“A group fighting to preserve St. Adalbert Roman Catholic Church — a property in the heart of Pilsen that is slated to become apartments — now want the convent to be landmarked along with other buildings on the site.
“Society of St. Adalbert (SOSA) recently filed a request to consider a landmark designation for the former convent at 1628 W. 17th St. with the city’s Department of Planning and Development. The move comes less than two months after Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) submitted a letter in support of landmarking the historic church, interior sanctuary and the rectory building on the 2.1-acre property.
“The developer slated to redevelop the property, CityPads, supports landmarking the convent in addition to the other buildings, said Clint Sabin, the company’s spokesman.
“Sigcho-Lopez does, too.
“We want to make sure that we are not forgetting a piece of the parish property,” the alderman said.
“The four-story convent, named Our Lady of the Snows by the congregation, was constructed in 1928 and includes 52 bedrooms, a library, a chapel and a dining hall, according to the filing by the group. It formerly housed Sisters of Nazareth and the nuns taught children in the community at St. Adalbert School, said Society of St. Adalbert President Julie Sawicki.”
“Sawicki said landmarking the convent will prevent any “destruction of the property. “This property should have been landmarked a long time ago, but no one thought it would be necessary,” Sawicki said. “[Landmarking] would be a big step forward in achieving the objective of keeping the property as it has been for 142 years…We don’t want to see a developer ruin the property.”
“Ward Miller, executive director of Preservation Chicago, has advocated for the landmarking of the property for years. If landmarked, Miller said the convent’s exterior would need to be maintained to keep with “the spirit, look, feel and design” of the 1920s building. Any additions to the building would have to be set back, Miller said.”(Pena, 11/19/19)