ADVOCACYThreatened
THREATENED: William LeBaron Jenney's 19 S. LaSalle in Foreclosure
Preservation Chicago - October 31, 2022 0
"The owner of a vintage 16-story office building on LaSalle Street is facing a $21 million foreclosure lawsuit, adding to a wave of distress on the historic-but-vacancy-ridden thoroughfare and teeing up a potential conversion of the property into a residential or other use."The lawsuit is one of many like...
THREATENED: George Eddy House Targeted for Demolition
"A white-pillared house on Sheridan Road in Edgewater, built in 1900 during the street's heyday as a long strand of upscale homes along the lake, will be demolished by its new owners."The brick house, on a little over a quarter of an acre at 5852 N. Sheridan Road, sold...
THREATENED: Damen Silos To Be Sold to MAT Asphalt
"Neighbors in a McKinley Park environmental group are asking the state to slow down its sale of the Damen Silos to a controversial industrialist."Neighbors for Environmental Justice — which has long clashed with the industrialist, Michael Tadin Jr., and his MAT Asphalt company — used a Twitter thread Monday...
THREATENED: Hector Guimard's Art Nouveau Metra Entrance Slated for Removal as Part of Illinois Central Railroad Station Restoration
"The Grant Park entrance to the Metra Electric and South Shore line's Van Buren station has given Chicago an added touch of Paris for the past two decades. There it sits, right off Michigan Avenue in Grant Park, a letter-perfect reproduction of the train station entrances designed by French...
THREATENED: Developer Chooses Demolition Over Adaptive Reuse for Werner Bros. Storage Building
"A $30 million, six-story affordable apartment building could replace a retail strip and storage facility at a prominent Howard Street intersection under a development proposal."Development group Housing For All wants to build 110 affordable apartments and ground-floor retail at the northeast corner of Howard and Paulina streets, directly across...
THREATENED: Parishioners Successfully Block La Pietà Statue Removal from St. Adalbert's Church After Vigil Lasting 40 Days and 40 Nights (Chicago 7 2014, 2016, 2019, 2021)
"Archdiocese of Chicago workers temporarily halted efforts to remove a beloved statue from a former Catholic church Pilsen neighbors fought years to save after an hours-long protest."Former parishioners demonstrated outside St. Adalbert Church, 1650 W. 17th St., as workers moved to remove a replica of Michelangelo's La Pietà statue...
THREATENED: Concrete Block Building Erected Without Permits Across from Humboldt Park Stables
"A Humboldt Park museum led by a longtime former alderman has been ordered to stop construction on a cinder-block building after city officials found the project got underway without correct permits."The National Puerto Rican Museum of Arts & Culture, which occupies a landmarked building at 3015 W. Division St....
THREATENED: Continental Can Company Building Targeted for Demolition (Chicago 7 2021)
"Developers plans to replace a large industrial building in McKinley Park with a cold storage facility, but neighbors are concerned about potential pollution and preserving the building's historical architecture."Developers with Karis Cold presented their plans at a community meeting Wednesday night. The group has applied for a special-use permit...
THREATENED: Section 106 Hearing to Consider Demolition of Century and Consumers Buildings on November 10, 2022 (Chicago 7 2011, 2013 & 2022)
"The Commission on Chicago Landmarks delayed a vote on the preliminary landmark designation of the Century and Consumers Buildings during its recent monthly meeting on Thursday. The vote would've set up a battle between the city and the federally run General Services Administration (GSA), as they seek to spend...
THREATENED: 209-227 S. State Street Listed For Sale and New Construction
"A big, empty building on State Street in the Loop is hitting the market again, a property that could attract interest from developers that want to tear it down and build a high-rise in its place."The Sterling Organization, the owner of the 112,000-square-foot building at 209-227 S. State St.,...
THREATENED: Archdiocese Reveals Plans to Close The Shrine of Christ the King
"Woodlawn community organizers say public masses have been suspended at the Shrine of Christ the King Catholic Church, and they worry the Archdiocese of Chicago is planning to shutter the landmark."Mass and other sacraments at Shrine of Christ the King, 6401 S. Woodlawn Ave., were suspended on Monday, according...
THREATENED: Devoted Neighbors Have Barricaded Demolition Work at St. Adalbert Church with 24/7 Vigil For Over Two-Months (Chicago 7 2014, 2016, 2019, 2021)
"A handful of mostly middle-aged women threw up a barricade made of sticks, branches, broken bricks and a couple of sawhorses Friday morning."Then they sat down and prayed."'We have God. We have the rosary. We have the bigger barricade,' said Judy Vazquez, 65."Whether that will be enough to deter...
THREATENED: Preservationists Sound Alarm Over Rapid Deterioration of Lake Street Schlitz Tied House
"The former home of La Luce Italian restaurant, which gained landmark status last year, has severely deteriorated in recent months, preservationists said."Residents and preservationists fought hard to save the building and get it landmark status, which was granted in June 2021. But the former Schlitz Brewery tied house at...
THREATENED: State Seeks to Unload Damen Silos
"Gov. J.B. Pritzker wants to sell off an abandoned industrial site in Chicago best known as a backdrop for the 2014 Hollywood blockbuster 'Transformers: Age of Extinction.'"The state will accept bids this fall for Damen Silos at 2900 S. Damen Ave., along the South Branch of the Chicago River,...
THREATENED: Pilsen Food Pantry's Purchase Offer for former Holy Trinity Croatian Church Delayed as Archdiocese Appears to Wait for Higher Offer From Developer
"A food pantry in Pilsen has been operating out of a former church for the last two years."The founder is hoping to buy the building but says she is running into obstacles with the Chicago Archdiocese."For the last two years, the pantry has been operating out of a former...
Preservation Chicago - August 31, 2022 0
THREATENED: Early Warning Signs
THREATENED: 90-Day Demolition Delay List
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...
THREATENED: Cook County Scavenger Sale Undermines South and West Side Housing Stock
"An extraordinary report from Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas reveals what happens when government not only doesn't get out of its own way, but instead adds to the poverty and inequity that has plagued Chicago and the south suburbs for decades."In essence, the report details how those neighborhoods never...
THREATENED: Neighbors Prefer Preservation of St. Ignatius Over Loyola's Plan for Demolition and New Construction
"In a recent town hall in the 49th Ward, Alderwoman Maria Hadden updated community members on the future of the closed St. Ignatius church located at 6559 N Glenwood Avenue in Rogers Park. The church was built in 1917 and designed by noted architect Henry J. Schlacks. Schlacks notably...
THREATENED: Outrage Over Unpermitted Demolition Work at St. Adalbert Church (Chicago 7 2014, 2016, 2019, 2021)
"Parishioners are vowing to stop the Archdiocese of Chicago from removing a beloved statue from a former Catholic church in Pilsen they fought to save."On Friday morning, about 16 former parishioners staged a protest outside St. Adalbert Church, 1650 W. 17th St. after Rosemarie Dominguez, a member of the...
THREATENED: Owner Neglect Accelerates Deterioration of Lake Street Schlitz Tied House
Preservation Chicago notified the City of Chicago regarding the shockingly deteriorated condition of the Lake Street on September 1, 2022. Excerpt below from letter submitted to the City of Chicago by Ward Miller, Executive Director of Preservation Chicago."We wanted to share this photo with you of the former Schlitz-Brewery...
THREATENED: 'Monument with Standing Beast' Sculpture to be Relocated
"One of Chicago's iconic pieces of public art will be getting a new home."French artist Jean Dubuffet's sculpture 'Monument with Standing Beast,' in place in front of the Thompson Center since the building opened in 1985, is moving to a different spot in the Loop."With the state of Illinois...
THREATENED: Golf Course Threat Looms Over South Shore Nature Sanctuary? (Chicago 7 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021)
"'It's amazing that there's like a space in Chicago where people can just come and visit nature,' said Amal, a rising senior at Disney II Magnet High School, as she looked across a pond in the South Shore Nature Sanctuary on July 16."That Saturday afternoon, she visited the sanctuary...
THREATENED: Bridgeport Restaurant Closing and Building Listed For Sale
"A Bridgeport staple near the home of the White Sox is closing next week, ending its long history serving diner classics and its famed corned beef sandwich on the South Side."Bridgeport Restaurant, 3500 S. Halsted St., will close June 30, owners Irais and Josie Rodriguez confirmed. They are trying...
THREATENED: Fundraising Challenges Delay Avalon Regal Theater Restoration and Reopening (Chicago 7 2012)
Preservation Chicago - June 30, 2022 0
"The owner of a long-vacant, landmarked South Side theater needs millions to bring it back to life and pay off his tax debt — and now he's partnering with a cryptocurrency company to raise money."The Avalon Regal Theater, 1641 E. 79th St. in South Shore, has been closed since...
THREATENED: With Flurry of Purchases, Latin School Now Owns Eight of 10 Properties on a Stretch of Dearborn Parkway
"The Latin School of Chicago bought an 1890s building on Dearborn Street, its fourth purchase on the same block in recent weeks, and says the $10 million group of buildings will remain on property tax rolls although the school's other properties are tax-exempt."On May 25, the elite private school...
THREATENED: Despite Excessive Aldermanic Delays, Obsidian Collection Remains Committed to Palmer Mansion Restoration (Chicago 7 2019)
"A year after buying the Lu and Jorja Palmer mansion, the owner is still waiting to move forward with an ambitious renovation — and she blames Ald. Sophia King (4th) for the holdup."Bronzeville native Angela Ford took over the 133-year-old mansion at 3654 S. King Drive in April 2021...
THREATENED: Ald. Sigcho-Lopez Attempts to Downzone St. Adalbert Church But is Blocked by Mayor Lightfoot (Chicago 7 2014 & 2016)
"Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) has filed a complaint against Mayor Lori Lightfoot with the city inspector general's office, accusing her of intervening in a zoning matter to favor the Archdiocese of Chicago over his constituents."On May 24, Sigcho-Lopez successfully got his long-sought plan to downzone St. Adalbert Church, 1650...
Address: New Devon Theater / Assyrian American, 1618 W. Devon Ave., Rogers Park
#100946230 Date Received: 12/3/2021 Ward: 40th Ald. Andre Vasquez Applicant: Alpine Demolition Services, LLC Owner: Doris Eneamokwu Permit Description: Opening of closed existing windows, install new window frame and glazing, repair existing glazed brick as needed (tuckpointing) Status: Under review"As of September 2, 2021 it seems that the beautiful terra cotta face that has looked...
Address: 3920-3922 N. Lincoln Ave., Lake View
#100944882 Date Received: 02/23/2022 Ward: 47th Ald. Matt Martin Applicant: Longford Design, Development + Construction C/O Brian Connolly Owner: 3914 N. Lincoln Permit Description: Demolition of a three-story masonry building. Status: Released 05/24/2022
Address: 344-346 W. 65th St., Englewood
#100956171 Date Received: 03/14/2022 Ward: 20th Ald. Jeanette Taylor Applicant: McDonagh Demolition, Inc. Owner: City of Chicago Permit Description: Emergency wreck and removal of a two-story, multiple-unit, masonry building per an Administrative Order dated October 20, 2021, deemed to be imminently dangerous to the public and in hazardous condition. Status: Released 3/17/22
Address: 25251-5257 N. Kenmore Avenue, Edgewater
#100970529 Date Received: 05/12/2022 Ward: 48th Ald. Harry Osterman Applicant: Heneghan Wrecking & Excavating Co., Inc. Owner: LS 5251, LLC C/O Steve Ciaccio Permit Description: Demolition of a one- and two-story masonry church building with a basement. Status: Application withdrawn 05/17/2022 Owner Of Edgewater's Epworth Church Withdraws Demolition Permit As Landmark Process Moves Forward; The buyer...
Address: 1325 W. Carmen Avenue, Andersonville
#100970938 Date Received: 05/17/2022 Ward: 47th Ald. Matt Martin Applicant: Demox, Inc. C/O Vitalii Grygorashchujk Owner: Jerald and Pamela Kreis Permit Description: Wreck and removal of a 2-1/2 story frame residential building. Status: Under review
Address: 2109 W. Wilson Ave., Ravenswood
#100958829 Date Received: 04/14/2022 Applicant: Moss Design, Inc. Owner: Ellen Bradley Permit Description: Partial demolition of a two-story, masonry residential building to accommodate a two-story side and rear addition. Status: Under Review
THREATENED: Promontory Point – "It's not just the limestone that people are trying to save, but the way it has come to be a part of the community's life and nature." (Chicago 7 2022)
Preservation Chicago - April 30, 2022 0
"The waves of Lake Michigan crash below while the limestone rocks wait to emanate a warm, comforting feeling within students like senior Feya Epel. Feya has always enjoyed visiting the Point."'I love just sitting on either the rocks or trees behind the rocks and just drawing, staring out or...
THREATENED: Will Feds Reject New Adaptive Reuse Plan that Addresses Century and Consumers Buildings Security Concerns? (Chicago 7 2011, 2013 & 2022)
"Several historic buildings could pose a 'clear and present danger' to federal judges, jurors, witnesses and others who find themselves at the Dirksen Federal Building in downtown Chicago. That's according to a memo chief judge Ruben Castillo sent in 2018 to the Attorney General asking him to block the...
THREATENED: Archive Center Reuse of Century and Consumers Buildings Would Address Security and Preservation (Chicago 7 2011, 2013 & 2022)
"Ward Miller, in a manner of speaking, is on a mission from God. "Mind you, Miller does not claim an endorsement from the Almighty in the task before him as executive director of Preservation Chicago, a group that argues for the merit and reuse of our town's architectural heritage. But...