Nearly two dozen property owners who took on the challenge of returning historically significant buildings to their original appearance have been honored for their stewardship with Chicago Landmark Awards for Preservation Excellence.
This year’s 21 winners include two buildings brought “back from the brink,” says Brian Goeken, deputy commissioner of the Landmarks Division of the Chicago Department of Planning and Development.
Those are a long-neglected mansion, once the residence of Marshall Field Jr., built in the 1800s at 1919 S. Prairie Ave., and a Motor Row showroom at 2246-2248 S. Michigan Ave. that had been severely damaged by fire.
Also noteworthy is the Chicago & North Western Railway Powerhouse at 211 N. Clinton St., a “big old space, hollowed out,” that had been vacant for about 40 years, Goeken said. The building has been recast for office and retail use.
On a smaller scale is a row house in the Pullman District, at 605 E. 107th St., which was saved from demolition by Park Bank Initiatives, a bank-affiliated non-profit organization.
Goeken said the commission reviews about 2,000 permits a year, and 12 staff members create a short list of projects to watch. Only properties that have been established as Chicago landmarks or are within a designated Chicago Landmark District are eligible.
Property owners can’t apply for consideration, and many individuals don’t realize their building was on the “short list” until they receive their award letters. “Everybody has an equal shot,” Goeken says. “About a third are small property owners.”
The Commission on Chicago Landmarks, a nine-member board appointed by Mayor Richard M. Daley and the City Council, selects the winners. The projects for the 2007 awards — which are honorary — were completed within the year.
For more information see www.cityofchicago.org/landmarks
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2007 Preservation award winners
C&NW Railway Powerhouse: 211 N. Clinton St.
Exterior restoration
The Powerhouse is one of the surviving buildings of the once grand Chicago & North Western Railway Terminal complex. Built in 1909, the Powerhouse is a fine example of a Beaux Arts style facility by the architectural firm of Frost and Granger. The C&NW Powerhouse was designated a Chicago Landmark Jan. 11, 2006.
McCormick Tribune Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum
Interpretation/education
Constructed in 1918 to serve as a link between the Central Loop and the Near North Side, the Michigan Avenue Bridge with its four bridge towers was a component of Daniel Burnham’s 1909 Plan of Chicago. The bridge was designated a landmark Oct. 2, 1991.
Biograph Theater: 2433 N. Lincoln Ave.
Exterior rehabilitation
The Biograph Theater, designed in 1914 by architect Samuel N. Crowen, is one of Chicago’s oldest neighborhood movie houses. Victory Gardens Theater bought the building in 2004 and undertook a $11.3 million rehab of its exterior and interior. The Biograph was designated a landmark March 28, 2001.
Mid-North District: 550-556 W. Grant Pl. and 2233 N. Geneva Ter.
New construction
The Mid-North district has many examples of masonry townhouses and larger single-family homes of brick and frame construction. Neighborhood architecture is characterized by its fine detailing and craftsmanship in the Italianate, Queen Anne and Romanesque Revival styles. This new building at the corner of Geneva Terrace and Grant Place comprises five townhouses with architectural features sensitive to the character of the surrounding blocks. The district was designated a landmark Aug. 31, 1977.
Mid-North District: 2343 N. Cleveland Ave.
Exterior rehabilitation
The Mid-North District is notable for its variety of architectural styles and building types dating from just before the 1871 Chicago Fire through the mid-20th Century. This wood-frame house was originally built in 1866, but had been altered in the 1970s. The current owners restored it back to its original Italianate-style appearance. The district was designated a landmark on Aug. 31, 1977.
Armitage-Halsted District: 1000 W. Armitage Ave.
Storefront rehabilitation
The Armitage-Halsted District is a largely intact late-19th Century neighborhood commercial district. This storefront, at Sheffield and Armitage Avenues, had been altered over the years. Polo Ralph Lauren’s Rugby store removed all non-historic materials and installed a wood storefront system with large panes of glass, reminiscent of historic storefronts. The district was designated a landmark Feb. 5, 2003.
The Lion House – 2132 N. Stockton Drive, Lincoln Park Zoo
Stewardship
The Lion House, built in 1912, is an exceptional example of a Prairie-influenced park building and is in Lincoln Park Zoo, one of the country’s oldest and finest municipal zoological parks. Designed by the architectural office of Perkins, Fellows & Hamilton, the Lion House displays fine craftsmanship and geometric masonry ornament, including its visually distinctive brick lion mosaics. The zoo was recognized for its maintenance and rehabilitation of the building, most recently having rehabbed and expanded the exterior animal habitats. The Lion House was designated a landmark Nov. 30, 2005.
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Krause Music Store: 4611 N. Lincoln Ave.
Exterior restoration
The elaborate terra-cotta facade of the Krause Music Store was designed by architect Louis Sullivan, who was asked to collaborate with his former employee, William Presto. The design was Sullivan’s last project, and its extensively intricate, decorative ornament is indicative of his work. The owner restored the terra cotta facade, storefronts and upper-floor leaded windows as part of a building rehab. The store was designated a landmark Sept. 28, 1977.
North Kenwood District: 4580 S. Oakenwald Ave.
Exterior restoration
North Kenwood was an affluent suburb annexed to Chicago in the 1870s. Characterized primarily by masonry townhouses and single-family homes, the area has a number of Richardsonian Romanesque-style buildings with arched windows, fine masonry detailing and picturesque pitched roofs. This three-story building was restored over the last year; the non-historic awnings, masonry paint and front porch were removed and replaced with a new wood front porch and new windows. The district was designated a landmark June 9, 1993.
Kenwood District: 4914 S. Greenwood Ave.
Exterior restoration
After annexation to Chicago in 1889, the neighborhood retained its suburban character with elaborate Queen Anne, Colonial Revival and Shingle-style houses. The work for this single-family residence included restoring the historic fence and all of the decorative iron-work at the front porch, installing new inlaid copper gutters, replacing missing slate shingles on the roof, installing custom storm windows to protect the newly repaired historic windows and full masonry tuck-pointing of the limestone walls. The district was designated a landmark June 9, 1993.
Wicker Park: 1555 N. Hoyne Ave.
Exterior rehabilitation
The Wicker Park District is home to a varied collection of late-1800s and early-1900s residential buildings. The buildings display fine detailing and craftsmanship, including delicate woodwork, ornamental metal and carved and incised masonry. This Italianate limestone townhouse and a rare rear two-story coach house were in disrepair when the owner began rehab work. The project included restoring the limestone facade, windows and doors and the mansard roof of the main house; the work on the wood-frame coach house included stabilizing the structure and replacing the tar paper exterior with new wood clapboard. The district was designated a landmark April 12, 1991.
Longwood Drive District: 10560 S. Longwood Drive
Exterior rehabilitation and addition
Set on a ridge in the Beverly neighborhood, the Longwood Drive District has a hilly quality unique in Chicago. Known for its scenic setting, the neighborhood has a variety of historic single-family homes. The rehab work on this frame-and-stucco house included rebuilding the front terrace and stone balustrades, replacing the windows, restoring the stucco and constructing a rear addition and a three-car detached garage. The district was designated a landmark Nov. 13, 1981.
Longwood Drive District: 2023 W. 108th Place
Exterior restoration and addition
Developed as a Chicago suburb, Longwood Drive’s hilly topography allows its buildings to take advantage of landscaped vistas. The owners of this single-family residence, known as the Blake House, replaced the roof cedar shingles, restored the deteriorating stucco and wood clapboard, reinforced the exterior porches and landscaping and added a rear addition. The district was designated a landmark Nov. 13, 1981.
Ukrainian Village District: 2133 W. Thomas St.
Exterior rehabilitation
The architecture of Ukrainian Village is a testament to the European immigrants that settled in the area in the late-19th and early-20th Centuries. This workers-style brick cottage was built in 1891 by W.D. Kerfoot, an early developer of the area. The current owners removed the non-historic porch covering, concrete front stair and bay window roofing, and installed a new porch with painted wood stairs and decorative newel posts, wood double doors with recessed panels and metal standing seam roofing over the bay window. The district was designated a landmark Dec. 4, 2002, and extended in July 27, 2005 and April 11, 2007.
Pulaski Park Fieldhouse: 1419 W. Blackhawk St.
Mural restoration
Pulaski Park is named for Casimir Pulaski, a Polish general in the Revolutionary War. The fieldhouse was built in 1912 in an “Old World” style with half-timbered gables, a bellcast-roofed tower and sheltered verandas. The building was designed by William Zimmerman who worked with Jens Jensen, the park’s landscape architect. The mural in the second-floor auditorium, designed by James Gilbert and painted by his students, is a representation of the arts in the Classical style. The fieldhouse was designated a landmark July 29, 2003.
Pullman District: 605 E. 107th St.
Exterior/interior rehabilitation
Famous for being the first planned industrial town in America, Pullman was built to provide solid housing for employees of the Pullman Palace Car Co. Developed by George Pullman and designed by Solon S. Beman, the town remains largely intact. Park Bank Initiatives, a bank-affiliated non-profit organization, saved this small attached townhouse from demolition. Work included extensive masonry repair, roof reconstruction and window and door replacement. The south part of Pullman was designated a landmark Oct. 16, 1972, and the north part June 9, 1993.
Pullman District: 11306 S. Forrestville Ave.
Exterior restoration
Houses in Pullman are distinctive for their roof lines, brick work, wood front porches and multipane wood windows. Last year the owners of this house replaced their old windows with historically accurate, custom wood windows to match the original Pullman windows. Previous restoration work also included replacing the wood roof shingles and repairing the decorative cornice. The south part of Pullman was designated a landmark Oct. 16, 1972, and the north part June 9, 1993.
Dr. Wallace C. Abbott House: 4605 N. Hermitage Ave.
Stewardship
This Queen Anne-style frame house is the best-surviving building in Chicago associated with the life and career of Dr. Wallace Abbott, the founder of Abbott Laboratories, the health-care and pharmaceutical company. The stately single-family residence, on a large corner lot in Ravenswood, was bought by Abbott in 2006 to ensure its preservation. The house was designated a landmark March 1, 2006.
Prairie Avenue District: 1919 S. Prairie Ave.
Exterior rehabilitation
On what was considered Chicago’s “Street of Millionaires” in the 1800s, Prairie Avenue was home to many of Chicago’s wealthiest merchants. The Marshall Field Jr. residence, built of sandstone and brick in 1882, was designed by architect Solon S. Beman. The mansion had been neglected for decades when it was purchased to be converted into six residential units. Work included reconstructing the roof line, with its dormers and gables, restoring the masonry facades and replacing all windows and doors in the main building and coach house. The district was designated a landmark Dec. 27, 1979.
Motor Row District: 2246-2248 S. Michigan Ave.
Exterior/Interior rehabilitation
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Motor Row on Chicago’s Near South Side is considered to be the largest intact early “automobile row” in the U.S. The showrooms often were constructed by prominent architects and once showcased more than 100 makes of cars. This property was severely damaged by fire in 2005. The owners replaced portions of the structure, removing bricked-up storefronts and adding new storefronts, as well as replacing the distinctive upper-floor arched windows to reflect the historic configuration. The district was designated a landmark Dec. 13, 2000.
Chicago Board of Trade: 141 W. Jackson Blvd.
Exterior and interior restoration
At the south end of LaSalle Street, the Chicago Board of Trade Building is an example of Art Deco-style and the historic home of the city’s commodities market. The skyscraper was built in 1929 and designed by the architectural firm of Holabird & Root. The building has setbacks and a pyramidal roof topped by a statue of Ceres, the Greek goddess of grain and harvest. The owners undertook a $22.6 million renovation, including restoring the marble and polished-nickel lobby, upgrading interior common areas and systems and extensively repairing the exterior. The CBOT was designated a landmark May 4, 1977 with amendments June 23, 2004.
Source: Chicago Landmarks Commission