After a multi-year effort, preservation partners celebrated the final approval by City Council of the Uptown Square Landmark District in 2017. This district provides protection to 57 properties and sites within the Uptown Entertainment District, generally located along the commercial corridors of Lawrence, Broadway, and Racine. Protected Buildings include the Uptown Theater, Aragon Ballroom, Riviera Theater, Green Mill, Wilson Avenue “L” Station, Lawrence Hotel, People’s Church/Preston Bradley Center, and many of the beautiful historic commercial retail buildings, hotels and office buildings that make Uptown such an extraordinary neighborhood. The Landmark District also provides important economic incentives to help stimulate increased historically-sensitive reinvestment in Uptown.

In additional to strong advocacy for the Landmark District, Preservation Chicago pushed past the building facades to request that the Designation include protections for the many wonderful interior lobbies and other notable spaces of the Riviera, Aragon and Uptown, the Uptown National Bank Building, and the WPA-Works Progress Administration murals in the Post Office.

Preservation Chicago wishes to commend 46th Ward Alderman James Cappleman for his support for Uptown’s historic buildings and in his efforts to make this long-envisioned Landmark District a reality. Preservation Chicago also wishes to thank the City of Chicago DPD Landmarks staff for their commitment to bringing this District to fruition. Additionally, we wish to thank all the tireless and dedicated members of the Uptown community including Martin Tangora and Cindi Anderson, and neighborhood organizations, such as Uptown United, Uptown Chicago Commission, and the Uptown Historical Society for their unending support.