ADVOCACYThreatened

Threatened

THREATENED: After 86 Years in Business, Palace Grill Damaged After Grease Fire

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"A fire caused 'extensive' damage to a well-known restaurant on the Near West Side Thursday night. "Firefighters responded just after 10 p.m. to a fire at Palace Grill, 1408 W. Madison St., Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said. The restaurant was closed at the time. No injuries were reported....

THREATENED: Sale of United Electrical Workers Union Hall Endangers Mural

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"The 'Solidarity' mural inside the United Electrical Workers union hall at 37 S. Ashland Ave. illustrates struggles and successes of working people. In one scene in the mural, a Southern sheriff, a Ku Klux Klan member, an industrialist, a general and National Guard members are seen suppressing workers. Other...

THREATENED: Archdiocese Announces Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church to be Permanently Closed

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"It’s a lucky break for the Archdiocese of Chicago that being disingenuous is not a violation requiring a defrocking. Less than two years after they were told by the Archdiocese of Chicago that worship would continue for 'the immediate future' at the historic Our Lady of Lourdes church building...
The trunk of a felled white mulberry tree sits alone on the east end of the Midway Plaisance on Feb. 6, 2024. Photo credit: Marc Monaghan / Hyde Park Herald

THREATENED: More Old-Growth Midway Plaisance Trees Cut due to Obama Presidential Center (Chicago 7 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021)

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"Eight trees were felled within the 3.3 acre portion of the Midway Plaisance’s east end Tuesday morning, an area that will soon play host to a new playground. "The project, located on the Midway between the Metra tracks and Stony Island Avenue, is a universally accessible playspace and landscape redesign...

THREATENED: South Shore Community Urges Protection and Reinvestment in South Shore Nature Sanctuary (Chicago 7 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021)

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"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: Future Unclear for Superior Street Rowhouses After Bankruptcy Sale

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"The site of a failed River North high-rise project is poised to be seized by lenders, the latest turn in a years-long saga that’s included a foreclosure and litigation from foreign investors in the unbuilt tower. "A joint venture of New York-based Madison Realty Capital and Arena Investors will take...

THREATENED: Little Flower Church / St. Therese the Infant Jesus Church Condition Worsens During Extended Vacancy

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When an urban explorer stumbled across the old, boarded-up church at the corner of 80th and Wood streets, the signs of its neglect and decay piqued his curiosity. Hidden beyond the broken windows, crumbling drywall and flooded floors were intricate columns, vaulted ceilings and intact stained glass that included...

THREATENED: Loyola University Plans to Demolish 1234 W. Loyola Avenue Without Redevelopment Plans

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"Loyola purchased the property at 1226-1234 W. Loyola Ave. Dec 19, adding the building to their list of properties owned in the surrounding area. "Michael Loftsgaarden, Loyola’s vice president of capital planning, said there are currently no construction plans, but the building will be torn down once the leases run...

THREATENED: Developer Reveals Plans to Demolish 720 N. Wells

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"Two historic structures are set to meet the wrecking ball at the southwest corner of N. Wells St and W. Superior St. Announced in Alderman Reilly’s newsletter to constituents, the demolition will begin in March and be completed in June. Planned by Topography Hospitality and KF Partners LLC, the...

THREATENED: Continental Can Company Demolition Looms (Chicago 7 2020, 2021 & 2023)

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"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...

THREATENED: Community Unanimously Rejects Planned Demolition of Damen Silos (Chicago 7 2023)

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"Time is running out for efforts to save the Damen Silos on the Southwest Side from being torn down, but negotiations will start soon to determine how to commemorate the historic grain structures near the site. "Despite pleas from community members and preservationists at a meeting in McKinley Park on...

THREATENED: Chicago’s Last Manual Elevator at the Fine Arts Building to be Replaced

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Vintage Fine Arts Building elevators are worth saving; Some historic buildings embody intangible experiences that are as important as the buildings themselves, writes Tim Samuelson, the city’s cultural historian emeritus, Tim Samuelson, Letter to the Editor, Chicago Sun-Times, 8/30/23 Video of manual elevator operation at the Fine Arts...

THREATENED: Demolition Threat for Wheatland Building at 4435 S. Western Blvd

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Warehouse demand brings attention to South Side properties; One proposal involves replacing the Wheatland Tube factory in Back of the Yards with a three-building logistics center covering more than 30 acres, David Roeder, Chicago Sun-Times, 4/17/23

THREATENED: Demolition Threat for Western Felt Works at 4029-4117 W. Ogden Ave

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Western Felt Works, est. 1899, History from the Made in Chicago Museum

THREATENED: Schulze Baking Company Data Center Adaptive Reuse Stalled Since 2018

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Data centers keep coming, but not all deals will compute; After a record year for leasing in the sector, three sites in Chicago have varying chances of success. Proximity to ComEd substations is a major factor, David Roeder, Chicago Sun-Times, 4/3/23

THREATENED: After Foreclosure Sale, Future Unknown for St. Therese of the Infant Jesus Church – Little Flower Church

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Landmark status for historic West Side church should be first step of many to preserve houses of worship; Greater Union Baptist Church is poised for landmarks designation and a reminder of the need to preserve the city’s old and architecturally noteworthy worship spaces, Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board, 1/11/23

THREATENED: Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church Complex Listed For Sale

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Bronzeville’s Historic Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church For Sale As Preservationists Race To Landmark It; A group led by current parishioners and Preservation Chicago plan to launch a petition to get the house of worship landmarked as it hits the market for $799,000, Jamie Nesbitt Golden, Block Club Chicago,...

THREATENED: Benedictine Sisters’ St. Scholastica Monastery to be Closed and Sold

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Benedictine Sisters Selling West Ridge Campus, Their Home For Nearly 120 Years; The Benedictine Sisters of Chicago have lived on a sprawling West Ridge campus since 1906. Due to age and declining ranks, they are now looking to sell the property, Mack Liederman, Block Club Chicago, 10/19/23

THREATENED: Sale of United Electrical Workers Union Hall Endangers Mural

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Near West Side union hall’s sale could mean ‘heartbreaking’ destruction of historic union-themed mural; Completed in 1974 by Chicago artists John Pitman Weber and Jose Guerrero, the painting is inside the United Electrical Workers union hall, which soon could be sold and redeveloped, Sun-Times staff, 12/3/23

THREATENED: Ornate Terra Cotta Holiday Club Building Threatened with Demolition

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Holiday Club's Fate Uncertain As Its Longtime Uptown Home Could Become 7-Story Apartment Building; The popular bar is hoping there is room for it in the new 92-unit building proposed to be built at the corner of Irving Park and Sheridan roads, Joe Ward, Block Club Chicago, 8/29/23 ...

THREATENED: Code Issues Prevent Great Lakes Elks Lodge / Panorama Theater From Reopening

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The venue will go into receivership and shut for good without the necessary funding, Resident Advisor, 9/27/23 House veteran Craig Loftis needs help to keep the music going at the Lodge, J.R. Nelson and Leor Galil, Chicago Reader, 9/12/23 Help us save THE LODGE GoFundMe

THREATENED: Happy Wash Terra Cotta Building Threatened with Demolition

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5-Story Apartment Building Coming To Wilson Avenue In Uptown After Developers’ Third Try Gets Approved; The development will bring 28 apartments and 25 parking spaces to the site of the Happy Wash retail building, Joe Ward, Block Club Chicago, 4/26/23

THREATENED: Logan Square SOM-Designed Blue Line Station Threatened With Replacement

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Meet The Women Who Built Logan Square; We assembled a small list of little known women who have made a lasting impact on the neighborhood's built environment, Mina Bloom, Block Club Chicago, 6/15/18 Renderings emerge for Logan Square Blue Line station rehab; A new canopy will be part...

THREATENED: Asphalt Plant Prevents CMD Affordable Housing Reuse From Moving Forward (Chicago 7 2020)

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McKinley Park asphalt plant controversy dooms affordable housing project, Alby Gallun, Crain's Chicago Business, 3/6/23

THREATENED: Closed in 2014 After Being Declared Unsafe, Darrow Bridge / Columbia Bridge Languishes

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Is Jackson Park ready for its future? A closer look at plans to reopen the Darrow Bridge, revamp the Garden of the Phoenix and more; Marc Monaghan, Hyde Park Herald, 10/5/23

THREATENED: Strong Community Opposition to Planned Demolition of Damen Silos (Chicago 7 2023)

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Damen Silos will remain in limbo as Army Corps reviews application to demolish, Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 10/3/23 Threatened Damen Silos a remnant of Chicago’s days as a ‘Stacker of Wheat’, Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune, 10/8/23 Demolition Of Damen Silos Further Delayed, Pending Federal Review; City officials won’t...

THREATENED: Alderwoman Taylor’s Letter Requests Archdiocese of Chicago to Lift the Ban and Reopen The Shrine

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Read the full letter at SaveTheShrine.org Emily Nielsen: The Shrine, Beloved Chicago Landmark, Endangered Again, Judy Carmack Bross, Classic Chicago Magazine, 10/29/22 Chicago: the Saga of a Cancelled Parish, Trevor Alcorn, OnePeterFice, 9/2/22 Preservation group says Mass has been suspended at Shrine of Christ the King Church, raising...

THREATENED: Pioneer Arcade Redevelopment Stalls Without Allocation of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (Chicago 7 2015)

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Pioneer Arcade affordable housing project in jeopardy as city support wavers, Lizzie Kane, Chicago Tribune, 3/8/23 Final landmark recommendation approved for Pioneer Arcade, The building will be adaptively reused into senior housing, Lukas Kugler, Urbanize Chicago, 12/15/22

THREATENED: Historic Swift Mansion Suffers Extensive Upper Floor Damage after Suspected Arson

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Swift Mansion Tenants Say Owners Illegally Evicted Them Before Massive Fire; Nine people had been living at the historical mansion, where the second floor had been converted into a single-room occupancy building, two tenants said. Officials are investigating the Sunday fire as arson, Jamie Nesbitt Golden, Block Club...

THREATENED: Fire Burns Seth Warner House Attic, but Owners Plan Restoration

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Austin’s Landmarked Seth Warner Home, One Of Chicago’s Oldest, Damaged In Fire; Warner, an abolitionist, built the home in 1869. The owner said there is smoke, fire and water damage, but he expects he can fully restore it, Trey Arline, Block Club Chicago, 6/15/23 Fire damages landmark Austin...

THREATENED: Neglected Frank Lloyd Wright-Designed Waller Apartments Listed For Sale

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Who can save this decrepit row house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright? Dennis Rodkin, Crain’s Chicago Business, 8/10/23

THREATENED: Landmarked Delaware Building Reuse Blocked By Absentee Tenant

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Landlord says McDonald’s is blocking a landmark renovation; The owner of the Delaware Building said the fast-food chain is using a lease to block work that could bring an improvement to Randolph Street, David Roeder, Chicago Sun-Times, 1/3/23 What’s That Building? The Delaware Building; The owners want to...

THREATENED: Neighborhood Groups Organize to Oppose DePaul’s Plan to Demolish Five Historic Buildings to Build a Gym

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Neighborhood groups see landmark protection of historic Lincoln Park buildings, Peter von Buol, Loop North News, 12/5/23 Historic Lincoln Park buildings face demolition as DePaul University plans athletic complex expansion, Anthony Ponce, FOX 32 Chicago, 9/20/23 

THREATENED: Sale of United Electrical Workers Union Hall Endangers Mural

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"The 'Solidarity' mural inside the United Electrical Workers union hall at 37 S. Ashland Ave. illustrates struggles and successes of working people. In one scene in the mural, a Southern sheriff, a Ku Klux Klan member, an industrialist, a general and National Guard members are seen suppressing workers. Other...

THREATENED: Restoration Funds Needed for St. Hyacinth Basilica

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"The leaders of a historical Avondale church are asking parishioners, neighbors and fans for help preserving the aging structure. "St. Hyacinth Basilica, 3635 W. George St., is more than 100 years old. It was built thanks to fundraising among Avondale’s Polish enclave, which grew considerably during the late 19th and...

THREATENED: Closed in 2014 After Being Declared Unsafe, Darrow Bridge / Columbia Bridge Languishes

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"The Chicago Department of Planning and Development estimates that some 700,000 people will visit the Obama Presidential Center (OPC) each year after its completion in 2025. In anticipation of this influx, a flurry of roadwork facility repairs in and around Jackson Park is underway to ease the integration of...

THREATENED: GSA Announces Plans to Sell Railroad Retirement Board Building

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"The federal government is looking to unload an office building on Rush Street as part of a broader move to save money on real estate. "The U.S. General Services Administration this week announced it will begin the process to sell the William O. Lipinski Federal Building at 844 N. Rush...

THREATENED: Strong Community Opposition to Planned Demolition of Damen Silos (Chicago 7 2023)

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"The immediate fate of the long-abandoned Damen grain silos will remain up in the air as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reviews plans to demolish the century-old concrete structures in Chicago’s Lower West Side neighborhood. "Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office on Tuesday said the city will defer its decision on...

THREATENED: Neighborhood Groups Organize to Oppose DePaul’s Plan to Demolish Five Historic Buildings to Build a Gym

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"Stunned by the recent demolition of well-preserved 19th century buildings torn down to add a side yard for a neighboring property, five neighborhood groups recently hosted representatives of two nonprofit architectural preservation organizations to learn about the benefits of landmark districts. "The groups – Lincoln Central Association, Mid-North Association, Ranch...

THREATENED: Restoration Funds Needed for St. Hyacinth Basilica

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"The leaders of a historical Avondale church are asking parishioners, neighbors and fans for help preserving the aging structure. "St. Hyacinth Basilica, 3635 W. George St., is more than 100 years old. It was built thanks to fundraising among Avondale’s Polish enclave, which grew considerably during the late 19th and...

THREATENED: Closed in 2014 After Being Declared Unsafe, Darrow Bridge Languishes

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"The Chicago Department of Planning and Development estimates that some 700,000 people will visit the Obama Presidential Center (OPC) each year after its completion in 2025. In anticipation of this influx, a flurry of roadwork facility repairs in and around Jackson Park is underway to ease the integration of...

THREATENED: OPC Lawsuit Challenges Precedent Set by Transferring Public Parkland for Private Use

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"As the Obama Presidential Center’s main building rises higher above Jackson Park, the project’s main opponents on Tuesday made what could be one of their last significant legal efforts to halt construction of the historic project. "Following a series of losses in other legal venues that have enabled construction of...

THREATENED: Benedictine Sisters’ St. Scholastica Monastery to be Closed and Sold

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"A bittersweet end is coming for the longtime home of the Benedictine Sisters of Chicago — but if it’s God’s will, so be it, its prioress said. "For more than a century, the nuns have lived and worked on a nearly 15-acre campus at 7430 N. Ridge Blvd. in West...

THREATENED: Strong Community Opposition to Planned Demolition of Damen Silos (Chicago 7 2023)

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"The immediate fate of the long-abandoned Damen grain silos will remain up in the air as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reviews plans to demolish the century-old concrete structures in Chicago’s Lower West Side neighborhood. "Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office on Tuesday said the city will defer its decision on...

THREATENED: Strong Community Opposition to DePaul’s Plan to Demolish 80 Units of Student Housing in Five Historic Buildings to Build New Practice Gym

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DePaul University plans to build a new athletic complex, but if the school gets its way, it would come at the cost of some historical buildings in Lincoln Park. It would also take away 80 apartment units that are used for student housing. 'The buildings that are at risk include...

THREATENED: Facade and Atrium Demolition Permit Released for Thompson Center (Chicago 7 2016, 2018, 2019 & 2020)

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"The city has granted permits to demolish the exterior and atrium of the Thompson Center — a critical early step in Google’s $280 million efforts to remake the former state government building into the company’s Chicago headquarters. "Under permits issued Oct. 13, 2023 by the Department of Buildings, Google will...

THREATENED: Unanimous Public Support for Chicago Landmark Designation of Century and Consumers Buildings at Public Hearing (Chicago 7 2011, 2013, 2022 & 2023)

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"The federal government wants to demolish two century-old skyscrapers on State Street, and historic preservationists are mobilizing to stop the planned teardowns. "Advocates and neighborhood residents lined up at a public hearing Monday to plead for the survival and renovation of the vacant Century and Consumers Buildings, at 202 and...

THREATENED: Chicago’s Last Manual Elevator at the Fine Arts Building to be Replaced

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"Among the city’s last human-operated elevators, the Otis cars are expected to be replaced in the next two years with modern counterparts. "We have been holding on to them as long as humanly possible and the time has finally come. Truly, it’s harder to get the parts and it's far...