As hard as we try to save buildings, our efforts do not always succeed. What is most important, however, is the fact that we choose to fight the battle in the first place. By continuing to take a stand and fight for what we truly believe in, even if a building is ultimately lost, we are making a difference. The lessons we learn, the experience we gain, and the skills that we develop with each preservation experience, improve the odds that our next fights will be successful. When the history of preservation policy in the first decade of the 21st Century is recorded, we will be content to know that, at the very least, we chose the correct side. Perhaps there are lessons that we can all learn from these sad losses.

Affectionately referred to by the name of the pub that inhabited its ground floor for over two decades, the orange-rated Artful Dodger is one of the most beautiful and beloved structures in Wicker Park, representing a mix of Queen Anne and classical-style architecture. Find out more »

A third Sullivan/ Adler has tragically gone up in smoke. This time, it’s the Harvey House, the last surviving wood-frame structure Sullivan and Adler designed. Find out more »

Built in 1917 and designed by architect Moriz Strauch, the Parkway Tavern stood two-stories tall – a Classical Revival jewel on a block that has served as a western gateway to a community boasting some of the most elegant, historical real estate in the city. Find out more »

Built as the first ever multi-story parking garage in Chicago, and believed to be the oldest surviving example in the United States, the Hotel LaSalle Parking Garage met an ignoble death in the summer of 2005. Find out more »