“[Tom] Vlodek helps run the Chicago Workers Cottage Initiative, a nonprofit that seeks to preserve the late 19th-century homes known for their gabled roofs and simple structure. The group’s hope is that a newly passed anti-gentrification ordinance, which increases the cost to demolish homes on the Northwest Side, will help curb the destruction of workers cottages.

“‘I see them as just the perfect city, single-family dwelling. I mean, you don’t need more space than what they provide, given that you also have a garage and a little backyard,’ Vlodek said of the workers cottages. ‘That’s what makes it so civilized.’

“The legislation builds on two pilot programs launched along The 606 and in Pilsen, which introduced a demolition surcharge that charged developers $5,000 per unit and $15,000 per building. The expanded law increases those fees to $20,000 per unit and $60,000 per building.

“‘It really won’t stop the demolitions completely because if someone does have a plan for something they want to build or if a house is falling down, they’ll still be able to tear it down,’ said Matt Bergstrom, Logan Square resident and Chicago Workers Cottage Initiative member. ‘But it will change the economic equation of how these houses get built.’

“In 2021, the Workers Cottage Initiative partnered with Preservation Chicago and students in the historic preservation department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago on a data project illustrating the condition of workers cottages. An accompanying analysis by…looked at a 15-year period of demolitions and found that workers cottages accounted for the majority of demolition permits in Logan Square between 2006 and 2020…Those demolitions predated the 2021 demolition surcharge pilot program.

“‘It’s not a traditional historic preservation thing; it doesn’t have a famous architect because a lot of times they were built with pretty basic plans,’ Bergstrom said, adding that the cottages likely wouldn’t meet other historic markers such as housing a famous person.

“‘Advocates for the workers cottage argue their preservation crusade isn’t just about character but also includes an affordable housing component.

“But I think we need to have, in the Chicago style, a ‘yes, and’ attitude where you think about preserving the units that currently provide affordable housing instead of saying we should demolish these because these are structures that are underperforming, that is not so.'” (Giangreco, Block Club Chicago, 10/17/24)

Preservation Chicago is an active member of the Chicago Workers Cottage Initiative. Using Preservation Chicago’s subscription to Regrid, a web-based program that allows for data extraction, surveying and spatial analysis, teams of volunteers have surveyed sections of Logan Square, McKinley Park, Southeast Chicago, and now Back of the Yards. Students from the School of the Art Institute, the University of Chicago, and the University of Illinois at Chicago have been integral to conducting the surveys. Once the survey data is collected, a summary of the findings is presented to community members for input and action steps.

If you’d like to get involved with the Chicago Workers Cottage Initiative or learn more about the effort, please reach out to the Chicago Workers Cottage Initiative via their website.

Read the full story at Block Club Chicago

• Workers Cottage Demolitions In Logan Square Spur Renewed Fight For Preservation
  Advocates for the simple, late 19th-century homes hope the recently passed anti-gentrification ordinance will limit teardowns and encourage preservation, Leigh Giangreco, Block Club Chicago, 10/17/24
• Redevelopment planned as demo permits issued at 2127-2129 N. Damen, The two structures will be replaced with a four-story development, Lukas Kugler, Urbanize Chicago, 9/14/24
• With Pair Of Workers Cottages Demolished, 2129 North Damen Avenue Construction Begins In Bucktown, Daniel Schell, Chicago YIMBY, 11/3/24
• Logan Square have been torn down in recent years and replaced with modern condos or single-family homes, Mina Bloom, Block Club Chicago, 9/30/22
• Cataloging and Celebrating the Workers Cottage, One of Chicago’s Original Affordable Homes, Nick Blumberg, WTTW Chicago, 5/12/22
• Chicago Workers Cottage Initiative Website