Increase City Landmark Division Staffing Levels
The creation of Designated Chicago Landmarks and Chicago Landmark Districts is a primary function of the City of Chicago Landmark Division. The purpose of Chicago Landmark designation is to protect, preserve, enhance and encourage continued utilization, rehabilitation and, where necessary, adaptive use of significant cultural resources. Landmarks and Landmark Districts are unique and irreplaceable assets to the city and its neighborhoods and provide examples of the physical surroundings in which past generations lived.
The City of Chicago should prioritize this department and provide greater funding increase staffing levels. Chicago’s dedicated and talented staff is limited by low staffing levels.
To provide context, the City of San Francisco is a much smaller city than Chicago, yet it has adopted 50 individual properties and six historic districts for landmark designation since it was created in 2011. This remarkably fast pace is due primarily to a much larger staff.