“A veteran Chicago developer has stepped in with a plan to rescue a severely run-down row house in a building Frank Lloyd Wright designed in East Garfield Park.
“‘It’s going to be a money-loser, but it’s a labor of love,’ said Andy Schcolnik, the head of Ansco Construction, who told Crain’s he’s under contract to buy the row house on Walnut Street in Wright’s Waller Apartments, built in 1905.
“Uninhabitable now, and with a water-damaged foundation that potentially threatens the stability of neighboring units, as Crain’s reported in August, the row house at 2846 W. Walnut St. will get a complete restoration, Schcolnik said.
“‘It needs to be done, for the building and for the neighbors,’ he said.
“Schcolnik said the deal, which is in attorney review now, has him paying $30,000 for the property — it was listed at $75,000 — and taking on the $40,000 unpaid water bill.
“Schcolnik estimated restoration will cost $200,000 on top of the purchase price and paying off the water lien. He said he’s researching Wright’s original designs and hopes to replicate them as much as possible.
“Wright was in his late 20s when he designed the Waller Apartments row houses and a companion building called Francisco Terrace in the mid-1890s for real estate developer Edward C. Waller as affordable rentals. The Waller building had 20 four-room apartments, but later combinations reduced it to eight units, of which six still stand.
“The facade has details that don’t typify low-cost housing: large terra cotta plaques, stone columns dividing some windows, a ‘string of pearls’ ornament along the roof line and brick details that suggest Wright’s Prairie Style.
“One unit of the Waller row houses was demolished after sustaining extensive damage in a 1960s fire, and Francisco Terrace was demolished in 1974. The city landmarked the remaining Waller units in 1994, five in one building and one standing alone on the other side of the demolition gap.
Two Chicago preservation leaders both said Schcolnik is well-equipped to reverse the row house’s 20 years of decline.
“‘We’re super-excited because Andy is a great person to take on this challenge,’ said Barbara Gordon, executive director of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, based in Chicago. In three decades, Schcolnik has restored numerous buildings, including greystones, ballrooms and others. He recently purchased two historical church buildings — at 4100 and 4920 S. King Drive — and plans to restore both.
“Ward Miller, executive director of Preservation Chicago, where Schcolnik is a past board member, called him ‘a resourceful guy who can work with budgets and cares about the buildings.’
“Schcolnik ‘is a no-nonsense guy who gets it done,’ Miller said.”
Preservation Chicago is thrilled that Andy Schcolnik with Ansco Construction is purchasing Frank Lloyd Wright’s long endangered Waller Apartment Rowhouse at 2846 W. Walnut Street. We have long been advocating for a preservation solution for the Waller Apartment Rowhouse. We are working closely with preservation partners including the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, Landmarks Illinois and other community organizations.
Ward Miller has been in very close and regular communication with the developer regarding this property and other endangered south-side former church buildings, including Metropolitan Apostolic Community Church and Corpus Christi Catholic Church. We’ve worked very closely with Andy Schcolnik for decades and are thrilled that such a good steward is rescuing these significant historic buildings.
Read the full story at Crain’s Chicago Business