May 2025 Newsletter
LOSS: After Four-Year Advocacy Effort, Phyllis Wheatley Home at 5128 S. Michigan Avenue Lost Following Court Ordered Emergency Demolition (Chicago 7 2021)
Preservation Chicago was successful at preventing the emergency demolition of the Phyllis Wheatley Home at 5128 S. Michigan Avenue in 2021. We created significant...
POTENTIAL WIN: Buyer Expresses Interest In Restoring and Reopening Portage Theater, If Back Taxes Are Addressed (Chicago 7 2012)
"The historic Portage Theater could get a new owner — if the property’s hefty overdue tax bill can get sorted."The Portage Theater has been...
WIN: Pittsfield Building Renovation Gaining Traction Thanks to Developer’s Viral TikTok Videos
"Millions of people online have taken interest in the Pittsfield Building — a historic skyscraper in the Loop that’s long been neglected, with a...
LEY BEY COLUMN: Sol LeWitt’s Famed Loop Sculpture Goes Into Hiding
"A significant, large-scale work by the late artist Sol LeWitt vanished from the exterior of a federally owned downtown building — and the government...
THREATENED: Is Alexander Calder’s Flamingo at Federal Center Endangered? (Chicago 7 2017)
"Over 1,400 pieces of public art in Illinois, 815 of which are in Chicago, are in limbo after the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)...
WIN: Original Schwinn Bicycle Factory Receives Adaptive Reuse Renovation Permits
"A renovation permit has been issued for the redevelopment of 900 W. Lake into offices. Planned by Fulton Street Cos, the brick and timber...
WIN: Construction Started for Adaptive Reuse Otis Elevator Foundry Into Residential Pilsen Foundry Lofts
"Efforts to reclaim the Otis Elevator foundry building at 16th and Laflin Streets in Pilsen and convert it to residences are underway. Construction crews...
POTENTIAL WIN: Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce Plans Community Center Adaptive Reuse of South Side Swedish Lodge at 6855 S. Emerald Avenue
"Leaders at the Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce are converting a dilapidated historical lodge into a 'reimagined' community hub."The organization is in the early...
WIN: Construction Progress for Adaptive Reuse Former Wayman Church to Residential
"Not all former churches that sell for residential use get demolished. A Christian Science church in Kenwood got new condos tucked inside its limestone...
THREATENED: Greenstone Church Launches GoFundMe to Raise Funds to Restore Utilities
"Plans are in motion for a $1.2 million grant to support the restoration of the landmark Greenstone United Methodist Church’s 92-foot bell tower."Following unanimous...