John Morris
May 20, 2015
John Morris/Chicago Patterns
A few months ago columnist Gabriel X. Michael surveyed West Side houses with inscribed numbers that didn’t align with the current address. This was the result of the 1909 adoption of Edward Brennan’s plan which standardized addresses across Chicago.
Though this change affected most of the city, there was a large swath that escaped the 1909 change, including the house above.
A pre-1909 inscription on the entryway with an accurate address was quite curious.
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John Morris
April 28, 2015
John Morris/Chicago Patterns
Between Washington and Madison Streets on the river is the Chicago Daily News building, a grand edifice constructed in 1929 at the height of Chicago’s boom era.
Much like the company that commissioned it, the building has oscillated between grandeur and peril a few times in its 85 years of existence.
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John Morris
March 29, 2015
John Morris/Chicago Patterns
Update 03/29/15:
Crain’s Chicago Business reports the property was sold to Stone Street Partners for $3.8 million. In the article, Stone Street CEO David Trandel states they intend to keep the building intact as they develop around it–including 10 apartments.
NBC Chicago reports the entire interior will be gutted, and that the current owner is looking for retail or a restaurant to lease the space. Fortunately, it appears this structure won’t be a victim of facadism.
This outcome is the best that could’ve been hoped for, and we commend David Trandel of Stone Street Partners for recognizing the cultural and architectural significance of this building.
Original article from 11/2014 below.
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At the intersection of Wellington and Southport, a 1920s Gothic-styled funeral home sits empty and faces an uncertain future. A few weeks ago it was released from the city’s Demolition Delay list, a status change that allows for demolition to proceed. Since 1985, this architecturally significant structure has been the Herdegen-Brieske Funeral Home. But business recently ceased operations and both the land and building are up for sale.
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Gabriel X. Michael
March 27, 2015
124 North Sacramento Boulevard. January 4, 2014.
For years, possibly decades, the two-story brick flat at 124 North Sacramento Boulevard, just south of once-bustling Lake Street, has stood isolated and surrounded by vacancy. Bordered by an alley to the south and an overgrown fenced lot to the north and existing here since approximately 1889, it provides a glimpse into the former life of this block, neighborhood, and the greater West Side of Chicago.
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