s original design with deeper setbacks and fewer additional floors. The developer has responded to some community concerns voiced at public meetings to address parking and traffic flow considerations. 47th Ward Alderman Ameya Pawar announced his support for the requested zoning change in September 2017.

 

Urban apartment dwellers are drawn to historic properties that celebrate the building’s history. Instead of trying to make the façade something it isn’t, Preservation Chicago hopes the developer will embrace the building’s strong, elegant appearance. Ironically, the original conceptual rendering proposed by the Springbank did a much better job at recognizing and celebrating the building’s historic elements.

 

Additional Reading

Column: $40 million Sears store redevelopment in Ravenswood getting tenant, construction loan, Ryan Ori, Chicago Tribune, 10/9/18

 

Lawrence Sears Redevelopment Gets Zoning OK From Pawar, Patty Wetli, DNAinfo, September 6, 2017

 

Why Did Sears Cover Up Its Windows? It Wasn’t Always That Way, Patty Wetli, DNAinfo, September 14, 2017

 

Lawrence Avenue Sears To Close In August; Pawar Prepares For Redevelopment, Patty Wetli, DNAinfo, May 5, 2016

Hotel Julian/Atlantic Bank Building by Benjamin Marshall, 168 North Michigan Avenue. Rendering Credit: Oxford Capital Group

The Atlantic Bank Building was built as a 12-story terra cotta office building and has been successfully converted to boutique hotel called Hotel Julian. Named for the patron saint of travelers, the 218-room Hotel Julian underwent a comprehensive $75 million-plus renovation which included a five-story addition. Despite its location at 168 N. Michigan Avenue and design by notable Chicago architect Benjamin Marshall in 1912, the Atlantic Bank Building was never designated a Chicago landmark. 

 

The Atlantic Bank Building was designed by Benjamin Marshall and his firm architectural firm Marshall & Fox. They designed many important Chicago landmark buildings including The Drake, The Blackstone, The Blackstone Theater/ Merle Reskin Theatre, the Edgewater Beach Hotel & Apartments, South Shore Country Club, the Sheridan Trust and Savings Bank Building in Uptown, and several prominent Chicago apartment buildings on Lake Shore Drive. 

 

The Atlantic Bank Building had been largely vacant for over a decade prior to the renovation and the exterior creamy-white terra-cotta façade was in severely deteriorated condition. As part of the renovation, the Chicago-based Oxford Capital Group and London-based Quandrum Global developer team replaced over a third of the terra cotta. Additionally, the project architects Hirsch/MPG desire for a seamless and accurate terra cotta restoration included a search of the Benjamin Marshall archives at the University of Texas for original design drawings.  

 

Preservation Chicago applauds Oxford CEO John Rutledge and the development team for their commitment for pursing excellence and insuring a top-tier restoration for an important Chicago building, by an important Chicago architect, on one Chicago’s most important streets.

 

“It’s a Benjamin Marshall building, so it has great architectural prominence. When we bought the building it had been sitting empty and it had been exposed to the Chicago weather, so it was definitely in bad shape. We had to do some structural reinforcements and augment the foundation, and the terra cotta facade was completely falling apart.” said John Rutledge (Ori, Chicago Tribune, 8/3/18) Its not easy to design a modern addition to a historic building, but the Hirsch architecture team, including principals Howard Hirsch and David Genc and associate Matthew Starman, were successful in their solution. 

 

According to Chicago Tribune Architecture Critic Blair Kamin, “Instead of the obvious — pile terra cotta atop terra cotta — the architects came up with a solution inspired by the chamfered piers. They placed a faceted glass wall, which resembles the pleats of a dress, atop the original building. Then they extended the glass downward and into the facade’s window openings. The idea was to weave a thread of continuity between top and bottom, old and new.”

 

“Unfortunately, the treatment is so subtle that it will be imperceptible to most passers-by. They’re liable to think that architects put a glass top on an old building and called it a day. But look closely and you’ll see how the new glass quietly echoes the old terra-cotta skin through its vertical proportions, sculptural presence and jewellike play of light. Here, the present brings new vitality to the past without overwhelming it.” (Kamin, Chicago Tribune, 10/10/18)

 

Oxford Capital Group and John Rutledge represent a new generation of developers who continue to recognizing the inherent value of Chicago’s historic buildings and are leading their redevelopment. The growing recognition within the Chicago real estate community of the inherent ability of historic buildings to drive greater profits has been confirmed by the success of the London House Hotel in the London Guarantee Building, the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel in the Chicago Athletic Association Building, Chicago Motor Club Hampton Inn, St. Jane Hotel in the Carbide and Carbon Building , The Alise Chicago in the Reliance Building, the Ace Hotel, and the Kimpton Hotel Gray in the New York Life Building. 

 

For more info on great historic Chicago hotels, check out 16 downtown hotels packed with Chicago history; From boutique mansions to historic renovations, by Amy Bizzarri, Curbed Chicago, October 15, 2018

 

Additional Reading

Column: Small but sexy: New Chicago hotel near Millennium Park combines past and present, Blair Kamin, Chicago Tribune, 10/11/18

 

Column: Michigan Avenue eyesore to open as $75 million hotel after years of neglect, Ryan Ori, Chicago Tribune, 8/3/18

 

Oxford Venture Announces Hotel Julian

Commercial National Bank Building, by D.H. Burnham & Company, 125 N. Clark Street, Photo Credit: Blue Star Properties

The Commercial National Bank Building designed by D.H. Burnham and Company and located at 125 S. Clark Street has been comprehensively renovated by Chicago-based Blue Star Properties and Wolcott Group with architect Aric Lasher of Chicago-based HBRA. They purchased the former Chicago Public Schools headquarters in 2014 for $28 million and invested $91 million to restore and lease up this 18-story commercial office building. Prior to CPS, it long served as the headquarters for Commonwealth Edison.

 

Most noticeably, the building received a much-needed exterior cleaning which altered the color from a mottled grey to a gleaming white. As reported in Crain’s, the building is now 88% leased with notable new tenants including WeWork, Shure, SpotHero, and Revival Food Hall. Also reported in Crain’s, the building has been sold to the German real estate investor group Commerz Real for approximately $200 million. 

 

Located on the ground floor across 24,000 square foot space, Revival Food Hall has emerged as a vibrant new loop food destination. The name is homage to the Classical Revival style of architecture that Daniel Burnham embraced in so many of his great building commissions. According to Craig Golden, founder of Blue Star Properties, the design was intended to embrace the history of the building, not hide it. “Take, for example, the flooring of the food hall” Golden says. “It’s three different types of marble, some concrete, some terrazzo. You really see all the different periods. It’s a bit of a road map of the history of the building.”

 

Instead of attempting a new aesthetic, Golden and Lasher smoothed the style mélange into a modern-feeling space that incorporates every part of the site’s history— what he calls a “historic remix.” “Obviously this type of space didn’t exist at that time, but Lasher tried to do what he thought Burnham would have done if it had,” Golden explains. “It’s really our idea of the modern version of a Burnham building. (Keller, Architectural Digest, 10/26/16)

 

The Commercial National Bank Building was designated as a Chicago Landmark in 2016. The Classical Revival style Commercial National Bank Building, located at the northeast comer of Clark Street and Adams Street, is the oldest surviving high-rise commercial bank building in the Loop designed by D. H. Burnham & Company.

 

The Commercial National Bank Building was also among the first of Burnham & Company’s designs to tie the tripartite commercial high-rise to the iconic temple-style bank building to create a new form of bank building in Chicago. Firm architect Ernest Graham used engaged Corinthian columns to mark the second-floor banking hall, recalling the colonnades of traditional bank buildings, while retaining the relatively unadorned center shaft and ornamented cornice typical of high-rise commercial buildings of the period. This marriage of forms would characterize nearly two dozen downtown bank buildings designed in Chicago and other US cities by Burnham and its successor firm, Graham, Anderson, Probst and White, throughout the 1910s and 1920s. (Commercial National Bank Building Final Landmark Designation Report, April 7, 2016)

 

Preservation Chicago was part of many hearings and testimonies to support this project and applauds Craig Golden, Blue Star Properties, Wolcott Group and architect HBRA for their success at beautifully restoring and activating an important Chicago Landmark building.

 

Cornices played a highly important role in the visual appearance of Chicago School Skyscrapers and other buildings of the later 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Unfortunately, many important historic buildings across Chicago have been lost their cornices over the decades due to neglect and modernization efforts. Preservation Chicago urges the City of Chicago to strongly encourage the developers of historic buildings to include as part of the scope of their redevelopment plans the replacement or restoration of cornices that is closely modeled on the original design.

 

Commercial National Bank Building prior to exterior cleaning, 125 N. Clark Street, Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers

 

 

Additional Reading

German investor buying Loop office building; the sale would complete a massive turnaround and huge cash-out for the investors that bought and redeveloped the former Chicago Public Schools headquarters. Danny Ecker, Crain’s Chicago Business, 10/22/18

 

You Can Now Eat Lunch in an Iconic Daniel Burnham Bank Building; Chicago’s Revival Food Hall repurposes a historic structure, Hadley Keller, Architectural Digest, 10/26/16

 

Commercial National Bank Building Final Landmark Designation Report, April 7, 2016

Marshall Field's Warehouse, Photo Credit: Darris Lee Harris / Hubbard Street

Pre-leasing is getting underway for the residential adaptive reuse of the six concrete and red brick buildings of the 1.5 million square foot Marshall Field’s warehouse complex located on 22 acres at 4000 W. Diversey Avenue and Pulaski Road in Logan Square. Renamed “Field’s Lofts”, the developer is Hubbard Street Group with architect Hirsch MPG Associates and Harken Interiors. Built for the Olson Rug Company in 1928, this site was later occupied by Marshall Field’s, until it was shuttered by Macy’s in 2008, and ultimately sold for redevelopment in 2014. 

 

The residential development on the easternmost portion of the complex will contain mostly studio and one-bedroom units with two-bedroom apartments at the corners “but probably 20 to 30 percent more affordable”, said John McLinden, managing partner of developer Hubbard Street Group. (Koziarz, Curbed Chicago, 10/4/18)

 

McLinden told Curbed Chicago. “The product is also very different. These are loft-style units with 14 to 17-foot ceilings, original concrete columns, and large-scale industrial windows. It’s not just another white box in the sky.”

 

Kickpoint Ventures is managing the commercial portion of the redevelopment and has recently announced that Crate & Barrel’s Chicago office will move into 117,000 square feet. Other tenants include Cermak Fresh Market grocery store, Cubesmart self-storage, a home design showroom for Studio41. 

 

This is also the historic site of the much beloved and missed Olson Rug Park and Waterfall built in 1935. This park featured an elaborate illuminated rock garden and 35-foot waterfall, which made it a popular Chicago attraction. The site was sold to Marshall Fields in 1965 and the waterfall and park were dismantled in 1970.

 

Preservation Chicago had numerous meetings with former 31st Ward Alderman Ray Suarez when Macy’s announced they were closing the facility to encourage possible Chicago Landmark Designation and to consider an adaptive reuse of the site for residential and affordable housing within these immense fireproof buildings.

 

Preservation Chicago applauds John McLinden of Hubbard Street Group, architect Hirsch MPG Associates, Harken Interiors and Kickpoint Ventures for their success at restoring and activating these great Chicago warehouse buildings.

 

Additional Reading

Logan Square’s Marshall Field’s warehouse readies for residential rebirth; the massive adaptive reuse project is starting to pre-lease its 123 rental units, Jay Koziarz, Curbed Chicago, 10/4/18

 

New York firm takes over big Field’s warehouse project Kickpoint Ventures has acquired most of a 1.5 million-square-foot former Marshall Field’s warehouse near Logan Square, an unfinished redevelopment that includes a Cermak Fresh Market grocery store, apartments and office space. Alby Gallun, Crain’s Chicago Business, 10/2/18

 

The Fields in Logan Square Website

 

Next up for former Marshall Field’s complex in Belmont Gardens: 123 apartments, Ryan Ori, Chicago Tribune, 1/12/18

 

Forgotten Chicago, Olson Waterfall, Daniel Pogorzelski

Save Our Street Graphic, Image Credit: www.edgarmiller.org/save-our-story-save-our-street

City of Chicago Landmarks Commission Honors Chicago’s Best Preservation Projects of 2018

 

On October 23, 2018, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks honored 11 unique rehabilitation projects with the Preservation Excellence Awards, including the Loop’s Commercial National Bank Building, Uptown’s former Graeme Stewart Public School, and the Near West Side’s First Baptist Congregational Church.

 

“The Preservation Excellence Awards honor some of the best rehabilitation efforts in the country, and the private property owners who diligently work to celebrate the history and heritage of Chicago,” said David L. Reifman, commissioner of the Department of Planning and Development, which provides staff support to the Landmarks Commission.

 

The honorees were chosen by the Commission’s Permit Review Committee, which considered several dozen projects involving landmark structures and landmark District buildings that were completed over the past year. The honorees include property owners, architects, design professionals and historic preservation specialists and advocates.

 

The awards, now in their 19th year, were presented at the site of one of this year’s winners, the London House Hotel, the primary tenant of the landmark London Guarantee Building at Michigan and Wacker.

 

Additionally, the Commission honored an individual and an organization. The Preservation Advocacy Award was presented to Save Our Street – Save Our Story, a grassroots group of neighbors and preservationists who banded together to designate the West Burton Place District in Old Town. The block-long residential enclave between Wells and LaSalle streets is comprised of many late 19th and early 20th century buildings that were designed as studios for artists of the time.

 

And, the John Baird Award for Stewardship was given to Geoffrey Baer, a seven-time Emmy-winning public television writer, producer and program host who has been a fixture on WTTW for nearly three decades. A docent for the Chicago Architecture Foundation since 1987, Baer appears weekly on WTTW’s flagship nightly news program “Chicago Tonight,” answering viewers’ questions about Chicago architecture and history in a segment called “Ask Geoffrey.” The award is named in honor of John Baird, a long-time member of the Landmarks Commission who passed away in 2013.

 

Other honored projects include the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Blossom House in the Kenwood District, the American Book Company Building near McCormick Place, and the South Loop’s Plymouth Building. Information on each recipient is available below. (from City of Chi

cago.org)

The London Guarantee Building, 360 N. Michigan Avenue

Designated Chicago Landmark: April 16, 1996

Adaptive Reuse and Addition

Recipient: Oxford Capital Group, LLC.

 

Located at 360 North Michigan Avenue, the London Guarantee Building is one of Chicago’s best examples of the Beaux Arts Classical Revival style. Oxford Capital purchased the building with the intention of converting it from obsolete office space to mixed use hotel/retail. Utilizing the Class L Property Tax Incentive and the 20% Federal Historic Tax Credit, interior and exterior alterations accommodated new programming. Exterior work included masonry repairs and cleaning on all elevations, historic window repair, replication of missing ornamental metalwork, and a new, one-story addition and roof deck. Interior work included a full interior build-out of hotel rooms, meeting spaces, and ballrooms. In addition to the renovations to the London Guarantee Building, the owner constructed a new, 21-story addition in the adjacent surface parking lot adding 78,000 square feet to the property. Preservation Chicago strongly supported the redevelopment and restoration over many phases with numerous testimonies and letters of support.  

The Commercial National Bank Building, 125 S. Clark Street

Designated Chicago Landmark: June 22, 2016

Rehabilitation

Recipient: Blue Star Properties

 

Located prominently at the northeast corner of Clark and Adams Streets in the Loop, the Commercial National Bank Building is twenty stories tall and was completed in 1907 by the noted Chicago-based architecture firm of D.H. Burnham & Co. Blue Star Properties acquired the vacant property in 2014 and, utilizing the Class L Property Tax Incentive, embarked on an extensive exterior and interior rehabilitation. Exterior work included much-needed cleaning of the facades and repair of original terra cotta. All non-original infill on the south elevation was replaced with GFRC units matching original profiles including highly detailed, classically-inspired decorative reliefs on the upper floors. The cornice, storefronts, and entries were repaired. Historic cast iron window surrounds on floors 2-4 and 17-19 were repaired and repainted.

The Plymouth Building, 417 S. Dearborn Street

Designated Chicago Landmark: Nov. 16, 2016

Adaptive Reuse

Recipient: LG Development Group

 

Designed by Simeon B. Eisendrath and completed in 1899, the Plymouth Building at 417 S. Dearborn St. combines fine detailing and craftsmanship that exemplifies the revolution in high-rise design that occurred in Chicago in the last two decades of the 19th century. The building’s early steel-frame construction and Collegiate Gothic ornament added in 1945 conveys an evolutionary history that reflects its various roles within the city’s central business district. The developer purchased the property and undertook an extensive rehabilitation for a new residential use. In addition to exterior and interior renovations, including installation of new aluminum-clad windows and repair to the ornamental historic storefronts, a one-story rooftop addition and roof deck were constructed. The building owner applied for a 20% Federal Rehabilitation Tax Credit.

The American Book Company Building, 330 E. Cermak Avenue (Chicago 7 2008)

Designated Chicago Landmark: July 29, 2009

Adaptive Reuse 

Recipient: Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority

 

The American Book Company Building was built in 1912 and was designed by Nelson Max Dunning, a prominent architect in the Midwest. The building had been vacant for many years until the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA) undertook an extensive exterior and interior rehabilitation project. The restored ABC Building is part of and connected to the $350 million Marriott Marquis Chicago Hotel, which has 1,205 keys and offers state-of-the art amenities and impressive skyline and lakefront views. The ABC Building has meeting rooms for the hotel, office spaces on the upper floors, and commercial retail spaces on the first floor. The rehabilitation project included masonry repairs and cleaning, window and door replacement, and restoration of the historic lobby finishes, including the vaulted ceiling, the marble stair and balustrade, and the tiled walls. Preservation Chicago strongly supported the redevelopment and restoration of this building over many testimonies and letters of support.  

The former Graeme Stewart Public School, 4525 N. Kenmore Avenue (Chicago 7 2014)

Designated Chicago Landmark: Nov. 16, 2016

Adaptive Reuse

Recipient: Morningside Equities Group

 

The former Graeme Stewart Public School Building was built in 1906 with a compatible addition added to the south in 1940. The building exhibits a wide horizontal composition that is characteristic of the Prairie School movement with Renaissance Revival stylistic details. The developer transformed the decommissioned CPS building into residential units, including amenities such as roof decks, balconies, and terraces. Work to rejuvenate the building included a new roof, masonry cleaning and repair, and a fully restored cornice. New compatible windows and doors were inserted on primary and secondary elevations to accommodate new rental units and provide accessibility. Portions of the rear of the building were converted into parking. This project serves as an excellent example of how civic architecture can be reused in a community.

First Baptist Congregational Church, 1613 W. Washington Street

Designated Chicago Landmark: Jan. 21, 1982

Rehabilitation 

Recipient: First Baptist Congregational Church

 

Although it survived the Great Chicago Fire, a small, narrow finial at the First Baptist Church of Chicago was toppled in the blizzard of 2011 and was destroyed. The church explored options to replicate the steeple and proposed a new lightweight version constructed of Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic (FRP) to recreate the stone coursing, color and texture. In 2017 the new spire was lifted into place and fixed to the historic church, restoring the roofline to its original form. Today, the church remains a cornerstone in its community, and a valuable example of the appropriate use of substitute material on a historic property.

Blossom House, 4858 S. Kenwood Avenue (Kenwood District)

Designated Chicago Landmark District: June 29, 1979

Rehabilitation 

Recipient: Arthur & Elisa Reliford Jr.

 

The Blossom House was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1892 in the Colonial Revival architectural style. It is one of the last houses Wright designed in a historical revival style before becoming a pioneer of the Prairie style characterized by elongated proportions and broad horizontal lines. This evolution is reflected in the carriage house designed by Wright in 1907. New owners undertook a major restoration project to address the deferred exterior maintenance and condition issues for both structures and to update the interior kitchen and bathrooms. Deteriorated siding and trim were replaced to match existing, original art-glass windows, many of them badly warped and bowing, were carefully restored. The deteriorated front and side porches were repaired and reconstructed to match the original design, and the brick base was repaired with salvaged brick. A one-story addition was built on the rear elevation. At the carriage house, deteriorated framing, roofing, and sheathing were replaced to match original profiles and the brick was repointed.

 

 

437 W. Arlington Avenue (Arlington and Roslyn Place District)

Designated Chicago Landmark District: Nov. 15, 1989

Restoration 

Recipient: Jonathan and Ela Lewis

 

Windows are a key feature of 437 West Arlington. When owners Jonathan and Ela Lewis realized they had fallen into disrepair, they committed to restoring the unique curved windows. Broken and partially rotted sashes allowed gaps at the edges of the curved glass and previous improper preparation of surfaces had allowed paint to crack and surfaces to be uneven. As many original elements as possible were retained and restored and when necessary, replaced in kind. Original ornamental iron grilles at the basement level were repaired, scraped, and repainted. The owner then went above and beyond by installing curved, clear-glass, wooden storm windows to further improve energy efficiency. As a finishing touch, the front door was refinished to give this beautiful greystone new life.

920 E. 42nd Place (Oakland District)

Designated Chicago Landmark District: March 25, 1991

Rehabilitation 

Recipient: Lauren & Michael Williams

 

920 E. 42nd Place, along with its five neighboring row houses, was among the last historic residences built in the Oakland District. The vacant limestone row house had fallen into disrepair before the current owners purchased the property and began an extensive rehabilitation project. The historic copper bay was in poor condition and was replicated to match the historic details. The limestone stairs were repaired and a new railing system was fabricated based on remnants of the historic cast iron railing. Many historic interior features were also repaired and retained. This project also qualified for the Property Tax Assessment Freeze Program.

10353 S. Seely Ave. (Longwood Drive District)

Designated Chicago Landmark District: Nov. 13, 1981

Rehabilitation 

Recipient: Nick & Ashley LoMaglio

 

After an extended effort on behalf of the Commission to save this home from demolition, this 1916 Craftsman-style building in the Longwood Drive District was sold to new owners who saw its potential for rehabilitation. Original drawings were used to restore the open, wrap-around front porch which had been altered and enclosed. New windows and wood cladding were installed to match the historic configuration. A substantial rear addition was also added to the property.

 

1032 N. Honore Avenue (East Village District)

Designated Chicago Landmark District: Jan. 11, 2006

Rehabilitation 

Recipient: Kristi & Robert Stephens

 

The 1891 home at 1032 N. Honore is a classic example of a Chicago 2-flat and characteristic of East Village architecture. The owner extensively rehabilitated the property while converting it into a single-family home. Work included a new rear addition, a rooftop addition, and installation of historically compatible windows and doors. A new fiberglass cornice was designed to be compatible with the historic character of the building and to replace non-historic alterations of the parapet. Many multiple-unit historic buildings are converted into single family homes, however this dramatic transformation serves as a great example of how it can be appropriately done.

Preservation Advocacy Award 

Recipient: Save Our Story – Save Our Street

 

After demolition threatened a building on their street, a group of neighbors and preservationists banded together to stop the encroaching development and to further protect their neighborhood by procuring designation for the West Burton Place District. This district is a compact residential enclave in Old Town comprised of late-19th century urban dwellings mixed with “handmade houses” designed as studios for artists from the 1920s through 1940s. Although designating this neighborhood had long been a goal of some residents, the movement didn’t take off until they were notified of a new development and a demolition application for 159 W. Burton Place. Every member of this group played a unique role in ensuring the neighborhood’s architecture would survive; from writing the landmarking proposal, to gathering community support for the designation process and without their tireless effort, this unique residential district could have been altered and lost forever. The district met 5 of the 6 designation criteria mandated by the Chicago Landmarks Ordinance and was officially designated on June 22, 2016. Preservation Chicago and our sister organizations strongly supported this effort with many numerous testimonies before various commission and with letters of support. 

The John Baird Award 

Recipient: Geoffrey Baer

 

The John Baird Award honors outstanding individuals and groups that further historic preservation in Chicago. Geoffrey Baer is a seven-time Emmy-winning Public Television writer, producer and program host. He has been a fixture on Chicago’s PBS station WTTW for 29 years. His work includes more than 20 feature-length “television tours” of the city and suburbs, a culinary special called The Foods of Chicago that was nominated for a coveted James Beard Award, and specials including Chicago Time Machine and the quiz show Where in Chicago. He also appears weekly on WTTW’s flagship nightly news program Chicago Tonight, answering viewers’ questions about Chicago architecture and history in a segment called Ask Geoffrey.

 

Nationally he hosts the PBS primetime series 10 that Changed America about game changing buildings, homes, parks, town, monuments and engineering wonders across the country. He traveled to Cuba just days after the death of Fidel Castro to host the PBS primetime special Weekend in Havana. His other national public television specials include documentaries about acclaimed architects Robert A. M. Stern and Michael Graves and Saved from the Wrecking Ball, a documentary about the rescue of Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House.

 

He has been a docent for the Chicago Architecture Foundation since 1987, and has served on the boards of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Architecture and Design Society and Chicago’s acclaimed Lookingglass Theatre Company.

 

In addition to his Emmy awards, Geoffrey has been honored by the Society of Architectural Historians, the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Chicago Headline Club. He has a master’s degree in theatre from Northwestern University and a BS in radio-TV-film from Miami University in Ohio.

 

Additional Reading

 

Chicago Landmarks Commission honors the year’s best preservation projects

 

Landmarks Commission Honors Chicago’s Best Preservation Projects of 2018, City of Chicago, 10/23/18

Chicago Skyway Toll Plaza following restoration. Photo Credit: Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune

Historic butcher's shop at 1800 N. Hudson Avenue circa 1892 threated with sale and demolition. Photo Credit: Redfin

FOR SALE: 1800 N Hudson Ave, CHICAGO, IL 60614, List Price $1,899,000.

 

“Extremely rare opportunity to purchase one of East Lincoln Park’s last developable corner lots. Quiet location with bright southern exposure along the length of the lot. RM-5 zoning allows for a 4 story building with 7000+ sf. Reduced south setback allows for additional width vs a mid-block lot. Brand new alley with permeable pavers just completed. Currently a 4 unit building with a 3 car garage generating $6,620 / month income. BROKER OWNED.” 

 

A Brief History of The Schmidt Metzgerei, 1800 N. Hudson Avenue in Old Town

With special thanks to Diane Gonzalez for her research and writing 

 

“Homemade sausages and smoked meats are our specialty” read an advertisement for Schmidt’s Metzgerei in the Old Town Art Fair program from 1958. Schmidt’s Metzgerei is the circa 1892 butcher’s shop built in the classic German “fachwerk” style with timber framing butcher shop at 1800 N. Hudson Avenue at the intersection with Menomonee and old Ogden Avenue. The “Schmidt’s Mitzgerri” sign is still visible on the building’s facade. This relic of Chicago’s German history has survived for over 120 years today, but is threatened with sale and demolition.

 

Long-term owner William Schmidt was born above the store in 1915. His father Bill Schmidt Sr. had emigrated from Germany six years earlier. Bill Sr. was sponsored by an uncle who was already working as a Chicago butcher. Bill Jr. followed in the footsteps of his great-uncle and father. Bill Jr. married Florence Vogt, and their daughter Marilyn Vrbancic revealed details of life above the shop and next door in 1802 Hudson which the Schmidt’s also owned. Behind the shop was the sausage kitchen where Uncle Frank Reiss, a Crilly Court resident, was in charge. Its smokehouse survives today in the northwest corner of what became a garage.

 

In 1968, Schmidt hosted a party in front of the shop where he had just installed today’s Bavarian façade complete with stucco and half timbers. Everyone was invited for beer and sandwiches. Entertainment included German music and Westphalian stallions harnessed out front.

Another celebration occurred in October 1970 two years after Marilyn married. Her dad wished that he’d been able to invite his Irish and German neighbors to her wedding. Belatedly he offered beer, root beer, and baloney on rye while Irish step dancers, Bavarian musicians, and those Westphalian stallions entertained. The Tribune estimated over 1000 attended!

 

In 1977 Bill Jr. retired and closed the metzgerei. The sawdust was swept from the floor, and the huge refrigerator with its three glass windows was donated to the Chicago History Museum. The shop became a contractor’s office; since 1997 it has housed Triangle resident Terry Sullivan’s law office. But memories of sausage and sawdust along with the generous, Germanic Schmidt spirit survive in its walls forever.

Chicago Avenue Bridge, by Ketler-Elliot in 1914, Demolition began November 1, 2018 Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers

 

The Tacoma Building by Holabird & Roche in 1888. Demolished in 1929. Photo Credit: Ryerson & Burnham Archives Archival Image Collection

Clarendon Park Field House, Photo Credit by Chuckman's Chicago Postcard Collection

Chicago's Cityfront Center. An Incredible Transformation? Not Really. By Blair Kamin. Photo Credit: Lawrence Okrent/ Chicago Tribune

Art Deco Chicago: Designing Modern America

Art Deco Chicago: Designing Modern America Furniture sketch by Wolfgang Hoffmann for Howell, 1938. Image Credit: Chicago History Museum.

Wrightwood 659, A new Art Space in Lincoln Park Photo Credit: Jeff Goldberg / Esto

“Treasures from the White City: The Chicago World’s Fair of 1893” at the Richard H. Driehaus Museum. Photo Credit: Richard H. Driehaus Museum

“Pictures from an Exposition: Visualizing the 1893 World’s Fair," the first show in the Newberry Library's remodeled first floor, mines the research institution’s archives to display maps, postcards, artwork and other fair-related items. Photo Credit: Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune

Mary Lu Seidel Preservation Chicago

National Gospel Museum/Pilgrim Baptist Church/K.A.M Isaiah Israel Temple, 3301 S. Indiana Avenue, Rendering Credit: Wight & Company

5th Church of Christ Scientist (most recently Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church), a 1904 building on Dorchester by noted architect Solon S. Beman (of Pullman fame). Now abandoned, awaiting an uncertain future. Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers

Illinois Centennial Monument of Logan Square Celebration Music Environmental Encroachment

Shrine of Christ the King, 6401 S. Woodlawn Avenue, Photo Credit: Eric Allix Rogers

Preservation Chicago hosts a delegation of Urban Planners from Beijing. Photo Credit: Preservation Chicago

Noble-Seymour-Crippen House, 5624 N. Newark Avenue. Photo Credit: ZAGALEJO on Flicker (Creative Commons)

Mural on the exterior of The Plant at 1400 W 46th Street. Photo Credit; Packingtown Museum at The Plant

"Pullman Factory Worker with Finished Car", Photo Credit; The Pullman State Historic Site Collections.

Chicago Machinery Building, by D.H. Burnham & Company, 1217 West Washington Boulevard, Photo Credit Ward Miller