UPTOWN CHICAGO COMMISSION

Uptown in the News  

December 3, 2007
Chicago Sun-Times
Area buildings receive landmark designation
By (Fran Spielman – City Hall Reporter)

A dozen railroad bridges, three LaSalle Street buildings, a classic firehouse and an old Coast Guard station would be designated as Chicago landmarks, under recommendations advanced today by a City Council committee.

The avalanche of landmarks approved by the Committee on Historical Landmark Preservation also included the Dover Street District, a “visually distinctive collection of suburban-style single-family homes and multi-family buildings” constructed between 1893 and 1927 in the Uptown community. The district “exemplifies the growth and development of the North Side neighborhood in the years following its annexation” by Chicago in 1889 – a growth made possible by mass transit to the Loop.

The district is predominantly located in the 4500, 4600 and 47090 blocks of North Dover and includes four properties on the 4700 block of North Beacon.

Of 88 property owners, 55 have agreed to the landmark designation. Several testified today and broke into applause after the vote.

“What galvanized support is the threat of teardowns. We were mobilized into action because of that,” said Joanne Gannett, who lives at 4723 N. Dover. “We’re under a great deal of pressure now from developers. We need your help,” said resident Barbara Litwin.

Landmark status affords certain protections to buildings. Those wanting to rip down or renovate a landmark structure, for instance, first must get approval from the city’s Commission on Historical Landmarks.