“Historical homes along a portion of Humboldt Park’s boulevards could receive landmark designation after years of advocacy by neighbors.
“A proposal to extend the Logan Square Boulevards Landmark District from Humboldt Boulevard and Cortland Street to Sacramento Avenue and Augusta Boulevard is gaining steam under Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th), who held a community meeting on the proposal last week.
“The extension would give homes on the boulevard stretch, many built between the 1890s and 1920, physical protection — including from demolition — and owners more flexibility in repurposing a building, said Andy Schneider, president of Logan Square Preservation.
“‘They’re a central piece of the identity of our community, so whether you live on the boulevards or not, in the West Park system, the boulevards are closely identified with your sense of place and your sense of community, and we have seen that, whether it’s in Logan Square, Humboldt Park or any of the other communities the Emerald Necklace of Chicago defines,’ Schneider said.
“The preservation group has pushed for the district to be extended to include the Humboldt Park boulevards since 2004, when the Logan Square portion was approved under Mayor Richard M. Daley. But because of politics and past aldermen who controlled the area, the extension never moved forward, Schneider said.
“‘We pushed for it to go all the way to North Avenue, and it didn’t happen because of politics,’ Schneider said. ‘There have been five different elected officials involved since I became president of Logan Square Preservation, and I’ve had a hand in what’s happening in this stretch of Humboldt Park. Only Ald. Fuentes has been able to advance it. I really want to applaud her and her work for making sure that there was good outreach and that people trust that.’
“The landmark district extension includes many homes that are already on the National Register of Historic Places, so they quality for more protections, Schneider said.
“The landmark district could also be helpful for old churches that are going through transformations, as many have in Logan Square in recent years. The conversion of the Logan Square Episcopal Church of the Advent into nine apartments and the West Loop’s Church of the Epiphany’s adaptive reuse as an event space are examples of landmarked buildings that preservationists have applauded.
“Fuentes supports the landmark extension in Humboldt Park, which would modify the existing district and add a new one: one for the homes between Humboldt Boulevard and Cortland Street, and a separate district for Sacramento between Division Street and Augusta Boulevard since the park interrupts the boulevard, she said.
“So far, Fuentes has only heard of constituent support and no objections to the proposal. Her office plans to do one more round of outreach, which will include a survey to homeowners on the boulevard, before initiating the process of creating a landmark district, she said.
“The entire process is set to take a year as the city needs to conduct a formal survey and get its own consent from homeowners. There will then be a hearing with the Commission on Chicago Landmarks, which will make its final recommendation to City Council, and City Council will get it out of committee and seek to pass it, Fuentes said.” (Parrella-Aureli, Block Club Chicago, 7/25/24)
Preservation Chicago started advocating for an extension Boulevard Landmark District to 26th Ald. Jessie Fuentes last year. We applaud Andy Schneider, president of Logan Square Preservation and Logan Square Preservation for their continued leadership on this effort. We also applaud Ald. Fuentes for her willingness to advance this term initiative.
Ward Miller was very involved in the original Logan Square Boulevards Landmark District that was passed in 2004 while he served on the leadership team of Logan Square Preservation and Board of Preservation Chicago. Ward Miller and Preservation Chicago are enthusiastic about this expanded boulevards landmark district and will do everything we can to actively support this effort.
Read the full story at Block Club Chicago