THREATENED: Demolition of Workers Cottage Energizes Preserve Advocacy Effort
" Vlodek helps run the Chicago Workers Cottage Initiative, a nonprofit that seeks to preserve the late 19th-century homes known for their gabled roofs and simple structure. The group’s hope is that a newly passed anti-gentrification ordinance, which increases the cost to demolish homes on the Northwest Side, will...
THREATENED: Jeffery Theater Building and Spencer Arms Hotel Demolition Looms After New Development Receives Zoning Approval (Chicago 7 2014 & 2023)
"Plans for a South Shore entertainment center nearly a decade in the making recently advanced with approvals from the city’s zoning board, and its developer says she hopes to open the center at 71st Street and Jeffery Boulevard by the end of 2026."Developer South Shore Commercial Properties is planning...
THREATENED: Preservation Chicago Mounts Rapid Response Advocacy Effort to Save Elim/Reformation Lutheran Church from Demolition
Preservation Chicago has mounted a Rapid Response advocacy effort to save Elim/Reformation Lutheran Church from demolition together with community partners.The current objective is to facilitate a transfer of ownership to a preservation-oriented community nonprofit organization with the capacity to stabilize, restore and reactivate this important neighborhood asset.Additionally, we are...
90-Day Demolition Delay: 161 E. Erie St, River North
Date Received: 07/30/2024
Ward: Ward: 42nd Ald. Brendan Reilly
Applicant: Atlas Industries, Inc. C/O Roanne Rebenson
Owner: Johnson O'Connor Research Foundation C/O Ann Steiner
Permit Description: Demolition of a four-story, brick and stone commercial building.
Status: Permit withdrawn on 09/27/2024
THREATENED: Demolition of Workers Cottage Energizes Preserve Advocacy Effort
" Vlodek helps run the Chicago Workers Cottage Initiative, a nonprofit that seeks to preserve the late 19th-century homes known for their gabled roofs and simple structure. The group’s hope is that a newly passed anti-gentrification ordinance, which increases the cost to demolish homes on the Northwest Side, will...
THREATENED: Loyola University Is One Step Closer to the Demolition of 1234 W. Loyola Avenue After Archie’s Cafe Forced to Close
"Archie’s Cafe is closing for good next week."The beloved Rogers Park cafe, known for hosting local musicians and community events, is being forced out after Loyola University bought the building at 1226-1234 W. Loyola Ave. — which houses Archie’s — late last year."Roberta Schmatz opened the cafe in 2018...
THREATENED: Despite Widespread Community Opposition, Alderman Approves DePaul’s Plans to Demolish Sheffield-Belden Group (Chicago 7 2024)
"Ald. Timmy Knudsen (43rd) supports DePaul University’s plan to build a new basketball facility on its Lincoln Park campus, he announced Friday."DePaul’s plan calls for a $60 million athletic center on Sheffield Avenue that would include an athlete recovery lounge, meeting rooms and basketball courts. It would require the...
THREATENED: Immediate Repairs Necessary for Chicago Landmark Portage Theater (Chicago 7 2012)
"The historic Portage Theater is in need of immediate repairs and local leaders say the building is running out of time."Four months ago, the city filed a lawsuit against the owner of the theater for alleged building code violations. During a Thursday morning Cook County Circuit Court hearing, city...
POTENTIALLY THREATENED: Art Institute’s McKinlock Court Being Considered as Possible Location for New Contemporary Art Building
"The Art Institute announced a transformative $75 million gift Tuesday to construct a new gallery building and begin an ambitious reshaping of its sprawling campus in the heart of downtown Chicago’s lakefront."The lions will remain at their post in front of the historic 131-year-old main building along South Michigan...
THREATENED: Front Building at Western Felt Works Survives Massive Fire During Demolition (Chicago 7 2024)
"A fire tore through a historic textile factory in North Lawndale on Friday night, raising concerns of preservationists about the site’s planned demolition."The fire started in the Western Felt Works building at 4155 W. Ogden Ave., according to reports from the Chicago Fire Department, which was on scene around...
THREATENED: Jeffery Theater Building and Spencer Arms Hotel Demolition Looms After New Development Receives Zoning Approval (Chicago 7 2014 & 2023)
"Plans for a South Shore entertainment center nearly a decade in the making recently advanced with approvals from the city’s zoning board, and its developer says she hopes to open the center at 71st Street and Jeffery Boulevard by the end of 2026."Developer South Shore Commercial Properties is planning...
THREATENED: Preservation Chicago Mounts Rapid Response Advocacy Effort to Save Elim/Reformation Lutheran Church from Demolitio
Preservation Chicago has mounted a Rapid Response advocacy effort to save Elim/Reformation Lutheran Church from demolition together with community partners.Vacant for a number of years and suffering from deferred maintenance, Elim/Reformation Lutheran Church is at risk of demolition to avoid the cost of repair by its owner, the ELCA-Evangelical...
THREATENED: Community Effort Ramps Up to Ensure Preservation-Sensitive Restoration of Long-Neglected Darrow Bridge
"Clarence Darrow Bridge, which overlooks the lagoon south of the Museum of Science and Industry, is one of the few remnants of the famous landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted’s original vision for Jackson Park. Now, as the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) embarks on a project to replace the...
THREATENED: After Years of Deferred Maintenance, City of Chicago Sues to Stop Unpermitted Repair Work at Portage Theater (Chicago 7 2012)
"The City of Chicago is now suing the owner of a historic, but neglected theater in the Northwest Side's Portage Park neighborhood. The lawsuit comes just months after the 103-year-old Portage Theater, 4050 N. Milwaukee Ave., was named one of the most endangered sites in the state of Illinois."The...
THREATENED: Ongoing Efforts to Save Strangers Home Missionary Baptist Church and All of Mankind Mural (Chicago 7 2024)
"Standing in a vacant lot that sits between the two housing projects he grew up in, Marques 'Merk' Elliston pointed down an alley toward Burling Street and was reminded of a childhood memory. Elliston and his lifelong friend, Cher’Don Reynolds, grew up in the Cabrini-Green public housing complex and...
THREATENED: Loyola University Is One Step Closer to the Demolition of 1234 W. Loyola Avenue After Archie’s Cafe Forced to Close
"Archie’s Cafe is closing for good next week."The beloved Rogers Park cafe, known for hosting local musicians and community events, is being forced out after Loyola University bought the building at 1226-1234 W. Loyola Ave. — which houses Archie’s — late last year."Roberta Schmatz opened the cafe in 2018...
THREATENED: Pullman’s Greenstone United Methodist Church Blocked From Receiving $1 Million Chicago Adopt-a-Landmark Grants
"With its unique green serpentine limestone exterior and 92-foot bell tower, Pullman’s Greenstone United Methodist Church is among the city’s oldest and most historic churches, having held down the corner of 112th and St. Lawrence since 1882."But the expense of properly preserving a 140-year-old building that’s listed on the...
THREATENED: Despite Widespread Community Opposition, Alderman Approves DePaul’s Plans to Demolish Sheffield-Belden Group (Chicago 7 2024)
"Ald. Timmy Knudsen (43rd) supports DePaul University’s plan to build a new basketball facility on its Lincoln Park campus, he announced Friday."DePaul’s plan calls for a $60 million athletic center on Sheffield Avenue that would include an athlete recovery lounge, meeting rooms and basketball courts. It would require the...
POTENTIALLY THREATENED: Art Institute’s McKinlock Court Being Considered as Possible Location for New Contemporary Art Building
"The Art Institute announced a transformative $75 million gift Tuesday to construct a new gallery building and begin an ambitious reshaping of its sprawling campus in the heart of downtown Chicago’s lakefront."The lions will remain at their post in front of the historic 131-year-old main building along South Michigan...
THREATENED: Final Landmark Recommendation Approval for St. Adalbert Church and Complex Delayed at Zoning Committee (Chicago 7 2014, 2016, 2019, 2021)
"The years-long battle to preserve a closed Catholic church in Pilsen will continue as officials on Tuesday delayed voting on the proposal to landmark Pilsen’s St. Adalbert Church."After a lengthy discussion, the city’s Zoning Committee members decided to postpone voting on St. Adalbert Catholic Church. If approved, the proposal...
90-Day Demolition Delay: 161 E. Erie St, River North
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: Demolition Looms for Ornate Terra Cotta Holiday Club Building (Chicago 7 2023)
"Plans for a seven-story apartment building with retail are moving forward at the site of Uptown’s Holiday Club."Catapult Real Estate Solutions is overhauling the northwest corner of Sheridan and Irving Park roads, 4006 N. Sheridan Road. The new building will have 91 apartments, 38 parking spaces and about 2,000...
THREATENED: Historic Chicago Avenue Bridge and Bridge House to be Demolished and Replaced
Built in 1914 by the Ketler-Elliot Erection Company of Chicago, the historic Chicago Avenue Bridge is scheduled for demolition and replacement with a new non-movable, concrete bridge. As part of this process as the historic Chicago Avenue Bridge was determined eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic...
THREATENED: Community Effort Ramps Up to Ensure Preservation-Sensitive Restoration of Long-Neglected Darrow Bridge
"Clarence Darrow Bridge, which overlooks the lagoon south of the Museum of Science and Industry, is one of the few remnants of the famous landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted’s original vision for Jackson Park. Now, as the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) embarks on a project to replace the...
THREATENED: After Years of Deferred Maintenance, City of Chicago Sues to Stop Unpermitted Repair Work at Portage Theater (Chicago 7 2012)
"The City of Chicago is now suing the owner of a historic, but neglected theater in the Northwest Side's Portage Park neighborhood. The lawsuit comes just months after the 103-year-old Portage Theater, 4050 N. Milwaukee Ave., was named one of the most endangered sites in the state of Illinois."The...
THREATENED: Ongoing Efforts to Save Strangers Home Missionary Baptist Church and All of Mankind Mural (Chicago 7 2024)
"Standing in a vacant lot that sits between the two housing projects he grew up in, Marques 'Merk' Elliston pointed down an alley toward Burling Street and was reminded of a childhood memory. Elliston and his lifelong friend, Cher’Don Reynolds, grew up in the Cabrini-Green public housing complex and...
THREATENED: Pullman’s Greenstone United Methodist Church Blocked From Receiving $1 Million Chicago Adopt-a-Landmark Grants
"With its unique green serpentine limestone exterior and 92-foot bell tower, Pullman’s Greenstone United Methodist Church is among the city’s oldest and most historic churches, having held down the corner of 112th and St. Lawrence since 1882."But the expense of properly preserving a 140-year-old building that’s listed on the...
THREATENED: Advocacy Efforts Ongoing to Save Frank Lloyd Wright’s Walser House in Austin from Deteriorating Condition and Foreclosure
"A house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the Austin neighborhood is deteriorating while mired in a foreclosure mess and needs a rescuer, but the path to that is murky."Built in 1903, the J.J. Walser Jr. House on Central Avenue is in poor condition, as seen in the photos...
90-Day Demolition Delay: 2923-25 W. Jackson Blvd., East Garfield Park
#101043316
Date Received: 02/05/2024
Ward: 27th Ald. Walter Burnett Jr
Applicant: MBR Wrecking & Construction, Inc. C/O Joel Reifer
Owner: 5301 W. Ogden, LLC C/O James Spyropoulous
Permit Description: Wreck and removal of a one-story masonry building.
Status: Under Review
THREATENED: Iglesia Cristiana Unida Church Threatened with Demolition
"Initial details have been revealed for the residential development at 1055 W Diversey Parkway in Lincoln Park. Located just west of the intersection with N Sheffield Avenue on the northern edge of the neighborhood, the project will be replacing an existing church building. The proposal is being led by...
THREATENED: New Construction to Replace Former Holy Angels School at 545 E. Oakwood
"The Zoning Board of Appeals has approved a series of variations for the residential development planned at 545 E. Oakwood. With Eagle OZB II LP serving as the developer, the project site is located at the southeast corner of E. Oakwood Blvd and S. Vincennes Ave. Currently occupied by...
THREATENED: Historic Terra Cotta Facade Might Be Incorporated Into New Construction
"A plan to replace the deteriorating Marcello’s Father & Son restaurant building could bring condos and a new retail spot to Milwaukee Avenue."Halcyon Development Company and Design Group is proposing to redevelop the former restaurant building and an adjacent lot at 2479 N. Milwaukee Ave. into a four-story building...
THREATENED: Engineering Study Confirms Promontory Point Limestone Needs Repair, Not Replacement (Chicago 7 2022)
"For years, members of the Promontory Park Conservancy have been locked in a battle with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the fate of the Point’s historic limestone stair-step revetment on Lake Michigan."The Corps has claimed the existing structures no longer protect against storms, flooding and erosion, and...
THREATENED: Chicago 7 Nomination Amplifies Effort to Save All of Mankind Murals (Chicago 7 2024)
"Former Cabrini-Green residents, and lifelong friends, Marques “MeRk” Elliston and Dr. Cher’Don Reynolds, are spearheading a mission to revitalize, reclaim, and preserve the building most recently known as the Stranger’s Home Missionary Baptist Church."The vision for the hopefully soon-to-be Cabrini Art House is to change the vacant building into...
THREATENED: Loyola University Plans Demolition of 1234 W. Loyola Ave. for Vacant Lot
"If you stand in front of the flatiron-style building at 1226-1234 W. Loyola—home to 30 apartments and a trio of businesses on the ground floor—you’re surrounded by vacant lots. Across the street from that building is a vast, unpaved expanse used for parking by Loyola University that’s chained off...
THREATENED: Despite Chicago Landmark Designation, La Luce Building Suffers from Neglect
"In early June 2021, the city’s landmarks commission announced one of the big wins of the year for Chicago’s historical buildings. A four-story, Queen Anne-style building on Lake Street near Ogden — a charmer from 1892 with a copper turret on the corner and a three-story copper window bay...
THREATENED: Community Pushes Back Against DePaul’s Plans to Demolish Sheffield-Belden Group (Chicago 7 2024)
"DePaul University is moving forward with efforts to demolish century-old homes to make way for a new sports facility, but it has added to its plans to appease preservation-minded neighbors."While its plan calls for razing four 19th-century rowhouses, DePaul is now committing to preserving three other historical buildings on...
THREATENED: Parishioners Pack Three Services on Final Day Before Our Lady of Lourdes Church is Closed (Chicago 7 2019 & 2021)
"Our Lady of Lourdes Church will soon close, and it could be demolished."But not if Preservation Chicago and other organizations succeed in saving the 125-year-old church and its parishioners' efforts."Our Lady of Lourdes Church has been serving the neighborhoods of Andersonville, Ravenswood, and Uptown for 125 years, but now...
THREATENED: Strong Community Opposition Delays Ogden-Keeler Industrial Buildings Demolition Zoning Hearing (Chicago 7 2024)
"North Lawndale residents are pushing back on a plan to demolish a dozen historic manufacturing buildings and replace them with a logistics operation they fear will send large diesel trucks rumbling through their streets, shaking their homes and polluting the air."Real estate developer IDI Logistics owns and plans to...
THREATENED: The Complicated Saga of the Century and Consumers Buildings (Chicago 7 2011, 2013, 2022, 2023, 2024)
"Chicago’s State Street houses a number of America’s earliest and most historic skyscrapers. These skyscrapers, recognized as the 'Chicago School' of architecture, represent the creativity of engineers and architects working in steel frame construction to both maximize light through distinctive window patterns, and to draw the public into the...
THREATENED: “Monument With a Standing Beast” by artist Jean DuBuffet Dismantled and Removed From Thompson Center Plaza (Chicago 7 2017)
"When Rolf Achilles, an art historian and a lecturer at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago, walked by the Loop’s James R. Thompson Center Thursday, he said he felt a profound sadness. Blue fencing surrounded the building’s courtyard as construction crews prepared to remove the iconic Chicago...
THREATENED: New Construction to Replace Former Holy Angels School at 545 E. Oakwood
"The Zoning Board of Appeals has approved a series of variations for the residential development planned at 545 E. Oakwood. With Eagle OZB II LP serving as the developer, the project site is located at the southeast corner of E. Oakwood Blvd and S. Vincennes Ave. Currently occupied by...
THREATENED: Midway Plaisance Greenspace to be Counted as “Replacement” Greenspace (Chicago 7 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021)
"The Obama Foundation announced Wednesday a $4 million donation to the Chicago Park District, earmarked for construction of an inclusive, adaptable playground at the east end of Midway Plaisance, directly across from the Obama Presidential Center currently under construction in adjacent Jackson Park."The playground — a first of its...
THREATENED: Community Urges Protection of South Shore Nature Sanctuary (Chicago 7 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021)
"South of downtown Chicago—about 8.6 miles—is a vast, undeveloped area that sits along the Lake Michigan shoreline. There, benches and firepits and silence are all-encompassing. Local birders walk along a boardwalk, binoculars close to their faces, while others wander around the space’s lagoons. A mile further south is Rainbow...
THREATENED: Ann Sather and Belmont Army Buildings Targeted for Demolition
"The Lakeview building housing Belmont Army Vintage and Ann Sather could be redeveloped into 11 stories of apartments under a new proposal."Mavrek Development wants to redevelop the building at 925 W. Belmont Ave. into a 210-apartment building with ground-floor storefronts and a sleek, glass facade."The proposal includes 10,000 square...
THREATENED: Future Unclear for Monument With a Standing Beast After Removal From Thompson Center Plaza
"When Rolf Achilles, an art historian and a lecturer at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago, walked by the Loop’s James R. Thompson Center Thursday, he said he felt a profound sadness. Blue fencing surrounded the building’s courtyard as construction crews prepared to remove the iconic Chicago...
THREATENED: Engineering Study Confirms Promontory Point Limestone Needs Repair, Not Replacement (Chicago 7 2022)
"For years, members of the Promontory Park Conservancy have been locked in a battle with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the fate of the Point’s historic limestone stair-step revetment on Lake Michigan."The Corps has claimed the existing structures no longer protect against storms, flooding and erosion, and...
THREATENED: Chicago 7 Nomination Amplifies Effort to Save All of Mankind Murals (Chicago 7 2024)
"Former Cabrini-Green residents, and lifelong friends, Marques “MeRk” Elliston and Dr. Cher’Don Reynolds, are spearheading a mission to revitalize, reclaim, and preserve the building most recently known as the Stranger’s Home Missionary Baptist Church."The vision for the hopefully soon-to-be Cabrini Art House is to change the vacant building into...
THREATENED: Loyola University Plans Demolition of 1234 W. Loyola Ave. for Vacant Lot
"If you stand in front of the flatiron-style building at 1226-1234 W. Loyola—home to 30 apartments and a trio of businesses on the ground floor—you’re surrounded by vacant lots. Across the street from that building is a vast, unpaved expanse used for parking by Loyola University that’s chained off...
THREATENED: Demolition Permit Released for Continental Can Company Building (Chicago 7 2020, 2021 & 2023)
"The Continental Can Co. building at 3815 S. Ashland Ave., Chicago, is due for demolition soon to make way for a new cold-storage warehouse from Karis: a $30 million project that would bring a much-needed food storage facility close to downtown, said Vice President Ken Verne at a presentation...