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Saturday, July 9th
10:30 am - 3 pm
Tickets are required: $15/$12 members
Departs from and returns to 4410 N. Ravenswood Ave. (by the Montrose Brown Line stop)
Join Preservation Chicago for a city-wide bus tour of our 2016 7 Most Endangered Places led by PC Executive Director Ward Miller and board members. Don't miss this unique opportunity to travel the city with other preservation-focused residents, visit some of Chicago's most exceptional historic buildings, and learn about Preservation Chicago's ongoing advocacy efforts.
The tour bus will leave from and return to the parking lot outside Preservation Chicago's offices at the corner of Montrose and Ravenswood (4410 N. Ravenswood) and criss-cross the city for approximately four hours. Note that for reasons of maneuverability the tour will be conducted on a school bus.
To take advantage of the discounted ticket price for members, join here: http://preservationchicago.org/membership
The tour will visit all of the sites on this year's "Chicago 7 (plus 1!)" list:
St. Adalbert Catholic Church:
Originally constructed for a Polish congregation in the Pilsen neighborhood, St. Adalbert Roman Catholic Church is a Renaissance Revival complex designed by noted church architect Henry J. Schlacks, who worked for a time in the offices of Adler & Sullivan. Its soaring 185- foot twin towers are the highest structures in the Pilsen neighborhood and easily recognizable. St. Adalbert was listed on our Chicago 7 list in 2014. We are taking the extraordinary step of listing it again in 2016 as a bonus 8th entry because the threat of demolition has continued and intensified.
Washington Park National Bank:
The Washington Park National Bank Building was constructed in 1924 by architect Albert Schwartz as part of an expansion and relocation of the bank to a more prominent site. The building, constructed of Bedford or Indiana limestone, would include retail shops on the 63rd Street side of the building, with the bank operating from the Cottage Grove frontage. In recent decades, this once prominent intersection has experienced great decline and this amazing banking structure has fallen into disrepair and was mothballed. The building still remains empty and efforts are underway to restore other prominent buildings that remain in the vicinity. Preservation Chicago is advocating for its rehabilitation and reuse.
Sears Roebuck & Company Stores:
Across Chicago and across the country, Sears, Roebuck & Company was Where America Shops, as the jingle once advertised. These stores were built by a variety of forward-thinking and modern architectural firms, with many designed between 1927-1942 by George Nimmons and his firms, and under the direction of Robert E. Wood, Chairman of Sears Roebuck. This included a network of factories, stores, distribution centers and mills all unified and developed under Woods leadership. With the possibility of additional Sears stores closing across Chicago and across the country, we would like to see the remaining stores and buildings, at Lawrence and Winchester, 79th and Kenwood, Western and 63rd and Irving Park and Cicero-Six Corners - four buildings in total - be considered for further protections and Landmark Designation.
Old Chinatown:
Located adjacent to the historic Loop Elevated Structure on South Clark Street and continuing around the corner onto Van Buren Street is a grouping of six buildings, the last remnants of a long-lost-era of Chicago history. Once known as Little Cheyenne, and also known for a time as Old Chinatown, it merged the story of politicians, marginal businesses and a colored and checkered history of the citys underbelly, combining with an ever-growing Asian community. This melting pot of Chicagos early days after the Fire of 1871 is, today, among the few survivors of the old Loop and the areas extending to the south. As development pressures in the South Loop continue to grow, these structures are under potential threat and currently have no landmark protection.
Children's Memorial Hospital Pavilions:
The Renaissance Revival and Classical-Style buildings of the former Childrens Memorial Hospital, at the Northwest and southwest corners of Fullerton and Orchard, were designed by the noted architectural firms of Holabird & Roche and Pickney & Johnson in the 1920s. These two red-brick structures create a transition and gateway to two Chicago Landmark Districts, the Mid-North and the Arlington-Deming Landmark Districts. Both Nellie Black and the Martha Wilson Pavilions of Childrens Memorial Hospital were discussed for preservation beginning in earnest in 2011. However, both are to be demolished and replaced with new buildings in the spirit of the old, but with little historic fabric remaining. We at Preservation Chicago would offer that these two historic facades remain as part of the development, and that both structures be retrofitted on the interiors and perhaps modify the entries to these buildings to make them ADA accessible as needed.
LaSalle/Van Buren "L" Station Houses:
This Queen Anne Style pair of Station Houses (located on the north and south sides of the railroad tracks) were constructed in 1897, as part of the Union Loop Elevated, the train system and trestle that circles the Central Business District of Chicago, along Lake Street, Wabash Avenue, Van Buren and Wells (once known as Fifth Avenue). The system was originally comprised of several rail lines, including the South Side Elevated Railroad, the Lake Street Elevated Railroad, the Metropolitan West Side Railroad and the Union Consolidated Elevated Railroad. Originally, there were 12 stations, with three on each leg of the Loop. We would like to encourage the City to protect the orange-rated LaSalle/Van Buren Station House and to designate additional historic stations, all remaining original features and the entire Union Loop Elevated trestle structure and assembly, which was made a National Register property in 1978. We feel that this would encourage sensitive attention and authentic restoration of lost features to this Chicago Landmark which is such an important symbol of our City.
McCormick Place Lakeside Center:
This building, which replaced a 1960s concrete box referred to as "the mistake on the lake," is now the oldest section of the McCormick Place complex. It is comprised of lightweight steel and glass, and at one time also featured open access to water for viewers to experience the lake and the lakefront park in addition to the south end of Burnham Harbor. It is also the world's largest space-frame structure, and a feat of engineering in its day. Preservation Chicago believes this is one of Chicagos great mid- century modern buildings. It features two levels of expansive exhibition halls, one on the main level sheathed in glass with others hidden in the lower level of the building. These could be repurposed for a variety of functions including Chicagos most expansive and comprehensive field house, recreational center and cultural center - with the large glass rooms housing indoor tennis courts and basketball courts in natural daylight, along with a running track and other amenities.
James R. Thompson Center:
Once one of Chicagos most controversial building projects, the State of Illinois building/James R. Thompson Center is also one of our Citys most iconic 1980s buildings. The State of Illinois building was one of architect Helmut Jahns most significant public buildings at the time, and a bold idea in its design to represent the State of Illinois. The public space of the 17-story skylight and public atrium is nothing less than spectacular. Recently Governor Rauner was heavily quoted in the press saying hed like to sell the building and that demolition costs would be minimal. Preservation Chicago believes that this building - including the Jean Dubuffet sculpture in its plaza and soaring central atrium - were built by and for the people of the State of Illinois and therefore should remain standing and accessible to the public. We argue that the City of Chicago should move quickly to Landmark and protect this building and plaza, designed by one of the city's most famous contemporary architects, whose career began here and whose work is now seen around the world from Chicago to Shanghai.
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LocationPreservation Chicago (View)
4410 N. Ravenswood Ave. (parking lot)
Chicago, IL 60640
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
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