Sample Category Title
Southwest Side Industrial Buildings – Most Endangered 2023
Continental Can Company Building
Architect: Samuel Scott Joy
Address: 3815 S. Ashland Avenue
Date: 1920
Style: ...
Werner Brothers Storage Building – Most Endangered 2023
Architects: George S. Kingsley
Address: 7613 N. Paulina Street
Date: 1921
Style: ...
Taft Hall at UIC – Most Endangered 2023
Architects: Walter Netsch of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)
Address: 826 S. Halsted Street
Date: 1965
Style: ...
The Warehouse – Most Endangered 2023
Architect: Vernon W. Behel
Address: 206 S. Jefferson Street
Date: 1906 & 1917
Style: ...
Jeffery Theater Building & Spencer Arms Hotel – Most Endangered 2023
Architects: William P. Doerr
Address: 7054 S. Jeffery Blvd/952 E. 71st Street
Date: 1924
Style: ...
Terra Cotta Buildings Throughout Chicago – Most Endangered 2023
1890s - 1940s
Various Architects
OVERVIEW
Chicago’s terra cotta commercial buildings are a precious and endangered category of buildings. Located throughout Chicago, these structures range from small neighborhood commercial buildings to world-renowned skyscrapers.
After the Great Chicago Fire, fireproof brick and stone building cladding was frequently used, but the cost of...
Century & Consumers Buildings – Most Endangered 2023
The Century Building
Architects: Holabird & Roche
Address: 202 S. State Street
Date: 1915
Style: ...
THREATENED: Southwest Side Industrial Buildings – Damen Silos: A 2023 Chicago 7 Most Endangered
The Damen Grain Silos situated along the South Branch of the Chicago River have been an iconic part of Chicago industrial and agricultural history for over a century. Grain was one of the major industries upon which Chicago was built and the Damen Silos played a significant role for...
THREATENED: Southwest Side Industrial Buildings – Continental Can Company Building: A 2023 Chicago 7 Most Endangered
In 2022, plans were announced to demolish of one of the most prominent buildings in the Central Manufacturing District’s-Original East District (CMD East), the Continental Can Building at 3815 S. Ashland Avenue, for the construction of a new cold storage facility. The historic structure, notable for its Gothic terra...
THREATENED: Southwest Side Industrial Buildings – Damen Silos: A 2023 Chicago 7 Most Endangered
The Damen Grain Silos situated along the South Branch of the Chicago River have been an iconic part of Chicago industrial and agricultural history for over a century. Grain was one of the major industries upon which Chicago was built and the Damen Silos played a significant role for...
WIN: Final Landmark Recommendation Protects Both Interior and Exterior of Innovative 1970s Netsch Home
"The Old Town home that innovative 20th-century architect Walter Netsch designed with a bold, unconventional floor plan of multiple levels and bands of skylights across the ceiling is going up for a rare type of landmarking this week.
"Mark Smithe and Will Forrest, who bought the house on Hudson Avenue...
THREATENED: Demolition Looming Historic Three-Flat at 2240 N. Burling After Demolition Delay Expires
"Judy Blatherwick and her family put in decades of work restoring their graceful, Italianate wood-frame home in Lincoln Park, but after selling the nearly 150-year-old building to a local real estate titan, it now faces demolition.
"'There has been a lot of love put into this house, and it’s a...
WIN: Washington Park National Bank Façade Preservation Redevelopment Plan Receives City Funding (Chicago 7 2016 & 2020)
"A long-stalled effort to build high-end offices on the site of the century-old Washington Park National Bank building in Woodlawn has received a multimillion-dollar boost from the city.
"Developer Revive 6300’s project to build more than 60,000 square feet of office space at 6300 S. Cottage Grove Ave. received a...
WIN: After 23 Year Advocacy Effort, Promontory Point Receives Final Chicago Landmark Recommendation (Chicago 7 2022)
"The Commission on Chicago Landmarks voted unanimously on Thursday to recommend that City Council designate Promontory Point as a city landmark; a decision met with jubilation from preservation advocates and city officials alike.
"For more than 22 years community members have organized around preserving the Point’s limestone stair-step revetment from...
THREATENED: Southwest Side Industrial Buildings – Fisk Power Station: A 2023 Chicago 7 Most Endangered
The enormous Fisk electrical-generating station dates from 1903. Designed by architects Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge, it achieved the previously impossible task of employing technology to create the world’s largest coal-fired electrical generators, based around the steam engine turbine. These systems redeveloped and refined the mammoth production of electricity for...
THREATENED: Southwest Side Industrial Buildings – Damen Silos: A 2023 Chicago 7 Most Endangered
The Damen Grain Silos situated along the South Branch of the Chicago River have been an iconic part of Chicago industrial and agricultural history for over a century. Grain was one of the major industries upon which Chicago was built and the Damen Silos played a significant role for...
THREATENED: Oldest-Running Movie House in Chicago Likely To Close
"The New 400 Theaters navigated the pandemic and reopened in 2021 to continue its streak as the oldest-running movie house in the city. But crowds have not returned in droves to the movie theater at 6746 N. Sheridan Road. The downturn in business has all but ensured the theater...
WIN: After Years of Obstruction, Obsidian Collection to Receives Zoning Approval for Palmer Mansion Restoration. (Chicago 7 2019)
"A project to transform a historical Bronzeville mansion into a digital archive center and members-only coworking hub for Black journalists and creators is finally moving forward.
"Obsidian Collection Founder Angela Ford is behind the $3.8 million plan for the famed Lu and Jorja Palmer mansion, 3654 S. King Drive.
"Ford received...
THREATENED: Southwest Side Industrial Buildings – Continental Can Company Building: A 2023 Chicago 7 Most Endangered
In 2022, plans were announced to demolish of one of the most prominent buildings in the Central Manufacturing District’s-Original East District (CMD East), the Continental Can Building at 3815 S. Ashland Avenue, for the construction of a new cold storage facility. The historic structure, notable for its Gothic terra...
POTENTIAL WIN: Three Adaptive Reuse Development Proposals Presented for 1769 W. Pershing in the Central Manufacturing District (Chicago 7 2020)
"Further details and renderings have been revealed for the finalist of the Central Manufacturing District RFP. Located at 1769 W Pershing Road in McKinley Park just west of the intersection with S Ashland Avenue, we last covered the project in January as the city narrowed it down to three...
THREATENED: Werner Brothers Storage Building: A 2023 Chicago 7 Most Endangered
The Werner Brothers Storage Warehouse at 7613 N. Paulina Street reflects a time when storage companies took great pride in their buildings, hiring renowned architects to create majestic, sturdy, and stunning contributions to Chicago’s built landscape. Designed by George S. Kingsley and completed in 1921, this Rogers Park jewel...
SUN-TIMES COLUMN – City and Community Seek New Life For Historic Former Industrial Park (Chicago 7 2020)
"Make a list of the city’s most historically important places and the buildings of the old Central Manufacturing District in the McKinley Park neighborhood probably wouldn’t make the cut. But they should. We’d be a different city had it not been for the CMD, among the country’s first industrial...
THREATENED: Taft Hall at the University of Illinois Chicago: A 2023 Chicago 7 Most Endangered
The campus of the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) was designed by acclaimed architect Walter Netsch of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). Executed in concrete and brick, the UIC campus is the largest collection of Brutalist architecture in the city of Chicago and is considered one of the crowning...
THREATENED: The Warehouse, Birthplace of House Music: A 2023 Chicago 7 Most Endangered
In 1975, nightlife organizer Robert Williams purchased the commercial warehouse building at 206 S. Jefferson Street with hopes to transform it into a nightclub comparable to the best dancefloors in New York City. After a two year of renovation and with one of best sound system available, the Warehouse...
THREATENED: Jeffery Theater Building & Spencer Arms Hotel: A 2023 Chicago 7 Most Endangered
The Jeffery Theatre and Spencer Arms Hotel, located at the corner of East 71st Street and South Jeffery Boulevard in the South Shore neighborhood, was completed in 1924 and designed by architect William P. Doerr. Built as an anchor of a vibrant commercial district, these two structures still evoke...
THREATENED: Asphalt Plant Prevents CMD Affordable Housing Reuse From Moving Forward (Chicago 7 2020)
"Unable to secure financing from the city or the state, the developers that planned to build 120 units of affordable housing in an empty McKinley Park warehouse have given up and put the property up for sale.
"The $41 million project might have been well underway and maybe even finished...
SUN-TIMES EDITORIAL: Go Back to Square One on Humboldt Park Building
"No one, confronted with a Gordian knot of red tape just to relocate a driveway by a couple of feet, would imagine someone else building a monstrous boxy building on park district land without a building permit or written park district approval.
"But, then, this is Chicago.
"Near to the picturesque,...
THREATENED: Extensive Research Shows ‘Every Process Was Ignored, Violated Or Skirted’ for Humboldt Park Construction
"A former alderman who leads a Humboldt Park cultural museum shielded key details about building an archives and storage facility in the park and repeatedly misrepresented the project to city and state officials, according to a new report from a local preservationist.
"The 16-page report by Mary Lu Seidel, director...
THREATENED: Pioneer Arcade Redevelopment Stalls Without Allocation of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (Chicago 7 2015)
"1535 N. Pulaski Road is no ordinary Chicago building. Modeled after 17th- and 18th-century Spanish Baroque style architecture, rising two stories with an ivory-colored, terra-cotta facade, the Pioneer Arcade building in Humboldt Park was once a hub for indoor recreational fun, a bowling and billiards hall that was operational...
THREATENED: Terra Cotta Buildings Throughout Chicago: A 2023 Chicago 7 Most Endangered
Chicago’s terra cotta commercial buildings are a precious and endangered category of buildings. Located throughout Chicago, these structures range from small neighborhood commercial buildings to world-renowned skyscrapers.
Many of the well-recognized “Chicago School” buildings of the Loop and Central Area are recognized as designated Chicago Landmarks, but often those...
POTENTIAL WIN: Six Development Teams Submitted LaSalle Street Adaptive Reuse Proposals
"Developers seeking the city’s blessing for projects to rejuvenate La Salle Street have gone public with detailed plans, their qualifications for the work and the level of public subsidies they want.
"In the important category of tax increment financing, the six developing teams collectively want $388 million in help for...
WATCH: The Full Announcement and Presentation of the Preservation Chicago 2023 “Chicago 7 Most Endangered” (Length: 64 Minutes)
The Full Announcement and Presentation of the Preservation Chicago 2023 "Chicago 7 Most Endangered" (Length: 64 Minutes)
WATCH: 20 Years of the Chicago 7: Incredible Wins, Tragic Losses, and Those Still Endangered (Length 5:45)
20 Years of the Chicago 7: Incredible Wins, Tragic Losses, and Those Still Endangered. (Length 5:45)
WATCH: The Preservation Chicago 2023 Chicago 7 Most Endangered Video Short (Length 1:00)
The Preservation Chicago 2023 Chicago 7 Most Endangered Video Short (Length 1:00)
WATCH: The Preservation Chicago 2023 “Chicago 7 Most Endangered” Video (Length 3:58)
The Preservation Chicago 2023 "Chicago 7 Most Endangered" Full Video (Length 3:58)
Preservation Chicago’s 2023 Chicago 7 Most Endangered Hybrid Presentation Reaches Hundreds In-Person and via Livestream
The Preservation Chicago 2023 Chicago 7 Most Endangered presentation was presented to a hybrid audience, both live in-person audience and a simultaneous virtual audience of approximately 400 people on March 8, 2023. The in-person audience was comprised of reporters, funders, board members, preservation partners, staff and Chicago Architecture Center...
WIN: Developer Proposes Adaptive Reuse of Art Deco Lincoln Trust & Savings Bank Building
"A developer wants to overhaul two bank buildings at Damen and Lincoln avenues to bring apartments and stores to the busy North Center intersection.
"Developer Ravine Park Partners wants to renovate the existing bank building at 3959 N. Lincoln Ave. and construct a new eight-story building at 3950 N. Damen...
THREATENED: Dispute Over Historic Tours at Edgar Miller Designed Glasner Studio Results in Legal Actions
"Chicago boasts some of the finest art and architecture in the world, resulting in throngs of tourists visiting historic homes and buildings every year. But one gem has been off-limits to scholars, architecture enthusiasts and lovers of art for several years because of a legal dispute.
"At issue is a...
THREATENED: After Foreclosure Sale, Future Unknown for St. Therese of the Infant Jesus Church – Little Flower Church
"An example of an unprotected religious structure is 10 miles due south of Greater Union on the corner of 80th and Wood Streets, where the vacant former Little Flower Church wilts.
"The limestone-facade church was built in 1940 and served generations of Catholic worshippers before closing in 1993. Greater Mt....
WIN: Construction Underway for Adaptive Reuse of All Saints – St. Anthony Church (Chicago 7 2021)
"The Chicago City Council has approved the adaptive reuse of the All Saints St. Anthony Church at 518 W 28th Place in Bridgeport. Located on the corner with S. Wallace Street, the multi-building complex will see new life as a child and adult daycare facility led by developer T2...
WIN: Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration Held in Landmarked Stone Temple Missionary Baptist Church Where Dr. King Once Preached
"For the first time in three years, a West Side church community gathered in person to honor Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy.
"Stone Temple Missionary Baptist Church, a historically Black church in North Lawndale, has held an event marking King’s birthday every year since 2015, but the event...
WIN: After Years of Obstruction, Obsidian Collection to Receives Zoning Approval for Palmer Mansion Restoration. (Chicago 7 2019)
"A project to transform a historical Bronzeville mansion into a digital archive center and members-only coworking hub for Black journalists and creators is finally moving forward.
"Obsidian Collection Founder Angela Ford is behind the $3.8 million plan for the famed Lu and Jorja Palmer mansion, 3654 S. King Drive.
"Ford received...
THREATENED: Growing Community Opposition to Unpermitted Concrete Block Structure Across from Landmarked Humboldt Park Stable
"Juanita Irizarry delivered a gut punch of a speech at the December 14 meeting of the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners. You could say she hit it out of the park.
"That’s hard to pull off when you’ve only got two minutes to make your case.
"But Irizarry, speaking as...
SUN-TIMES EDITORIAL: Illinois Needs Better Rules for Selling Off Unneeded Land
"Illinois has an inadequate process for selling off land it no longer needs. It ought to do better.
"The glaring shortcoming was demonstrated when the state unloaded the so-called Damen Silos at 29th Street and Damen Avenue for $6.52 million to MAT Limited Partnership, which is owned by asphalt manufacturer...
POTENTIAL WIN: City RFP Generates Three Proposals for Vacant CMD Warehouse (Chicago 7 2020)
"Make a list of the city’s most historically important places and the buildings of the old Central Manufacturing District in the McKinley Park neighborhood probably wouldn’t make the cut. But they should. We’d be a different city had it not been for the CMD, among the country’s first industrial...
THREATENED: Landmarked Congress Theater Languishes Due to Rising Construction Prices and Labor Dispute
Closed for a decade, the Congress Theater is a shell of the gleaming movie palace and music venue it once was.
"Water is seeping into the 1920s venue, badly damaging the original structure and its ornate details. The plaster walls are crumbling, and parts of the ceiling have collapsed, scattering...
WIN: Bronzeville Designated a National Heritage Area
"Congress has sent President Joe Biden a bill to sign establishing Chicago’s historic Bronzeville community as a National Heritage Area.
"The Senate unanimously approved the creation of the Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area this month which was included in the National Heritage Area Act that the House passed on a...
WIN: Pioneer Arcade Receives Final Chicago Landmark Approval as part of Adaptive Reuse Plan (Chicago 7 2015)
After over a decade of vacancy, the Pioneer Arcade received Preliminary Chicago Landmark approval at the November 3, 2022 Commission on Chicago Landmarks meeting. This protection is long-overdue and essential to protect its beautiful ornate facade as part of an adaptive reuse project. The Pioneer Arcade was a Chicago...
WIN: After Seven Year Effort, Greater Union Baptist Church Receives Final Chicago Landmark Recommendation
"A city panel will vote Thursday on whether to grant preliminary landmark status to a historic West Side church — a move that’s good news to anyone concerned about the fate of Chicago’s architecturally-significant houses of worship.
"The Commission on Chicago Landmarks will decide if Greater Union Baptist Church, 1956...
WIN: Preliminary Landmark Status Protects Both Interior and Exterior of Innovative 1970s Netsch Home
"The Old Town home that innovative 20th-century architect Walter Netsch designed with a bold, unconventional floor plan of multiple levels and bands of skylights across the ceiling is going up for a rare type of landmarking this week.
"Mark Smithe and Will Forrest, who bought the house on Hudson Avenue...