“The next-door neighbor of a 1910 greystone demolished back in March on North Magnolia Avenue in Lake View is now also slated for the wrecking ball. A new construction permit for 3619 North Magnolia was issued by the City of Chicago on July 10, numbering the days remaining for the 1906-built residence. According to realtor.com, a sale of the property closed in late June for $1.35 million.

“[The replacement] will be a three-story with basement, two-unit frame building.

“A separate developer, Bachula Development, is delivering the two units [next door], and that building is topped out and making progress toward exterior completion. It is also going to be a three-story plus basement, two-unit residence, and it too was created by 360 Design Studio.” (Schell, Chicago YIMBY, 7/13/26)

Preservation Chicago opposes the demolition of the 1906 greystone at 3619 N. Magnolia Avenue. The Chicago greystone is among the city’s signature building types, and Lake View holds one of the finest collections of them. These are masonry buildings faced in Bedford limestone, built with craftsmanship and detail that cannot be replicated at any reasonable cost today, and they were constructed to last centuries.

What is proposed in its place is a two-unit frame building. The demolition of a durable masonry structure to build a wood-framed one removes a section of the historic streetwall and trades a building with a 120-year track record for one with a far shorter design life. This is the second greystone lost on this stretch of Magnolia in five months.

This loss is unfolding a short walk from the blocks where neighbors, Ald. Bennett Lawson, the Department of Planning and Development, and Preservation Chicago have been working toward a Chicago Landmark District, an effort that began after the demolition of the 1910 greystone at 1300 W. Newport Avenue in August 2025.

“The demolition of a century-old greystone in Lakeview has prompted city officials and neighbors to explore whether a larger stretch of the neighborhood should be protected as a historic landmark district.

“The conversation was sparked after a greystone at 1300 W. Newport Ave. was torn down, alarming neighbors who said the loss threatened the architectural continuity of one of the area’s most intact stretches of early 20th century two- and three-flats.

“In response, Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th) and the city’s Department of Planning and Development hosted a community meeting this week to present early research on a possible landmark district and gather feedback from the roughly 50 neighbors who attended.

“Kandalyn Hahn, a preservation planner with the Chicago Department of Planning and Development whose work informs the Commission on Chicago Landmarks, presented preliminary findings showing the area contains about 200 buildings constructed mainly between 1901 and 1915.

“‘This area presents an unusually high degree of architectural uniformity,’ Hahn said, pointing to the concentration of brick and limestone two- and three-flats. ‘Together, they tell a cohesive story of working-class housing in Lakeview.’

“Hahn said many of the buildings were developed as rental properties for German immigrant families working in nearby factories, with early deed restrictions requiring masonry construction, consistent setbacks and minimum building costs.

“Hahn sought to clarify what landmark status would — and would not — regulate. ‘Landmark review only applies to exterior features visible from the public right of way,’ she said. ‘It doesn’t regulate interiors, landscaping or routine maintenance, and owners can still make changes as long as they maintain the historic character.’

“Several residents asked why the city couldn’t pursue landmark status for just the 1300 block of Newport Avenue rather than a larger district. Preservation staff said broader boundaries are often necessary to ensure the designation reflects a cohesive historical story and is legally defensible.

“‘I don’t see myself moving forward without a lot of support from property owners,’ Lawson said. ‘It doesn’t have to be unanimous, but there has to be real buy-in.’” (Filbin, Block Club Chicago, 1/16/26)

“An effort to landmark a six-block area in West Lakeview to protect a cohesive streetscape of historical greystones is getting pushback, largely from residents in the target area whose own blocks aren’t so cohesive.

“‘On my block many of the buildings have been torn down and rebuilt, so there’s not that uniformity that the landmarks people seem to think there is,’ said Mike Hennessy, a 30-year resident of a red brick two-flat on the 1200 block of Cornelia Avenue.

“Aesthetics aren’t Hennessy’s main concern about the landmarking effort. He believes landmarking the neighborhood would put a lid on the value of his home, because any future buyer would be barred from tearing down the facade. In this high-demand section of Lakeview, his two-story house would likely be targeted for a three-story replacement, he said.

“Without the possibility of tearing down the facade with the rest of the building, Hennessy said, ‘that’s an expensive rebuild that a builder won’t want to deal with, and they won’t want to have to deal with the landmarks bureaucracy. They’ll just go find another property that’s not landmarked and do what they want.’

“The buildings that line Hennessy’s block are a mix of greystones and brick, old buildings and new. But around the corner are the 1200 and 1300 blocks of Newport Avenue, where historical greystones dominate, their parapets and pillars variously ornamented and their window bays creating a rhythm that rolls down the block.

“‘When you walk down this street, there’s character, something that makes you feel like home,’ said Bret Rietow, who lives in a greystone on the 1300 block of Newport. It’s not historical, but built to echo the vintage homes when an older one collapsed.” (Rodkin, Crain’s Chicago Business, 3/24/26)

On May 14, Ward Miller, the Richard H. Driehaus Executive Director of Preservation Chicago, met with Newport Avenue neighbors to share his knowledge about Chicago Landmark Districts. He brought decades of experience to this conversation and has worked on hundreds of Landmark Buildings and dozens of Landmark Districts in neighborhoods across the city. During a short presentation, he explored existing Chicago Landmark Districts as benchmarks, discussed specific landmarking pros and cons for homeowners, and dispelled some commonly held myths around Landmark Districts.

Preservation Chicago now is working more closely with neighbors on this Landmark District initiative to help move it forward. There is strong support for the Landmark District on the 1300 block of Newport Avenue where the greystone at 1300 W. Newport Avenue was recently demolished for new construction. We encourage the City of Chicago to narrow its focus to this block. While we would like to see a wider district at some time in the future, the City of Chicago does not have the resources to adequately lead this effort to a successful outcome. Due to how the Landmark District process is structured, a few outspoken opponents can easily derail an effort.

The loss at 3619 N. Magnolia Avenue is what happens in the absence of protection. Newport, Cornelia, Magnolia, and the surrounding blocks are being reduced one permit at a time, and the pattern is repeating across Lincoln Park, Avondale, Logan Square, and other neighborhoods where greystones and vintage two-flats are the prevailing building type. Preservation Chicago has long advocated for greater protection of this building stock through expanded landmark district designation and an extended demolition delay for buildings identified in the Chicago Historic Resources Survey or older than 50 years.

Chicago cannot afford to lose these buildings. We encourage property owners and developers to recognize that a restored greystone is a more valuable, more distinctive, and more marketable building than the new construction that replaces it, and we encourage the City of Chicago and the Commission on Chicago Landmarks to move the Newport Avenue Chicago Landmark District forward.

Read the full story at Chicago YIMBY, Block Club Chicago and Crain’s Chicago Business

• Lake View Greystone Next To Demolished Greystone Will Be Demolished, Daniel Schell, Chicago YIMBY, 7/13/26
• 1910 Wrigleyville Greystone To Be Demolished, Replaced With Two Dwelling Units, Daniel Schell, Chicago YIMBY, 3/2026
• Landmarking effort sparked by demolished greystone divides West Lakeview homeowners, Dennis Rodkin, Crain’s Chicago Business, 3/24/26
• Lakeview Neighbors Consider Landmark District After Greystone Demolition; The conversation was sparked after a greystone on Newport Avenue was torn down, alarming neighbors who said the loss threatened one of the area’s most intact stretches of early 20th century two- and three-flats, Patrick Filbin, Block Club Chicago, 1/16/26
• Brick Exterior The Current Focus At 1300 West Newport Avenue In The Southport Corridor, Daniel Schell, Chicago YIMBY, 4/13/26
• Century-Old Greystone In Lakeview To Be Demolished, But Neighbors Are Fighting To Save It; Neighbors hope to convince the developer to save the building’s facade and preserve the architectural unity of one of the last intact blocks of its kind, Patrick Filbin, Block Club Chicago, 7/31/25
• Demolition Permitted For 1910 Home At 1300 West Newport Avenue In The Southport Corridor, Daniel Schell, Chicago YIMBY, 7/23/25
• No Reprieve For 1300 West Newport, As Demolition Claims Vintage Greystone Façade, Daniel Schell, Chicago YIMBY, 8/5/25
• Neighborhood Meeting: Preservation Chicago Assists Neighbors’ Effort to Create Newport Landmark District, Preservation Chicago, 6/30/26