[remote or in person] Commission on Chicago Landmarks

Commission on Chicago Landmarks
Development

Thursday, April 3, 2025
12:45 p.m. — 4:00 p.m. CDT

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121 N LaSalle St Chicago, IL 60602 (Directions)

City Hall, Room 201A

Remote Event Link

You have the option of documenting this meeting of the Chicago Commission on Landmarks (and the subsequent Permit Review Committee meeting, if it is held) in person or remotely.

If you choose to attend in person, an additional hour will be added to your total assignment hours. You may be asked to provide government-issued photo ID and to go through a metal detector.

If you choose to document remotely, the meeting will be live-streamed at https://vimeo.com/event/2354896. Please be aware that once in a while the meeting is held in a room that doesn’t have livestream capabilities; please email us if you notice this before we do so we can adjust the plan. More info about this is at https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dcd/supp_info/landmarks_commission.html just above the meeting schedule section.

After the fact, the video recording should be available at this link, likely just titled “DPD Live.” It may have a different date/time on it than when the meeting actually took place, so you may need to search or skim back a bit.

The end time listed on this assignment is an estimation based on the duration of past meetings of this type.

Check the source website for additional information

Reporting

Edited and summarized by the Chicago - IL Documenters Team

Note-taking by Grace Vaughn

The Commission on Chicago Landmarks reviewed two locations presenting for final approval of landmark recognition and their Permit Review Committee approved projects from the previous meeting and reviewed the seven projects on their agenda.

View notes
Live reporting by William Lu

The Commission on Chicago Landmarks reviewed two locations presenting for final approval of landmark recognition and their Permit Review Committee approved projects from the previous meeting and reviewed the seven projects on their agenda.

Will Lioux
Will Lioux @LiouxW 2/28
The meeting agenda for today has been published online and could be found at chicago.gov/content/dam/ci…
chicago.gov/content/dam/ci…
Will Lioux @LiouxW 3/28
The meeting was called to order at 12:49pm. Chair Ernest C. Wong, Vice Chair Gabriel Ignacio Dziekiewicz and commission members Suellen Burns, Jonathan Fair, Adam Rubin, and Richard Tolliver are in attendance. Commissioner Alicia Ponce is yet to arrive.
Will Lioux @LiouxW 4/28
Meeting minutes from the lasting regular meeting on March 6 were unanimously confirmed.
Will Lioux @LiouxW 5/28
Moving onto the final landmark recommendation of Morning Star Baptist Church of Chicago, located at 3993 South King Drive in Bronzeville: morningstarbcofchicago.org
morningstarbcofchicago.org
Will Lioux @LiouxW 6/28
The commission highlighted the important African American architectural heritage that church embodies, with an emphasis on the roles played by African American architects Walter Thomas Bailey and Charles Duster.
Will Lioux @LiouxW 7/28
A representative from Preservation Chicago is speaking during public comments. "It's wonderful to see so many churches in Bronzeville and houses of worship being recognized, this one being a mid-century modern church."
Will Lioux @LiouxW 8/28
The motion is approved unanimously. Next up is the final landmark recommendation for Harris Trust & Savings Bank, located at 111 W Monroe Street: a Classical Revival skyscraper built in 1911 with an attached addition of the modernist East Tower from 1960.
Will Lioux @LiouxW 9/28
Ward Miller from Preservation Chicago is speaking now. He recalls how the building were considered endangered just a few years ago when BMO moved its offices to West Loop and expresses his organization's strong support for the landmark designation.
Will Lioux @LiouxW 10/28
The motion carries unanimously. Next up is the Permit Review Committee Report.
Will Lioux @LiouxW 11/28
Staff from Permit Review Committee mentions that there were 144 approved applications in March, and it took 4.5 days on average to approve an application.
Will Lioux @LiouxW 12/28
The meeting of the Commission on Chicago Landmarks has ended. The meeting of the Permit Review Committee will begin shortly.
Will Lioux @LiouxW 13/28
The Permit Review Committee meeting began after a short 5-minute break! Meeting minutes from last month are approved unanimously. There are 7 buildings on the agenda today for permit review.
Will Lioux @LiouxW 14/28
First up for review is the proposed new shade awning and glass guards for existing rooftop amenity space of the Canopy by Hilton hotel building, located at 226 W. Jackson Boulevard: hilton.com/en/hotels/chij…
hilton.com/en/hotels/chij…
Will Lioux @LiouxW 15/28
The main reason for scrutiny seems to be the visibility of these new rooftop structures from the street, given that the building is a designated landmark.
Will Lioux @LiouxW 16/28
The motion carries unanimously. Next up for review is the proposed new construction of 11 new townhouses in three separate grouping on combined vacate lots on the block of 4400 S. Greenwood Ave, located inside the North Kenwood Multiple Resource District.
Will Lioux @LiouxW 17/28
The argument for approval centers on the parallel between the massing and facade material of the new development and that of historical row houses in the neighborhood. The staff is making it clear that this is not an endorsement for required zoning changes for the project.
Will Lioux @LiouxW 18/28
Staff recommendation adopted unanimously. Project No.3 is the proposed new construction of 5 new two-story single-family residences and detached two-car garages at 3307-3319 S. Prarie Ave.
Will Lioux @LiouxW 19/28
After commissioners' feedback, the developer is promising to work with the committee to advance design to make the facades less flat and give them more depth.
Will Lioux @LiouxW 20/28
Item approved unanimously again. Next up for discussion is the proposed alterations to an existing rear addition to a coach house at 1625 N Mohawk St, located inside the Old Town Triangle District
Will Lioux @LiouxW 21/28
Approved unanimously. Next up for discussion is the proposed use of reflective, one-way vision privacy film at three first-floor storefront bays for a new abortion clinic, located at 4649 N. Broadway at Uptown Square
Will Lioux @LiouxW 22/28
The applicant's main rationale for the one-way vision privacy film, typically not approved for historical buildings, is privacy and security needs for the nature of the business.
Will Lioux @LiouxW 23/28
Approved unanimously again. Next up for discussion is the proposed relocation of an existing curb cut and driveway from the west side of the property to the east side of the property and the construction of a new garage in the rear yard at 1030 E. 48th Street in Kenwood.
Will Lioux @LiouxW 24/28
Staff recommendation adopted unanimously. Final project of the day: proposed signage replacement at Vassar Swiss Underwear Co. Building at 2545 W Diversey. The building dates back to 1940 and is prominent along the Kennedy Expressway.
Will Lioux @LiouxW 25/28
When questioned by commissioners, both committee staff and the applicant highlight the benefit of having dimmable signs in enabling operational control over potential light pollution in the residential area that the project is located in.
Will Lioux @LiouxW 26/28
Representatives from the company is voicing objections to the staff recommendation to eliminate green halo lighting from the signage. They contend that the new green halo lighting would be central to projecting the company's brand identity.
Will Lioux @LiouxW 27/28
The committee is voting to revise and adopt staff recommendation for the proposed signage. Green halo lighting will be allowed as long as it is similarly dimmable to permit a degree of control.
Will Lioux @LiouxW 28/28
The meeting was adjourned at 2:29 pm. The Commission's next meeting is scheduled for May 8, 2024. This concludes my live-tweeting for today's regular meeting of The Commission on Chicago Landmarks (CCL) for #CHIdocumenters @CHIdocumenters
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Agency Information

Commission on Chicago Landmarks

www.chicago.gov

(312) 744-3200

landmarks@cityofchicago.org

@ChicagoDPD

See Documenters reporting

The Commission on Chicago Landmarks is responsible for recommending buildings, structures, sites and districts for legal protection as official Chicago landmarks. Staffed by the Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Planning and Development (DPD), the commission is also responsible for reviewing proposed alterations to existing landmarks and districts, as well as proposed demolitions of structures considered to be historically or architecturally significant.

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