text: Preservation Chicago – Chicago Newstips by Community Media Workshop http://www.newstips.org Chicago Community Stories Mon, 08 Jan 2018 18:45:05 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.4.14 A high-rise at Lathrop Homes? http://www.newstips.org/2013/08/a-high-rise-at-lathrop-homes/ http://www.newstips.org/2013/08/a-high-rise-at-lathrop-homes/#comments Sun, 11 Aug 2013 20:37:06 +0000 http://www.newstips.org/?p=7597
  ]]> http://www.newstips.org/2013/08/a-high-rise-at-lathrop-homes/feed/ 3 Lathrop plans: little preservation, big TIF http://www.newstips.org/2012/11/lathrop-plans-little-preservation-big-tif/ Wed, 14 Nov 2012 23:25:13 +0000 http://www.newstips.org/?p=6751
  ]]> Big plans for Michael Reese http://www.newstips.org/2010/12/big-plans-for-michael-reese/ Fri, 17 Dec 2010 20:32:46 +0000 http://communitymediaworkshop.org/newstips/?p=3131
  ]]> Michael Reese buildings threatened http://www.newstips.org/2010/09/michael-reese-buildings-threatened/ http://www.newstips.org/2010/09/michael-reese-buildings-threatened/#comments Wed, 29 Sep 2010 19:08:30 +0000 http://communitymediaworkshop.org/newstips/?p=2248
  ]]> http://www.newstips.org/2010/09/michael-reese-buildings-threatened/feed/ 1 Olympic Legacies: Give or Take? http://www.newstips.org/2009/08/olympic-legacies-give-or-take-2/ Sun, 09 Aug 2009 06:00:00 +0000 http://communitymediaworkshop.org/newstips/?p=3087
  ]]> Architectural Legacy Threatened http://www.newstips.org/2009/08/architectural-legacy-threatened/ http://www.newstips.org/2009/08/architectural-legacy-threatened/#comments Sun, 09 Aug 2009 06:00:00 +0000 http://communitymediaworkshop.org/newstips/?p=3086
  Fourth Ward Alderman Toni Preckwinkle is backing Chicago 2016′s plan, based in part on her attachment to "restoring the street grid." But Balkany points out that before the Reese campus, the old industrial area was a maze of zig-zagging streets and dead ends. And podium parking garages tend to transform city streets into dark, lifeless canyons.
  Fine argues that Village planners should "exercise a little more creativity and ingenuity, reconfigure the site, get the best architect you can and really leave a legacy." Currently private developers are set to choose the architects and design the buildings.
  "With tweaking, Chicago's [Olympic] Village could become more village-like, incorporating buildings of a variety of scales and ages, including the best of the Reese buildings (and courtyards) in which Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius had a hand," the Blair Kamin writes in the Tribune.
  That approach would be much closer to Chicago 2016′s professed ideal of a "green" Olympics, said Chris Morris of the Midwest office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, speaking with the Trust's magazine Preservation in June.
  "The wholesale demolition of 29 buildings, many of which are in excellent condition and could easily be adapted for residential or retail purposes, is definitely not a sustainable or green approach," Morris said.
  "The city should be looking at ways to adapt and highlight this incredible collection of modern architecture for the international audience that will be drawn to Chicago in 2016, not scraping the site clean and dumping the work of Walter Gropius in a landfill simply for the sake of expediency."
  "The Gropius buildings could benefit the Olympics, and the city, and Bronzeville," said Balkany. For a community striving assiduously to raise its profile, the proximity of the Reese campus to Mies van der Rohe's IIT campus offers Bronzeville a potent opportunity, he says,
  "Here are two of the leading architects of the 20th century, at the close of their careers, ending up on the South Side working on large projects within walking distance of each other."
  Also in walking distance are important works of Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, who were both influences on Mies and Gropius. Sullivan's Pilgrim Baptist Church (awaiting restoration) is at 33rd and Indiana, and his ]Eliel House is at 4122 S. Ellis. Wright's only rowhouses, the Roloson Houses, are on the 2300 block of S. Calumet.
  It would seem like a natural for a city recognized worldwide for its architectural treasures; it would cement Chicago's place as the center of the second wave of modernism.
  Gropius's master plan for Reese is also part of Bronzeville history, the large post-war urban renewal project that responded to slum conditions. While nearby residential developments replaced a dense urban neighborhood with "towers in the park," Gropius's design for Reese was quite varied and (to cite the architect's concept) "organic," Balkany argues. Together with nearby Prairie Shores and Lake Meadows, the area stands as a success in terms of establishing a stable, integrated, working-class community, he says.
  And while that project involved widespread land clearance, Balkany points out, Gropius's plan included valuable older buildings, including the old Prairie-style Reese Main and the 1876 Olivet Church.
  Although last week the staff of the Chicago Landmark Commission agreed that the Gropius buildings are probably eligible for listing on the National Registry of Historic Places (the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency has already ruled that they are), the clear-cutting of the lush landscapes of the hospital campus last week indicates that Chicago 2016 and the city are gung-ho for demolition.
  "From the point of view of a real estate developer, a 37-acre tract that is vacant is the most attractive proposition," said Fine. Balkany argues that a more attractive, historic, and environmentally-sensitive design could help with sales in a tough market. And James Peters of Landmarks Illinois points out that, along with National Registry listing, preserving and reusing some of the existing buildings would give developers access to potentially huge tax credits, amounting to 20 percent of the cost of construction.
  "One of the challenges is to have something that works for the market, and we're stressing that if you do some rehabilitation along with new construction, you've got some significant incentives available," Peters said.
  "Let's not throw out any options until we know what we're dealing with."
  The future of the Reese campus will be one of the prime topics — along with a community benefits agreement for jobs, business and affordable housing and general concerns about city finances — at Chicago 2016′s community meeting for wards 3, 4, and 20, on Tuesday, August 11 at 6 p.m. at the Chicago Urban League, 4510 S. Wabash.
  ]]> http://www.newstips.org/2009/08/architectural-legacy-threatened/feed/ 2 Lathrop Residents: Lease Vacant Units http://www.newstips.org/2008/10/lathrop-residents-lease-vacant-units/ http://www.newstips.org/2008/10/lathrop-residents-lease-vacant-units/#comments Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:34:09 +0000 http://communitymediaworkshop.org/newstips/?p=308